BITCOIN IN CUBA

in #english7 years ago

bitcoin en cuba.jpg

Bitcoin allows for free trade between two parties. An individual may pay another without the need for a trusted third party to validate the transaction or avoid fraud; So it also protects itself from the intervention of a regulator or oppressor that wants to interfere in said transaction.
If Bitcoin is used inside Cuba, transactions that need some privacy could be channeled; Thus opening the possibility of receiving money from abroad by other means of insurance, instead of the current channels.
In Cuba salaries and pensions are paid in CUP (Cuban Peso). This currency is currently quoted at 0.0377 USD. On the other hand, tourism sector workers can earn CUC (Cuban Convertible Peso) which has the same value as a US Dollar and people who receive money from relatives abroad as well.
With 2.5 million mobile phone users, it would be logical to think that Bitcoin mobile wallets are the solution for Cuba. Nothing further from reality. This is equivalent to 1 mobile phone per 5 inhabitants, one of the lowest rates in South America. The Bitcoin smartphone portfolios need an internet connection, which is fortunately already on the island at a cost of 1 CUC per megabyte of internet connection consumed, ie 1 USD / MB, with an average consumption of 250MB the cost Would be 250 CUC (250 Dollars) per month, an exorbitant price, in other countries 1 MB costs 0.049USD or less.
Portfolios that allow e-mailing can be another option, as they do not need a lot of data connection to perform them, but emails are offered, activated and controlled by the state on users' phones.
SMS portfolios, such as 37coins, could be the solution to the existing difficult internet access, but remember that SMS text messages go through the control of the authorities, so they can be censored, and the Android Bridge between the SMS network and the Bitcoin network on the internet) must be active at all times, with unlimited SMS and MB. The getaway is easy to identify and is a weak point in addition to the same SMS network.
All this leaves us in a very complicated situation. How then could Bitcoin be used under these conditions?
Bitcoin also has the property of being able to translate to the physical environment. With offline transactions and off-chain transactions, a Casascius physical currency or a LocalBitcoins voucher can represent a number of bitcoins and serve as a means of exchange in an offline environment.
A physical coin, a paper wallet, or a coupon secretly carry a private key that controls a number of bitcoins. In addition they publicly carry an associated address that can be consulted to know the amount that has. But this medium is based on trust since there is no way to verify the authenticity of the key pairs (private key and public address) without revealing the private key. In a situation such as that found in Cuba, relying on trust is the only way to introduce Bitcoin.
A trader in Cuba, who has internet access, can generate a LocalBitcoins coupon worth 10 USD, and change it on the island for 10 CUC to be able to consume in establishments with imported products, or for its equivalent 250 CUP Minimum wage in Cuba). The coupon can be charged at LocalBitcoins and the user would receive the amount of bitcoins at the exchange at the time of the code exchange, or could use it as payment for another transaction since the coupon value will always be 10 USD. Bitcoins can use them to pay for a service abroad such as a foreign mobile phone, a web domain, a favor ...
Visitors to the island, in addition to bringing Dollars and exchange them for CUC (who incur a 13% levy) or Euros, could also bring bitcoins in paper or coin and pay certain products and / or services to the locals with these, giving them Thus an opportunity for Cubans to escape the monetary control they are subjected to certain transactions, which they could now carry out with a currency that is not controlled by any state, and which would be a respite of economic freedom.
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Too bad this was low ratings and hidden. I found it quite interesting as I have a friend in Havana who would like to know more about Bitcoin.

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