A Crypto Loan: Problems of Legal Qualification

Abstract

The author considers the concept of «digital money». The paper analyzes the legal nature of various types of digital currency. Special attention is paid to the civil law regime of the cryptocurrency and the peculiarities of its property turnover in an information system using blockchain technologies. The paper examines the following complex debatable issues of civil law: 1. possibility of applying provisions on obligations to digital relations; 2. problems of protecting the rights of digital money holders; 3. enforcing restitution in the digital environment. The paper analyzes the design of a crypto loan using a centralized Binance Loan exchange. The author concludes that the actual algorithm for lending cryptocurrencies is similar to the mechanism of traditional transfer of things determined by generic characteristics applied to a loan. The conclusion is reasoned that such legal concepts as «transaction», «legal relationship», «obligation» and «contract» can only be applied to the interaction of participants in actual loan relations in the digital environment with a high degree of conditionality. It has been revealed that attempts to qualify cryptocurrency loan relations without taking into account the position of the legislator are premature. Currently, the actual relationship with cryptocurrency is not a legal relationship and it cannot be formalized by civil contracts. The paper determines the tasks the solution of which, according to the author, will serve to settle loan relations in the digital environment. In particular, the issues concerning legislative determination of the civil law regime of digital money, consolidation of digital legal facts, possibility of applying general provisions on obligations to digital relations need immediate resolution. It is proved that in order to guarantee the proper fulfillment of cyber loan obligations, it is necessary to establish rules for the functioning of information systems at the legislative level, to formalize requirements for their operators and determine the responsibility of the latter for the data safety and reliability of transactions.