LobYonder
I follow George. Most of the more libertarian financial channels are pro gold/silver sound money, and tend to ignore or have antipathy to crypto as competition/distraction. HeresyFinancial is pro-bitcoin though. The technical analysis channels are happy to talk crypto. Now that CDBCs are looming some may start taking the crypto angle more seriously as an alternative.
This is the only explicit mention of companies applying “risk assessment”:
(Knox suspects she has ended up on a blacklist at Plaid, a provider of technology plumbing to large crypto exchanges like Gemini, Kraken, and Robinhood, leading to the repeated bans. Freya Petersen, spokesperson for Plaid, says no such list exists, but that all firms that wish to use its services are subject to a standard risk assessment process, factoring in the industry in which they operate.) -Wired
I’m curious how he passed on the seed words to you. Did he write it down, give you the password for a password manager, put the info in his Will, transfer to your wallet address, or give you a hardware wallet? Did he just trust you with access to his computer data before he died?
The US dollar has lost about 98% of it’s value since 1971 yet people still use it in trade rather than gold or silver or a better fiat like Swiss Franc. Don’t underestimate the power of inertia. Just because USD has inflation problems doesn’t mean XMR is about to take off. It will take hyperinflation or a currency crisis and even then better-known cryptos like BTC or LTC will be the first choice for normies.
At some level it’s the fear of backing the wrong horse. To feel safe you have to be a “maxi”, and to be a “maxi” you have to deny anything else can work. Bitcoin is the first crypto most people find, and the “everything else is a shitcoin” message creates a self-reinforcing cult atmosphere. The fact that mot altcoins soon fail reinforces that.
Almost all bitcoiners are there for “number go up” profit, so the price volatility also creates a lot of anxiety. The ones that stick with it become very committed HODLers. It’s a bit like an abusive relationship, the pain makes you commit more. Market psychology is fascinating, and is why emotional investors lose their money.
If you want to install & update a FOSS app that’s not on f-droid there’s also Obtanium https://apt.izzysoft.de/fdroid/index/apk/dev.imranr.obtainium
KYC is being used by many businesses as a convenient gatekeeping tool
The more important point is that the state has the gatekeeping and tracking power, they can see your transactions and refuse access because of “suspicious activity”. The business is just “complying with regulations”. If it was a business decision you could just find another.
If averages are published by a reputable website, shops can choose to use the average rather than “spot” price. In any case as XMR is more frequently exchanged for more stable goods or assets, the natural actions of buyers and seller will moderate fluctuations. However if you create a trading platform to trade averages vs spot prices that will tend to increase volatility, as short-term speculators benefit from volatility.
