The article does not address what I think is the Achille's Heel of crypto currencies: Controlling the money supply is one of the most powerful rights that a government has. Why do you think the governments in the EU have not unified their fiscal policies? Why do you think EU countries cheat on their budget deficits? Governments want to be able to make money plentiful during economic downturns, and tighten it up when the economy starts overheating. They set nonzero target inflation rates to encourage people to consume and invest. The idea that governments will allow some technology to remove that power from them is silly. If a crypto currency ever becomes a significant medium of exchange, it will be outlawed (following predictable reports about Drug Kingpins, Terrorists and Child Pornography).