The Aquarian Standard
The Aquarian Standard represents a framework for evaluating the soundness of assets through the lens of money, currency, and investability. It is about how sound the asset is on its own and within the larger context of the larger economy. Access, soundness, and usability are all important factors to consider when we evaluate an asset.
We are not scoring hype or short-term trading, and we are not giving financial advice. We are scoring assets on their own terms, and we are providing a framework for you to compare against.
Ranked assets
Choose an asset to see the breakdown of the Aquarian Standard score. See our methodology
The three lenses
Is it money?
The seven monetary properties as one package: medium of exchange, unit of account, portability, durability, divisibility, fungibility, relative scarcity. This lens also scores privacy and whether the setup still makes sense on a long horizon.
How well does it work as a currency?
Custody, everyday access, and whether payments can be blocked or filtered in the middle. The money-versus-currency split is about user experience friction, not a price target.
Can it be invested in?
This represents all the monetary factors that make an asset investable. It's not financial advice, it's is a simple test of how an asset actually lives in the world. Everyone should have their own criteria so this shouldn't be construed as investment advice- it's just our opinion based on our own research and experience.
Methodology
The Aquarian Standard is our editorial framework for comparing assets through sound money properties (with an explicit seven-property checklist), privacy where it matters, structural investibility (not short-term price hype), market liquidity, counterparty and settlement structure, custody reality, and sovereignty. Scores are education, not investment advice.
Each asset page lists section scores out of 100. The overall Aquarian Standard score is the average of the section scores. For a section-by-section explanation, see the methodology FAQ.
Disclaimer
Scores are opinions for education and comparison. They are not investment, tax, or legal advice. Do your own research and speak with professionals when appropriate.
From scoring to structuring
Comparing assets is only half the picture. The other half is deciding how they fit together. The portfolio guide explains how metals, crypto, and cash each serve a different role in a sound money portfolio.
View the portfolio guide
