Bitcoin (BTC)

Bitcoin (BTC) is the world's first and largest cryptocurrency, functioning as digital money that operates without a bank or government. It allows anyone to send value to anyone globally without requiring permission from a central authority. The system relies on a public, shared record known as a blockchain, which acts like a giant notebook visible to everyone. This ledger records every transaction in a chain of blocks, ensuring that no single individual can secretly alter the history. Because thousands of computers worldwide maintain identical copies of this data, the network remains secure and transparent.

Key Characteristics

• Decentralized Nature: The network is run collectively by many people and computers rather than a single owner or company.
• Origin: Created by the pseudonymous entity Satoshi Nakamoto, who published the Bitcoin whitepaper in October 2008.
• Launch: The network officially began operations on January 3, 2009.
• Supply Cap: The protocol limits the total supply to 21,000,000 units.