Raoul Pal, CEO of Real Vision, believes that rather than seeing cryptocurrencies as assets, investors should see them as digital nations. In a recent blog post, the former Goldman Sachs executive claimed that crypto ecosystems are networks that create both intrinsic and extrinsic value. He argues that the foundation of the Bitcoin (BTC) network is the idea that BTC is an autonomous monetary system free from the corrupting influence of governments.

Pal said that it fiercely defends the integrity of the protocol of how its society operates and, as a result, avoids innovation in the interest of preserving purity. He cited an example of the Bitcoin market as the Catholic Church during the Middle Ages or the gold-bug subculture. In the Bitcoin economy, Bitcoin is the lone asset that exists. Hence, the only option one has if you want to invest money in this market is to HODL (hold on for dear life) Bitcoin.

In comparison, according to Pal, the Ethereum (ETH) network is more like the intricate American economy. In this system, one can begin by buying ETH, which has a deflationary supply, or an amount that gets lesser with time. Since value must be maintained and not debased, its ‘central bank’ (the staking) follows prudent monetary policy.

Pal points out that staking ETH is comparable to buying US Government bonds, whereas decentralized finance (DeFi) can be compared to the riskier banking industry. He forecasts that over time, the Ethereum economy will grow to be larger than the Bitcoin economy due to its higher level of complexity. Pal also contrasts the economics of XRP and Ethereum rival Solana (SOL) with those of their respective home countries.

“Solana on the other hand might be South Korea just after the Asian crisis when its currency and equity market came crashing down. It was an unmatched opportunity that outperformed both the USD and SPX for six years. However, it did not stand the test of time. It failed to continue the outperformance. Who knows how Solana will play out.”