The journey from the inception of early banking to the dynamic world of digital currencies unveils a fascinating pattern of escalating centralization. This exploration by Rahim Taghizadegan navigates through the intricate development of banking systems, unravels the significant role and impact of taxation, sheds light on the rise of Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs), and evaluates Bitcoin’s compelling influence. He tackles pressing questions: What propels the momentum of financial centralization? How has the field of economics evolved through the centuries, and what role does it currently play in shaping the contours of financial centralization?
Rahim Taghizadegan is the last Austrian economist of the Austrian School in the direct tradition and has been teaching at universities in Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Germany, and South Africa. He has written over a dozen books, some of them best-sellers, and founded the private university Scholarium in Vienna. He is the chief economist of the Free Cities Foundation and an investor.
