16th April 2025 Digital Bytes

Social credit scores and digital currencies - CBDCs promise faster payments, financial inclusion and better fraud prevention - they also give governments unprecedented control over every transaction. Pair that with behavioural scoring and you have programmable money that can reward or punish, based on how well you toe the line. It’s not whether CBDCs are imminent - they are. However, the question is: will they empower people, or will they become the ultimate lever of state power? After all, in the digital age, control of money could mean control of everything.

Digital asset colonialism: a financial revolution or a new form of economic domination? - the rise of digital currencies has sparked debate over whether they democratise finance or reinforce economic hierarchies - a phenomenon called crypto colonialism. Whilst cryptocurrencies provide financial access to unbanked populations and protect against hyperinflation, much of the industry remains dominated by western firms and regulatory…