Listen now | This week’s episode with writer Matt Stoller takes us to that million-dollar question (probably more than a million-dollar question, actually): Is crypto just a scam Can’t we apply all of the negatives of crypto to fiat currency? Isn’t it all made-up on some level? Matt argues that the governmental institutions that support fiat currency, as well as its societal usage, draw an important distinction between, say, the dollar and the bitcoin. He also responds to the contention that crypto’s strengths lie in its decentralization and frictionless transfer by making the case for a stronger U.S. banking system in general. There’s nothing necessary or unavoidable about the woes of our financial system, which he traces to corruption.