[atomical]

> Commerce would continue, with state-backed currencies swapped for crypto alternatives that float freely on an open market.

I'm assuming this means a stable coin?

Has anyone figured out how to verify the backing on a blockchain? If that was possible Tether's fraud would have been exposed sooner.

Also, why is Facebook's new currency rumored to be backed by multiple currencies? That seems like it would add volatility instead of lessening it.

[JamesBarney]

> Has anyone figured out how to verify the backing on a blockchain? If that was possible Tether's fraud would have been exposed sooner.

And this is always the problem with block chain. You can't cryptographically verify real life things that people care about like how much money is in someone's bank account.

[panarky]

> real life things that people care about like how much money is in someone's bank account

How is a ledger entry in a bank's computer more "real" than a ledger entry in a public blockchain.

Funny how blockchain discussions proceed in endless circles when people believe without evidence that familiar money is in any way "real" instead of an imaginary social construct, while blockchain money is somehow fake, fraudulent or unreal.

Let's guess the next argument in the endless circle: (a) money is backed by the military, (b) money is backed by tax payments, (c) money is backed by debt, or (d) tulips.

[macspoofing]

>And this is always the problem with block chain. You can't cryptographically verify real life things that people care about like how much money is in someone's bank account.

There are a lot of problems with applying blockchain to solve real problems. This one is not one of the problems. What this is is people using the blockchain for things it was not designed to do.

[repolfx]

Stablecoins aren't supposed to float freely, they're pegged. So I assume it doesn't mean that.