We address the determination of bitcoin prices and decentralized security. Users forecast the transactional and resale values of holdings, pricing the risk of systemic attacks. Miners contribute resources to protect against attackers and compete for block rewards. Bitcoin’s design leads to multiple equilibria: the same blockchain technology is consistent with sharply different price and security levels. Bitcoin’s monetary policy can lead to welfare losses and deviations from quantity theory. Price-security feedback amplifies fundamental shocks’ volatility impact and leads to boom and busts unconnected to fundamentals. We characterize how viability versus fiat currency depends on bitcoin’s relative acceptability and inflation protection.

This special issue originates from a dual submission conference with the NBER Insurance Working Group and the Corporate Finance Program in 2020. It brings a broader perspective on important frictions in insurance markets, including trust between insurers and policyholders, conflicts of interest among brokers, suboptimal policyholder behavior, and risk-based capital regulation. Several developments in the economy and the academic literature have provided an impetus for new perspectives, including the growth of savings products with minimum return guarantees, the global financial crisis, and intermediary asset pricing. We conclude with an overview of research questions that are promising for further exploration.