This week the financial power brokers are once again obsessed with blockchain and cryptocurrencies, especially bitcoin. In previous years this exclusive club of wealthy gonzos and the politicians who serve them, attending this elite gathering in Davos, Switzerland, have shown increasing interest in Bitcoin. That interest in the past, however, was primarily to criticize, control and regulate it.
This time around, the tide seems to be turning, with less criticism and more interest. An NBC commentator last night reported that most of the people she interviewed in Davos were talking about Bitcoin. US Treasury Secretary Steven Minuchin, a longtime supporter of Bitcoin, is on a panel as is #IMF head Christine Legarde.
More critical (but expected) comments on Bitcoin have been reiterated by nobel prize winning economist Joseph Stiglitz, who sees it primarily as a source of secrecy that should be, therefore highly regulated, and the Swiss National Bank weighed in with similar sentiments. Phillip Hammond, Chancellor of the Exchequer in Britain, referring to the rise of Bitcoin, described the phenomenon " an interesting new development.
Much of today, however,r will be focused on what Donald Trump has to say, and given his populist image that controversy will likely steal the limelight of the final day
Photo of a plane in #Switzerland from Pixabay