Vitalik Buterin Wants Ethereum to Be Cashier Than Your Grandma at the Supermarket!

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So, Vitalik Buterin, the big brain behind Ethereum, has come to a shocking revelation: ETH needs to be more cash-like. Yes, you read that right – cash-like. We’re talking about a cryptocurrency that *could* one day be ready to replace the humble dollar bill. Move over, Benjamins, here comes the blockchain!

In a social media post on X (formerly known as Twitter, but who’s keeping track), Vitalik responded to a report by The Guardian about Sweden’s oh-so-bold attempt to be the first to go cashless. Sweden, the land of IKEA, meatballs, and a slightly suspicious love of lingonberry jam, is aiming to cut out cash by 2025. They were all gung-ho about it until, plot twist, geopolitical turmoil and Eastern European conflict came knocking at their door. Now, Sweden’s telling its people to “keep the krona, just in case.”

Yeah, it’s awkward. So, Sweden kicked off their digital “e-krona” experiment in 2017, but, spoiler alert, they pulled the plug in 2023. You’d think they learned something about digital money from their neighbors in Norway… but nope. The Riksbank, Sweden’s central bank, said in March that the demand for a digital krona was about as nonexistent as a flying pig. But they’ll “reevaluate” if the European Central Bank (you know, the ones with the power) starts issuing a digital euro. Who’s got time for this back-and-forth, right?

The Riksbank went full bureaucrat with this lovely quote:

“The Payments Inquiry’s assessment in 2023 was that there was insufficient social need for the Riksbank to issue an e-krona. At the same time, the inquiry considered that the Riksbank should continue to evaluate the conditions for issuing an e-krona so that it is possible to introduce an e-krona within a reasonable time if the Riksdag takes such a decision.”

And then there’s Buterin, making his own waves with the whole “Ethereum can’t just be a pretty face” schtick. He commented on the Guardian story, offering some deep thoughts:

“Nordics are walking back the cashless society initiative because their centralized implementation of the concept is too fragile. Cash turns out necessary as a backup.”

Oh, snap! Who knew? But don’t worry, Vitalik’s not letting Ethereum off the hook. He continued:

“Ethereum needs to be resilient enough, and private enough, to be able to credibly play this kind of role.”

So, there you have it, folks. Ethereum needs to be tough like your grandma with a coupon, private like that one friend who doesn’t update their Facebook status, and resilient enough to survive a storm. Earlier this month, Buterin also called Ethereum “needlessly complex.” Well, no kidding, Vitalik. We’ve been trying to figure that out since 2015.

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2025-05-26 23:02