Ethereum (or Bitcoin) is not controlled or regulated by a single entity or group of entities with exclusive membership.
The software behind it is open source and anyone with the know-how can contribute to its improvement.
Anyone with the means and know-how can be part of the network, i.e. operate one/more nodes on the network. With e.g. Ethereum 2.0 (ETH2) the bar is much lower in terms of hardware and electricity costs. For example, I’m running an ETH2 node at home on an Intel NUC (Core i3) with the BIOS set to “low power mode”; its power draw is hovering around 10 Watts, and it would be around 4 Watts if I wasn’t also running a non-mining ETH1 node on the same box (presently necessary as the ETH2 network transitions away from being an ETH1+ETH2 hybrid).
Pretty much anyone with a computer can setup a wallet and near instantly send/receive funds to anyone else in the world who also has a wallet. There is no red tape and no regulation/interference (in the tech itself, that is; your local government may have some laws).
There is the difficulty of acquiring cryptocurrency with USD, CNY, etc. But in most places it’s not that difficult to setup an account with an exchange; or you can arrange for a direct transfer if you know someone who is willing to swap crypto for cash (just be aware of local laws).
The software behind it is open source and anyone with the know-how can contribute to its improvement.
Anyone with the means and know-how can be part of the network, i.e. operate one/more nodes on the network. With e.g. Ethereum 2.0 (ETH2) the bar is much lower in terms of hardware and electricity costs. For example, I’m running an ETH2 node at home on an Intel NUC (Core i3) with the BIOS set to “low power mode”; its power draw is hovering around 10 Watts, and it would be around 4 Watts if I wasn’t also running a non-mining ETH1 node on the same box (presently necessary as the ETH2 network transitions away from being an ETH1+ETH2 hybrid).
Pretty much anyone with a computer can setup a wallet and near instantly send/receive funds to anyone else in the world who also has a wallet. There is no red tape and no regulation/interference (in the tech itself, that is; your local government may have some laws).
There is the difficulty of acquiring cryptocurrency with USD, CNY, etc. But in most places it’s not that difficult to setup an account with an exchange; or you can arrange for a direct transfer if you know someone who is willing to swap crypto for cash (just be aware of local laws).