By AFPMore by this AuthorTOKYOOnce described as a geek who stuffed himself with snacks in front of his computer, Mark Karpeles rose to head a firm that once claimed to handle 80 percent of the world's bitcoin transactions. RISE AND FALLIn many ways, the trajectory of the Frenchman, now 33, mirrors the volatile rise and fall of the bitcoin currency itself, which had soared to around $20,000 per unit before a head-spinning slump. BITCOINBut his life really changed the day a customer asked if he could pay in bitcoin – a new virtual currency that was just taking its own baby steps. The virtual currency appealed to the computer whiz and he began to delve into the technical and IT aspects of the new trend. This grew rapidly until, at the height of its powers, it claimed to control 80 percent of all global bitcoin transactions.

Source: Daily Nation March 15, 2019 05:55 UTC