Bitcoin has obvious advantages. Its first mover advantage, awareness, mining community, etc. However, these advantages also come with some drawbacks. It was created before the heavy usage of cryptocurrencies and the evolution of the market. This means it is strapped with trying to scale transactions, and “bolt on” new requirements, such as contracting.
Ethereum seems to have solved scalability, smart contracts, and has a full fledged development platform. However, it lacks some of the interesting features of Bitcoin. This would include a fixed currency amount (21 million coins) so it becomes a stored value currency, and proof of work for bullet proof security.
Combining the best of these currencies, and delivering a platform and community that can respond to future needs in a timely manner is the aim of BCE.