A Digital Ruble as a New Form of Money

Abstract

The paper is devoted to the definition of forms of money. The author disputes the correctness of the division of money into fully valid and invalid money, proves that there is no invalid money. The division of forms of money into cash and non-cash is made from a substantial point of view (material substance and ideal substance) and it is argued that within the framework of this classification there are no other forms of money, only varieties of these forms. The author shows the change in the forms of money depending on the degree of development of production forces and production relations. The paper provides describtions of characteristics of cash forms of money (metal and paper) and non-cash (records on bank accounts, electronic money, digital currency). At the same time, the so-called cryptocurrency is not a currency (money). It is a monetary surrogate and a kind of digital financial assets. The nature and form of the currency created on the basis of digital technologies by central banks is considered. It is concluded that the digital ruble in its form will become fully valid money — a kind of non-cash money issued by the central bank.