Bitcoin investment exceeds $1 billion in 2015

Author: Velvet Gold Mine Image source: Dazhi

American Express, Bain Capital, Deloitte, Goldman Sachs, Mastercard, New York Life Insurance Company, and the New York Stock Exchange have all recently made multimillion-dollar investments in Bitcoin.

In total, a record $1 billion has been invested in bitcoin-related technology companies so far in 2015. Banks are investing in bitcoin technology, not the currency itself.

This technology has changed the way we trade stocks, transfer money, receive salaries, and more.

The blockchain system that powers the bitcoin network can process transactions around the world, making it attractive to high street banks and tech companies.

The blockchain is a bookkeeping system. Every computer in the Bitcoin network will have the same record log, and the transaction records will be updated every few minutes. The information before the update cannot be changed.

This is very effective in preventing fraud.

Unlike the way records are stored today, hackers can easily change the bank system by breaking into it. However, since blockchain technology stores the same information on different computers, a false record will be immediately discovered by other computers on the network.

Nasdaq is also using blockchain technology to create a more secure and efficient stock trading system.

DocuSign, a company focused on electronic contracts, recently announced its idea to use blockchain technology with Visa to track car rental information, which would significantly reduce paperwork for companies.

Soon, Microsoft will also unveil its “smart contracts” using blockchain technology.

Now more and more companies are beginning to use blockchain technology for "paperless" work. They will hire some blockchain companies to help them complete the penetration of blockchain into the company's system.

Chain is one such blockchain company that helps other companies adapt to blockchain technology. Earlier this year, Chain received $30 million in funding from Capital One, Citi Ventures, Nasdaq, Visa, and other large companies.

At Money2020, the world's largest financial conference held last week, one-fifth of the participants believed that Bitcoin technology will have a profound impact on the global financial services system in the next three to five years.

Stuffy Wall Street banks and venture capital firms are beginning to embrace the technology, rather than viewing it as some weird, dangerous new thing.

Bitcoin is anti-authoritarian. It is a digital currency that does not belong to any country, nor is it recognized as legal tender by any government. It is created entirely anonymously on the Internet.

Will O'Brien, senior strategic advisor at venture capital firm Blockchain Capital, told CNN Money: "These are all signs that blockchain technology is going to be a key factor in financial innovation."

That’s why it doesn’t matter that Bitcoin has fallen in price (from a peak of $1,151 two years ago to $328 today).

Technology is advancing.