Monetary analysis of the Bitcoin

Abstract

The purpouse of this paper is analyse if the called bitcoin can be defined as currency.Therefore, first is analysed the bitcoin tecnology, specially its structuring from the encryption development by blockchain. The main characteristics of this technological structure are studied, wich allowed its fast diffusion, with the sufficient confidence and security in the transactions, at low cost, without the intervention of third parties, be it the State or the banking system.Later, the study turns to the concept of money, from the economic point of view, under the focus of the main theories developed. At this point, a special analysis is made from the studies of the Austrian school of economics, especially by Luwig von Mises and his regression theorem, developed to explain the origin of the currency. Once these parameters have been established, bitcoin attributes are analyzed, having this paper concluded that its volatility and lack of liquidity prevent, for the moment, its characterization as currency. It should be noted that this paper serves as a starting point for future work on the legal effects of bitcoin, in particular in criminal law. However, it is necessary to define the nature of bitcoin.