That's not really true of crypto if you consider any chain but Bitcoin and Ethereum. You can send USDC on Arbitrum (an Ethereum L2) for <$0.10, or Polygon for <$0.01.
Also, as the article points out, international transfers are still painful. Paying $10 to transfer money internationally is probably still a very good deal for most people.
I don't know why this is downvoted; I understand that there's a lot to dislike about crypto, but "international transfers" is no longer even a question. A lot of people today literally use crypto for that.
> You can send USDC on Arbitrum (an Ethereum L2) for <$0.10, or Polygon for <$0.01.
The vast majority of Americans reading that would have no idea what any of that means, or even how to figure out what it means. There are too many choices and too much jargon in the cryptocurrency world, and it takes real work and effort to figure it out. And then you have to have confidence that you understand it well enough so you don't make a mistake and send your money someplace you didn't intend. That's a real concern for many people, especially those who aren't all that tech-savvy. All those people will likely just rely on something like Western Union, even though it's annoying and they could theoretically have less friction with cryptocurrencies, at least after they've learned everything and set it up properly.
> The vast majority of Americans reading that would have no idea what any of that means, or even how to figure out what it means.
You're absolute right and over time, that is changing.
When I got onto the internet in 1991, I got an email address and couldn't for the life of me understand what good it would be for. I didn't know anyone else with one!
USDC is hardly what people think when they say crypto. For once it's not trustless, you need to trust that the backing dollars are in some bank account.
You are correct, similar to any other money transfer service it needs to be redeemed somehow. USDC is probably more trustworthy than an individual bank if you own >$250k because of their active treasury management.
Also, as the article points out, international transfers are still painful. Paying $10 to transfer money internationally is probably still a very good deal for most people.