Aug 1, 2017

Bitcoin expands into "cash"

Kin Cheung / AP

Bitcoin, one of the leaders in the digital currency market, split into two separate entities today. In addition to the initial version of the bitcoin currency, there is now a new cryptocurrency called "bitcoin cash," per Quartz.

Why: Bitcoin's infrastructure failed to keep up with the market's rapid transaction growth. But tech experts say the new bitcoin cash, which offers a transaction capacity eight times the size of the original bitcoin, will be able to ease some of the currency's current back-log issues.

Potential problems: Two separate currencies could spur a debate over which currency is understood as the true bitcoin. It could also cause technical issues, such as disappearing coins, Quartz notes.

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