The exchange vouchers in the hands of Afghan money dealers are the keys to the opening of the cyberpunk gate.

Written by: Li Painting

In Iran, where the currency collapsed, one of the most important things in Afghanistan is the way to protect its property . Now they have a choice.

Bitcoin from the encrypted network, in contact with paper-based redemption vouchers from the old age, collided with sparks. For those ordinary people who need to store their property in a safe way, even for the Bitcoin system itself, this spark is the star and the last bastion.

First, the story of sarafis

Janey opened a page on Bitcoin on Facebook. The question she was asked most was, “Which sarafis sells bitcoin?” Janey is an Afghan security engineer and a humanitarian.

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“ Sarafis” is the local language of Afghanistan. It refers to the traffickers who exchange money. If you go to Kabul, they may be the first people to get your attention. They will scream different currencies in the public areas such as airports, stations, etc., just like buying and selling goods. same.

In Afghanistan, sarafis has a long history, even if banks can't compete with them. People usually transfer funds and exchange currency for only 1% of the fee. Sarafis is the only available and affordable way to handle your property for many people .

Today, some sarafis in Afghanistan and Iran are beginning to accept bitcoin coupons, a paper coupon that offers a way to buy bitcoin in cash – people pay cash, get redemption vouchers, and enter the redemption code on the exchanger’s web page. And receive your own bitcoin wallet address and receive bitcoin.

Although this approach looks primitive, it may be the key to adopting Bitcoin in third world countries.

First, because sarafis plays an important role in the financial system of these countries, its acceptance means mainstream acceptance; second, because in countries with unstable monetary policy, people do not lack trust in bitcoin. What people lack is A simple way to buy Bitcoin channels.

Bitcoin coupons are the ideal channel of choice. It does not rely on financial institutions, does not rely on the Internet, and does not rely on credit cards or other online payment methods. People can access it directly in cash and transfer property from a turbulent system to a system of cryptocurrencies.

Bitcoin coupons are significant for those who need to find a safe way to keep or transfer their property and lack the conditions to enter the world of cryptocurrencies.

Second, the "open access" of bitcoin

When we talk about Bitcoin coupons, we are talking about the open accessibility of Bitcoin.

Nic Carter divides the use of bitcoin into five phases in the article "Investing in Bitcoin for Users", which is acquisition, static (storage), dissemination (transaction), reception, and divestment, at each stage. Bitcoin gives users different protections.

The " acquisition " phase of the bitcoin system gives the user the guarantee that the open-access " static " phase is given the anti-predatory " propagation " phase is anti-censorship " receiving " phase is anti-counterfeiting " divestment " phase is free exit

Bitcoin has strong protection against predatory, anti-censorship and anti-counterfeiting. These characteristics are also important reasons for the popularity of Bitcoin. However, Bitcoin is weaker in terms of open accessibility and free exit, not only Weak, these two characteristics have not received enough attention.

But open access is critical to Bitcoin. I think I understand what Mikko said in the "Stable Digital Money Handbook" :

"One of the things I regretted last time was the purchase of Bitcoin using French currency, which became an accomplice to the integration of the digital currency system and the legal currency system."

But the reality is that once Bitcoin establishes an exchange relationship with the US dollar system, it is difficult to turn around. We have to accept the new identity that it has changed since it was first purchased by the French currency.

In this new identity, as Mikko said, " Bitcoin has no longer accumulated the conditions of purchasing power alone, it has become a class of assets that are priced by the dollar ." If a type of asset is difficult to obtain and difficult to exit, it may not be widely adopted, and its importance will be greatly reduced.

For some people in the region, they have no way to acquire bitcoin; for people in more parts of the world, although they are currently free to enter and exit the world of cryptocurrencies, bitcoin acquisition is still a potential threat.

Although it sounds unbelievable, the exchange voucher system outside the exchange system is an important channel to help Bitcoin achieve open access, and can even be said to be the last bastion. In the article, Nic Carter called on people to pay more attention to the coupons, and hoped that more companies could join the ranks.

Third, why do you need to "separate"

Bitcoin coupons are also associated with "isolation."

If we go back to the origin of Bitcoin and return to the password punk mailing list, we will find that people are building a new open community. The biggest guarantee of this community is that it is not threatened by the physical world, and privacy is the realization. The necessary conditions for the community.

They needed to create a system that allowed anonymous transactions to take place for the community, so cryptography, digital signatures and electronic money were chosen. The bitcoin that was born on top of these technologies is anonymous. It is generated in the network, flows in the network, belongs to a certain network identity, and it can not intersect with the physical world.

However, when we buy Bitcoin through the exchange system, the isolation of the physical world from the online world is broken, and the cryptocurrency with less anonymity exposes the information of the transaction, so although the cryptocurrency is used, People don't get privacy – instead they put a ring prison in their pocket.

The voucher system is different, and it continues the anonymity of cash.

The voucher converts the cash/wealth of the physical world into the number/wealth of the cryptocurrency world, and the connection between the two worlds is simply a string of characters that cannot be unearthed. It achieves isolation, which in turn is likely to achieve true privacy in the future, and the promise that this new open community has promised.

As for why we pursue anonymity, pursue privacy, and pursue a threat from the physical world, the most important reason is that we should realize that privacy is our “natural right” rather than “positive right” . An inalienable right like the right to life, not a legislator and a court of a country to decide whether we should have and how much we can have.

Losing natural rights means losing everything, such as the freedom that most people see as treasures. Daniel Jeffries has an important discussion about the importance of anonymous coins in "Why Anonymous Money Will Rule the Next Round of Bull Markets". He believes that since all our actions and relationships, and even our lives, are built around money, then with anonymity The demise of sexual cash (which may come soon) means the demise of freedom, and electronic money can “observe” everybody's every move.

Fourth, buy bitcoin in convenience stores

Imagine that we stood in front of the checkout counter of the convenience store, took out 100 yuan and handed it to the boss, got a "scratch card", scratched the coating, opened the wallet, entered a string of numbers, and the wallet was rich.

Imagine again, moving this scene into the "Blade Runner" with a light rain, filled with blue-green haze, and placed it next to the noodle restaurant. Incomparable harmony seems to be the case.

The beauty of the collision between paper coupons and Bitcoin is like the beauty of the collision between a warm market and a cold cyberspace.

Back to reality, the Bitcoin exchange voucher system has not been completely ignored, and it is developing. Some startups, including Fastbitcoins and Azteco, are helping to build the system.

The French Tobacco Industry Association and cryptocurrency wallet supplier KeplerK also plans to launch a partnership to sell bitcoin coupons at 4,000 small tobacco stores nationwide, with coupons of 50, 100 and 250 euros. However, the plan was promoted by the French Financial Prudential Regulation Authority (ACPR) and has not yet been approved by the French Central Bank. Europe 1 reported that the approval of the plan will help cryptocurrencies enter the mainstream consumer sector.

It should be noted that Bitcoin exchange coupons have a centralized issuer and you must trust it. But I believe that with the full development of the industry and healthy competition, as well as the characteristics of small transactions in Bitcoin exchange certificates, some trustworthy companies will be born.

The centralization of the exchanger does not affect the decentralization of the Bitcoin system itself, because in this trading system, Bitcoin is ultimately stored in the user's own wallet, rather than in the exchange's wallet, as in the exchange. Among them.

The position of the Bitcoin exchange voucher in the entire bitcoin ecosystem seems to be less important, but its development helps to improve the robustness of the entire system. It is an enforceable method and an “emergency exit”.

It is an inconspicuous star, but it has its own light.

Reference and recommended reading:

1. "Unpacking Bitcoin's Assurances", Nic Carter. highly recommended. 2. The Key to Bitcoin Adoption in Third World Countries, Janey 3. The Handbook of Stable Digital Money, Mikko. highly recommended. 4. "Surviving Crypto Winter — Part Three: Why Privacy Coins Will Rule the Next Bull Run", Daniel Jeffries. recommend.

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