The Last Asset Standing… Is Bitcoin and Crypto a Trap?

Merrick built his presentation around two powerful themes:

• The Hegelian dialectic – the framework of problem, reaction, and solution, often used to justify sweeping social and economic changes.
• Operation Trust – a historical model of controlled opposition, where resistance movements are co-opted and neutralized by the very systems they claim to fight.

These concepts served as the foundation for his exploration of today’s digital financial landscape. From National Security Agency (NSA) encryption schemes to the opaque origins of Bitcoin, Merrick suggested that what many view as tools of financial freedom may, in fact, serve to expand surveillance and control.

He described central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) as the natural progression of this trend, tools that could transform money from a neutral medium of exchange into a programmable instrument of compliance.

Merrick warned that nearly every financial asset, including bank accounts, brokerage holdings, and even crypto wallets, is now fully dematerialized. This makes them susceptible to seizure, freezing, or reset by the institutions that oversee them.

He raised concerns echoed by some researchers about the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC), a central player in U.S. securities settlement, potentially expanding into crypto clearing. Such a move would bring the crypto market under the same institutional frameworks that control traditional financial markets, undermining its promise of decentralization.

Meanwhile, central banks are quietly amassing gold by the ton, preparing for a future where digital assets are programmable and physical wealth remains the ultimate hedge.

The question Merrick posed was clear: If our financial freedom can be revoked with the flip of a switch, do we really own anything?

He cautioned that many investors are chasing speculative gains in digital tokens without recognizing the broader context, a coordinated global move toward programmable finance and comprehensive oversight of wealth.

This is not about paranoia. It is about patterns. When governments, global institutions, and central banks all move in lockstep toward digital enforcement mechanisms, ignoring them becomes dangerous.

Attendees of the MoneyShow were given free access to a 50-page white paper that expands on these themes, built upon the research behind It Starts With Gold™.

Far from a promotional handout, Merrick framed the white paper as a challenge to think critically:

“Don’t take my word for it. Read the evidence. Question everything. Prove me wrong.”

This direct appeal reflects the urgency of his message. Waiting for mainstream acknowledgment of these risks may mean waiting until it is too late.

Merrick’s closing message was blunt: Prepare now.

Real sovereignty belongs to those who hold real, physical, and useful assets. This includes:

• • • Precious metals held outside the banking system.
    • Participating mutual life insurance with real reserves.
    • Farmland, tools, and skills that provide practical independence.
    • Strong local communities that can weather systemic shocks.

By contrast, digital and dematerialized instruments such as stocks, bonds, and cryptocurrencies are ultimately permissions granted by systems that can revoke them.

Time is running out.

We are not powerless.

But we cannot afford complacency. It is time to expose what is happening, prepare for what is next, and reclaim our right to own, save, and pass on what we have earned.

Draw your line now, or we may soon lose the ability to draw it at all.

At our firm, we help clients structure their wealth by Owning Assets in Order of Asset Confiscation, so that what is most vulnerable can be protected and what is most secure can be preserved. Book a complimentary review to learn how to optimize your assets for what’s to come.

Book Your Complimentary Review Here

These themes are explored in depth in our #1 international bestseller, It Starts With Gold™, by Peter J. Merrick, TEP and Adrian C. Spitters, CFP®.

In this book, we reveal:

• • • How to protect your wealth with tangible, non-digital assets.
    • How to preserve generational wealth against growing financial controls.
    • How to reclaim true financial sovereignty in an increasingly monitored economy.

📘 Download your free copy of the white paper The Last Asset Standing™ and the bestselling book It Starts With Gold™ at: www.ItStartsWithGold.com

🛡️ Look for the release of the book based on the White Paper The Last Asset Standing™ in January 2026, a blueprint for holding onto what matters when digital finance turns against the individual.

1. Bank for International Settlements. “CBDCs: An Opportunity for the Monetary System.” https://www.bis.org/publ/arpdf/ar2021e3.htm
2. Bank for International Settlements. “Game‑Changing Blueprint for a Unified Programmable Ledger.” https://www.bis.org/press/p230620.htm
3. International Monetary Fund. “Fintech Notes: Retail CBDC Adoption and Trends.” https://www.imf.org/-/media/Files/Publications/FTN063/2024/English/FTNEA2024006.ashx
4. DTCC. “DTCC Announces New Platform for Tokenized Real‑Time Collateral Management.” https://www.dtcc.com/news/2025/april/02/dtcc-announces-new-platform-for-tokenized-real-time-collateral-management
5. PR Newswire. “DTCC and Digital Asset Complete Successful Pilot for Tokenized Collateral.” https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dtcc-and-digital-asset-complete-successful-pilot-to-test-collateral-and-margin-optimization-through-tokenization-302255589.html
6. World Gold Council. “Central Bank Gold Buying Picks Up in May 2025.” https://www.gold.org/goldhub/gold-focus/2025/07/central-bank-gold-buying-picks-may
7. World Gold Council. “Gold Demand Trends Q1 2025 – Central Banks.” https://www.gold.org/goldhub/research/gold-demand-trends/gold-demand-trends-q1-2025/central-banks