A 59-year gap between the birth of the modern charge card & the birth of decentralized digital money.
In 1949, a businessman reportedly went to dinner in New York City & realized he had forgotten his wallet. That experience sparked an idea: one card people could carry & use at multiple restaurants instead of cash.
In 1950, Diners Club launched with about 200 members and a handful of participating restaurants. Members paid an annual fee, restaurants paid a percentage of each transaction, and customers paid Diners Club later.
That membership model became the blueprint for modern payment networks and changed how the world spends money.