The relationship between cryptocurrencies and e-trust

Abstract

There is a heated discourse on cryptocurrencies in both public discourse and academia. Some see it as a pioneering technology of the future, while others are much more skeptical about its possibilities. In the investigation of cryptocurrencies, not only the need for anonymity and the exclusion of third parties should be emphasized, but also the role of trust, as it was invented due to the loss of trust in society, its inventors wanting to create a system that did not require trust to function.

The first paper in a multi-part study series summarizing the results of one year of research presents conceptual issues and debates about cryptocurrencies, its theoretical foundations and operation and thei key players of the market. The main purpose of this theoretical grounding is to provide a better picture on the basics of the topic, which will make the study on the relationship between cryptocurrencies and crime more comprehensible in later studies. At the same time, it allows for a complex approach, as it can provide insights into the interrelationships between e-trust and criminological aspects.