Users of eBay companies like Airbnb and Uber could soon be able to pay for their services using the virtual currency bitcoin.

Ever since June of last year, eBay Inc has been discussing integration of the virtual currency into its payments subsidiary, Braintree, which is a part of its PayPal entity.

According to people who are familiar with the situation, PayPal executives have met frequently in the past few weeks with multiple companies that support bitcoin transactions. One of these companies is Coinbase Inc. PayPal has not yet reached an agreement, according to insiders. The timing of when Braintree will accept and integrate bitcoin into its services is wholly dependent on such a deal.

Braintree is a company that offers software to process payments for companies like eBay, Uber, and Airbnb.

At first, eBay and PayPal were against accepting bitcoin as a form of payment, but according to those familiar with the situation, that view could change soon. John Donahoe, the chief executive of eBay, told news sources one year ago that he was considering methods to integrate bitcoins into the business.

Such a deal between eBay and bitcoin would provide an immense boost to the virtual currency, which supporters believe will one day replace cash and credit cards in monetary transactions.

Overstock.com is one of the largest retailers that accept bitcoin. The online retail company signed a deal with Coinbase earlier this year in 2014. This week Overstock said that it has high expectations for sales using bitcoins – a growth from $6 million to $8 million this year, and an average of $1 million per month by the end of the year.

Braintree stated that it has been processing over $12 billion in payments each year when it was bought out by eBay. Ebay bought the payment processing compay in December of 2013 for $800 million in cash.

Bitcoin is an online virtual currency that is generated by math problem solving computer software. Once created, the currency can be used just like money to buy goods and services from merchants that accept it or traded on currency exchanges.

Ownership and transactions of bitcoins are recorded, thus making the online currency less susceptible to fraud. Some users of bitcoins have shown preference for the currency because it isn’t backed or regulated by any country and can be traded with far less scrutiny.

However, bitcoin has been troubled by volatility and the downfall of a major exchange site. The virtual currency used to be sold on some exchanges for over $1,000 at one point late last year. Today, it is trading at about half that value. According to the price index on Coindesk, the total value of all bitcoins is $6.7 billion.

Bitcoin has also been garnering regulatory inspection. This month, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau stated that it is soliciting comments regarding virtual currencies. The government entity will potentially implement legal action against bitcoin markets, which are suspected of violating laws protecting consumers.

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