IBM is considering adopting the underlying technology behind bitcoin, known as the "blockchain," to create a digital cash and payment system for major currencies, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The objective is to allow people to transfer cash or make payments instantaneously using this technology without a bank or clearing party involved, saving on transaction costs, the person said. The transactions would be in an open ledger of a specific country's currency such as the dollar or euro, said the source, who declined to be identified because of a lack of authorisation to discuss the project in public.

Regulated currencies like the US dollar could soon join Bitcoin in the virtual space. Credit:AP

The blockchain — a ledger, or list, of all of a digital currency's transactions — is viewed as bitcoin's main technological innovation, allowing users to make payments anonymously, instantly, and without government regulation.

Rather than stored on a separate server and controlled by an individual, company, or bank, the ledger is open and accessible to all participants in the bitcoin network.