There’s a quiet revolution under way — one that’s not being broadcast in prime-time headlines or shouted from political podiums, but it’s happening all the same. It’s a revolution in trust, in access and in how the world moves value. And at its centre is a technology that most people still associate with either overnight riches or shadowy speculation: crypto.
Let’s get real: the dollar is still king — but it’s starting to look like a tired monarch. For nearly 80 years the dollar has ruled global finance. It’s been the go-to reserve currency, the benchmark for trade, the rock under every economic storm. But even rocks erode. And now, the cracks are showing.
The hard truth is that the US government is racking up debt at a breakneck pace. Since 1989 the national debt has grown three times faster than the economy. Interest payments this year alone are set to cross $950bn — more than the US spends on defence. By 2030, federal revenue may not even cover the basics. That’s not just concerning, it’s unsustainable.
So where do people turn when the world’s most “trustworthy” currency starts to wobble? Enter bitcoin. It’s easy to dismiss bitcoin as internet gold or a get-rich-quick scheme, but beneath the noise is something powerful: a financial system that doesn’t need bailouts, borders or political promises. It just works — openly, predictably and without printing press inflation.
That’s why some investors are quietly hedging their bets. Because if trust in the dollar falters, digital assets such as bitcoin could be next in line for reserve status — not through revolution, but through evolution. But bitcoin is just one part of a far bigger story.
Tokenisation — the digital transformation of real-world assets — is rewriting the rules of how money moves. Think of it like this: the current financial plumbing is ancient. Systems such as Swift, which move trillions daily, were built when fax machines were hi-tech. Transactions crawl through a bureaucratic relay race, taking days to clear.
Tokenisation is the email of finance. It takes assets such as stocks, real estate or bonds and wraps them into digital tokens that live on a blockchain. They move instantly, settle in seconds and — here’s the magic — they’re accessible to anyone.
Imagine owning a piece of a Manhattan skyscraper for $10. Or voting in shareholder meetings from your phone. Or reinvesting dividends the moment they are earned. That is what tokenisation makes possible.
The kicker is that this isn’t a fantasy — it is already happening. BlackRock, JPMorgan and other financial giants are diving in, not because it’s trendy but because it’s inevitable.
One piece is still missing: digital identity. If you can’t verify who owns what, the whole system can’t scale. But even that’s being solved. India has already rolled out a secure, mobile-first ID system covering 90% of its population. Others will follow.
This is bigger than blockchain. It’s about democratising finance — not just making it faster, but fairer. History reminds us that markets don’t naturally evolve to serve everyone; they have to be pushed, protested, rewritten. From coffeehouse traders in 1700s London to today’s coders and crypto believers, progress has always come from those who say, “Why not everyone?”
So yes, bitcoin might one day rival the dollar. Tokenisation might turn Wall Street into an app. But more than anything, we’re building a future in which more people get a shot. And that’s not just worth watching; it’s worth believing in.
• Muchena is founder of Proudly Associated and author of ‘Artificial Intelligence Applied’ and ‘Tokenized Trillions’.
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