In the token sale contract we looked at earlier, a user can be sure that they will receive the tokens they purchase. What they cannot be sure of is that those tokens will be valuable or still be useful in the future. Moreover, if those tokens represent something else (access to a system, real-world assets, or something else), then the mere existence of the tokens does not bring any guarantees that this access will remain, that people will continue to accept the tokens for assets (see the previously mentioned issues with legal validity), and so on. With national currencies, the use and acceptance of that currency is mandated by a government with substantial power. With tokens, the acceptance and use of the token has no mandate. To some, this is the very appeal—that the value of a token is more trustable because it is built not on enforcement by a government, but by social approval and use.

It is likely that over time, legal frameworks and trade will become more stable, and this will be less of an issue.