[baddox]

I obviously think it's a hyperbolic statement, but there is something genuinely new in Bitcoin that basic economic classes wouldn't talk about (namely, the ability to maintain a secure transaction log without trusted intermediaries) that can certainly perform a fundamental part of what financial services provide.

[ChuckMcM]

This is true, the idea of having a reliably secure digital token that you can pass around without reversibility or double spending is huge. But unforgeable tokens don't make a new economy, it just enables economic activity without the participation of licensed institutions (aka 'underground' or 'black' markets) across distance, and that is pretty cool. It replaces 'wiring' money and sidesteps currency conversion issues. In that regard BitCoin is revolutionary.