The $2,000,000,000,000 question that will decide the future of our money

At the time of writing, the total global value of all cryptocurrencies is $1.95 trillion. That’s trillion, with 12 zeros. Bitcoin is the largest of the cryptocurrencies, worth more than $825bn.

Last month, El Salvador became the first country to officially adopt Bitcoin as legal tender. Facebook has announced plans to launch its own cryptocurrency called Libra. UNICEF has launched a CryptoFund “to explore the use of digital currencies, and what it means to operate in a digitally-financed future”.

It’s clear that cryptocurrencies are no longer a fringe interest. But what happens if they continue to expand and become widely-used currency? Is cryptocurrency a way to fix our current system? Or could it create a two-speed economy, leaving many people behind?

Could crypto eliminate profit-hungry banks?

Crypto believers argue the currencies have the potential to create a new, democratic, global financial system that is no longer beholden to the big