Opinion by: Badi Sudhakaran, co-founder, VALR
Finance, as we know it, leaves far too many behind. This exclusion isn’t just about access to banking or financial services — it’s about dignity.
When people can’t preserve their wealth or understand why their money loses value, they lose more than just purchasing power. They lose agency over their lives.
Fortunately, the democratized nature of crypto offers a silver lining and a redemption arc for people. It’s a way of fighting to get back what inflation has stolen.
When “money” means more than just “money”
Crypto offers a path to restore lost dignity through financial education and inclusion, which the current banking system often fails to deliver. While Bitcoin’s (BTC) price movements may grab headlines, the value lies in something more fundamental: knowledge.
When people engage with cryptocurrency, they begin asking essential questions. Why does money have value? How do financial systems work? What causes inflation?
Knowledge, as the Bahá’í Writings note, becomes “a veritable treasure for man and a source of glory.” We must, however, acknowledge crypto’s challenges. The same technology that promises liberation can become another tool for exclusion.
For many, crypto has devolved into a speculative playground, while complex interfaces and technical jargon create new barriers for those lacking technical competence. Industry participants often prioritize profit over education, exposing new and vulnerable users to risks they don’t fully comprehend.
Learning from the ground up
A more honest path forward for blockchain lies in building systems prioritizing human understanding over transaction speed and community benefit over individual gain. Technology alone cannot deliver dignity. It must be paired with responsible development and meaningful education.
True financial dignity comes from the applied combination of knowledge and agency. It’s visible when a grandmother in rural India uses a crypto wallet over a bank-backed digital payments app because she understands its purpose and message, not because someone told her to. It emerges when a…
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