How Bitcoin and Blockchain Are Changing the World - and Your Economic Life

The introduction of online Bitcoin trading platforms has enabled Bitcoin to become mainstream in today's economy, making headline news with soaring valuations, and proving that the underlying Blockchain protocol can bring "trust to a trustless world" across a broad spectrum of industries and business processes. How Bitcoin and Blockchain Are Changing the World explains Bitcoin and other virtual currencies, the advantages and disadvantages of virtual currencies, using virtual currency for making transactions, why its value has dramatically fluctuated, and why other virtual currencies will take Bitcoin's place in the economic future. In addition, this book delves into the technical side of the Blockchain technology, including a discussion of the cryptographic technology protocol used for digital payments transmitted over the Internet. Through illustrations and case studies, Marti Tirinnanzi discusses how and why different countries have adopted Bitcoin and other virtual currencies. This insightful book also examines money laundering and other legal and legislative issues attached to these virtual payments and discusses actions taken by government agencies to either supervise Bitcoin transactions, or use sovereign digital currencies to enhance efficiencies within federal and state treasuries. The book will help readers understand how Bitcoin and Blockchain are changing the approach to doing business in everything from financial services, healthcare, to the Internet of things (IoT).