three of the most high-profile and well-funded Bitcoin start-ups, Circle, Bitreserve and BitPay, are all shifting their business models away from digital currency and focusing on the blockchain, the technology that underpins Bitcoin. The future for Circle, according to its CEO, Jeremy Allaire, lies in using blockchain technology to "make sending any form of money as easy as sending an email". Bitreserve began life as a Bitcoin wallet and exchange but has recently re-branded and re-launched as Uphold; like Circle, it is using blockchain technology to offer free currency transfers. Uphold CEO Anthony Watson said: "I don't think Bitcoin is going to be anywhere near as important as people say it is today... the blockchain is transformative". Meanwhile, BitPay has moved away from its origins as a Bitcoin payment service provider and is looking to build enterprise applications that use the blockchain, such as payroll software.
Three of the most high-profile and well-funded Bitcoin start-ups, Circle, Bitreserve and BitPay, are all shifting their business models away from digital currency and focusing on the blockchain, the technology that underpins Bitcoin. The future for Circle, according to its CEO, Jeremy Allaire, lies in using blockchain technology to "make sending any form of money as easy as sending an email". Bitreserve began life as a Bitcoin wallet and exchange but has recently re-branded and re-launched as Uphold; like Circle, it is using blockchain technology to offer free currency transfers. Uphold CEO Anthony Watson said: "I don't think Bitcoin is going to be anywhere near as important as people say it is today... the blockchain is transformative". Meanwhile, BitPay has moved away from its origins as a Bitcoin payment service provider and is looking to build enterprise applications that use the blockchain, such as payroll software.