Imagine a scenario in which the US government — suddenly, arbitrarily and without any justifiable authority — outlawed a commodity like petrol. Now imagine this occurred in the early 1900s, right as Henry Ford emerged on the scene, creating a model for the automotive industry that has endured for over a century. A ban on petrol would have equated to a ban on driving altogether, crippling the burgeoning auto industry, allowing the rest of the world to pursue game-changing innovations and creating a lasting, depressive impact on the way Americans live.
This comparison may seem extreme but it is instructive regarding the potential impact of a US Securities and Exchange Commission ruling on the future of ether, currently under consideration. Ether is the digital commodity that, like petrol, powers programs running on the Ethereum network, the world’s largest programmable blockchain.
This network has the potential to usher us into the next phase of the internet, where content, identity, ownership, security and accessibility are, crucially, controlled by the user, not any big tech company. That’s why many companies, including BlackRock, Franklin Templeton, Nike, Adidas, Gucci and Publicis, are working on software applications that involve the tokenisation of physical and financial assets, loyalty and engagement systems and much more, using Ethereum.