The growing influence of Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies threatens the very existence of cash – Photo by Petre Barela, CCO The 21st century is that of the dematerialization of money. In today’s internet world and globalization, we are paying every day for goods and services purchased on the other side of the planet, and at record time. It is the triumph of digital money and the decline of cash, whose outright disappearance is no longer a taboo subject. In the current economic and technological battle to obtain the envied title of best payment method of the future, two solutions seem to emerge: electronic wallets (or e-wallets) and crypto-currencies. But which of the two is more advantageous? Attempt to answer.
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Speed of transactions: equality
Present on the market for two decades already, electronic wallets have become commonplace and are now fully part of the landscape of payment methods. And for good reason, these virtual solutions are nowadays essential tools for making online purchases, because they are very practical and easy to use. PayPal was in a way the first to show the way at the beginning of the 21st century, joined since by very many wallets like Skrill, Neteller, or Much better. Electronic wallets are particularly popular in the e-commerce sector but also that of online games because they allow you to deposit and especially withdraw money at lightning speed. We understand better why more and more casinos or online poker enthusiasts, when they decide to play for real money, are opting for the electronic wallet in order to repatriate their winnings as soon as possible.
But cryptocurrencies are not left out when it comes to instant payments, which is one of their main strengths. Ten minutes or less is the time it takes for Bitcoin to confirm an intercontinental transaction, but its little sisters, also known as altcoins, such as Litecoin or Ethereum, are even faster! Performance that cannot leave the market insensitive: every day, new e-commerce sites in their turn decide to accept crypto-currencies, aware that more payments will be credited to them almost. instant.
Security and confidentiality: the Bitcoin advantage
Another important factor is the security of transactions. We know that payments via electronic wallet are particularly protected by the use of data encryption protocols, without forgetting the authentication procedures (passwords, identification codes) which make hacking particularly difficult.
But there again, Cryptocurrency has a response thanks to the blockchain technology which, based on cryptography and the verification of transactions by all the agents of the system, makes them almost inviolable, in addition to offering great confidentiality. . Indeed, unlike an electronic wallet for which you will have to disclose the name, address, and banking information, or even identity document, a payment in cryptocurrency often does not require, for the time being, more than an e-mail address. -mail to be triggered. This could change in the future, however, if institutions decide to strictly regulate cryptocurrencies. Measures that could also strengthen confidence in them.
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Public trust: equality
Because the trust of the general public is still what Cryptocurrency lack to be accepted globally and become mainstream. If their influence is growing in world trade, their relative novelty (Bitcoin was born in 2008 only), their volatility, and the complexity of their technology still put off some, especially the older generation and those who missed the Internet train. On this point, PayPal and others have a head start, because they have been on the market for a longer time and have had time to win over their customers. But the e-wallets also in their early days aroused the distrust of users. Time is therefore on the side of cryptos, which enjoy the support of an ever-growing community.
Verdict
Electronic wallets and Cryptocurrency are two extremely modern and modern payment methods in that they allow ultra-fast and secure transactions, for example from a mobile phone. It is a purely subjective choice to say today that one is better than the other. So why not try both before making your decision?
