

Editor's note: This column has been updated to disclose the writer's advocacy of blockchain technology--the underpinning of all crytocurrencies--and a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau warning about these investments.

The Enterprise Ethereum Alliance (EEA) is officially the largest open-source blockchain alliance in the world thanks to the latest additions, MasterCard and Cisco.

The EEA recently added 34 new members to the organization that supports and backs Ethereum and related developments and initiatives. Currently there are over 150 members of the EEA with heavy hitters such as Microsoft, J.P. Morgan, the Indian government, Scotiabank, ING, Intel and others leading the pack. (It should be noted here that I am an advocate of blockchain technology.)

A lot of people are curious how MasterCard might consider utilizing Ethereum. Could there be an Ethereum based Mastercard? TenX is famous for solving the biggest problem in the cryptocurrency space, which is making cryptocurrency spendable in the real world. Even if MasterCard just officially endorsed TenX, that would be a huge win for the EEA and the community in general.

Subsequently the prices of ETH (Ethereum) shot up to the $245 range yesterday as the announcement was made, from a relative low a few days before at $130.

Editor's note: Bitcoin and digital currencies, as with any investment, may involve the risk of loss. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has warned that virtual currencies, including Bitcoin, carry "significant risk" to consumers.

It's obvious that more of the largest corporations and biggest names are getting behind Ethereum. It's something that has never happened before for any cryptocurrency or blockchain company, and the EEA is now the biggest alliance of this type in the space. This is mostly due to the technological advantage that Ethereum has as one of the most widely used blockchain based technology platforms, the rise of ICOs (initial coin offerings) and the widespread adoption of the Ethereum platform in general.

A lot of people are speculating that Ethereum could one day be worth more than Bitcoin. It has come close a few weeks ago when ETH's overall value (referred to as Market Cap) was roughly 80% of Bitcoin. Bitcoin itself is going through some changes with either a hard fork or a soft fork of it's blockchain. As of the time of writing, it appears that miners are signalling for BIP91 which is a form of a soft fork (and generally considered a positive resolution.)