Lightning Labs CEO Elizabeth Stark and macro economics researcher Lyn Alden, founder of Lyn Alden Investment Strategy, took the stage at Bitcoin 2021 in Miami on Saturday to talk about how Bitcoin is useful for billions of people, not just billionaires.
“People are able to use bitcoin to send value globally, instantly and for almost no fees,” Stark said. “With Lightning you can send a fraction of a cent.”
Stark referenced Lightning Network payments in places like El Salvador, showing that bitcoin can be useful in low-income communities. In particular, she said nearly six billion people live in places without stable currencies and easy access to financial services. Many people may need to travel an hour or more if they want to send a bank transfer.
Alden agreed, saying: “We see some of the most humanitarian and impactful use cases in emerging markets.”
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Both women added that usage increases the value of Bitcoin, both the network and the asset class.
“The stronger liquidity gets over time the more and more usable the network gets,” Alden said. “That’s separate from the price fluctuations based on whatever a billionaire is tweeting about on any given day. The fundamentals.”
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As Stark said, “we’re bringing this technology to the next billion people.”