In God we trust; all others pay bitcoin

What if you could buy and sell things, live your financial life, without every worrying about whom to trust? That’s what the technology behind bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies is all about.

If someone is going to pay you in bitcoins, you can check online and see that those specific bitcoins are genuine and their value is held by the individual initiating the transaction. And when your transaction takes place, the value shows up within minutes.

It’s a system based on transparency rather than trust. And even if you’re not about to rush out and buy into the digital currency, the Bitcoin protocol could potentially change the way you — and all of us — do business in some pretty fundamental ways.