Okay, this is a confession of just how old I am, but do you remember when the iconic ATM first showed up? Because I do.

I remember the fanfare, the “oh wow” that accompanied approaching these things for the first time, and the realization that this was one of the implications of a connected economy, that the internet was providing. I could get money in or out of the bank at any time! And in those days banks opened their doors at 10 am and closed at 3 pm, so for those of us in jobs where we couldn’t just run to the bank at any time, this was a wonderful solution. Oh, and they weren’t open on weekends either! Perhaps you’ve heard the term “bankers hours”. That’s where it comes from.

The fact that the industry could remove jobs and replace them with technology was also a signal of changing times – and of course, that was just the beginning. Have you checked yourself out at a grocery store? WalMart? Shoppers?

Now Canada Trust came along and began to open early and stay open later, gave away free things to their clients, and was open on Saturdays and that too changed the landscape…of course, TD bought them – no sense having competition!

But the ATM and if you were crazy enough to pay the fees, you could even get money from your account at the corner store or gas station!

All that to say, just before Christmas Wendy and I were walking through the mall – us and a very few Edmontonians – and I came across this.

This isn’t just about the availability of money, it’s the redefining of what currency is. It’s the recognition that deep pockets somewhere are betting that this is the future? Is it?

Bankers were pretty sure 10 to 3 was the industry standard but that’s not what the market chose.

Now I don’t think we will be investing in Bitcoin and maybe we’ll be surprised in time, How about you?