More middle-class families are turning to Bitcoin as a hedge against inflation and financial uncertainty, as rising costs wash away household savings worldwide. In this interview, Pauline Shangett, Chief Strategy Officer at ChangeNOW, explains how crypto can complement traditional savings, the role of education and regulation in building trust, and why accessibility — not speculation — will shape the future of adoption.
Crypto.news: Today, many middle-class families across the globe are dealing with a critical gap in their financial safety nets. In the U.S., only 54% of adults say they have enough savings to cover three months of expenses. How can Bitcoin help these families build savings?
Pauline Shangett: Let’s be real, saving money these days isn’t what it used to be. Prices keep climbing, and the tiny bit of interest banks pay doesn’t really help. A lot of middle-class families feel like their savings are melting away, no matter what they do. Putting cash aside just for the sake of saving doesn’t make much sense anymore, because inflation eats it up.
That’s why more people are looking at Bitcoin. Sure, it jumps around in price, and it’s not some safe, fixed deposit. But Bitcoin’s not like regular money. There’s only a limited amount, and it doesn’t really answer to the government or the central bank. For families who are worried about their cash losing value, even having a little bit of Bitcoin can feel like a small shield, something that helps protect part of what they’ve worked for.
Now, I’m not suggesting that families put everything into Bitcoin. That would be irresponsible. But including it as part of a mix in your savings strategy can make sense. It gives families a way to hold an asset that, over the long run, has often grown significantly, especially when traditional currencies are under pressure. It’s about giving families an option beyond the dollar, the euro, or the bank account that quietly loses value every year.
CN: If a middle-class family decided to use Bitcoin or another cryptocurrency as part of their financial plan, what should be their first steps?
PS: Education and infrastructure are key. First off, let’s be honest about Bitcoin, what it is and what it’s not. It’s not some get-rich-quick thing, and it’s definitely not a guaranteed way to make money. Really, you should think of it as a long-term, high-risk, high-reward kind of asset. It takes patience, some discipline, and yeah… a bit of nerve to handle it the right way.
Practically speaking, families should start small, both in terms of allocation and tooling. That means choosing a reliable exchange or instant swap service like ChangeNOW to make their initial purchases and then moving assets into secure storage. Cold wallets or non-custodial solutions should always be part of the conversation.
I also think it’s essential to set clear rules: how much of the household budget goes into crypto, what the holding horizon is, and what the trigger points for selling might be. Without rules, it’s easy to get swept up in short-term volatility. With rules, Bitcoin becomes a structured part of a broader savings plan.
CN: There’s a persistent myth that Bitcoin is only for the ultra-wealthy or the very tech-savvy. How can we challenge that perception?
PS: That old myth stuck around because, honestly, getting into Bitcoin used to be a pain. Back in the day, you had to wrestle with clunky exchanges, confusing wallets, and a bunch of weird jargon you probably hadn’t heard before. For lots of middle-class families, it was just… overwhelming.
But today things are way different. Platforms have matured, user interfaces are cleaner, and services like ours are designed to make crypto accessible without demanding technical expertise. You don’t need to code. You don’t need to understand cryptography.
Really, all you need is the same kind of digital know-how you already use for online banking or shopping online. The story around Bitcoin needs to change: it’s not some toy for tech elites. It’s a tool anyone with a smartphone and internet access can use. The more we focus on making it practical and easy, the faster that old myth will fade away.
CN: What role do you believe platforms like ChangeNOW play in making Bitcoin more accessible to the middle class?
PS: We see our role as lowering barriers. That means no account creation and no hidden fees. Accessibility is about trust, and trust is built on simplicity and transparency.
When middle-class families come to us, they’re not looking for trading dashboards or speculative leverage. They’re looking for straightforward tools: “I want to convert dollars into Bitcoin and know exactly what I paid.” That’s the space we serve.
Our goal isn’t to shove anyone into risky stuff, you know? Really, it’s more about giving everyday people a way to use crypto that feels safe and reliable. Whether they’re saving for the future, trying to mix things up a bit in their portfolio, or just sending money across borders, it should be something they can handle without freaking out.
CN: Do you believe unclear regulations are discouraging middle-class families from using crypto? What needs to change for broader adoption?
PS: Yeah, regulation’s definitely a big hurdle, but not because folks are anti-crypto. Mostly, people are just being careful. Families don’t really want to put their savings into something that could suddenly get restricted, get hit with some surprise taxes, or end up in some legal gray area. It’s stressful just thinking about it.
What needs to change is clarity. We don’t need permissive regulation; we need predictable regulation. If governments define the rules, how crypto is taxed, how inheritance works, and what reporting is required, families can plan. Without that, they hesitate.
I believe that over the next few years, we’ll see a gradual convergence: clearer frameworks that don’t suffocate innovation but give ordinary users the confidence to treat Bitcoin as part of their legitimate financial planning.
CN: ChangeNOW has built a reputation for resilience – whether during sudden memecoin surges like DOGE in 2021 or the TrumpCoin frenzy. Do you think that kind of operational resilience encourages middle-class adoption?
PS: Being operationally reliable definitely helps build trust, but it’s just one piece of the puzzle. When Dogecoin trading spiked in 2021 or when politically branded tokens like TrumpCoin drove record volumes more recently, our systems handled the traffic without outages. That matters because middle-class users need to know that a platform won’t collapse the moment markets get noisy.
But we also have to be real: these hype-driven spikes don’t last. Liquidity dries up, charts crash, and the ones who usually get hurt the most are everyday small traders. For them, resilience isn’t just about uptime; it’s about knowing that the industry isn’t built entirely on speculation. If all they see is a cycle of hype and crashes, trust erodes.
That’s why at ChangeNOW, we view resilience in two layers: technical and reputational. Yes, we can scale to meet demand, but we also focus on supporting assets and partnerships that deliver long-term value. For the middle class, that balance is what encourages adoption. They need platforms that can handle volume today but also safeguard credibility tomorrow.
CN: In a recent interview, you mentioned that memecoins are part of Web3’s culture but also carry reputational risk. How do you see them influencing middle-class adoption?
PS: Memecoins are undeniably part of Web3’s culture; they create energy, bring new people in, and often drive the kind of viral attention that traditional assets never could. But for middle-class families, these surges can be a double-edged sword. At first, the hype is exciting, you know, all the headlines, everyone talking about it. But in reality, these tokens usually follow a pretty familiar pattern: they spike in volume, grab attention, and then, eventually, liquidity starts to fade.
When that happens, it’s usually smaller traders, often middle-class users who bought into the promise, who end up taking the losses. And the damage goes beyond individual portfolios. Every time a memecoin crashes, it reinforces the idea that crypto is just speculation, and that slows down wider adoption. That’s why I think memecoins shouldn’t be written off, but they do need proper context. That said, I think it helps to separate the hype from the actual tech.
The crazy part is you can spin up a token in just minutes, toss it onto global exchanges, and suddenly there’s real liquidity coming in from all over the world. That’s pretty wild, and it really shows how powerful blockchain-based markets can be.
Platforms like ours have a responsibility to make sure people understand the difference between cultural participation and long-term financial planning. Memecoins can be an entry point, but they can’t be the foundation. For middle-class adoption to grow, the industry has to spotlight projects with utility, stability, and regulatory alignment because those are the assets that build lasting trust.
CN: A major concern for families is inheritance. With Bitcoin, we’re talking about digital inheritance. What challenges and opportunities does that create?
PS: This is one of the most under-discussed aspects of Bitcoin. Traditional wealth transfer has established legal and institutional frameworks. With digital assets, we’re still writing the playbook.
The challenges are obvious: keys can be lost, wallets can be forgotten, and without proper planning, families might not even know where assets are stored. On the other hand, the opportunity is profound, Bitcoin allows wealth to be passed down without relying on banks, probate courts, or intermediaries. It’s a direct transfer of value, borderless and censorship-resistant.
But for that to really work, families need some guidance and the right tools. It’s not just about knowing how to buy Bitcoin, they also have to figure out how to keep it safe, track it properly, and eventually pass it down. It can feel a bit overwhelming at first, honestly.
That’s where platforms like ours can make a real difference.
CN: A major concern for families is inheritance. With Bitcoin, we’re talking about digital inheritance. What challenges and opportunities does that create?
PS: We’re investing in solutions that go beyond instant swaps. That means integrating with secure storage options, supporting non-custodial approaches, and working on features that help users plan for the long term.
It also means partnerships. Inheritance in crypto isn’t just a tech problem; it’s also a legal and regulatory one. We’re working with wallet providers and legal experts to make sure digital wealth can be passed down smoothly across generations.
The long-term goal is simple: we want crypto to be just as easy to hand down as a family home or a savings account. That requires infrastructure, education, and cooperation across the industry.
CN: You’ve said that regulatory uncertainty stops many users from exploring crypto’s full potential. How do you see regulation shaping Bitcoin as an intergenerational asset?
Pauline: Hopefully, regulation will catch up and really see Bitcoin for what it is. Yeah, it’s volatile, but it’s also surprisingly durable. If there’s a framework that treats it as a legitimate, taxable, inheritable asset, it could give middle-class families the confidence to actually include it in their long-term plans.
Of course, regulation won’t magically remove all the ups and downs. But at least it can take away some of the uncertainty about how Bitcoin fits into the bigger financial picture, and that’s a big deal for families trying to plan ahead.
And that clarity is what families need if Bitcoin is going to bridge the savings gap for the next generation.
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