European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde was interviewed on Bloomberg TV on September 13, which aired yesterday, September 15. Among the topics discussed, which included monetary policy, debt, and gross domestic product (GDP) of countries in the European Union (EU), Lagarde also shared her view on Bitcoin and “cryptocurrencies.”
“Cryptos are not currencies. Full stop,” Lagarde emphatically said in the video. “Cryptos are highly speculative assets that claim their fame as currency, possibly, but they’re not. They are not.”
More than just bashing out at “cryptos,” Lagarde shows a deep need to suffocate something that threatens her job and its agenda. Putting “cryptos” aside, which are indeed not currencies, there is Bitcoin that is not only a currency but has the potential to turn the ECB and other organizations that have the monopoly on money creation worldwide wholly obsolete. But before discussing Lagarde’s agenda as the head of the ECB, the meaning of “currency” needs to be determined.