Love beyond fiat – How cryptos became the new language of romance

Most of you reading this article might have heard the adage – “Love conquers all.” What a beautiful thought, right? However, have you ever thought that one day, love will conquer the Web3 and crypto-space too?

No, this isn’t a sub-plot from 2001: A Space Odyssey. This isn’t from the latest episode of Black Mirror either. This, as odd as it sounds, is a reality these days. 

Cryptocurrencies and Web3 have taken the world by storm, with the two tapping all aspects of the world. From business to economics, from sports to entertainment, and a lot more. Alas, these are industries and sectors. They are quantifiable in their own way, even measurable.

What about love though? I mean, crypto and love sounds like a flight of fancy, a concept as abstract as the latter is for many. And yet, for many, it works. For many, crypto is more than a hobby or a passing interest or even a professional curiosity. Instead, it’s a commonality, a bridge that links one person to another. Just like how people can fall in love over a shared cup of ice-cream or a shared interest in Rick & Morty. 

Hence the question – “Has crypto tapped into the concept of romance or has love conquered crypto?”

Like most love stories, this has a story attached to it as well. And at the center of it, are couples like most around the world.

Now, many would argue that living in the 21st century, ‘love’ as a concept is still alive but has faded as a feeling. Some would also argue that most are oblivious to this realization. In fact, for Gen Z in particular, love has become a very vague concept where intimacy overpowers romance. 

This is why in this day and age a bonding element is so crucial. Crypto and Web3 and its associated sectors are bonding elements that have brought people together over the last few years. While like crypto these people have had their ups and downs, many of them are still holding out strong for the next ‘rally.’

It is in light of the same that Binance conducted a quick survey with approx. 2600 people around the world to study crypto’s role in romance. 

Valentine’s Day survey says…

Binance, one of the world’s biggest crypto-exchanges, surveyed both users and non-users for Valentine’s Day 2023. It involved 2600 crypto-fanatics aged between 18-46 years. 

The survey had some very interesting observations, 

• 83% of the survey participants confirmed having an interest in crypto was a fascinating feature of their relationship
• About 70% were in favor of going on a date with someone who liked crypto
• 60% of respondents took crypto-liking as an indication of someone being more tech-savvy
• 38% were happy knowing their partners are like-minded when it comes to crypto
• 27% were proud to introduce crypto to their partners
• 83% of survey participants would love to receive a crypto gift card instead of flowers/chocolates for Valentine’s Day

Understandably, this is a very small sample size. Especially in the larger scheme of things. However, the consensus today is that crypto-adoption’s numbers are a small sample size in general.

Even so, one can argue that while love is well and truly alive, crypto is not far from the field of romance.

A love affair with crypto

Now, a survey is a survey. It’s just numbers and statistics. It’s not always reflective of real, living, breathing people. Ergo, it only made sense to find and communicate with couples who share a mutual love of crypto. 

P.S – For the purposes of this article, the word ‘couples’ is designed to be broad and open-ended. Please don’t come to me with any of your Buzzfeed or Cosmopolitan BS.

‘Not the core reason for us being in love for 11 years…’

The House of Fine Art Gallery’s Elio D’Anna and Simonida Pavicevic are one such couple. In a recent conversation with them, HOFA’s founders discussed their journey, their take on the aforementioned survey and of course, crypto and compatibility. 

11 years. That’s how long they’ve been in a relationship together. That’s a long time to get to know each other and what these two have realized is that not only do they gel well together, their ‘creativity’ makes them even more compatible. 

It all started in the year 2018 when they both attended their first crypto-show together – ‘Quantum.’ While they had been in love for a while back then, it was only then that they realized how strong their shared opinions on crypto are.

Simondia relived, 

“We organized an art exhibition together where we sold 21 different cryptocurrencies and that’s where our love for crypto ignited further.”

Elio added,

“Crypto was not the core reason for us being in love for 11 years, rather there are many other things we have the same opinion on, we are very similar in what we like and what we think and that is why we are together for so long.”

When asked if they would have chosen someone else besides their partner if crypto wasn’t their common interest, they simply disagreed.

“It would be difficult if I were crazy passionate about crypto and my wife was against it. Then I would have to hide everything from her, my coins, my wallets, etc.,” Elio remarked, trying very hard to mask his laughter. 

So, what then? Is crypto as a ‘bonding element’ just a lot of empty talk? Is the aforementioned survey not as sound as it seems to be? Honestly, it’s not as simple as that, with the couple concluding, 

“Having a conflict of interest is the fun part when you are building something together, this helps you resolve the issue and move forward and grow in all aspects. Additionally, we also feel that it’s not necessary for a couple to have an interest in crypto to be together but yes common interests and creativity make the whole thing even more exciting.”

‘…if it wasn’t for crypto’

Elio and Simondia aren’t the only ones who feel that way, however.

I also got the opportunity to talk to Anjali and James Young, Founders of Abridged Inc, the makers of Collab.Land. In a recent conversation with them, the execs discussed the power of love, the widening crypto/Web3 space, the pros and cons of crypto as a link in their married life, and more.

Anjali and James have been together since 1995. They met in college and got married in 2000, but Collab.Land is actually the first project they have worked on together as a team. While they have worked on many individual projects in the past, projects where they’ve always had the other for support, this is the first one where they are in it together. Interestingly, the said project happens to be a crypto-based project too. 

How important is crypto to their relationship? Does this asset class define their compatibility with each other? Not quite.

According to Anjali,

“Crypto is definitely not the significant reason for our compatibility, though crypto has given us a new way to connect. We both have found our purpose in crypto and we both are definitely passionate about it.”

James concurred with what Anjali said, adding,

“We have shared values and it’s these shared values, especially TRUST, that have helped us grow together and now build something of our own. I believe that tokens or blockchains will potentially play a big role in how we all are connected together and with the decentralization and introduction of blockchain, everyone can see all relationships in a trusted and transparent way. With that fundamental aligned, how crypto specifically is just really an extension of what we believe.”

Ergo, the question – Does crypto play any role in their relationship at this point? In the case of Anjali and James Young, the answer is a resounding yes.

“In our case, it’s crypto that has brought us together when it comes to our professional relationship as we have never been directly involved in each other’s businesses in the past; ‘crypto’ has been a connector here. We wouldn’t be working together if it wasn’t for crypto and that’s brought a new texture, a new richness to our relationship.”

In fact, James was quick to share a cooking analogy too, one which he felt best describes the role crypto plays in his relationship with Anjali. He said,

“Crypto is actually the seasoning that brings the flavor out. So people shouldn’t be going after the seasoning, rather they should be more focused on the value-driven purpose behind it. Technology changes and the market keeps going up and down, you might also be blown by the next hot topic. But once your values are set, you have actually built a stable foundation for our relations and careers..”

A ‘connector’ of people

Love, long-lasting love is built on 2 pillars – Growth and change. If these two pillars are out of sync, that relationship is destined to collapse. The same applies to crypto too. While the asset class is often lauded for its potential, the day it stops evolving and changing with the times, that will be the day when the certainty of its success takes a nosedive. 

Now, on the face of it, crypto and romance have many differences. However, they have something in common too – Transparency. If there isn’t any transparency between couples, then that relationship isn’t a success. Similarly, blockchain and cryptos wouldn’t be the potential successes they are today without that key aspect of transparency that is so closely attached to them. 

The power of crypto is magical and underrated too in some ways. The way it brings people together and builds a multi-cultural environment is phenomenal. It’s an asset class that has transcended national and international boundaries, while also helping push the boundaries of creativity for many. 

People around the world have realized that. Couples have realized that. And, thanks to the power of crypto, many are now building crypto together. Whether by luck or by design, cryptocurrency technologies and the simple idea of love and romance have become closely interlinked.

As James put it, crypto has become a ‘connector’ for many couples out there. Now, that’s a success story if I’ve ever seen one.