Too Long; Didn't Read
The structure of our monetary system today rests on the decisions of a small number of political and economic figures. Most global currencies today are based on “fiat”, which means they are not backed by another commodity or valuable good. They derive value from the inherent utility of being accepted by the government for taxes and services, and from the trust we all put in them as mediums of exchange and value stores. Their supply is created and controlled by national central banks and a financial system comprised of a small set of government-regulated banks which borrow from those central banks. Those regulated banks then lend money out to individuals and businesses that power the economy. This is the environment we live in today, but <a href="https://hackernoon.com/tagged/blockchain" target="_blank">blockchain</a> technology poses a possible alternative future where monetary policy decisions and controls can be further separated from political ones and made by a much larger community of people.