Bitcoin

Bitcoin is a decentralised digital currency secured by an open network with no central issuer.

Bitcoin is a digital asset and payment network created by the pseudonymous Satoshi Nakamoto, who published its whitepaper on 31 October 2008. The network started with the genesis block on 3 January 2009. Nobody owns or controls it: transactions are recorded on a public ledger that independent computers check, and the rules are enforced by open-source software.

Supply is capped at 21 million BTC. About 20.09 million BTC (95.64%) had been issued by 16 September 2026. New coins are paid only to miners, who secure the network with proof-of-work; the reward halves every 210,000 blocks, about every four years. It has been 3.125 BTC per block since April 2024, and the next halving is expected around April 2028.

Today Bitcoin is used mainly as a long-term store of value and as the main entry point into digital assets. US spot Bitcoin ETFs held about $103 billion on 3 September 2026, and public companies such as Strategy (845,050 BTC) and some governments hold it. It can also be sent directly between people, including through the Lightning Network for small, fast payments.

There is no company or foundation in charge. The reference software, Bitcoin Core, is maintained by five maintainers and many contributors, several funded by non-profits such as Brink and OpenSats, and rule changes need broad agreement across users and miners.