[simondlr]

One thing I need to clarify (similar with Ripple). If in the future, there are enough trust hops between nodes, then the currency won't even be required, right? Because the currency is just a way to hop between untrusted nodes?

[gdb]

Yep, that's right — certainly for the most popular currencies/issuers, in any case. I wouldn't be surprised if there's always a long tail of lower-traffic currencies which lean heavily on exchanging to stellar.

[pat2man]

You still need a tiny amount in order to create transactions.