A Gold Standard for the Internet? An Introductory Assessment

Although recent data on electronic commerce (e-commerce) shows vital growth, the role of electronic money in e-commerce is still unclear. Critical success factors for electronic money found in the literature are briefly summarized with special focus on gold-backed forms of Internet-based payment systems. It is shown that the gold standard can be implemented as a currency regime not only for physical but also for Internet currencies. Gold-backed Internet currencies might have distinct advantages in terms of trustworthiness but have to gain a critical mass of users in order to be