Bitcoin BTC
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Bitcoin (BTC) was the first cryptocurrency, introduced in 2009 as a way to send value over the internet without a bank or other middleman. It runs on a public, decentralized network where transactions are grouped into blocks and confirmed by a process called proof-of-work, in which computers around the world compete to validate activity in exchange for newly issued coins and fees. This is often described as mining. A defining feature is its fixed supply: the protocol caps the total number of bitcoins that can ever exist at 21 million, and new issuance slows over time through periodic events known as halvings. That scarcity, combined with its long track record and broad recognition, is why many people refer to Bitcoin as digital gold and treat it primarily as a store of value rather than everyday money. Bitcoin is used to transfer funds, to hold as a long-term asset, and increasingly as a settlement layer that other technologies build on top of. As with any cryptocurrency, the price can be highly volatile and may fall sharply. Self-custody carries the risk of losing access if private keys are lost or stolen, and regulation varies by country. None of this is investment advice; it is meant to explain how the asset works.
About Bitcoin
Bitcoin is the world's first decentralized cryptocurrency, created in 2009 by the pseudonymous Satoshi Nakamoto. It enables peer-to-peer electronic cash transactions without intermediaries like banks or governments, operating on a blockchain secured by Proof of Work mining and the SHA-256 cryptographic algorithm. With a fixed supply cap of 21 million coins and programmatic halvings every four years that reduce miner rewards, Bitcoin is designed as a deflationary digital asset often called "digital gold." Its value stems from solving the double-spending problem without trusted intermediaries, creating the first truly scarce digital asset with censorship resistance and permissionless access that no government, corporation, or individual can control. Bitcoin operates as a decentralized peer-to-peer network where transactions are recorded on a public ledger called the blockchain, distributed across thousands of computers globally. Transactions are grouped into blocks added approximately every 10 minutes through mining, where specialized computers compete to solve complex mathematical puzzles. Bitcoin has achieved mainstream adoption through multiple vectors. The January 2024 SEC approv
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Market data by CoinGecko. For information only — not financial advice. Crypto is volatile and risky. Learning About Crypto may earn a commission from links on the compare pages.