Mathew Ferranti, a PhD candidate, published a paper that has caused a small stir amongst Bitcoin enthusiasts as it called on governments to add the asset class as part of their reserves. Titled “Hedging Sanctions Risk: Cryptocurrency in Central Bank Reserves”, Ferranti makes a strong case for nations facing sanctions risk to hold BTC.

Ferranti’s paper did not broach the subject of the effectiveness of sanctions but notes that they could have some unintended consequences, “like hurting the population of the country that you’re sanctioning.”