Trade allows us to specialize and collaborate, which proves superior to total self-reliance. Money, which tokenizes value, is far better than barter. As society's output surpasses self-reliance, money becomes an intrinsic part of us. Many agree that the three fundamental properties that constitute money are: a store of value, a medium of exchange, and a unit of account. Let's examine how Bitcoin aligns with these characteristics compared to other forms of money.
Store of value:
Government currency/bonds: Despite being the least inflationary government currency worldwide, the U.S dollar's supply has expanded by 7% annually since 1959. Ownership of this currency necessitates reliance on banks, which increases the risk of government seizure. The average interest rate on U.S bonds since 1959 is 4.75%, which is lower than the money supply growth rate. Moreover, the government taxes the interest you earn. Hence, government currency and bonds are not efficient stores of value.
Gold: Less than 0.01% of the Earth’s crust's gold has been mined. The only limiting factor for mining new gold is the cost. Owning gold requires anti-theft protection measures or trust in third parties like banks, which also pose a risk of government seizure. Despite these drawbacks, 80% of mined gold is used as a store of value.
Bitcoin: Bitcoin's supply is fixed and unchangeable, and it is theft-proof as long as you can remember your password. Being backed by the world's most secure supercomputer, Bitcoin is harder to hack than nuclear silos.
Medium of exchange:
Government currency/bonds: These can be seized or censored. Counterfeiting is difficult, but not impossible. Visa, MasterCard, and American Express charge businesses 2-4% for each purchase for their services, and the settlement for the business receiving the funds can take days. Western Union can charge up to 15% for remittance payments and funds settlement can take days. Government currencies transitioning to digital currencies could render banks obsolete and enable money to move faster and cheaper, matching Bitcoin in this regard.
Gold: It is extremely challenging to move gold over long distances. So much so that it is easier to sell your gold for dollars or bitcoin, send the money to the desired destination, and then buy gold again. Verification of the purity of a gold bar or coin is also difficult. Thus, gold is not an efficient medium of exchange.
Bitcoin: Bitcoin can be sent in infinitely small denominations for near-zero fees anywhere in the world at the speed of light. It doesn't require a bank or government, making it uncensorable. Receiving Bitcoin automatically verifies that it is not counterfeit.
Unit of account:
Government currency/bonds: Governments control the interest rate of debt and the rate at which new currency is created, despite being the biggest debtors. Global debt is 3.5 times the size of global GDP. Government currencies are forced to continue to grow in their supply at a faster rate than the interest rates they can pay. Everything becomes more expensive over time when you use government currencies as your unit of account. Inflation exacerbates wealth inequalities as poorer individuals feel their cost of living increase faster than their incomes.
Gold: As technology advances, gold becomes easier to produce, but so does everything else, from food to products. The price of gold relative to the price of goods and services remains constant over time.
Bitcoin: As technology advances, goods and services become easier to produce. The supply of Bitcoin does not change, which means that goods and services naturally become cheaper relative to the price of Bitcoin over time.
Bitcoin, as a superior form of money to government bonds, currencies, and even gold, has a total addressable market in the hundreds of trillions of dollars. It's an excellent investment for securing long-term wealth, especially when markets are overvalued. Given that the total Bitcoin quantity is capped at 21 million units, if it fully saturates its addressable market, each Bitcoin could potentially be worth over 10 million dollars in today's purchasing power, considering there's between 300-400 trillion dollars worth of bonds in circulation today.