Not really. While both are certainly “digital currencies,” Bitcoins are in the category of cryptocurrency—digital currency managed by using encryption techniques called cryptography to secure its transactions. Bitcoin is complex, volatile, inefficient for retail transactions, lacking of market regulations, and often utilized on the seedy or downright illegal side of digital transactions. In that sense, the problems are similar to the ones we have with the cash economy.

Community Vines was founded on the principles of local trust and stabilized, sustainable communities. We help communities prosper by eliminating unnecessary middlemen and corporate profiteers who pilfer money out of local communities. We meaningfully help individuals, but always work towards the common good. In keeping with those values, Civitas are like any other non-U.S.-dollar currency. Civitas are backed by the corporation, Community Vines, which is subject to various liquidity regulations, particularly maintaining a sufficient Liquidity Coverage Ratio (the proportion of highly liquid assets held by financial institutions, to ensure their ongoing ability to meet short-term obligations), and thus are less volatile, and more safe and resilient, than cryptocurrency.