Abstract

The text starts from a review of new theoretical issues posed by cryptocurrencies with respect to traditional money. The research then shows how the essence of the traditional monetary phenomenon lies in the figure of money, understood as a symbol endowed with particular functions. Having said that, monetary functions can also be performed by cryptocurrencies. The text continues on to note that the cryptocurrencies phenomenon is but a continuation of the money dematerialisation process, which gained strong traction in particular during the last century. Today, FinTech is faced with a choice: whether to favour the application of technology to payments brokered by third parties, or to encourage the formation and circulation of these new monetary forms.