THE CIVIL LAW NATURE OF ELECTRONIC MONEY

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to examine the civil law nature of electronic money. The subject of the research is the features of the civil law nature of electronic money. Methodology. Research methods are chosen based on the object, subject and purpose of the study. The study used general scientific and special methods of legal science. Thus, the analysis and synthesis method as well as the logical method were used to formulate a holistic view on electronic money, their features and legal nature. The logical-semantic method was used to establish the meaning of the concepts “electronic money”, “non-cash money”, “payment instrument”, “electronic payment instrument”. The comparative method was used when analyzing scientific categories, definitions and approaches. The legal modeling method was applied to formulate the author’s definition of the term “electronic money”. Results. The article generalizes scientific views on the civil law nature of electronic money. A distinction has been made between electronic money and currency unit, non-cash money and the right to claim. As the result it has been established that electronic money is the monetary obligation. Practical implication. The study should assist in developing the unified approach to the issue of the civil law nature of electronic money. Value/originality. As the result of the study the author’s definition of the concept “electronic money” with regard to its civil law nature has been proposed.