Dear Reader,

You’re standing in the supermarket.

You’ve got maybe 10 items in your basket. Less than $40 worth.

The cashier scans them, then you take out your card to pay. But when you put your pin in, the card machine makes a weird beeping sound.

‘Payment declined’, the screen says.

That’s weird, you think.

You know you’ve got enough money in the account. It’s not that. And you definitely put the pin in right.

‘Maybe it’s the cooking oil. It’s imported. We have a lot of issues with that’, the cashier says.

Huh?

You give him a blank stare.

‘Imported stuff has a massive carbon footprint, apparently’, he says.

‘Maybe you’ve used up your allowance. Have you been on a trip recently? You might have to wait until next month.’

As crazy as it may sound, thanks to a new, digital currency about to be piloted in Australia (and all over the world), this is exactly the kind of situation which could become possible.

Unlike the money in your bank account or cash in your pocket, this new money can be ‘programmed’ by the State.

The authorities can create ‘rules’ as to how and when it’s spent.

That could be a limit on your carbon footprint…or rules on buying stuff that’s bad for you…or bad for the environment.

Theoretically, anything is possible.

Meaning the State could effectively have the power to ‘approve’ or ‘deny’ everything you do with your money.

But don’t just take my word for it.

As Philip Lowe — head of the Reserve Bank of Australia — put it, he isn’t even hiding this:

‘And on the horizon is the possibility of programmable money, which contains self-executing code that triggers a payment when a specified condition is satisfied.’

It turns out that ‘horizon’ might be closer than you’d think…

This new form of digital money is being trialled in Australia in the next 12 months.

It’s already been tested by the major banks, in something called ‘Project Atom’.

So it appears the authorities are serious about it.

If that worries you — and it certainly worries me — then I’d encourage you to take a look at this urgent presentation I’ve put together for you.

In it, I talk you through what’s happening…

I show you how this could all impact you…

And I introduce four things you can do today to start preparing, if you’re concerned.

Just hit this link now for the full story.

Best,

Greg Canavan,
Editorial Director, Fat Tail Investment Research