Bitcoin News and Finance UBS Chief Economist Says ‘Bitcoin Is Denied to Minority Groups Who Have Reduced Online Access’ Skip to main content

UBS Chief Economist Says ‘Bitcoin Is Denied to Minority Groups Who Have Reduced Online Access’

UBS Chief Economist Says 'Bitcoin Is Denied to Minority Groups Who Have Reduced Online Access'

A chief economist at UBS, the largest bank in Switzerland, sees a number of problems with bitcoin. In attempting to answer the question of whether the cryptocurrency defies the zeitgeist, he claims that “bitcoin is denied to those minority groups who have reduced online access.”

UBS Chief Economist Sees Multiple Problems With Bitcoin

Paul Donovan, Chief Economist of UBS Global Wealth Management, published a weekly update entitled “Does Bitcoin defy the Zeitgeist?” on the UBS website Friday outlining a number of issues he sees with the cryptocurrency. UBS is the largest bank in Switzerland.

“There is something weird about Bitcoin. Bitcoin seems to specifically defy the spirit of the age, in a way other cryptos do not,” he began, adding:

Some suggest bitcoin is a safe haven from runaway inflation. But controlling supply does not guarantee value … Bitcoin has a history of extreme price fluctuation.

“We cannot keep living on environmental credit and must become increasingly sustainable,” he continued, claiming that “Bitcoin is increasingly destructive to the environment – the more that is created and used, the worse the environmental damage.”

Furthermore, he asserted: “There is a global focus on reducing inequality. Bitcoin has extraordinarily unequal ownership. Holdings are concentrated amongst a tiny number of people, and its governance is more plutocratic than democratic.” The economist additionally claimed:

Politicians and economists increasingly value inclusion, yet bitcoin is denied to those minority groups who have reduced online access.

As for the zeitgeist, he concluded that “The modern trend that Bitcoin embraces is the power of narrative. Story telling matters hugely to Bitcoin’s evolution. Otherwise, Bitcoin seems opposed to the modern zeitgeist.”

Many bitcoiners took to social media to counter Donovan’s argument. Bitcoin proponent Max Keiser tweeted: “UBS doesn’t understand the meaning of ‘Zeitgeist.’ Faced with an existential threat from Bitcoin – as the real popular zeitgeist moves against them — Paul Donovan blabs boomer claptrap to the bank’s geriatric constituency hoping to stave off extinction. It won’t work.” Another Twitter user concurred: “I’m not sure you understand what the word ‘zeitgeist’ means – else you’d be saying that Bitcoin is an integral part of it.”

Regarding Donovan’s claim of bitcoin’s reduced access for minority groups, many people pointed out the hypocrisy. A different Twitter user commented:

Yeah sure, a UBS bank account is more available to these poor minority groups than a free bitcoin wallet on a cheap Android phone.

Another emphasized several flaws in Donovan’s claims, including that “UBS requires a balance of 10,000 Swiss Franks … to have an open account. I think people in crypto and bitcoin would agree this is a barrier for the people you claim to support.”

In January, Donovan wrote that cryptocurrency has a fundamental flaw and that bitcoin’s fixed supply could cause the collapse of its value and spending power.

What do you think about Paul Donovan’s view on bitcoin? Let us know in the comments section below.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Custodial Lightning Network Service Attack Discovered by LN ‘Newbie’ — Hacker Strikes 6 LN Custodians

On September 18, a Redditor posted to the r/bitcoin forum and explained how he discovered a way to “attack [the] lightning Network’s custodial services.” The Reddit account dubbed “Reckless Satoshi” wanted to figure out if a “discrepancy between real routing fees and service’s transaction fee can be exploited for a profit.” The researcher disclosed that he wanted to see how large the damage could be and said “it is bad.” 6 Lightning Network Custodial Services Attacked, Researcher Discloses Findings to Offenders Prior to Public Disclosure A Redditor called Reckless Satoshi published a disclosure post on r/bitcoin this past Saturday and disclosed how he had found a vulnerability with routing fees and some of the Lightning Network’s custodial services. The research attack was done in good faith and after it was complete he disclosed the bugs to the offending services before publishing his findings. Reckless Satoshi used the Lightning Network (LN) attack on six different services incl...

Axie Infinity Down 40% Since Last Week’s Price High, Protocol Revenue Outshines Competitors

Last week, the game token leveraged within the Axie Infinity gaming universe skyrocketed to all-time highs, while other crypto markets remained extremely lackluster. During the last seven days, Axie Infinity’s platform token has dropped significantly in value shedding more than 12%. Meanwhile, the game platform’s smooth love potion token has slid over 8% over the last 24 hours. Axie Infinity Down More Than 40% Since All-Time High Not too long ago, the axie infinity (AXS) token was a topical conversation because it reached an all-time high on July 15. At the time, AXS managed to capture $28.93 per unit and since then it has shed 12.8% during the last seven days. The axie infinity (AXS) token is used within the blockchain-based game that involves battles between token-based creatures called “Axies.” AXS is used for the game’s governance system as well as other actions within the game. At the time of writing axie infinity (AXS) is exchanging hands for $16.70 per coin. AXS/USD on Ju...

Play-to-Earn Game From Polker (PKR) Exchange Listing – Endorsed by Akon

The Play-to-Earn NFT based Polker.Game ‘s native token $PKR has been officially listed on the popular centralized exchange BitMart. Polker.game has been in the spotlight recently as Akon, the American R&B superstar and record producer gave his official endorsement of polker stating that the “game is revolutionary” and that Polker is “hands down.. the best play to earn, NFT game in the space.”. With the BitMart listing and celebrity endorsement from Akon, Polker is perfectly positioned to become a major player in the Play-to-Earn league. Watch Akon’s Video Here What is Play-to-Earn? Although not a new concept, play-to-earn has become a trending term due to the popularity of the NFT game AXIE infinity. In the past, previous play-to-earn games have also achieved success – however, thanks to the huge amount of development in the blockchain space in recent years the gaming experience is now massively improved. Play-to-Earn games are essentially free to play and open to anyone and...

China to Crack Down on Copyright Infringement Through NFTs

Authorities in China are going after creators of digital collectibles based on other people’s works of art, the use of which was not authorized. The government offensive is part of a campaign to combat online copyright infringement and piracy with the participation of several departments. Regulators in China Move to Strengthen Copyright Supervision of Online Platforms The National Copyright Administration of China (NCAC) has recently launched a campaign against copyright infringement and piracy on the internet, together with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Public Security, and the State Internet Information Office of the People’s Republic. A major objective of the initiative is to improve copyright supervision of online businesses by investigating cases involving the sale and distribution of infringing products on short video, live broadcast and e-commerce platforms, and promptly dealing with infringing content, the agency announced in a press r...
Blogarama - Blog Directory