Prospects of legal regulation and use of the digital rouble

Abstract

This article considers the problems associated with the prospects of central banks issuing and circulating digital currency, in particular the digital rouble. The study found that at present there is virtually no need to issue such a currency as an alternative to cryptocurrency (virtual currency), because cryptocurrency has largely lost its properties as a means of payment with the acquisition of the qualities of an investment instrument. The advantages of a cryptocurrency over non-cash money, which is familiar and also has excellent qualities as a settlement tool, are also not obvious. The positioning of offline payments as a benefit of the digital rouble is questionable given the prospects of full Internet coverage in Russia and the significant technological and legal complexities involved in the organization and control of such payments. Building trust in the new form of the national currency, without which it will not be in demand, will require building a mechanism for legal protection of consumers' rights. There is also a need for a mechanism to address the risks associated with laundering proceeds of crime, financing terrorism and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. It is difficult to formalise such a mechanism in the absence of international legal regulation