Price Stability: The value of the currency should be stable to facilitate planning and contractual agreements.
Low Inflation: A stable low rate of inflation preserves the value of money as a store of value.
Portability
Lightweight: Easy to carry and use in transactions.
Divisible: Can be divided into smaller units that maintain their proportional value.
Durability
Long-Lasting: Resistant to wear and tear.
Non-perishable: Unlike food items or other perishables, the ideal currency doesn’t rot or degrade.
Recognizability
Standardized: Uniform size, weight, and design.
Easily Identifiable: Distinct appearance that is hard to counterfeit.
Acceptability
Wide Acceptance: Universally accepted within the jurisdiction it is intended for.
Legal Tender: Backed by laws that require it to be accepted for debts.
Fungibility
Interchangeable: Each unit is identical to every other unit, enabling flawless exchange.
Non-Traceability: Units are indistinguishable from each other, lacking a history that could affect their acceptability.
Divisibility
Scalable: Easily divided into smaller units, without a loss of value.
Adaptable: Should be able to facilitate both small and large transactions.
Security
Difficult to Counterfeit: Hard to duplicate illegally.
Traceable: In the modern context, the ideal form of money might also include ways to trace it for the purpose of preventing illegal activities, although this can conflict with privacy concerns.
Efficiency
Low Transaction Costs: Easy and cheap to transfer between parties.
Speed: In the context of digital money, transactions should be fast.
Transparency and Regulation
Regulated Supply: The ideal currency has a supply that is regulated in a transparent and predictable manner.
Transparency: Clear and transparent guidelines on how the currency is managed.
Technological Aspects (for Digital Currencies)
Secure: Transactions are cryptographically secure.
Decentralized: No single point of failure.
Interoperable: Easily integrated with other systems and currencies.
