This thesis deals with the most significant forms of electronic banking. It focuses on their safety and their present state. The payment cards and their usage in common shops and on the Internet are analyzed. The thesis very detailed highlights problems connected with automated teller machines and it designs instruction for their safe operation. The actual situation of micropayment systems is described in detail. The head representatives are compared in light of functionality, limitations and operating fees, which are related to customers and sellers. The thesis includes the survey of current accounts intended for students in the Czech Republic, their comparison and advices for choice of the acceptable bank products.

Die vorliegende Arbeit untersucht digitale Zahlungsverfahren im Internet. Dabei werden die Verfahren beschrieben und es werden typische Merkmale herausgearbeitet. Im besonderen wird auf Sicherheitsmechanismen, wie Identifizierung, Authentifizierung der am Zahlungssystem Beteiligten, Schutz der Privatsphaere und Anonymitaet Wert gelegt. Im zweiten Teil der Arbeit folgt eine Beschreibung einer Implementierung eines Zahlungssystems fuer einen WWW-basierten Audio-On-Demand-Dienst.

Today there exist no standardized payment solution for performing micropayments between Internet of Things (IoT) devices. This study was conducted to examine whether Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) could be suitable as a micropayment solution for IoT. Also, a more general demand for a scalable micropayment solution was examined, along with its potential. A qualitative study was performed by first conducting eight unstructured interviews regarding the subjects DLT and IoT, to be used as a complement to the literature research. Then, one unstructured and five semi-structured interviews were held to answer the research questions. The Bitcoin blockchain does not work as a micropayment solution, due to scalability issues. This study identified a positive outlook on the idea of Lightning Network, solving the scalability problems with off-chain transactions. However, since a fully functioning network is yet to be implemented, there exist uncertainties, for example regarding how decentralized it will really become. Also, issues considering the usage of DLT:s on small IoT devices arose, stemming from CPU and storage constraints. A demand of a sustainable micropayment solution was identified, possibly being a catalyst of the emergence of pay-per-use business models. Considering more powerful IoT devices, the Lightning Network could function as a micropayment solution. Such a technology is sought after, and its applicability will only increase as IoT devices evolve. / Det finns idag ingen standardiserad betalningslösning för att genomföra mikrobetalningar mellan Internet of Things (IoT) enheter. Denna studie genomfördes för att undersöka huruvida Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) skulle kunna användas som en mikrobetalningslösning för IoT. En mer generell eterfrågan för en skalbar mikrobetalningslösning, och effekterna av en sådan, undersöktes. En kvalitativ studie genofördes, där åtta ostrukturerade intervjuer gällande ämnena DLT och IoT, hölls för att komplementera litteraturstudierna. Sedan genomfördes en ostrukturerad och fem semi-strukturerade intervjuer för att kunna besvara de frågeställningar som definierats. Bitcoin blockkedjan funderar inte som en mikrobetalningslösning på grund utav dess skalbarhetsproblem. Studien identifierar en positiv syn på Lightning Network, som löserskalbarhetsproblemen genom att använda sig av transaktioner utanför kedjan. Denna lösning är dock inte fullständigt implementerad, vilket leder till flera osäkerheter angående exempelvis hur decentraliserat nätverket verkligen kommer att bli. Utöver detta finns även svårigheter med användandet av DLT:s för små IoT-enheter, vilket härstämmar ifrån deras CPU- och lagringsbegränsningar. En efterfrågan på en hållbar mikrobetalningslösning identifieras, och denna skulle kunna fungera som en katalysator för etablerandet av pay-per-use affärsmodeller. Tittar vi på mer kraftfulla IoT-enheter skulle Lightning Network fungera som en mikrobetalningslösning. En sådan teknologi är eftertraktad och dess användbarhet kommer bara att växa i och med utvecklingen av IoT-enheter.

This research first defines money and lists its functions and properties. Among these properties, the anonymity and off-line capability of money are pointed out. Then the history of money is briefly discussed, to show that money has evolved similarly to the Lamarckian evolution of species. The examination of the history of money helps us justify why electronic money is necessary, and to point out that money will continuously evolve towards Pure Money. The definition of electronic money conducted afterwards, draws the lines within which the model will be proposed. The proposed model is formally constructed and evaluated accordingly with the use of micropayment evaluation frameworks. The model is a hardware based model considering as baseline smart cards with secure co-processors, and allows transactions with cross-challenging. The model is evaluated with respect to technologic, social and economic dimensions, and taking into account the associated computational and storage costs.

Die vorliegende Arbeit untersucht digitale Zahlungsverfahren im Internet. Dabei werden die Verfahren beschrieben und es werden typische Merkmale herausgearbeitet. Im besonderen wird auf Sicherheitsmechanismen, wie Identifizierung, Authentifizierung der am Zahlungssystem Beteiligten, Schutz der Privatsphaere und Anonymitaet Wert gelegt. Im zweiten Teil der Arbeit folgt eine Beschreibung einer Implementierung eines Zahlungssystems fuer einen WWW-basierten Audio-On-Demand-Dienst.

The thesis is focused on consumer bill payments (payments of a small and medium value of 10 to 100 EUR) and the provision of payment-collection service in the Czech Republic, which being a member-state of the EU can show the trends and characteristics that can be identified in the markets of Germany, France, Italy and other countries of the Single Market of the EU. The purpose of this research is to analyze payment channels used by consumers in C2B level of transfers in the Czech Republic, what provides the basics to understand the appropriate form an instant payments business entity (consumer bill payment collector) should better take to have the space for future development and growth. The focus is made on the market of consumer bill payments and the current development of C2B payments sphere in the Czech Republic and the EU -- all to see the specifics of the market and to answer the question if the entrance and the launch of an IPS in the Czech Republic, first, would be of demand and, second, would have enough time to develop and mature itself to stay in existence in a long-term.

This diploma thesis is focused on new trends in payment systems for digital content. In the introductory chapter are briefly described the current types of electronic payment systems. The next part of the thesis introduces a foreign research studies and compares their results with results of the questionnaire survey conducted within the frame of the thesis. The following chapters are devoted to Czech and foreign electronic payment systems, focusing on the sale of digital content, the general development of the Czech micropayment systems and comparison of functionalities of the payment systems in order to compose a summary of recommendations for selected individuals involved in the field of electronic commerce. Following parts of this thesis are focused on the identification of the main trends in charging for Czech and foreign media content and presentation of the results of the questionnaire survey. The core of the work is to identify the main problems of the development of electronic payment systems, the identification of new trends in the pricing of media content and the summary of recommendations for the selected entities in the area of electronic commerce according to the knowledge gained in the diploma thesis.