Bitcoin hit yet another record high the other day.

Smashing through the $1800 barrier. The Coin is up some 80% since the beginning of the year and is showing no signs of slowing down.

What is really driving the move?

There have been several main catalysts to this point:

Japan legalizing the currency as a payment method
Japan removing the consumption tax on virtual currency trading
Russia seeking to regulate Bitcoin
US ETFs being reviewed by the SEC

Those have all be driving forces of late, but the latest catalyst seems to be something just a little bit different.

The latest bullish activity seems to be stemming from comments made the other day by Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank President Neel Kashkari.

He not only talked up Bitcoin, but talked up the blockchain technology that underpins the coin. In his eyes that technology could be revolutionary. Here is what he had to say:

"I would say I think conventional wisdom now is that blockchain and the underlying technology is probably more interesting and has more potential than maybe bitcoin does by itself..."

Kashkari said at a technology conference, according to Reuters.

So, Blockchain technology is probably more interesting than Bitcion itself?!

Hmm... if that is true, imagine what that means for Steem. Which is based on much better blockchain technology.

It is much faster and there are no fees associated with transfers.

The speed alone of the steem blockchain are what gives it such an advantage in my opinion...

Perhaps someone needs to get in touch with Kashkari and let him know that the blockchain underpinning Bitcoin is inferior to the one we love so dearly.