Skeptics about bitcoin abound. I remain bullish. One theory catching on is the underlaying technology infrastructure which makes bitcoin work, called the blockchain, is a breakthrough. Financial firms have gotten quite interested because the blockchain can enable money (or any kind of asset) to move around the world instantly and at very low cost. It is the blockchain which is a breakthrough and a keeper, but maybe not bitcoin, the digital currency, some pundits are saying. This may turn out to be the case, but what makes me optimistic about bitcoin is the investments venture capitalists are making to create innovative ways to exchange bitcoin. Many say we do  not need bitcoin. That may be true, depending on how you define “we”. In America, perhaps we do not need a new currency. Much of the rest of the world, however, is “bankless”. Billions of people have no way to monetize the fruits of their labor. Low wage earners in America send money to family in other countries using expensive transfer services. Bitcoin may be the answer.

Source: Bitcoin Technology Piques Interest on Wall St.