LOUISVILLE, Ky.
— Bitcoin, the virtual currency that uses a blockchain to verify transactions and record the ownership of digital assets, is the hottest asset class on the market, and it has been surging lately.
Bitcoin was introduced in 2009 by a group of computer scientists.
Its popularity has grown over the years, reaching $10 billion last year, with more than $2 trillion worth of digital currency in circulation, according to CoinDesk.
The currency is not controlled by any government, and investors can trade their currency for any asset on the blockchain.
A new wave of cryptocurrency startups have sprung up in recent months.
They are developing and offering innovative products and services that have attracted some of the most prominent names in the technology industry, including PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel and venture capitalist Yuri Milner.
A company called Circle, for example, raised more than half a billion dollars in Series A funding in 2017.
Its app connects customers with a Bitcoin exchange.
Circle, which is owned by PayPal, allows its customers to buy and sell bitcoin and other digital currencies.
Circle is one of a growing number of companies offering services and products to Bitcoin businesses, including a mobile wallet for merchants.
The company is now working on a bitcoin app for mobile phones.
Last week, another startup called Blockchain, based in New York City, raised $300 million in Series B funding, the most money it has ever raised.
Blockchain is building a bitcoin wallet and service, and a bitcoin ATM in New Jersey.
Its products are designed to make bitcoin transactions easier, safer and more secure.
The blockchain is the digital ledger that records every bitcoin transaction on the Bitcoin network, according a report by the Bitcoin Foundation.
It also tracks transactions and balances of bitcoin assets.
Bitcoin is a decentralized online currency that is not tied to any government or central bank.
Its value has surged since its inception in 2009.
The value of one bitcoin has quadrupled in a year.
CoinDesk is an independent publication of CoinDesk, the leader in digital currency journalism.
