Seminar paper from the year 2021 in the subject Economics - Monetary theory and policy, grade: 1,3, University of Applied Sciences Essen, course: International Economic Policy, language: English, abstract: Bitcoin, as an epochal new form of money, could bring fundamental change to today’s financial system. In order to understand the significance of the concept of the described new und also re-curring transaction systems for the financial system, it is essential to deal with the history and significance of money in economy. Subsequently, gold and Bitcoin are analyzed as alternative transaction systems to centralized fiat money. Therefore, the histories of the respective monetary policies and their definitions are more precisely examined, and the particular advantages and disadvantages of gold and Bitcoin are evaluated