3. Digital money

Digital money exploded onto the scene during the “crypto” bubble. Over the course of a few years, new private, non-state, cryptocurrencies were seemingly launched every few weeks. Some cryptocurrencies were clearly fraudulent; others, however, have proven resilient and must be taken seriously. So seriously, in fact, that many nation-states (and the European Union) are pondering the creation of “Central Bank Digital Currencies” in order to outcompete private cryptocurrencies and thereby stave off the dangers they perceive from them. Anthropology has much to add to this unfolding story. During the battle for digital money, it will be important to trace the manner in which individuals and groups craft their senses of both trust and belonging, as well as how they adopt and adapt to new sign systems and new infrastructures. In the meantime, we can also track the creation of new public goods, as well as their distribution across various national populations.