By Harvestr21
Like many people, I used to see Bitcoin as just a risky investment. People buy it, wait for the price to go up, and hope to “get rich quick.” If you don’t believe in it, you stand on the outside, shake your head, and think it’s a bubble.
But then I read a different story. It wasn’t about the price, it was about the people who had no other choice but Bitcoin. From then on, I started to look at it in a completely different way.
The question everyone has asked: “What is Bitcoin used for?”
A friend of the author once asked:
“Seriously, what can Bitcoin actually do?”
The answer sounds quite “profound” or “abstract”:
“Bitcoin is the digital transformation of capital.”
At first, I also found it confusing. But the more I read, the more I realized: “Capital” here is not just money. It is the ownership and control of one’s own assets – something that many people around the world are being deprived of.
Not everyone can access a bank
The data that truly surprised me:
There are 1.4 billion adults in the world who do not have a bank account. In the US – the world’s largest economy, over 14% of households still cannot access basic financial services.
The reasons are very real:
- Bank fees are too high.
- Lack of identification documents .
- Don’t trust the system And ironically, people without bank accounts have to pay much higher service fees, up to 10% of their annual income, just to send money or receive a paycheck. But there is a bright spot: over 60% of them have a smartphone.
With just a phone, they can use Bitcoin: no documents, no account, and no one can stop them.
When the banking system makes things difficult for its own users
The author recalled his time living and working in Saudi Arabia.
The author shared an experience from his time living and working in Saudi Arabia. Because there was no reliable postal service, receiving bank cards or important documents was impossible. This made simple tasks like updating an address, getting a replacement card, or even closing an account feel nearly insurmountable.
It took him 10 months, 7 phone calls, and 2 in-person meetings just to close one account. The bank requested he “fax the documents” in the middle of 2020. A perfect example of how slow and outdated the traditional financial system is.
The story of love and a $50 fee
When the author wanted to send money back to Vietnam for his fiancée, he first tried transferring it through Chase bank. The result: two failures. The second time, the money disappeared, and no one knew where it was.
He switched to Western Union and paid over $50 in fees for a $1,000 transfer, not to mention the low exchange rate. That was the price of “global service.”
Afterward, he tried transferring it using Bitcoin via BitcoinVN.io. The fee was less than $2.
The transaction was completed in under an hour.
No paperwork. No waiting. No one had the authority to “deny your transaction.”
When the Bank says, ‘sorry, your money is gone’
In 2023, hundreds of thousands of people in China had their bank accounts frozen. The “investment products” that the banks sold turned out not to be covered by deposit insurance. When the banks failed, they lost everything.
The author’s wife, who is Vietnamese, was also keeping her money in a similar program. After witnessing what happened in China, she withdrew all her funds and moved them into Bitcoin. She did this not because she wanted to invest, but because she wanted to secure her own money.
So, when will Bitcoin truly become meaningful?
In daily life, banks are still convenient for shopping, payroll, and payments.
However, Bitcoin shines in special situations:
- When you are abroad and need to send money quickly.
- When international transfer fees are too high.
- When your bank account is locked or frozen.
- When the government controls the flow of money or devalues the local currency.
In these moments, Bitcoin is no longer “speculation”, it is a tool for survival.
A few figures worth pondering
- $800 billion: The amount of global remittances each year.
- $6.2%: The average fee charged by traditional money transfer channels.
- $1.8: The average fee for a single Bitcoin transaction (regardless of the amount, large or small).
This small figure ($1.8) represents the fairness that the current financial system has yet to achieve.
Not everyone needs Bitcoin, until they really do
You might live your entire life without ever touching Bitcoin.
But if one day your bank freezes your account, or you need to urgently send money to a loved one during a crisis, you will understand its true value.
Bitcoin doesn’t need anyone’s permission. It has no operating hours. There is no “system maintenance.”
It simply works, and it gives control back to you.
Bitcoin Uptime Tracker by BitBo
In conclusion, Bitcoin is not just a technology or a novel investment channel.
It is a powerful reminder that financial freedom should not require permission from anyone, not from banks, not from governments, and not from any intermediary organization.
Perhaps today you don’t feel you need Bitcoin. The banking system is still operating, your account is still active, and everything seems stable.
But the world changes very quickly, and control over your assets is not always in your hands.
One day, when the system stops working, when your account is locked, or when sending money to a loved one becomes impossible, you will understand why Bitcoin exists.
And at that moment, you will realize you didn’t need Bitcoin, until you truly did.
—
This essay was first published by Harvestr21 on Substack and has been under permission by the author translated into Vietnamese and further languages by the team of BitcoinVN News.
Liked the essay and want to read more? Tip the author here:
Lightning address: [email protected]
