One of the biggest problems in the digital currency world is the lack of a "closed loop" that permits employers to receive revenue in digital specie, pay employees in it, and employees to pay for any goods and services in it. The BitWage and Xapo agreement facilitate that closing by making enabling businesses that receive fiat to pay employees in BTC who can then spend it as fiat at the point of sale.

The obvious question is who stands to benefit. Not most businesses, obviously, but those for whom remittance is some integral element of the payment process at some point. At some point, BTC business seems to keep coming back to remittance.