Women are challenging Bitcoin, private equity, debt dollars, and billionaire men to reclaim the economy.

Women’s Unscrewing Screwnomics is a platform aiming to shift the conversation regarding women’s economics, advocating for a focus on untold stories and overlooked perspectives. The New York Times recently addressed a topic around Wall Street’s lucrative yet precarious ventures in risk-driven loans, linking the discussion to the notion of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, which represent privately generated forms of currency. In contrast to traditional government-backed dollars, cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin are decentralized and offer an array of over 20,000 variations worldwide. While initiatives like a strategic Bitcoin reserve have sparked interest, skepticism regarding the stability and value of cryptocurrencies still lingers.

President Donald Trump’s evolving stance on Bitcoin reflects a broader malleability in understanding and harnessing such technologies, shifting away from dismissing them as baseless to emphasizing their potential. His proposed idea of the U.S. government acquiring Bitcoin for long-term reserves underscores a shift in financial strategies, aiming for substantial gains through speculative investments. However, the volatile history of cryptocurrency prices, comparable to historical asset bubbles like the tulip mania in the 17th century, raises concerns over the sustainability and reliability of such investments.

The rise of privately minted currencies and the emergence of private equity and private credit sectors in the financial landscape signal a broader trend towards exclusivity and opacity in financial dealings. Private equity firms, often labeled as “pirate equity,” engage in leveraged buyouts of various industries, exploiting assets and cutting costs while maximizing profits for investors. Collaborating with large institutional investors, private equity firms obscure their operations through limited partnership agreements, shielding them from regulatory oversight and public scrutiny.

Private credit, a newer extension of private equity’s investment strategies, entails issuing risky loans to businesses that conventional banks might shy away from. Operating in a less regulated environment, private credit deals remain undisclosed to the public, reminiscent of the obscure dealings that led to the 2008 global financial crisis. The proliferation of complex financial instruments and arrangements mirrors the risky behaviors that caused economic turmoil in the past, highlighting the fragility of financial systems built on speculative ventures and private interests.

The privatization of the U.S. currency, epitomized by the Federal Reserve Act of 1913, transformed the nation’s financial framework by consolidating power in the hands of private banks like J.P. Morgan Chase. Under the guise of federal backing, the Federal Reserve banks became instruments of private wealth accumulation, shaping the financial landscape for decades to come. The proliferation of debt dollars, facilitating both public and private indebtedness, underscores the pervasive influence of private interests in shaping economic policies and practices.

In conclusion, the convergence of cryptocurrencies, private equity, and private credit exemplifies the broader trend towards privatization and exclusivity in the financial sector. By shedding light on these developments and critiquing the underlying assumptions and practices driving them, initiatives like Women’s Unscrewing Screwnomics aim to empower women and marginalized voices in reshaping economic discourse and practices for a more equitable and sustainable future.