Doubt what you see. Not everything is what it seems.

Yesterday, I was in the capital city of my country in the afternoon to look for a parcel. Vehicle traffic is now (extremely) low compared to the usual congestion of years ago.

However, a traffic jam on a short stretch of the city's main highway slowed us down. Curious drivers slow down to see a store and the residential building still smoldering from the previous day's fire that was trending on local social media.

Curiously, when seeing the other side, some flames and smoke ascended on the slope of the imposing mountain that separates the city from the Caribbean coast, when consulting the social media what caused it. Surprise! By a vehicle fire on the road near the foot of the vegetable lung.

I imagine the human suffering behind such fateful events. The common factor is the ignition of fuels.

Source: Image by Matthias Fischer on Pixabay 

Well, enough of acting like a reporter!

Although, finding out what is going on around you is good.

Along the way, I also saw billboards alluding to cryptocurrencies. Furthermore, I remember a public transport bus promoting Bitcoin.

But what caught my attention the most was the billboard of the Central Bank with the expression: heading for the digital bolivar.

I thought, what happened to the Petro?

Upon returning home, after making some purchases at the supermarket and paying on the one hand, with paper dollars and electronic bolivars from my commercial bank, my son told me that he read on the Internet that Venezuela is among the three countries' poorest on the continent.

Wow! When I was young, I heard that Venezuela was considered the Switzerland of America. Although now, that title has jumped from Costa Rica to Chile very happily.

Yes, the transit between wealth and poverty seems to behave with volatility. Although in reality, the macroeconomic indicators mask the quality of life of most people.

Perhaps, it is how my father told me, before the arrival of democracy in my country. Sure, there are more than sixty years of difference between the thriving Venezuela that attracted immigrants from all over the world, and the Venezuela of today, from where thousands of people emigrate in search of a better life.

However, the virtualization and digitation of the world are changing the game's rules.

Today, some talk about the metaverse as a novelty, when in reality! One is surfing through a mobile device, connecting the real with the digital for practical purposes. How ironic!

Well! We are still few in the world. But as technological convergence progresses, the barriers to cross-border business such as language will fall.

Of course, it will be necessary to remove the obstacles and mines along the way. Although identifying them is not so easy for most.

Please let me give you an example of this.

A couple of days ago, it finished the Caracas Bitcoin Experience; An event held at a prestigious university in the country and sponsored mainly by Coinex.

Obviously, beyond the spread of the promotion of the unreal or impostor bitcoin, I see a Trojan horse ready to introduce, in the first instance, the Stablecoin and later the CBDCs.

Venezuela is a field of experimentation. Not only politically but also economically and socially. The rise of crypto culture is not random.

Yes, someone will say that I am overestimating the manipulation capabilities of national regulators, but we must not be naive. Where do they leave the international allies?

It surprises me how in a country where recently there was a shortage of food, now it is full of shops with imported products of all kinds. You only need money to buy them.

Where does the money come from?

Perhaps the money comes from remittances sent to relatives of Venezuelan emigrants?

Anything I tell you about it is speculation on my part. But if I can say you, at least part of mine comes from the tips I generously receive from people like you from all over the world, who enjoy my content.

Another intriguing aspect is the massive penetration of mobile devices and the gradual but constant closure of bank branches. There is a clear trend towards electronic transactions. However, still, the telecommunications infrastructure must improve before eliminating cash.

Source: image by Sergei Tokmakov Terms.Law on Pixabay 

Closing thoughts

It is likely that some who are not Venezuelans also feel alluded to here. If so, don't be surprised. Remember, it is a natural action to extrapolate the achievements in the experimentation field.

I think we are entering a new phase in the world economy. So one will see in the following months increasing information about Stablecoins (Trojan Horse) and NFTs (as registration instruments beyond art).

I think of the Petro (supposedly the first government cryptocurrency backed by the potential oil wealth) as the failed experiment but precursor to a new generation of fiat currency disguised as Blockchain technology.

When someone tells you: you live in a first-world country and are rich. Think of Venezuela and the access to the supposed wealth.

Your country may claim the planet Mars or some gold-rich asteroid as its own. The problem is how to exploit it profitably.

Perhaps tomorrow, you will soon face the corrected version of the Petro in your country. If you live in China, you will see the next step of the Digital Yuan this month at the Winter Olympics.

As I often say: we live at interesting but dangerous times.

I wonder, how far are we from a dystopian world?

Another question in closing,

Do you know how to distinguish which digital currency suits you?

Well, I'll give you a hint. Research Bitcoin Cash (DYOR)

An original article by @Jnavedan

The thumbnail by akitada31 on Pixabay 

I end by thanking all my colleagues in the community, who add value every day here. As well as all my sponsors for believing in the content I share with you.