Davos, Switzerland (CNN Business) When the global business elite last gathered in Davos for their annual shindig, one bitcoin was worth $10,000. This year, a unit of the cryptocurrency buys just $3,560.

Bitcoin, its alternatives and the technology that underpins them were a major talking point at last year's World Economic Forum. The collapse in value is reflected in a much lower profile this time around.

The "CRYPTO" and "BLOCKCHAIN" signs that littered the Ski resort's promenade last year have all but disappeared, and bitcoin has virtually vanished from the official forum agenda. There was a line to get into last year's big panel debate on cryptocurrencies; there were plenty of empty seats on Wednesday.

But the discussion was perhaps more mature.

Elizabeth Rossiello, the founder of digital payments platform BitPesa, explained how the industry was evolving. She pointed to her company, which operates across Africa, as an example.

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