Approaches of international organizations to determining the essence of cryptocurrencies

Abstract

The active development of cryptocurrencies around the world began about 10 years ago, but despite the rather long period of time, the world has not yet developed a unified approach to understanding the essence of cryptocurrencies and the general rules for their legal regulation. This article examines the essence of cryptocurrencies from the standpoint of a general theoretical approach, and also analyzes the positions of international organizations regarding the definition of the essence of cryptocurrencies. The creation of a common approach to determining the essence of cryptocurrencies at the global level will make it possible to choose a single most optimal approach to the issue of their further legal regulation by countries at the national level. The analysis allowed to conclude that the concept of cryptocurrencies can be considered in several different aspects, each of which has its own specifics, but at the same time reflects the essential features of cryptocurrencies. Many international organizations classify cryptocurrencies as virtual/digital currencies, noting, at the same time, the significant risks of their use and the need to create a coordinated and systematic regulation of the sphere of cryptocurrency turnover to reduce the ways and possibilities of their illegal use.