Ideas worth spreading

The future of money

2,567,576 views | Neha Narula • TED@BCG Paris

What happens when the way we buy, sell and pay for things changes, perhaps even removing the need for banks or currency exchange bureaus? That's the radical promise of a world powered by cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum. We're not there yet, but in this sparky talk, digital currency researcher Neha Narula describes the collective fiction of money -- and paints a picture of a very different looking future.

What happens when the way we buy, sell and pay for things changes, perhaps even removing the need for banks or currency exchange bureaus? That's the radical promise of a world powered by cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum. We're not there yet, but in this sparky talk, digital currency researcher Neha Narula describes the collective fiction of money -- and paints a picture of a very different looking future.

This talk was presented at a TED Institute event given in partnership with BCG. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

Read more about the TED Institute.

About the speaker

Neha Narula

Currency futurist

See speaker profile

Neha Narula is helping redefine the future of money by researching cryptocurrencies and providing clarity on how digital currencies will transform our world.

David Graeber | Melville House, 2011 | Book

Debt: The First 5,000 Years

This book debunks the common framing of money as something that developed to make bartering easier — actually, the idea of debt and obligation has existed for much longer. Reading this book will change the way you think about what debt and obligations really mean in our world.

Satoshi Nakamoto | bitcoin.org | Article

"Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System"

The paper that started a revolution. Satoshi Nakamoto released the Bitcoin white paper in October 2008 and the first version of the code in January 2009. At that time, Bitcoin was merely a novelty. Now Bitcoin’s market capitalization is around 10B USD.

Michael Nielsen | michaelnielsen.org | Article

"How the Bitcoin protocol actually works"

This article helped me understand how Bitcoin really works. It's an easy-to-read (though still quite technical) explanation, starting by building up a digital currency from scratch.

Neal Stephenson | Avon Books, 2002 | Book

Cryptonomicon

A rambling, expansive piece of fiction that jumps to World War II and back again while providing an amazing (and fun!) exploration of cryptography and codes.

About TED Institute

Every year, TED works with a group of select companies and foundations to identify internal ideators, inventors, connectors, and creators. Drawing on the same rigorous regimen that has prepared speakers for the TED main stage, TED Institute works closely with each partner, overseeing curation and providing intensive one-on-one talk development to sharpen and fine tune ideas. The culmination is an event produced, recorded, and hosted by TED, generating a growing library of valuable TED Talks that can spur innovation and transform organizations.

Read more about the TED Institute

This talk was presented at a TED Institute event given in partnership with BCG. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

Read more about the TED Institute.