Can Bitcoin save Bhutan’s struggling economy?

A vendor waits for customers in a stall at a market in Bhutan's capital, Thimphu [File: Money Sharma/AFP]

For years, Bhutan has measured its economic and social development using uncommon currencies: happiness and sustainability.

But amid growing economic pains and a brain drain, the small, landlocked Himalayan kingdom is adopting a new emblem of progress, which is propelling Bhutan into a leading role globally in embracing financial innovation: Bitcoin.