Before they crashed an entire economy six years ago and became poster children for banker excesses in the pre-Lehman era, a brash young clique of Icelandic financiers thrust their tiny country into the big leagues of global finance.

His invention, a so-called “alt.coin” known as auroracoin, has rocketed into second place among the most valuable independent digital currencies after bitcoin – albeit amid a rollercoaster ride in its price.