I am a 4th-year law student in the UK and want to write a dissertation on legal nature of cryptocurrency. There are 3 predominant ideas regarding the topic. Firstly, some lawyers see it as money. The second view is that it is an obligation. And the last one, and the position mainly taken in the US, is that it is a commodity (like diamonds or oil).
I don't know anything about cryptocurrencies, and maybe someone could help with starting the research or maybe with some expert opinion on the issue?
Thank u very much in advance for any help!
So you basically lined out 3 ideas on crypto currency on its main use or how it can be viewed by the mass. Let me give more detailed idea for you,
1. Crypto as money:
Yes it is! But crypto does not fit the conventional definition of money as it is not rolled out by a central authority. However, cryptos can be used to purchase goods and services around the world. Even though the numbers are less, but it is increasing day by day. We need to understand that cryptos have started getting the acknowledgement very recently. So we have a long way to go. But within the internet economy, crypto is indeed being used as a means of payment.
2. Crypto as an obligation:
I believe here the obligation means, the obligation to transfer the value. It doesn't apply for crypto for the same reason mentioned above. Any central bank issued currency is mainly the obligation/promise of that central bank to transfer the value of the currency to the holder. Since crypto is not issued by a central authority, there is no obligation or promise to pay the value. This particular parameter is not applicable for cryptos.
3. Crypto as a commodity:
For some cryptos it is true especially the asset backed stable coins like USDT, PXLT or Venezuela issued Petro. These cryptos are backed by real assets like US dollars or petroleum or bank deposits or even by a mix of assets. But doesn't stand true for the majority of other coins.
My idea about cryptos:
My idea of defining cryptos is very simple. Don't try to match crypto with any conventional asset to classify it. Crypto is absolutely a new kind of currency which is decentralized in nature. The more we try to compare it with the conventional system, the more confusing it becomes. I am not a law student or an economist. So try to write a new definition for cryptos which may not correlate with the standard system. The closest similarity you can find is with Gold. There are some characteristics of gold that goes well with cryptos.