WebMoney is probably one of the elders among the electronic payment systems. Its story began in 1998. Unfortunately, history is silent about both the creators of the platform and its owners.

From the very first year of its existence the system has been actively developed and did not stop still: already in 1999, WebMoney began working with Western Union. Then, literally in a couple of years, the system puts euro into circulation (web dollars were introduced immediately). Then the system of credits and debts is introduced - the user can give his/her funds to other clients. By November 2017, WebMoney system may boasts of 35 million verified accounts.

WebMoney system is constantly growing and expanding. In 2007, the WebMoney Wiki project was launched: a collective knowledge base about WebMoney, which ordinary users can supplement. This fact shows that the WebMoney platform has conquered clearly its niche and has the right to create a reference resource on the system.

At the moment (by November 2017) the WebMoney system has 35 million verified accounts. In 2014, 160 million transactions were conducted for a total of $17 million.

WebMoney is a convenient payment system, which is distinguished by its flexibility and is suitable both for ordinary users, whose transactions may be rare and not very large, and for online stores or any small business.

However, in Russia WebMoney has some legal problems - in Russia the functioning of the WebMoney system does not fall under the scope of banking legislation and the Federal Law “the National Payment System”. The fact is that title units are not electronic money according to their definition in a number of jurisdictions, but are financial assets (securities, gift certificates or assignment of the right of claim). Consequently, it may be a legitimate subject of sale, transfer or barter, but transfer is not a money transfer. And since no banking operations are carried out at this, the WebMoney system in Russia is regulated only with regulations on the circulation of securities, in particular, with the Civil Code of the Russian Federation, the Bank of Russia Regulation “Cashless Payments in the Russian Federation”. ("Calculations by checks"), etc.

Although, the European Union reacted differently to the WebMoney service, giving it a license and the official status of an e-money issuer, which makes WebMoney-wallets and the currency contained money in it legally considered electronic in the territory of the European Union.

WebMoney system is convenient and attractive for many levels of consumers. You can get a formal certificate by providing passport data and perform basic operations by creating a wallet before that. WebMoney has a strong security system - a check for IP, SMS and many other parameters, in other words, you do not need to worry about your wallets. Perhaps, the only significant drawback for many users is a rather high commission, which is charged for transactions and, in particular, when withdrawing money.

However, WebMoney is currently included in the top three most popular payment systems in Russia. But experts say that, although WebMoney is still in the lead, its fire, which provided absolute dominance in the market ten years ago, has unfortunately almost gone.

Of course, in the realities of the time, when Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are gaining more and more popularity, it is silly to talk about the decay of electronic payments. Most likely, this is a promising direction that will ensure our future. But, if we talk specifically about WebMoney, then, of course, WebMoney is a mastodon of electronic payment systems. Whether the younger, promising and innovative electronic payment systems will come soon remains to be seen.