Crypto Isn’t One Thing — It’s a Whole Economic System

Crypto Isn’t One Thing — It’s a Whole Economic System

Most crypto debates start with the wrong question.

People argue about which blockchain is better, which coin will win, and which network will replace another. But that’s like arguing whether gold, cash, factories, or power grids should exist.

They all serve different purposes.

Bitcoin was an invention that gave rise to many more inventions, based on its principles. But crypto is not a single invention. It’s a new digital economic system where every major asset plays a specific role. Once you see this, the noise fades and the structure becomes clear.

Bitcoin: Digital Gold

Bitcoin is the foundation.

It is slow by design, hard to change, and limited in supply. These could be seen as it's flaws but they're also it's features. They make it unique and they shaped what it became today. Bitcoin was designed to serve as transaction medium but not to host applications, it morphed to a store of value.

Just as people don’t use gold to buy groceries, Bitcoin is not fit for daily spending. It must be held, trusted, and used as a long-term store of wealth.

Bitcoin can be seen as an anchor while eerything else in crypto is built on top of the value it secures.

Litecoin: Digital Silver

Litecoin was created as a lighter version of Bitcoin.

It is faster, cheaper to use, and follows a similar design philosophy. It used to be seen as Bitcoin’s “silver”, or a secondary form of digital money.

It now plays a smaller role, but it still represents the important idea that not every asset has to be revolutionary to be useful. Some exist to support, test, and complement the system. That's exactly what Litecoin is today.

Ethereum: The Silicon of Crypto

If Bitcoin is gold, Ethereum is silicon.

Silicon doesn’t store value, it enables everything. Computers, phones, the internet. None will exist without it. Ethereum plays the same role in crypto.

Ethereum allows developers to build financial tools, digital ownership systems, communities and organizations, automated agreements… so many more.

Instead of just moving money, Ethereum lets people build systems. This is where crypto stops being money alone and becomes digital infrastructure.

Solana: The High-Speed Engine (or what?)

Solana could have been seen as an Ethereum competitor but it's not. Ethereum prioritizes safety and decentralization over speed. But Solana is built for speed and scale. It handles large volumes of activity quickly and cheaply which makes it suitable for payments, gaming, consumer apps, and real-time services

Okay, let's say Ethereum is a Ford truck while Solana Is a speed car, faster and lighter but weaker. Think of Ethereum as a solid, reliable foundation, and Solana as a high-performance engine designed for heavy daily use.

Different tools, different jobs.

Stablecoins: Digital Cash

Stablecoins are the most used crypto assets. They are digital versions of traditional currencies. Their value doesn’t change wildly, which makes them useful for payments, savings, trading, and cross border remittance.

People don’t spend gold, they don't exchange silicone for products. We're not in a trade-by-barter economy. People spend cash, and in crypto, stablecoins are that cash layer. They hold daily activities together.

BNB: Platform Token (or stock?)

Binance is one of the largest crypto platforms in the world and BNB is deeply tied to it. Its value comes from the Binance ecosystem and community.

BNB behaves less like public money and more like platform equity. Similar to how loyalty points or company stock gain value from the success of the business behind them.

It works well within its ecosystem, but it is not designed to be neutral money for everyone.

DePIN Tokens: Real-World Infrastructure, Coordinated by (Cryptocurrencies)

This is where crypto leaves the screen and enters the physical world with us. Instead of one company owning everything, crypto allows many individuals to contribute infrastructure and be rewarded fairly.

DePIN stands for decentralized physical infrastructure. Real infrastructures that enable our daily life such as energy networks, internet access, data and sensor systems…

DePIN is layer in Web3 where Blockchains are used to power physical devices. There are many companies/startups building in this layer and most have their own cryptocurrencies. Those currencies are not there just as a form of money, they give users access to services, they are used to incentivise participation, and they keep the network running.

No one DePIN token can be compared to each other because uses differ and purpose of each projects differ.

Real-World Assets (RWA): Bringing Traditional Finance On-Chain

Real-world assets are traditional financial items represented digitally. RWAs turn blockchains to settlement systems for global finance, not just crypto-native assets. This is the bridge institutions need to move safely into Web3.

With RWA protocols you can bring your real estate, stocks, and any other form of regular assets into the Blockchain.

In essence.

Crypto is not a competition where one asset replaces all others. It's a system where different regular activities are empowered on different suitable blockchains.

Crypto doesn’t need to win against itself. It is building what the traditional world already understands: Money, Technology, Infrastructure, Markets…

Just rebuilt for a digital, global future.

Once you stop asking which coin is best and start asking what role does this play, crypto finally makes sense.

As an investor, you shouldn't ask if a coin is better than one, you should ask:

• Which one solves a real problem?
• Which one plays an important role in which industry?
• How do they do it?

Don't think crypto in terms of comparison, think in terms of essence. Don't compare two different assets, consider the importance of each of them.

When you think in terms of roles instead of rankings, crypto finally makes sense.

Crypto Isn’t One Thing — It’s a Whole Economic System was originally published in Coinmonks on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.