TRUST DISRUPTED: BITCOIN AND THE BLOCKCHAIN is based on the book Digital Gold, by Nathaniel Popper. It traces the rise of Bitcoin and the technology that made it happen: the open, distributed ledger known as the blockchain. As blockchain technology has outpaced Bitcoin, an array of new apps has proliferated across the globe. Now, Washington, D.C. and the big banks are paying attention. The big question is: Will blockchain technology ultimately empower the masses and rein in the powers that be? Or will the Federal Reserve, Barclay’s and other international banks and government agencies co-opt the very technology that was meant to curb their powers?