Abstract
<jats:p>BITCOIN AS A COMPONENT OF THE MONETARY SYSTEM: SOCIAL INTEGRATION, TECHNOLOGICAL DIFFUSION AND SOCIO-POLITICAL TRANSFORMATIONSThe aim of this article is a multifaceted analysis of Bitcoin as a component of the contemporary monetary system, identifying the processes of its socialization, technological diffusion, and the consequences of changes in the socio-political space. The author successively presents indicators of Bitcoin’s social and economic integration and the development of blockchain as a tool transforming trust, legitimization, and the structure of value circulation. Particular emphasis is placed on analyzing the process of blockchain technology diffusion and the social mechanisms of legitimizing new forms of value. The article concludes with the thesis that Bitcoin, transcending its financial function, has become a component of a broader civilizational shift – a harbinger of the transformation of the model of money, ownership, and sovereignty in the era of Web 3.0.</jats:p>