Bitcoin $BTC is the World’s first decentralized digital currency that facilitates secure, peer-to-peer transactions on a blockchain network. More
| Fully Diluted Valuation | $2.29T |
|---|---|
| 24H Trading Volume | $67.49B |
| 24H Low / High | $113.97K / $ 115.93K |
| Circulating Supply | 19.93M |
| Total Supply | 19.93M |
| Max Supply | 21.00M |
| Categories | Proof of Work (PoW) 6 more |
|---|---|
| Founder | Satoshi Nakamoto |
| Website | bitcoin.org Whitepaper |
| Socials | 3 more |
| Explorer | Tokenview 6 more |
| Name | Pair | OG Score |
|---|
Bitcoin (BTC) conceived in 2008 was introduced by the pseudonymous creator Satoshi Nakamoto through a whitepaper titled "Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System." Its operational deployment began in January 2009 with the mining of the genesis block (Block 0) marking the start of a revolutionary digital financial ecosystem.
Early milestones include the first Bitcoin transaction executed by Nakamoto and Hal Finney and the infamous “Bitcoin Pizza Day” in May 2010 where 10000 BTC were exchanged for two pizzas a transaction synonymous with its earliest commercial adoption. Over the past decade Bitcoin has experienced exponential growth in adoption institutional interest and market capitalization as the pioneer in digital currency systems.
Bitcoin is built upon a decentralized permissionless blockchain infrastructure powered by the Proof of Work (PoW) consensus mechanism. This technology ensures the integrity and security of transactions via cryptographic hashing making the network incredibly resistant to fraud or censorship. Each node independently validates transactions preventing double spending and ensuring transparency.
Crucially its supply is capped at 21 million coins a feature embedded into the protocol that creates scarcity and provides a hedge against inflation. Key technical breakthroughs include the implementation of Segregated Witness (SegWit) in 2017 which improved transaction efficiency. The Lightning Network a second layer protocol further enhances scalability by facilitating faster low cost off chain transactions while preserving Bitcoin's foundational security. Unlike many competitors BTC consistently prioritizes decentralization and security over congestion based throughput.
Bitcoin has grown far beyond its original intent of peer to peer transactions. It now serves primarily as a store of value akin to digital gold particularly in economies facing volatile fiat currencies. Major organizations such as Tesla and MicroStrategy have invested billions of dollars in BTC as a treasury reserve asset lending it significant mainstream validation.
Retail acceptance has also expanded significantly. Platforms like PayPal and Square enable Bitcoin transactions and major payment networks such as Mastercard offer BTC related products. On a governmental level El Salvador adopted Bitcoin as legal tender in 2021 further illustrating its transformative potential. The Bitcoin blockchain also acts as a base layer for developing decentralized applications (dApps) broadening its utility.
The tokenomics of Bitcoin revolves around its fixed supply of 21 million coins and its issuance through block rewards. These rewards halve approximately every four years in "halving events" reducing the rate at which new BTC enters circulation. This predictable deflationary model underpins its value controlled issuance and scarcity. The utility of BTC extends to transaction fees which are earned by the miners who secure and validate the network. Its key demand drivers include its role as an inflation hedge growing institutional adoption and its seamless transferability across borders.
The Bitcoin network thrives on its robust and decentralized community of miners developers and advocates. The core developer network consistently works to improve the protocol while carefully preserving the ethos of decentralization. Platforms like GitHub enable open collaboration and organizations like the Bitcoin Foundation advocate for its adoption and education globally.
Strategic alliances continue to bolster its integration into traditional finance. Firms like Fidelity Grayscale and BlackRock have launched or proposed BTC investment products attracting diverse investor classes. Governmental interest particularly central bank discussions around blockchain has further catalyzed innovation and regulatory frameworks involving Bitcoin.
As of October 2025 Bitcoin has seen advancements in the adoption of ordinals which enables non fungible tokens (NFTs) and other metadata on its blockchain. Institutional acceptance has reached new heights with major banks testing BTC as collateral for loans. Regulatory clarity in leading economies has also helped establish a clear framework for institutional participation. Furthermore major upgrades to the Lightning Network have optimized its usability for global remittances while ongoing geopolitical interest particularly from emerging markets leveraging its monetary sovereignty features has solidified its role as a global asset.
Bitcoin represents a fundamental shift in the global monetary system. Its origins as the first cryptocurrency coupled with its innovative technical architecture and wide ranging real world applications cement its position as both a form of digital money and a durable store of value. The growing ecosystem including its developer and user communities institutional adoption and ever expanding use cases ensures its sustained relevance in the evolving financial landscape.
The founder of Bitcoin remains publicly unknown, but several individuals have been suspected of being the creator or part of the original team behind it, including Peter Todd, Adam Back, Nick Szabo, Hal Finney, Wei Dai, Len Sassaman, Craig Wright, Dorian Nakamoto, Paul Le Roux, Ted Nelson, and Tim May, with some theories even suggesting that "Satoshi Nakamoto" may have been a group rather than a single person. According to HBO's documentary "The Satoshi Mystery", the primary possible founder is Peter Todd. According to our assessment, it is possible that Hal Finney (RIP, Legend) or more likely, Bitcoin was created by a group of people including some of the names above. This collective approach could have been deliberately chosen to maintain anonymity and cover the full scope of the project.
Its supply is capped at 21 million coins creating digital scarcity that drives its value and acts as a hedge against inflation.
Proof of Work ensures decentralized security validating transactions through computational work by miners while resisting fraud and censorship.
The halving cycle occurs approximately every four years reducing block rewards by 50% to promote scarcity which typically impacts the price and miner profitability.
The Lightning Network enables fast low cost off chain transactions significantly enhancing BTC's scalability for micro payments and global remittances.
Segregated Witness (SegWit) improved transaction efficiency by separating signature data which increased throughput and reduced transaction size.
It marked the first instance of a nation integrating a cryptocurrency into its official economy promoting global recognition and demonstrating its transformative potential.
Its decentralized nature capped supply and resistance to government or central bank intervention solidify its reputation as digital gold.
Investments by companies like Tesla and Strategy (prev. MicroStrategy) validate BTC’s position as a high value reserve asset driving up demand and mainstream credibility.
It relies on decentralized nodes and miner consensus to govern the network avoiding centralized control and fostering community driven updates.
Ordinals enable the storage of metadata such as NFTs on the Bitcoin blockchain expanding its use cases beyond simple monetary transfers.
Bitcoin's origins are unique as it launched without a centralized team or venture capital. Its primary "backer" is its decentralized network. Today, its largest holders and backers include:
Satoshi Nakamoto: The founder is believed to hold approximately 1.1 million BTC, untouched since the early mining days.
Major Corporate Holders (via ETFs and Treasury Reserves): BlackRock holds around 720,000 BTC, and Strategy (Michael Saylor) holds over 628,791 BTC, making it the largest corporate holder.
Exchange Holdings: Binance Exchange holds around 588,385 BTC on behalf of institutional and retail investors.
Government Holdings: The U.S. Government holds over 200,000 BTC, primarily seized from criminal proceedings.
The network is maintained as an open source project on GitHub via the Bitcoin Core repository. As of 2025, over 800 developers have contributed code, with around 30 to 40 active contributors regularly submitting improvements and proposing protocol upgrades. Independent foundations like Chaincode Labs, Brink, and Blockstream play key roles in this ongoing development.
Bitcoin uses the Proof of Work (PoW) consensus mechanism. This requires specialized miners to solve complex mathematical problems to validate transaction blocks, securing the network against fraud through an energy intensive process that ensures decentralization.
You can buy Bitcoin on virtually any major cryptocurrency exchange, including Binance, MEXC, Gate.io, Bybit, and Bitget.
In addition to the Lightning Network, several protocols run on or are secured by the network:
Stacks (STX) enables smart contracts and dApps secured by Bitcoin using Proof of Transfer (PoX) consensus. It is used for NFTs, DeFi, and Web3 identity.
Rootstock (RSK) is an EVM compatible smart contract platform merge mined with Bitcoin, primarily used for decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols and token issuance.
Liquid Network is a federated sidechain designed for fast, confidential transactions and the issuance of tokenized assets, often used for exchange settlements.
These protocols enable the creation of assets and metadata directly on the Bitcoin blockchain:
Ordinals is a protocol for inscribing data onto individual satoshis to create Bitcoin native NFTs (digital artifacts).
Runes Protocol is a more efficient UTXO based fungible token standard intended to replace BRC 20. It was activated during the 2024 halving.
SRC 20 is a stamp based inscription standard that improves data permanence by embedding data in image format.
Governments and major corporations are interested due to its strategic, financial, and technological factors:
Digital Store of Value and Inflation Hedge: It is viewed as a digital equivalent to gold—a hedge against inflation and fiat currency devaluation—due to its fixed supply of 21 million coins.
Decentralization and Immutability: The network has operated continuously for over 16 years, with its robust design ensuring transparency, immutability, and censorship resistance.
Treasury Reserve Asset: Corporations use BTC as a high growth reserve asset on their balance sheets, seeking to maximize the value of their treasury over time.
Bitcoin is the first cryptocurrency, characterized by its decentralized nature and operation on a peer-to-peer blockchain without the need for intermediaries, a public digital ledger available on the internet for everyone.
You can buy Bitcoin $BTC on Binance, Gate.io, MEXCBybitBitget Cryptocurrency exchanges.
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