Blockchain Technology as a Mechanism for Protecting Citizens' Rights in Remote Investment Transactions: Higher Education Market vs Labor Market

Abstract

Introduction. The article studies and analyzes legal mechanisms of protection of rights and legitimate interests of private investors in the sphere of online investment based on blockchain technologies, which allow to reduce the level of inconsistency between the requirements of the labor market and the proposals of the higher education market. Materials and methods. The methodological basis of the study is interdisciplinary and covers different approaches and concepts belonging to the sphere of investment activities, digital economy, including blockchain technologies and specialized digital platforms, legal support of investment transactions, etc. It is based on the concept of development of digital economy in the conditions of the fourth industrial revolution, which is considered in the context of integration of digital technologies into investment processes and related problems of legal support of security of investment transactions in the Internet space. The harmonization of different concepts and approaches within the work is achieved through the methods of analysis and synthesis, as well as the use of a systematic approach, methods of comparative analysis, observation, abstraction, etc.Results of the study. The paper defines the essence and features of remote investment transactions, as well as their forms, reveals the essence and impact of blockchain technology on economic development and investment, provides examples of remote investment projects based on blockchain technology, characterizes the advantages and risks of remote investment instruments, proposes several mechanisms of legal protection of the interests of private investors using online instruments, substantiates the value and features of the use of smart-contracts as a blockchain technology, and provides a description of the advantages and risks of remote investment instruments. It has been established that in addition to the use of legal instruments for the protection of investment risks, primarily aimed at the use of smart contracts based on blockchain technologies, an important direction for improving the reliability of such transactions and avoiding rash financial and reputational losses is to increase the level of education of private investors. The labor market's demand for increasing the professionalism of individuals using remote investment instruments increases the relevance of educational programs aimed at studying blockchain, smart contracts, remote investment instruments and legal mechanisms for protecting the interests of private investors. Discussion and conclusion. The scientific and practical significance of the work consists in a comprehensive analysis and characterization of legal mechanisms to protect the rights of individuals investing through remote financial instruments in the Internet space, as well as in determining their advantages and disadvantages. It is substantiated that the main legal instrument for the protection of such investment transactions based on blockchain technology is smart contracts. The potential of smart contracts as instruments of legal protection of investment transactions in remote format is used due to a set of their typical functions, including decentralization, resistance to unauthorized changes, transparency, autonomy, etc.