The ecosystem of cryptocurrencies in terms of monetary theory

Technically cryptocurrencies often have Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) and encryption based on infrastructure called blockchain that allows all nodes to verify the validity of a transaction. In terms of monetary theory, cryptocurrencies are currently the most developed virtual currencies that cannot perform all the basic functions of money such as the account, exchange and capital accumulation. It can be said that cryptocurrencies, which do not have a legal basis worldwide, cannot fully meet the fiat money today. However, the definition and function of money has changed throughout the history. In this context, the cryptocurrency community claims that cryptocurrencies are / will be more than money. Thus, being decentralized means to eliminate supervisory agencies and intermediaries such as banks. There is a discussion about cryptocurrencies that they may be an international reserve currency in the future, with the prospect of being a new tool of value retention and exchange. In theory, the smart contract derivatives take the definition of money a step further. According to the results of the bootstrap causality test developed by Hacker and Hatemi-J (2012) that we applied to the series of cryptocurrencies; There is a significant relationship between the popularity and value of cryptocurrencies. It is possible to say that the causality relationship is bi-directional. The popularity and value of cryptocurrencies appear as two variables that trigger each other. Keywords: Cryptocurrency, monetary theory, blockchain, Bitcoin, Ethereum, Bootstrap causality test.