Can You Buy a Bagel With It?

As our lives become more digital, our money is becoming increasingly digital too. There are more than a thousand cryptocurrencies floating around and new ones seem to launch every day. But is this new form of money, one that only exists online, even a currency? What exactly gives cryptocurrencies value?

In this episode of the Ideas podcast, we head to the Berkshires to see what a local currency, the BerkShare, can teach us about the value of alternative currencies. We speak with the creator of BerkShares, Susan Witt, about creating a brand new currency, and we turn to local business owners to see that currency in action. How did BerkShares go from a crazy idea to a real form of money? And will the same ever happen for cryptocurrency? James Faucette, a Morgan Stanley Senior Research Analyst, looks at the similarities between cryptocurrency and BerkShares to question whether cryptocurrencies will ever be the new normal.

For more, visit http://morganstanley.com/ideas.



The host Ashley Milne-Tyte is an employee of Pineapple Street Media. The guest speakers are neither employees nor affiliated with Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC. (“Morgan Stanley”). The views and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of Morgan Stanley.

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