J.P. Koning
Burner Cards and Financial Privacy
The growing demand for virtual cards also serves as a good reminder that the ability to exert control over one’s personal information when making transactions isn’t just a feature that drug dealers want. Regular folks operating in the above-ground economy demand a degree of privacy, as well.
Commercial Habits and Pandemics
Historian William Hutton recounts how country-folk were often too afraid to enter villages filled with potentially sick customers. Instead, they would bring their merchandise to the plague stone, usually set up on the outskirts of a town.
The $1 Coin: World’s Worst Monetary Idea
There are a lot of bad monetary ideas floating around. Few are as awful as the American one-dollar coin, however. Despite almost fifty years of existence, the $1 coin has perennially failed to gain currency in the US.
Why Aren’t Anti-Money-Laundering Regulations Adjusted for Inflation?
Banks and other financial institutions are required by law to implement measures for catching money launderers. Over the decades, these obligations have been getting more onerous due to new rules […]
Venmo, The Public Version
As Vice reports, New York lawmakers want to create a “public Venmo.” Venmo, which is owned by PayPal, allows users to make person-to-person payments. Under the proposal, New York State […]
Anonymity Vouchers: An Improvement for Private Transactions
Financial anonymity is a controversial topic. It’s no wonder that central bankers, a conservative lot, tend to shy away from it. A recent paper from the European Central Bank (ECB) […]
Financial Services and Hate Speech
The battle over financial deplatforming isn’t going to go away. Before we act, let’s be sure we’ve thought things over.
PayPal, Pornhub, and Financial Inclusion
While PayPal’s de-risking of PornHub is unfortunate, there are many alternative payment options available to PornHub’s content providers. Competition saves the day. For now, at least.
The Gamification of Bitcoin
It’s possible that bitcoin-as-game will stay popular for a very long time. And if it does, that could be a good thing.
Banking Unbanked Bitcoiners
For now, volatility and lack of user-friendliness have limited the ability of cryptocurrencies to reach the populations of unbanked and debanked.
