For those unfamiliar with Bitcoin, it is a digital medium of exchange that was introduced to the cyber world in 2009 through open source software created by an unknown developer who goes by the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto. Bitcoin payment transactions are processed within minutes but are irreversible and lack the full faith and credit of any government authority.

This is usually the point where those who have not heard of Bitcoin or similar crypto-currencies expect to hear the phrase “Now playing at a theater near you.” Not only is Bitcoin real, but the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, the U.S. government agency charged with collecting, analyzing and disseminating financial intelligence, has suggested its users have processed transactions worth about $8 billion in the past year.