The role of digital money and cryptocurrencies in modern business

Novac je kao sredstvo plaćanja potreban oduvijek. Tijekom povijesti način i sredstvo kojim su se vršile zamjene mijenjao se mnogo puta pa je postala neophodna ideja novca kao sredstva plaćanja. Iako je novac danas nužan u svakodnevnom životu, postoje brojni problemi koje takva imovina donosi, primjerice inflaciju koja uništava ušteđevine brojnih građana. Do takve današnje situacije dovele su brojne loše odluke vladajućih tijekom povijest. Kako živimo u digitalnoj eri kada tehnologija napreduje kao nikad prije, mnogi očekuju da će novac potpuno prijeći u digitalni oblik. Ovaj rad u uvodu ima istaknute ciljeve, sadržaj i metodologiju istraživanja. Definirani su problem i predmet istraživanja. U drugom poglavlju koje zauzima najveći dio rada definiran je nastanak prve kriptovalute i objašnjena je blockchain tehnologija. Ta tehnologija ključ je za rad kriptovaluta i preko nje se događaju ključni procesi koji kriptovalute čine onim što one jesu. U ovom je poglavlju također objašnjen proces rudarenja koji pomoću rudara potpuno zamjenjuje potrebu bilo kakve treće strane kod procesa slanja i primanja kriptovaluta. Prikazani su brojni drugi sektori u kojima se blockchain tehnologija danas također primjenjuje. Ovo poglavlje pobliže prikazuje najveću svjetsku kriptovalutu bitcoin te navodi kako je nastao, koje mogućnosti pruža, gdje se danas nalazi u očima velikih i malih ulagača i kakva su očekivanja daljnjeg kretanja cijene i njegovog prihvaćanja. Nadalje se prikazuju sve ostale kriptovalute, odnosno altcoini. Navodi se koje su sve mogućnosti danas dostupne i kako se kripto tržište naglo razvilo u posljednje dvije godine, zbog decentraliziranog financiranja, NFT-ova, stablecoina, metaversa, web3-a i brojnih drugih mogućnosti koje to mlado tržište nudi. Treće poglavlje otkriva ulogu kriptovaluta u suvremenom poslovanju, pobliže prikazuje pravni i ekonomski aspekt kriptovaluta, kao i zabludu da su kriptovalute namijenjene za ilegalne radnje. U četvrtom poglavlju prikazana je metodologija rada i provedeno je istraživanje 61 ispitanika preko online upitnika. Od tri postavljene hipoteze prve dvije su odbačene, a treća je prihvaćena. Na temelju cjelokupnog rada otkrilo se čemu sve kriptovalute služe i kako se mogu podijeliti, došlo se do temeljnih zaključaka o kriptovalutama i globalnom mišljenju te do brojnih istraživačkih zaključaka i preporuka za buduća istraživanja.Money as a medium of payment has been necessary since the beginning of time, although throughout history the way and the medium used to make exchanges have changed countless times, the idea of money as a medium of payment was necessary. Although today money is necessary in everyday life, there are many problems that these assets create, such as inflation, which destroys the savings of many citizens. Numerous wrong decisions of rulers throughout history have led to such a result today. As we live in a digital era when technology advances never faster, many expect that money will completely go digital. In the introduction, this paper highlights the goals, content and methodology of the research, and also defines the problem and the subject of the research. In the second chapter, which occupies the largest part of the work, the origin of the first cryptocurrency is defined and blockchain technology is explained. Blockchain technology is the key to the operation of cryptocurrencies and the key processes that make cryptocurrencies what they are take place on it. This chapter also explains the mining process, which uses miners to completely replace the need for any third party in the process of sending and receiving cryptocurrencies. Also shown are various other sectors where blockchain technology is also being applied today. This chapter shows in more detail the world's largest cryptocurrency, bitcoin, how it was created, what opportunities it offers, where it is today in the eyes of large and small investors, and how the price movement and acceptance of the most popular cryptocurrency is expected to continue. All other cryptocurrencies, i.e. altcoins, are further explained. What all the possibilities that are available today and how the crypto market has "fired up" in the last two years, due to decentralized financing, NFTs, stablecoins, metaverse, web3 and numerous other possibilities that this young market has to offer. The third chapter is called the role of cryptocurrencies in modern business. The chapter details the legal and economic aspects of cryptocurrencies, as well as the misconception that cryptocurrencies are invented only for criminals. In the fourth chapter, the research methodology is presented and a survey of 61 respondents was conducted through an online questionnaire. Of the three hypotheses, the first two were rejected, while the third was accepted. Based on the entire work, fundamental conclusions were reached about cryptocurrencies, the global opinion about this new asset, what it is for and how it can be divided, as well as numerous research conclusions for future research