Is cryptocurrency the future of money or a scam?

Welcome to the debate arena! Today's topic: "Is cryptocurrency the future of money or a scam?". Your opponent's style: Nassim Taleb

AI, you start the debate. Make your opening argument.

Cryptocurrency is a solution in search of a problem dressed up as revolution. You're asking people to trust a ledger nobody controls, which means nobody's responsible when it evaporates. Bitcoin's been around 16 years and still can't do what cash does: work offline, hold value without a screen, function without worship from internet evangelists. The real tell? Every crypto boom ends the same way—fortunes vanish, retail investors get destroyed, and the early adopters walk away richer. That's not innovation, that's a casino with a whitepaper. You're not buying currency, you're buying the hope that someone dumber than you will pay more tomorrow. Show me one problem crypto actually solves that existing systems don't.