If you purchased bitcoin one year ago today at $434, you would have seen a 100% rise. As of this writing on Thursday, December 22, 2016, one BTC$ is worth $868. The total value of all outstanding Bitcoin is now $14 billion, a small part of the world economy, but growing. Experts have different opinions for the rapid rise. Most agree currency devaluation in China and India is a major driver. The American dollar is strong, which means other currencies are relatively weak. Some are very weak. Traders would rather hold Bitcoin than currencies they perceive as weak. Also, the number of digital wallets and merchants who accept Bitcoin continue to grow. It could be a happy new year in 2017 with Bitcoin. Source: Bitcoin passes the $800 mark

The infrastructure which supports Bitcoin is called blockchain technology.  Major financial organizations around the world are exploring blockchain. IBM has a number of initiatives to help them. Blockchain technology has many other uses including the secure recording and storage of votes. Read more about how blockchain technology combined with mobile technology can lead to Internet voting and a stronger democracy in Election Attitude.