Articles
Neutral, dated analysis and explainers across Iran’s markets.
What Is a Money Corridor? How Hawala, the Dirham and Tether Move Money
A money corridor is the route value, not necessarily cash, takes from one country to another. This lesson explains how hawala works, why the UAE dirham anchors so many of these routes, and why Tether has become the "digital dollar" on them, along with their real risks, with no advice on whether to use them.
Who Actually Holds Your Crypto? Private Keys, Wallets, and Centralized vs Decentralized Exchanges
This lesson explains what owning crypto actually means: what a private key and a recovery phrase do, why a balance on an exchange and a balance in your own wallet are two completely different things, where centralized and decentralized exchanges part ways, and which legal and security risks are specific to Iran's market, with a labelled hypothetical example and several dated facts.
Crypto from Scratch: What Bitcoin Is, What Tether Is, and Why Tether Became Iran's Digital Dollar
Learn from scratch what a blockchain is, how Bitcoin is a scarce but highly volatile asset, and why Tether, which is pegged to the dollar, has taken on the role of a "digital dollar" in Iran, with a labelled hypothetical example, a few dated real figures, and a list of the base risks.
