What are your thoughts about cryptocurrency?

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I’m optimistic about cryptocurrency , especially its potential to offer alternatives to traditional banking. Bank fees have become a real frustration for myself and our clients. Imagine depositing your hard-earned money, only to face monthly account maintenance charges, withdrawal fees, and even charges for printed statements. It makes you question how much control you really have over your own money.

What interests me just as much is blockchain, the technology behind many cryptocurrencies. A public blockchain can provide a shared, verifiable record of transactions. Used thoughtfully, that kind of transparency could help reduce red tape and make financial activity easier to scrutinize.

In the Philippines, my namesake, Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV, has advocated for the proposed CADENA Act, which aims to put national budget allocations and expenditures on a public ledger. The prospect of giving the Commission on Audit (COA) and ordinary citizens a clearer view of where public money goes is encouraging. Of course, the records would still need to be accurate and complete.

I’m hopeful about the idea, but skeptical about its political prospects. Genuine transparency would threaten those who benefit from opaque spending. In Philippine politics, there are still too many “crocodiles” who would rather keep the public out of the water.