For many people, cryptocurrency is still a mystery. Why Bitcoin counts as money and how it actually works can be hard to grasp. In The Bitcoin Standard (2018), Saifedean Ammous explores these questions by tracing the evolution of money, from early commodity systems and gold to today’s digital currencies. He portrays Bitcoin as a modern counterpart to gold, highlighting its scarcity, resistance to government manipulation, and its potential role in supporting long-term economic stability.
Saifedean Ammous is an economist based at the Adnan Kassar School of Business in Lebanon and a former member of the Center on Capitalism and Society at Columbia University in New York. Ammous holds a PhD in Sustainable Development from Columbia University, a master’s degree in Development Management from the London School of Economics, and a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the American University of Beirut.