The Bitcoins

The globalization of markets, with the introduction of a single currency and the elimination of borders in providing services, has led to significant consequences in a number of areas; among these a prominent place is occupied by the payment industry. We are witnessing the passage from the real concept of currency, seen as a traditio of monetary prices, to the mandatory concept of payment, in which the transfer of sums of money, freed from material delivery, occurs through the transmission of electronic pulses that are a direct expression of the monetary position. The most evolved form of this means of payment, effectively referred to by some as "fourth generation" payment systems, after the era of legal currency, deposit currency and bank money, is electronic money, otherwise known as e-money. Thus, the Article will focus on a new development in electronic money, the Bitcoin. It is a decentralized virtual currency that is not controlled by any bank or financial intermediary, and is coined at home via one's own computer.