Not a week goes buy where I don’t hear of the difficulties associated with buying digital assets like Bitcoin, from regulated institutions – all in the name of safety, they gate keep, ticket clip, dilute, surveil, ration, throttle, censor, inflate, tax, sequester, audit, and potentially even confiscate wealth that belongs to the people.
The last few years have made one thing painfully clear: the financial system, from banks and insurance companies, to central banks and other three letter acronyms, is not neutral service provider. We like to think it is, but in reality it’s a gatekeeper that can reward you just as easy as it can punish, or even block you, often without warning. For investors who care about genuine freedom, the core job is no longer just growing wealth, but making sure you can actually touch it when you need it.
First, there’s was the Russia/SWIFT episode. When Russian banks were cut off from the global messaging network in 2022 following their invasion of Ukraine, it showed how money pipes can be turned into weapons almost overnight. The move did in fact hurt Russia, as intended, but it also forced them to build and lean into alternative rails outside the reach of US‑aligned institutions. It’s hard to imagine there won’t be long term implications from this move, which is now tied to who wins that war. If an entire nation can be unplugged with a policy decision, it’s nothing short of naive to think our private wealth is somehow beyond that kind of reach.
Second, there’s the de-banking of people who are simply building on new rails. Strike’s Jack Mallers had his personal accounts closed by JPMorgan Chase after years spent championing Bitcoin and the Lightning Network as cheaper, faster ways to move value around the world. He’ll be fine as he already lives on Bitcoin, but that’s not the point. If your life runs entirely through one or two big institutions, their risk and compliance team, and not you, gets the final say on whether you’re “allowed” to use your own money.
Third, there are the small, everyday freezes and “computer‑says‑no” moments: accounts temporarily shut because a transfer was made late at night, to a private company with an odd‑sounding name, or into something the system doesn’t quite understand. Many investors trying to fund private deals, move money offshore, or buy digital assets hit the same wall: delays, interrogations, or outright blocks, all under the banner of “safety.” The pattern is the same across all three stories.
Nation states, CEO’s, and everyday investors: if you don’t hold the keys, someone else can decide when, how, or whether you get to use your wealth.
So what do you do with that? You keep using banks, platforms, and traditional investments, but you stop pretending the leopard is going to change its spots. You build a balance sheet that includes real assets with pricing power (property, productive businesses, precious metals) and a carefully sized allocation to money you can actually hold. I encourage anyone reading to learn how to buy and self‑custody a small amount of Bitcoin especially. Direct control of your wealth should be a core pillar of your own financial strategy, not a fringe hobby. In a world where the financial plumbing now accounts for changing political views and digital ID, how much of your future are you willing to leave entirely in other people’s hands?
