What forms of electronic money do you know. Electronic money, what is it and how to get it? Yandex electronic money

Many modern users have heard the term "digital money". But not everyone understands what it is. But you need to know about it. After all, digital technologies are an integral part of the life of a modern person. And electronic money is found in practice more and more often. But what is it? And how can these objects be used?

Terminology

Digital money is a system for storing various currencies using modern technologies. In particular computers.

Speaking simple language, electronic money refers to the cash flows stored in the so-called electronic wallets. We can say that this is how a currency is described that has a turnover not in the form of cash, but in electronic payment systems.

An e-wallet is a digital money store. A set of data available to a financial institution that emphasize the right of a citizen to use certain finances. Often, e-wallets are simply called payment systems.

Flaws

What are the pros and cons of digital money? Let's start with the disadvantages. After all, every user should know about them. And at the same time we will dispel some myths.

It is customary to refer to the disadvantages of digital money:

Legal regulation. In most countries, it is not yet clear how to legally deal with by electronic means... In addition, there are official bans on the use of digital money in some areas. For example, they will not be able to pay for the purchase of an apartment or a car.
Everyday life. Another very dubious drawback. Not everyone knows about digital money. And you can't use them everywhere. Some claim that it will be possible to work with electronic means only on the Internet without any problems. In practice, this is not the case. Especially when you consider that the bulk of electronic payment systems offer a special form of money storage (more on that later). This service allows you to freely use the available funds.
Difficulty to use. Digital money today is strongly tied to technological progress. Until a few years ago, this feature was a serious drawback. For example, if a person's Internet or electricity is turned off, he will not be able to access the funds.

We have studied the disadvantages of electronic money. But they also have enough advantages. After all, today users are increasingly working with a similar interpretation of funds.

Positive sides

Now about the pros. Electronic money is very convenient. It is important to understand that the bulk of their shortcomings are already being perfectly eliminated. In particular, if you pick up a good store of funds.

So, the pluses of digital money include:

Mobility. For digital media, there is no concept of size. In addition, a person will always be able to use his money. All funds will be at hand. This is very captivating. You no longer need to stand in line to pay receipts and taxes, you can transfer money anywhere in the world without any problems.
Full automation. There is no human factor when working with digital money. All operations are performed by computers and then recorded. There is no concept of change in electronic payment systems. And thanks to the preservation of the history of operations, a person will be able to understand where this or that money went.
Safety. It is almost impossible to lose electronic funds. They will not be stolen from the hands, a person will not forget where he put them. All finances are stored in a special electronic wallet. Electronic money can only be lost if the corresponding storage is hacked. Fortunately, such situations are extremely rare.
Freedom. When working with digital finance, the user may not provide information about himself. For most transactions, it is enough to know the details of the beneficiary's account.
Comfort of use. Today, technological progress does not stand still. And now digital money can be used almost everywhere. The main thing is to choose the right electronic wallet. It is allowed to pay with digital funds wherever there is a cashless payment.

As you can already see, the studied components have a lot of advantages. But what else do users need to know? How to work with electronic money and wallets?

Examples of digital media

It is important to understand that electronic money is different. And they all allow you to work with different currencies. Therefore, it is not entirely clear how digital means differ. It is customary to classify them according to storage systems.

Let's consider the most common types. Examples of digital money:

cryptocurrency;
"Yandex money";
PayPal;
Qiwi;
Webmoney.

These are not all types of electronic means. But users work with the listed options most often.

Concept blur

The definition of digital money is vague. On the one hand, we found out what it is. On the other hand, some people claim that any non-cash transactions are actions with electronic means. Is it really?

Yes and no. After all, many banks offer internet banking. In this case, the funds will be kept in an account opened in advance, and the management is carried out at the expense of computer technology... Therefore, it is not always possible to understand what digital means are.

But as we have already said, it is still usually this term that describes the money stored in an electronic wallet. It is with this interpretation that we will work further.

About wallets and their use

We found out what electronic money is. An electronic wallet is a repository of relevant finances. Such payment systems are in great demand. Especially when shopping online.

Electronic wallets, like money, are diverse. Most often people work with the systems "WebMoney", "Yandex. Money", "Qiwi", "PayPal". How can you use one type of wallet or another?

The main functionality of the digital (electronic) money storage includes:

payment of bills (any);
checking taxes and fines;
payment for purchases on the Internet;
payment for receiving certain services;
replenishment of the mobile phone account;
making money transfers.

Almost like a regular money wallet! The difference is that cash does not figure in this case. Cashless payments only.

Under certain circumstances, the user can cash out digital funds. For example, by making a money transfer via the Contact system.

Types of wallets

It is also important to understand that modern e-wallets are trying to protect as much as possible. For this, payment systems introduce various restrictions and several types of accounts.

Among them, the following are most often distinguished:

initial (anonymous);
standard, formal (nominal);
confirmed.

In the first case, the citizen does not provide any information about himself. Such wallets are very limited in terms of the amount of storage on the account, in terms of operations and the amounts that can be withdrawn from the account per day / week / month. Formal passports (profiles) require the user to upload passport data and provide personal information. This is the most common scenario. The wallet has large limits, but not all restrictions have been removed from it yet.

Verified accounts allow you to work with all the options of a particular wallet. In this case, the restrictions will be minimal. Usually you have to confirm your identity at the service center of the payment system (for example, in the Euroset communication stores). Such certificates are used by individual entrepreneurs.

About media

As we have already said, in the past, electronic money was very problematic to use. But now this problem has been eliminated in many payment systems. The point is that digital money can be stored on different media.

The following scenarios are possible:

electronic invoice (required);
bank card linked to the wallet;
virtual card.

Without fail, when opening an electronic wallet, the user is issued a special account (like a bank account). This is the store of money.

Many services such as "Yandex. Money" allow you to produce special bank cards linked to electronic account... In such circumstances, all the money in the wallet immediately ends up on the card. It is very convenient! Thanks to this feature, digital funds are now almost indistinguishable from money that is stored on a bank card of an ordinary bank.

A virtual card is an analogue of a physical medium. Used for the convenience of working on the Web. With the help of such "plastic" it is allowed to pay for purchases on the Internet with particular comfort. A striking example of such a product is the WebMoney card.

Beginning of work

How to get started with e-wallet and digital money? It is enough to register in one or another payment system.

For example, you can do this:

Go to the Webmoney website.
Click on the "Register" button.
Provide your mobile phone number.
Click on the "Continue" button.
Fill out the registration form. An e-mail must be indicated here, which will be linked to the wallet.
Come up with a password to enter and repeat it.
Click on the "Register" button.
Confirm the operation. To do this, you need to enter a special code sent via SMS.

That's all. Now the user will have a WebMoney wallet. The user will see his account, which will allow working with digital funds. In the "Personal Account" you can upload scans of your passport and get a formal certificate.

Virtual card

The WebMoney card can be issued only after the user gets rid of the anonymous profile. This means virtual "plastic".

To order it, you need:

Go to your wallet.
Open the WM-card page.
Click on the "Order" button.
Choose the type of plastic.
Click on the "Next" button.
Indicate whether it is necessary to use SMS-informing.
Check the box next to the "Confirm" line.
Click on the "Confirmation" button.
Pay for plastic through the "Merchant" system, specifying the data from a bank card.

Ready! Now you can use virtual card... This task does not cause any difficulties.

Conclusion

In today's world, the future of digital money is uncertain. But we can say with confidence that most countries are trying to introduce such means and introduce laws to control the corresponding finances. Electronic payment services are improving every year.

Even now, there is almost no difference between a bank card and plastic tied to an electronic wallet. This means that digital funds are in demand. They replace cash. It's a pleasure to work with that kind of money!

Over the past two decades, the Internet has become so densely embedded in our lives that we cannot imagine existence without access to the Internet. Remember: back in the early 2000s, we didn’t even know that there was a kind of worldwide network that unites all computers in the world, but today an ordinary user starts to break down if he is not allowed to log into his social network account for several hours.

Such tendencies could not but affect our perception of reality. If earlier it seemed wild to us that it is possible to earn money on the Internet, make purchases and settlements with other users using the Internet, today this is done by a significant part of all those who know what a computer is. This could not but affect the payment market, which has also moved to the online market with a significant share. We will talk about this today in this article.

The need to develop electronic currencies

Electronic payment systems (or currencies) are settlement instruments that are distinguished by anonymity, speed and simplicity. They are also called "electronic money systems". Their main feature is that they are conducted via the Internet and, accordingly, are recorded online. And in order to transfer funds through accounts within the same payment system, most often you do not even need to identify yourself - you just need to open a wallet and replenish it with the required amount.

Due to the fact that the Internet has become much closer to each of us, part of the business activity of many people has moved to it. This led to the need to launch online payment tools. This function is performed today by electronic money.

Today, using online currencies, you can make any purchase, order a service or exchange money with a counterparty from anywhere in the world. Restrictions on working with payment systems are minimal, and most of them can be easily removed after basic identification - uploading a scan of a passport or other document in a prescribed form.

Types of electronic currencies

In total, there are two large types of payment systems, depending on the basis on which the turnover of funds within them is carried out. Such as Visa or MasterCard refer to payment methods based on real smart cards. Another type is, for example, electronic money "Yandex.Money", related to the type of payment systems operating on the basis of so-called networks, that is, based on virtual currency symbols, which can later be transferred to the user's card. The most popular online currency in Russia - Webmoney, like the world's largest payment system PayPal, is also a representative of network-based payment instruments.

Peculiarities

All electronic money has great benefits. As noted, this is simplicity. In order to use the services of transferring and receiving funds, most often it is enough to simply create an account based on a mobile phone and an e-mail box. Only some payment systems require additional account verification by sending copies of user documents. Such accessibility also has a downside: it makes electronic money in Russia a threat from the point of view of national security, because, as you know, online currencies are often used for payments for criminal activities.

Another advantage that electronic money has is instant payments. Despite the distance between counterparties, funds between their wallets are transferred in seconds. Again, the flip side of this advantage is the ability to instantly withdraw funds from the wallet through fraudulent activities. For example, in 2010, a scandal broke out around the Webmoney system, which was caused by massive hacks of users' wallets with a further transfer of funds. Fraudsters have stolen millions of rubles in this way. They acted with the help of viruses that attack the computers of the victims.

The first payment systems in the world

Today, a large number of different payment systems that use electronic money operate on the Internet. Some of them have emerged quite recently, while others are real old-timers of the market with a million audience of clients. Some of these sites are multifunctional and universal for use, while the other is a highly specialized product for calculating in certain areas. There is a demand for both. In order to understand how the development of electronic money took place, it is important to recall that the first system - PayPal - appeared back in 1998. It was developed, among other things, by billionaire Elon Musk, who is now known as the head of Tesla, which produces electric cars.

Even then, in the United States, the opportunity arose to carry out payments between users using bank cards served by Visa, MasterCard and American Express. This ensured the maximum reliability of the service and, at the same time, its stability and comfort in work. Today the company was acquired by the world's largest online auction eBay for settlements between users. Therefore, it is now much easier to transfer electronic money from this system for the purchase of lots.

Payment systems in Russia

PayPal is also present in our country, but the system has not received such distribution as in the USA. On the contrary, in the CIS countries, another, domestic payment system Webmoney is more popular. It is much easier to work with it, since the user does not need to link his card without fail. Moreover, if the American system appeared in Russia only in 2011, then the domestic analogue has been functioning here since the same 1998.

Webmoney

Due to its earlier presence on the market, the system occupies a leading position (in terms of popularity), ahead of other types of electronic money. According to the information from official representatives, over 28 million users are registered in the system as of 2015. Between themselves, in one year, they conducted transactions worth over $ 17 billion.

Now the system is developing at a fairly rapid pace: it contains several currencies (analogues of the dollar, euro, ruble, hryvnia, Belarusian ruble, gold and others); a system "Arbitration" has been developed for the consideration of disputes between persons, and there is also a special system of attestation.

Qiwi

Another popular service in Russia is Qiwi. This is a multifunctional payment system that allows you to make payments using various instruments, including bank cards, online services, mobile applications, and so on. Thanks to its special implementation, it can be used as a tool for paying off utility bills, paying for communications, and so on. Although the site was launched only in 2007, the use of Qiwi electronic money has become so convenient that it has made it quite popular in 15 countries.

Now "Kiwi" operates under the Visa brand, issuing cards of this system.

Yandex money

Another major player in the Russian electronic payments market is the Yandex.Money system. As you might guess from the name, it was developed by Yandex, which operates the largest search engine in the CIS.

In 2014, about 18 million wallets were registered in the system, the lion's share of which belongs to users from Russia. There are even versions testifying to its leadership in our country.

Electronic money Yandex.Money is available to every user of the Yandex service. By going to your personal account, you can send and receive funds on your account, top up your mobile, and pay for utilities and communication. Also, the system can issue bank card linked to your wallet and send money to your WebMoney wallet.

At the expense of active development today the site can be used for payments in many online stores, including at Chinese auctions. Also, according to the terms of cooperation with Microsoft, the Yandex.Money application is installed on Lumia smartphones as standard.

Other

Of course, there are many other systems for payments on the Internet. However, we will not list these types of electronic money, since it would take too much time. In this article, we focused on the largest market representatives, while there are many smaller companies and brands with which you can conveniently and quickly pay for certain services. As an example, we can name such as RBC.Money, Comepay, Interkassa, Roboxchange, City pay, Dengi.mail.ru and others.

Exchange

It is important to understand that all these currencies are open for conversion among themselves. It is very convenient and often even necessary. For example, if you receive payment in Yandex.Money currency, but you need to pay in Webmoney, you can freely transfer funds with a minimum commission. This can be done in different ways, which we will discuss in this article.

The first is a direct exchange provided on the website of the payment system. Electronic money transfer in this way is as simple and fast as possible: you just need to go to the withdrawal page, enter the data and carry out an operation with the amount you need. However, there are two disadvantages associated with this technique. The first is the inaccessibility to conduct direct exchange between some currencies. For example, it is impossible to withdraw Webmoney to the Qiwi wallet directly for some reason. The same goes for the reverse operation. There are many currencies (for example, PerfectMoney) that cannot be withdrawn directly at all.

If you are faced with such a situation, you should use electronic money exchangers. There are a lot of them on the Internet, with each performing transactions in different directions. In order to change the currency profitably, you just need to establish in which of them the exchange rate is more acceptable for you. This can be helped by services that monitor the rates that are set by e-money exchangers.

It is very easy to find them, while each of them has the ability to sort the list of exchange offices depending on the direction you need to work with. Using such services, you can save a lot.

Cautions

When working with electronic currencies, you must remember that dishonest people can get access to your money, as in the case of a real wallet. Only if in the case of a thief on the street you can prevent the theft of funds, then on the Internet money from an online account can be debited even without your knowledge. Therefore, you need to remember about the basic security rules, which seem elementary: do not work with unverified counterparties, do not trust your password, connect all kinds of additional wallet protection measures available in a particular system: SMS authorization, double password, and others. Although all this takes a little more time, it can save your money.

Plus, do not forget about anti-virus programs on your computer, which will prevent the Trojan and other malicious software from entering your PC.

Such advice, of course, seems trivial and frivolous, but only until you yourself encounter scammers. And given the seriousness of the preparation of people stealing money from credit cards and online wallets, you should not allow an irresponsible attitude to the safety of your funds.

How to top up?

If you would like to use electronic money (Visa cards or just virtual currency - it doesn't matter), first you need to have it. After all, after registering with the payment system, your account will be empty. This can be done by replenishment - by entering cash into the account using a payment terminal or through an exchange from another payment system. When using one of the suggested methods, remember to pay a commission. Most often, it is 1-3 percent, depending on the direction of exchange.

How to withdraw?

The withdrawal of funds that are on your account of a particular payment system can be carried out in the same way as the replenishment - through an exchanger or direct withdrawal to a card (if the system allows it). For example, you can issue a bank card that will be fully synchronized with your account, as suggested by Yandex.Money. True, such an issue requires a one-time emission fee and, in addition, additional service fees.

What to spend on?

Of course, if you don't want to transfer money from one currency to another, you can spend it on anything. If we are talking about the largest payment systems, then you can pay with them in any online store. This means you can purchase anything by shipping it to your home address.

If you don't want to buy anything, you can pay for Internet connection, mobile communications or utilities. Fortunately, now even this can be done without leaving the computer.

Finally, even options such as charity, investment activity or opening of deposits - all this became available to the Internet user! Therefore, if you have an amount in your account and you do not know what to do with it, think about your future or that of other people! At the very least, this is a more reasonable and possibly useful use of funds than just losing them in an online casino. You will be surprised, but this is exactly what many people do. This is addictive, because if in real life all casinos are supposedly prohibited by law, then on the Internet you have unlimited freedom of action.

Trends and Prospects

It is difficult to say where the electronic money payment market is heading. Now we see the popularization of this segment of online commerce by increasing the number of people who get used to this form of payment. A person who has paid in this way at least once gets used to the comfort of instant settlements and sits down on them. This means that in the next few years we will see a total transition to online payments, simplification of the procedure for transferring funds and an increase in the speed of money transfers.

As for the prospects, it is very difficult to predict payments by electronic money and their development. On the one hand, today it seems that it is impossible to come up with a new product in the field of Internet payments, since everything that is now already satisfies the user as much as possible. However, one cannot exclude the possibility of the appearance of some revolutionary new product that could have a serious impact on the e-commerce market. It is very difficult to simply say that it will be, perhaps, we are talking about the development of contactless payments or payments using a mobile phone. And maybe technologies will soon appear that combine different electronic currencies into one in such a way as to get rid of commission payments once and for all.

Electronic money - a qualitatively new direction in implementation Today, electronic wallets around the world allow you to quickly settle and receive payments for purchases, pay bills, earn money, invest, and all this via the Internet, without leaving your home. Comfortable? Undoubtedly. What is it, and what types of electronic money are the most popular in Russia? All this is in this article.

What is e-money and e-wallet?

Electronic money is the same thing that is in your wallet and on your bank card, the only difference is that they are settled on the Internet. Here, as well as with a card, you can pay for goods via the Internet (moreover, in different countries), exchange them for another currency, pay bills, utility bills and mobile communication, buy air and railway tickets, transfer from wallet to wallet, withdraw them for real money. The list is almost limitless.

Electronic wallets are especially loved by those who prefer freelance earnings, since most of them are anonymous and do not require identification.

Calculation with electronic money is fast and convenient, which does not require filling out paperwork, going to shops and banks and standing in queues. All payments can be made in front of a computer monitor without leaving home, just choose a suitable payment system.

What is EPS?

The concept of electronic money and their types are inextricably linked with the concept of "electronic payment system". This is the organization that takes care of your wallet after opening it, similar to how a bank handles your financial transactions after opening a card account in it.

In Russia, there are various types of electronic money systems, each of which has its own functionality, a different level of development and popularity, a different degree of coverage, and different goals. Some of them interact with each other and allow you to transfer funds from the wallet of one GPT to the wallet of another, of course, with the collection of a certain commission. Why is this done?

Each payment system has its own money. Suppose you want to order some product via the Internet, and you have an open wallet from OPS number 1, where your electronic money is. The online store where you want to make a purchase accepts payments only for OPS number 2. Then you will have a choice - whether to open a wallet in OPS No. 2 and invest money there again, or simply transfer funds to it from OPS No. 1 wallet.

How do I put money into my wallet?

Electronic money, the types of which will be considered below, are usually assigned to a certain bank, therefore, it is possible to transfer to electronic money through a bank cash desk. There is such a function through mobile or internet banking. You just need to indicate which payment system you use and how much you want to transfer.

By the way, some types of electronic cards are allowed to create plastic cards that can be used for payments through the terminal. You can also withdraw cash from them, just like with regular bank cards.

Types of electronic money and their characteristics

As mentioned above, right choice wallet will largely avoid problems with commissions and delays in payment in the future. This decision depends on which country and what types of payments you are going to make. For example, in Belarus, e-wallets with Belarusian currency are active only after a complex identification has been completed, so here you are unlikely to be able to pay with an e-wallet. Of course, not everywhere there are such complex nuances, customers are further offered a choice of popular electronic money, the types of which are used in settlements all over the world.

PayPal

One of the most popular and convenient payment systems in the world is owned by the worldwide eBay auction. PayPal electronic money allows you to pay with them in 203 countries of the world. A special advantage of PayPal is the many types of financial transactions and cash withdrawal methods.

This payment system allows you to:

transfer any funds from your personal account;
carry out payment transactions using the mobile version;
perform simultaneous transactions with several persons;
send an invoice for payment by mail;
carry out daily withdrawal of money to the account and much more.

"Yandex money"

The second most popular electronic money, the types of which allow settlements mainly in Russia and the CIS countries, - Although they can be transferred to dollars, Ukrainian hryvnia, Belarusian rubles, their main currency is the Russian ruble.

In this system, everything is also fast and simple, you can carry out a huge number of instant operations:

payment for receipts and services;
payment for goods;
accepting payments;
withdraw money to a plastic card;
transfer from card to card of another user.

For these services, the OPS removes 0.5% of the commission from the amount. When withdrawing funds - 3%.

The big advantage of Yandex.Money is the ability to connect the wallet directly to your own website. So your customers will be able to instantly pay for the goods using another wallet, bank account or card right on your website.

WebMoney

One of the very first OPS, WebMoney Transfer, is widely used by many users of the Russian-speaking part of the Internet and some Western European countries. However, you should be careful and clearly understand where the payments will be made by connecting this electronic money, the types of which are prohibited, for example, in Germany.

The WebMoney system uses 4 currencies - dollar, hryvnia, Belarusian and Russian ruble. With their help, you can also carry out a huge list of operations - from paying for commodity and financial payments to accepting payment for goods on your own website.

through the cash desk of Sberbank;
through the card;
via mail;
through exchange offices;
using Western Union and many others.

Qiwi

Another Russian payment system, which is used more in settlements between the CIS countries. Unfortunately, despite a fairly wide range of transactions, it is not often found in online stores. But with it, it is quite convenient and quick to pay receipts for an apartment, television, internet and telephone.

Especially the Qiwi system fell in love with those who are not particularly friendly with the Internet. The task is simplified thanks to the numerous terminals that help carry out the operations.

In addition to the above, the classification and types of electronic money include systems RUpay, Stormpay, Moneybookers, Liqpay, Wallet One, Money Mail and many others. Their use is not as common as, for example, WebMoney or Yandex.Money. If you want to make payments on the territory of the CIS countries for goods in online stores or, conversely, receive payment on the site, it is better to connect a more popular wallet.

How to start using electronic money

The principle of working with an electronic wallet is usually the same for all payment systems, so we will give a general algorithm of actions.

Choose the e-wallet that suits you best and go to its official website.
Go through a free registration, fill out the necessary information about yourself, if necessary, indicate your passport data, depending on how you will use this wallet. In some systems, it is recommended to go through a verification and identification process. To do this, you will most likely need to send a scan of your passport or come to the OPS office (at the bank branch) to confirm your identity. Such a complex identification system is needed if, for example, Self employed or plan to deposit and withdraw large amounts on your wallet. After passing through, more opportunities for working with the account will open. In contrast, many wallets allow you to open a wallet anonymously. This option is suitable for freelancers who do not want to advertise their income.
Some OPS offer to download a mobile offer, which makes it more convenient to perform transactions, for example, WebMoney.
The last step involves replenishing the wallet with cash or electronic money.

Cautions

The popularization of electronic money contributes not only to fast payments over the Internet, but also to rapidly developing fraud. Therefore, it is extremely important to choose and trust your funds to reliable trusted companies. If you have not heard about a particular payment system before, you should not enter your personal data in the registration form, and even more so transfer funds without knowing where. Beware of Fraud!

Summary

So, now you know what electronic money is - the essence, types, and forms of use, as well as the fact that it is a convenient, fast and reliable way to carry out monetary transactions right in front of your computer monitor. Trust only trusted payment systems. Firstly, they are now available in almost any online store, railway and air ticket offices, cinemas, and service centers. They allow you to pay any receipts - from fines to loans and payments for an apartment. Secondly, these systems are reliably protected from fraudsters, and you can safely trust them with your funds. Thirdly, they have a huge number of ways to conveniently replenish them and withdraw cash if necessary.

47.5K

Electronic money is a monetary obligation of the organization that issued it (the issuer), which are in electronic media in the management of users.

The main features of electronic money:

implementation of emission in electronic form;
storage on electronic media;
guarantees of the issuer for their provision with ordinary funds;
their recognition as a means of payment not only by the issuer, but also by a number of other organizations.

For a clear understanding of what electronic money is, it is necessary to distinguish it from the non-cash form of traditional Money(the issue of the latter is produced by the central banks of various countries, they also establish the rules for their circulation).

Credit cards, which are only a means of management, have nothing to do with electronic money. bank account... All operations when using cards are made with ordinary money, albeit in a non-cash form.

The history of the emergence of electronic money

The idea of electronic payment systems appeared in the 80s of the twentieth century. It was based on the inventions of David Schaum, who founded the company "DigiCash" in the USA, whose main task was to introduce technologies for the circulation of electronic money.

The idea was pretty simple. The system carries out transactions with electronic coins, which are files-obligations of the issuer from its electronic signature... The purpose of the signature was similar to the purpose of the security elements of paper notes.

Principles of functioning of electronic money systems

For successful work This payment instrument requires the willingness of organizations selling goods and providing services to accept electronic money as payment. This condition was secured by the issuer's guarantees for the payment of amounts in real currency in exchange for electronic coins put into circulation.

In a simplified form, the system functioning scheme can be represented as follows:

The client transfers real currency to the issuer's account, receiving in return a file-banknote (coin) for the same amount minus the commission. This file confirms debentures the issuer to its holder;
With electronic coins, the client pays for goods and services in organizations that are ready to accept them;
The latter return these files to the issuer, receiving real money from him in return.

With such an organization of work, each of the parties benefits from it. The issuer receives its commission. Trading companies save on the costs associated with the circulation of cash (storage, collection, cashier work). Customers receive discounts based on reduced costs from sellers.

The advantages of electronic money:

Unity and divisibility. When making calculations, there is no need for delivery.
Compactness. Storage does not require additional space and special mechanical protection devices.
No need for counting and transportation. This function is performed automatically by the tools for making payments and storing electronic money.
Minimum emission costs. There is no need for minting coins and printing banknotes.
Unlimited service life due to resistance to wear and tear.

The advantages are obvious, but without difficulties, as usual, it does not happen.

Flaws:

The circulation of electronic money is not regulated by uniform laws, which increases the likelihood of abuse and arbitrariness;
The need for special tools for making payments and storage;
For a relatively short period of operation, reliable means of safekeeping and protecting electronic money from counterfeiting have not been developed;
Limited use due to the unwillingness of all merchants to accept electronic payments;
Difficulty converting funds from one electronic payment system to another;
Lack of government guarantees confirming the reliability of the issuer and electronic money as such.

Storage and use of electronic money

Online wallet Is software designed to store electronic money and carry out transactions with them within one system.

Who organizes the functioning of these systems and carries out the emission of electronic money?

Electronic money issuers

Issuer requirements differ from country to country. In the EU, the emission is carried out by the institutions of electronic money - a new special class of financial institutions. In accordance with the legislation of a number of countries, including India, Mexico, Ukraine, banks are exclusively entitled to engage in this activity. In Russia - both banks and non-banking financial institutions subject to the receipt of a license by them.

Electronic payment systems in Russia

Let's take a look at the most popular domestic systems and we will give answers to the questions of how to buy and how to cash out electronic money in each of them.

The largest operators are Yandex.Money and WebMoney, in total their share exceeds 80% of the market, but there are also PayPal, Moneybookers, and Qiwi….

"WebMoney"

"WebMoney", positioning itself as an "international payment system", was founded in 1998. Its owner is WM Transfer Ltd. It is registered in London, but technical services and the Main Certification Center are located in Moscow.

Transactions are carried out with electronic equivalents of a number of currencies.

For each of them, the guarantor is legal entities registered in various countries: Russia, Ukraine, Switzerland, UAE, Ireland and Belarus.

For work, the electronic wallet "WebMoney Keeper" is used, which can be downloaded from the company's website. There are also instructions for its installation, registration and use. The program allows you to operate with equivalents of US dollars (WMZ), Russian rubles (WMR), euros (WME), Belarusian rubles (WMB) and Ukrainian hryvnia (WMU). The circulation of gold is provided, the unit of measurement of which is 1 electronic gram (WMG).

To carry out operations, you need to register in the system and obtain a participant's certificate, of which there are 12 types.

More high level the certificate provides great opportunities in work.

When making transactions, a commission is charged from the payer in the amount of 0.8% of the transfer amount. It is possible to use various types of payment protection. All controversial issues are resolved by Arbitration.

Here are the ways to add electronic money to the wallet:

bank, postal or wire transfer;
through the Western Union system;
buying a prepaid card;
by depositing cash at exchange offices;
through electronic terminals;
from electronic wallets of other system participants.

All of these methods are associated with the payment of commissions. It is least profitable to deposit money through terminals and buy prepaid cards.

And how to cash out electronic money in the "WebMoney" system? You can use the following methods:

transfer to a bank account from your electronic wallet;
using the services of an exchange office;
through the Western Union system.

There are virtual offices where it is possible to automatically exchange one electronic currency for another at a specified rate, although formally the system does not take part in this.

Since 2009, the use of WebMoney has been prohibited in Germany at the legislative level. This prohibition also applies to individuals.

"Yandex money"

The system has been operating since 2002. It provides settlements between participants in Russian rubles. In December 2012, the owner of the system, Yandex.Money LLC, sold 75% of its shares to Sberbank of Russia.

There are two types of accounts used:

Yandex.Wallet, which is accessible through the web interface;
"Internet. Wallet "- an account, operations with which are performed using a special program. Its development was discontinued in 2011.

Now for new users it is possible to open only Yandex. Wallet ".

Yandex.Money users can pay for utility bills, pay for fuel at gas stations, and make purchases in online stores.

The advantage of Yandex.Money is that there are no commissions for most purchases and account replenishment. For transactions within the system, it is 0.5%, and for withdrawals - 3%. Yandex.Money partners, accepting payments and withdrawing funds, can set commissions at their sole discretion.

Significant disadvantages are the impossibility of maintaining through the system entrepreneurial activity and hard limits on the size of payments.

You can top up Yandex.Wallet in several ways:

converting electronic money from other systems;
by bank transfers;
through payment terminals;
depositing cash at points of sale;
through the Unistream and Contact systems;
from a prepaid card (now the issue of cards has been discontinued, but activation of previously purchased cards is possible).

You can cash out the electronic money of the system in the following way:

by transfer to a card or bank account;
receiving from a Yandex.Money card at an ATM;
through the translation system.

The main share of the electronic money circulation market in Russia belongs to "WebMoney" and "Yandex.Money", the role of other systems is much less significant. Therefore, we will consider only their characteristic features.

PayPal

PayPal is the world's largest electronic payment system, established in 1998 in the United States and with over 160 million users. It allows you to receive and send transfers, pay bills and purchases.

For Russian participants, accepting payments became possible only in October 2011, and so far the withdrawal of funds is carried out only in American banks. These circumstances significantly reduce the popularity of the system among domestic users.

With the development of credit circulation, electronic money appears that has certain advantages over paper:

increasing the speed of transferring payment documents;
simplification of the processing of bank correspondence;
reducing the cost of processing payment documents.

In economic literature electronic money is defined as:

money in computer memory accounts of banks, the disposal of which is carried out using a special electronic device;
electronic storage of monetary value using a technical device;
a new means of payment that allows you to make payment transactions and does not require access to deposit accounts;
perpetual monetary obligation of a financial and credit institution, expressed in electronic form, certified electronically digitally signed and redeemable at the time of presentation in ordinary money, etc.

In international practice Are prepaid or value-storing financial products in which fund or value information is stored on an electronic device.

Electronic money - in a broad sense words are considered as a set of subsystems of cash (emission is carried out without opening personal accounts) and non-cash money (emission is carried out with the opening of personal accounts) or as a system of cash settlements through the use of electronic technology.

Electronic money - in a narrow sense represent a subsystem of cash issued into circulation by banks or specialized credit institutions. The main difference here is the optional use of a bank account when paying, when the operation is carried out from the payer to the recipient without the participation of the bank.

Properties of electronic money

The main characteristics of electronic money:

the monetary value is recorded on an electronic device;
it can be used for a variety of payments;
payment is final.

Nevertheless, the question of the independent allocation of electronic money in separate species remains controversial, as is their definition, role in and function.

In modern times, electronic money is fiat money, have a credit base, perform the functions of a means of payment, circulation, accumulation, have a guarantee. The basis for issuing electronic money into circulation is cash and non-cash money. Electronic money acts as a monetary obligation of the issuer when servicing cashless circulation as requirements for it. They can be viewed as an element of the monetary aggregate. Automatic maintenance of bank accounts (crediting and debiting funds, transfers from one account to another, calculating interest, monitoring the status of settlements) is carried out electronically(electronic transfers). Electronic account access tools are constantly evolving, however, money is still presented in the form of account records.

Properties of electronic money are based on both traditional monetary properties (liquidity, portability, versatility, divisibility, convenience) and relatively new ones (security, anonymity, durability). However, not all of them in the process of application meet the requirements of high liquidity and stable purchasing power, in connection with which the issue and use in circulation require a special order of regulation and control. Electronic access tools are payment cards, electronic checks, remote banking.

Calculations on the Internet. "Network" electronic money

These calculations are based on the concept of electronic cash. Electronic cash is digital cash in electronic form, used in network calculations, representing electronic bills in the form of a set of binary codes existing on a particular medium, moving in the form of a digital envelope over the network. Electronic cash technology makes it possible to pay for goods and services in a virtual economy by transferring information from one computer to another. Electronic cash, like real cash, is anonymous and reusable, and digital banknote numbers are unique. They can be transferred from one person to another, bypassing the bank, but at the same time keeping them within the network payment systems. When paying for a product or service, digital money is transferred to the merchant, who either transfers it to a bank participating in the system to be credited to his account, or pays with it to his partners. Currently, various network payment systems are widespread on the Internet.

Yandex money. In mid-2002, Paycash entered into an agreement with Yandex, the largest search engine on the Runet, to launch the Yandex project. Money (universal payment system, created in 2002). The main features of the Yandex. Money:

wire transfers between user accounts;
buy, sell and exchange electronic currencies:
pay for services (Internet access, cellular communication, hosting, apartment, etc.);
transfer funds to a credit or debit card.

The commission for transactions is 0.5% for each payment transaction. When funds are withdrawn to a bank account or in another way, the Yandex.Money system withholds 3% of the amount of funds withdrawn, in addition, an additional percentage is charged directly by the transfer agent (bank, post office, etc.).

WebmoneyTransfer - payment system, which appeared on November 25, 1998, is the most widespread and reliable Russian electronic payment system for conducting financial transactions in real time, created for users of the Russian-speaking part The World Wide Web... Any person can become a user of the system. The means of calculation in the system are title units called WebMoney, or abbreviated WM. All WM are stored in so-called electronic wallets. The most common wallets are of four types:

WMZ - dollar wallets;
WMR - ruble wallets;
WME - wallets for storing euros;
WMU - wallets for storing Ukrainian hryvnia.

Payment system WebMoney Transfer allows you to:

carry out financial transactions and pay for goods (services) on the Internet;
pay for the services of mobile operators, Internet and TV providers, pay for subscriptions to the media;
exchange WebMoney title units for other electronic currencies at a favorable rate;
make settlements by e-mail, use a mobile phone as a wallet;
owners of online stores accept payment for goods on their website.

WM is global Information system transfer of property rights, open for free use by everyone. Using WebMoney Transfer, you can make instant transactions related to the transfer of property rights to any online goods and services, create your own web services and network enterprises, conduct transactions with other participants, release and maintain your own instruments.

There are several ways to top up a WM purse:

by bank transfer (including through the Sberbank of the Russian Federation);
by postal order;
using the Western Union system;
by exchanging rubles or currency for WM at an authorized bank or exchange office;
by receiving WM from any of the system participants in exchange for services, goods or in exchange for cash;
using a prepaid WM card;
through the E-Gold system.

RUpay- the payment system, operating since October 7, 2002, is an integrator of payment systems, where payment systems and exchange offices are programmatically combined into one system.

Main features of RUpay payment system:

making electronic transfers between user accounts;
buy, sell and exchange electronic currencies with a minimum commission;
make payments to other electronic payment systems: WebMoney, PayPal, E-gold, etc .;
accept payments on your website in more than 20 ways;
receive funds from the system account at the nearest ATM;
manage your account from any computer connected to the Internet. "

PayCash- electronic payment system. Started her work at Russian market at the beginning of 1998, it is positioned primarily as an affordable means of fast, efficient and secure cash payments on the Internet.

The main advantage of this payment system is the use of its own unique developments in the field of financial cryptography, highly appreciated by Western experts. The PayCash payment system has a number of prestigious awards and patents, among which is the "Certificate of Special Recognition of the US Congress". On the this moment such well-known payment systems as Yandex. Money (Russia), Cyphermint PayCash (USA), DramCash (Armenia), PayCash (Ukraine).

PayCash is based on digital cash technology. From the point of view of the user (seller or buyer), PayCash technology is a set of "electronic wallets", each of which has its own owner. All wallets are connected to a single processing center, where information from the owners is processed. Thanks to modern technologies users can carry out transactions with their money without leaving the computer. The technology allows you to transfer digital cash from one wallet to another, store it in the Internet bank, convert it, withdraw it from the system to traditional bank accounts or other payment systems.

E- gold- an electronic payment system created in 1996 by Gold & Silver Reserve (G&SR). E-gold is an American electronic money settlement system, the main currency of which is precious metals - gold, platinum, silver, etc., and this currency is physically backed by the corresponding metal. The system is completely international, works with all currencies of the world, and anyone can get access to it. The banks of the USA and Switzerland are the guarantors of the reliability of this payment system. The main difference between the e-gold payment system is that all funds are physically backed by precious metals stored in the Nova Scotia bank (Toronto). The number of users of the c-gold payment system in 2006 was about 3 million people. The main advantages of the e-gold payment system are as follows:

internationality - regardless of the place of residence, any user has the opportunity to open an account in e-gold:
anonymity - when opening an account, they are not presented mandatory requirements to indicate the real personal data of the user;
lightness and intuitiveness - the interface is intuitive and user-friendly;
no additional software installation required;
universality - the widespread use of this payment system allows it to be used in almost any financial transactions.

You can enter money into the system in two ways: receive a transfer from another participant, or transfer money in any currency to the E-gold system, using the mechanism described on the website, through a bank transfer.

You can receive or cash out money by ordering a bank transfer on the E-gold website, making a transfer to other systems (PayPal, WebMoney, Western Union) or to any credit or debit card.

Stormpay- payment system, opened in 2002. Any user can register in this system, regardless of the country of residence. One of the advantages of the system is its versatility and lack of reference to a specific geographic region, since the system works with all countries without exception. The account number in the Stormpay payment system is the email address. Its main drawback is the inability to convert funds from a Stormpay account to E-gold, WebMoney or Rupay. This payment system allows you to transfer funds to credit cards.

PayPal- electronic payment system, one of the most popular and reliable among foreign payment systems. By early 2006, it served users in 55 countries. PayPal was founded by Peter Thiel and Max Levchin in 1998 as a private company. PayPal provides its users with the ability to receive and send payments using e-mail or a mobile phone with Internet access, but in addition, PayPal users have the ability to:

send payments (Send Money): transfer any amount from your personal account. In this case, the recipient of the payment can be either another PayPal user or an unauthorized person;
execute a request to receive a payment (Money Request). Using this type of service, the user can send letters to his debtors containing a request to make a payment (issue an invoice for payment);

post on the website special tools for accepting payments (Web Tools). This service is only available to Prime and Business account holders and is recommended for use by online store owners. In this case, the user can place a button on his site, by pressing which the payer goes to the site of the payment system, where he can perform the payment procedure (you can use a credit card), after which he returns to the user's site;

use the Auction Tools. The payment system offers two types of services: 1) automatic distribution of requests to receive payment (Automatic Payment Request); 2) Auction winners can pay directly from the website where the auction is held (Instant Purchase for Auctions);
carry out financial transactions using a mobile phone (Mobile Payments);
perform simultaneous payments to a large number of users (Batch Pay);
carry out a daily transfer of funds to a bank account (Auto-Sweep).

In the future, the possibility of obtaining interest for keeping money on the account is being considered.

Moneybookers- electronic payment system, opened in 2003. Despite its relative youth, it successfully competes in many areas with such a giant as PayPal. The main advantage of this payment system is its versatility. Moneybookers is easy to use for both individuals and owners of online stores and banks. Unlike PayPal, the Moneybookers payment system serves users in more than 170 countries, including Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. Moneybookers features:

no additional software installation is required for operation;
the user's Moneybookers account number is their email address;
the minimum transfer amount to Moneybookers is 1 euro cent (or its equivalent in another currency);
the ability to automatically send funds on a schedule without user intervention;
the system commission is 1% of the payment amount and is deducted from the sender.