Popper tells the story of Bitcoin from its geeky, libertarian early days to the beginnings of the current phase marked by significant venture capital investments and growing adoption by the financial community.

Popper's book contributes to the ongoing Bitcoin vs. blockchain debate. Once a bitcoin-like digital currency is adopted by banks and governments, will it still be recognizable as bitcoin, or rather become a sanitized blockchain controlled by central banks, with all the troublesome features of bitcoin removed?

"A company like Goldman Sachs or JPMorgan is hesitant to rely or work with a financial network in which the people keeping it alive are essentially anonymous," says Popper in a Forbes interview. "Banks have to know who's transacting and flag it if someone suspicious is involved in the transaction. But it's quite easy in Bitcoin to have an identity tied to an address in a way that would make a bank feel comfortable."

Popper released previously undisclosed information in a section of his book, re-published by American Banker magazine with the title "When Goldman Sachs Began Flirting with Bitcoin."