Bitcoin

BTC Launched 2009 source

What this page is: neutral, sourced facts about Bitcoin. Every line links where it was checked. 9 facts, 4 from primary sources. Educational, not financial advice.

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Launch

Whitepaper published October 31, 2008; genesis block mined January 3, 2009. secondary source source

Founders and creators

The first Bitcoin specification and proof of concept was published in 2009 in a cryptography mailing list by Satoshi Nakamoto, who left the project in late 2010 without revealing much about himself. primary source source

Origin story

The genesis block contains the text 'The Times 03/Jan/2009 Chancellor on brink of second bailout for banks'. secondary source source

Stated purpose

'A purely peer-to-peer version of electronic cash would allow online payments to be sent directly from one party to another without going through a financial institution'. primary source source

Consensus mechanism

Secured with the SHA-256 algorithm. secondary source source

Supply model

The number of new bitcoins created each year is automatically halved over time until issuance halts completely with a total of 21 million bitcoins in existence. primary source source

Main uses today

In January 2024, the first 11 US spot bitcoin ETFs began trading, offering direct exposure to bitcoin on American stock exchanges. secondary source source

Key milestones

US SEC approved the listing and trading of spot bitcoin exchange-traded product shares (Jan. 10, 2024). primary source source

Notable events and controversies

As bitcoin is pseudonymous, its use by criminals has attracted the attention of regulators, leading to its ban by several countries. secondary source source

Sources & studies

Last checked: 2026-11-04 · Prices, market caps and circulating supply are left out on purpose because they change by the minute. Educational, not financial advice.

Education only, not financial advice. No signals. Backtests are hypothetical: real trading can be worse. Past results don't predict future results.