What's a Bitcoin? And How Did It Break $1 Billion? 12:29 PM ET Tue, 2 April 2013

Users of virtual money are about to get a real machine to access their digital cash.

In an effort to simplify access to the virtual currency Bitcoin, the head of TDV Media is working to launch an ATM that enables users to manage their Bitcoin accounts.



"We've come up with a bitcoin ATM, and the reason we've done that is because it's been a little hard to get access to BitCoins," said Jeff Berwick, TDV's CEO, on CNBC's "Squawk on the Street." He added: "You can trade them over exchanges over the Internet, but it's not all that easy to do."

A bitcoin is a decentralized open currency based on open software that uses peer to peer connections for monetary transactions. Paper currencies can be exchanged for bitcoins and can be used wherever they are accepted.

Users can also exchange their bitcoins for the original currency, with an increasing number of businesses and individuals accepting them as payment.



A BitCoin ATM has software that enables a two-way automated system for exchange of currency. Users can deposit fiat cash in exchange for their BitCoin balance to increase, and can exchange BitCoin credits for cash.

In the wake of Cyprus' financial turmoil, interest in the digital money has exploded. Analysts say the growing popularity of BitCoins is a symptom of a world in which ordinary citizens are becoming increasingly wary about the value of paper money.

(Read More: Bitcoin Bonanza: Cyprus Crisis Boosts Digital Dollars )

