The currency's reputation took a hit this month, when US regulators shut down Silk Road, an online marketplace used to buy and sell illegal drugs, and seized $3.6m (£2.3m) in bitcoins.

But the virtual currency is gaining hold among businesses and consumers, a key step to a bigger role.

"I think it's definitely going mainstream," said Demeter. "I think as things progress, and the infrastructure is built, it will become easier for people to buy and sell, and so more people will start using it."

In Vancouver, for example, dozens of people attend weekly bitcoin meet-ups and a member co-op is promoting the currency to a growing list of local retailers.

At Waves, Vancouver resident Chung Cheong used bitcoin to pay for his mug of tea and was happy to mull over the future of the digital currency.

"It's been said that we're at the stage where email was in 1992," he said. "Is it risky? Sure. But look at how the internet and email changed the world."

在温哥华一家时髦的咖啡店内，一台机身主体颜色为银色和蓝色的比特币机被放置在意式咖啡机旁，此机器可以为比特币这种全球领先的虚拟货币提供即时兑换业务，可能为其开辟新纪元。

由于不少商家和消费者开始使用比特币在网上进行交易，比特币的兑换价格由一月的13美元迅速上涨至四月的266美元。一些投资者将比特币视为黄金，用其对抗货币的通胀以及进行投机行为。

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