There are two major economic systems in the world, the capitalist economic model and the socialist economic model. Though both these models predominantly run on centralized finance, the rise of decentralized finance with its several products has the potential to disrupt the existing model. By disrupting the existing centralized financial system, DeFi can break free of the shackles of economic inequality, and pave the way towards financial freedom for many underprivileged people in the world.
In socialist economies, the most common features include collective ownership. This essentially implies that the government or the state has the right to own goods of production and no or very few private entities. The main aim of socialist economies is to attain equality between rich and poor. This is helpful for the prospects of decentralized finance because this aim aligns with the main aim of decentralized finance.
Socialist economies often plan their expenses through a budget and the market is highly regulated. Many socialist economies have central governments that also make major economic decisions, policies, and production and create a plan to utilize resources accordingly. The major positive point of socialist economies about decentralized finance is that most socialist governments do not allow the market forces to solely determine the prevalent economic condition. These particular features may become favorable for the growth of DeFi, only if the respective ruling regimes have a positive attitude towards cryptos.
In capitalist economies, the most common features include private ownership. This essentially implies that the government or the state has a limited right to own goods of production. However, some countries practice a state-guided capitalism model. In this model, the state allies with large corporations to determine the means of production and permit them to carry out business functions. Therefore, compared to socialist economies, capitalist economies usually give more freedom to conduct business. This is beneficial as it can freely carry out transactions with fewer regulations.
The reliance upon traditional centralized systems is common in both socialist and capitalist countries. However, the prospects of decentralized finance are better in capitalist countries. This is because almost all present-day governments supporting DeFi are overwhelmingly capitalist economies. Most have better infrastructure to support the use of cryptocurrencies. Countries like North Korea and China being socialist states are hostile towards decentralized finance. However, some former communist states of Eastern Europe are favorable for the growth of decentralized finance. Thus, various countries irrespective of economic models have different policies about cryptocurrencies.
Also Read– Cryptocurrency’s Contribution to Financial Freedom
Decentralized finance presently is indeed thriving in many capitalist countries. The same can be said about some former socialist countries. It is an undeniable fact that both the models controlled by central banks cannot solve the financial inequality problem. In fact in capitalist models, financial inequality has widened as witnessed in the US. Similarly, in socialist models, financial inclusion remains a distant dream. Therefore, it is in the best interests of both economies to allow it such that financial freedom becomes a reality everywhere.