That Sounds Familiar

I was reading a New Yorker article (Link ) about a new type of cryptocurrency that a company was using to fund its operations.  As I was reading, it sounded very familiar.  In my 2007 novel Emperor Dad, my rogue inventor who had created teleportation had, for noble reasons, declared himself Emperor of Earth.  Now, working in the shadows with police of all nations looking for him, he had to fund his own operations.  Using his teleportation, he stole what equipment he needed, but ‘paid’ for it with his own unique money.  Then, when he peddled his services on the world market, he accepted payment in his imperial currency, building a demand for the bills.  While I used fancy printed paper bills and their new stuff is all digital blockchain stuff, the financial model is the same—a unique currency to pay for unique services.