If money isn’t coins, bills, or even cryptocurrencies, then what truly defines it?This question lies at the core of this week’s episode of The Clear Crypto Podcast, where hosts Nathan Jeffay (StarkWare) and Adrian Blust (Tonal Media) interview Bill Maurer, dean of the UC Irvine School of Social Sciences and a prominent anthropologist specializing in finance. Starting from the beginning Maurer typically begins by examining history, citing examples such as ancient Mesopotamia. He noted that before discussing blockchain or crypto, it’s essential to consider the origins of society and, consequently, the development of currency systems. Initially, money was not a token, coin, or banknote—nor was it something physically exchanged hand to hand. He elaborates: “What existed was an intricate system for keeping records. ” For Maurer, this record-keeping framework is crucial to understanding both ancient economies and modern digital currencies: “money is essentially a method of memorializing credits and debts, and that’s fundamentally all it has ever been. ” Related: Bitcoin’s shrinking supply may trigger price breakout, says Sygnum Bitcoin’s significance Although Bitcoin is frequently regarded as a new type of digital cash or even dubbed the “digital gold” of our era, Maurer questions this perspective: “While the Bitcoin system acknowledges that money is fundamentally a record-keeping operation, it remains trapped in viewing money as something like a coin. ” He considers this viewpoint a missed opportunity. “Bitcoin could represent an entirely different relationship between data and value, without needing to conceptualize it strictly as money, ” he explained.

“Rather, you might think of it as rights to a portion of a ledger that continuously unfolds through time. ” The discussion also delves into what blockchain technology reveals about human trust organization. “Humans are relational beings, not solitary individuals, ” Maurer emphasized. “Blockchain promises a framework for establishing that relational trust in a decentralized manner. ” To listen to the full discussion on The Clear Crypto Podcast, visit Cointelegraph’s Podcasts page, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Don’t forget to explore Cointelegraph’s extensive range of other shows as well!