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Bitcoin[a] (₿) is a cryptocurrency invented in 2008 by an unknown person or group of people using the name Satoshi Nakamoto.[13] The currency began use in 2009[14] when its implementation was released as open-source software.[6]:ch. 1
Bitcoin
Prevailing bitcoin logo
Prevailing bitcoin logo
Denominations
Plural
bitcoins
Symbol
₿ (Unicode: U+20BF ₿ BITCOIN SIGN (HTML ₿))[a]
Ticker symbol
BTC, XBT[b]
Precision
10−8
Subunits
1⁄1000
millibitcoin
1⁄100000000
satoshi[2]
Development
Original author(s)
Satoshi Nakamoto
White paper
"Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System"[4]
Implementation(s)
Bitcoin Core
Initial release
0.1.0 / 9 January 2009 (12 years ago)
Latest release
0.21.0 / 15 January 2021 (59 days ago)[3]
Development status
Active
Website
bitcoin.org
Ledger
Ledger start
3 January 2009 (12 years ago)
Timestamping scheme
Proof-of-work (partial hash inversion)
Hash function
SHA-256
Issuance schedule
Decentralized (block reward)
Initially ₿50 per block, halved every 210,000 blocks[7]
Block reward
₿6.25[c]
Block time
10 minutes
Block explorer
www.blockchain.com/explorer
Circulating supply
₿18,355,100 (as of 1 May 2020)
Supply limit
₿21,000,000[5][d]
The symbol was encoded in Unicode version 10.0 at position U+20BF ₿ BITCOIN SIGN in the Currency Symbols block in June 2017.[1]
Compatible with ISO 4217.
May 2020 to approximately 2024, halved approximately every four years
The supply will approach, but never reach, ₿21 million. Issuance will permanently halt c. 2140 at ₿20,999,999.9769.[6]:ch. 8
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Bitcoin is a decentralized digital currency, without a central bank or single administrator, that can be sent from user to user on the peer-to-peer bitcoin network without the need for intermediaries.[7] Transactions are verified by network nodes through cryptography and recorded in a public distributed ledger called a blockchain. Bitcoins are created as a reward for a process known as mining. They can be exchanged for other currencies, products, and services.[15] Research produced by the University of Cambridge estimated that in 2017, there were 2.9 to 5.8 million unique users using a cryptocurrency wallet, most of them using bitcoin.[16]
Bitcoin has been criticized for its use in illegal transactions, the large amount of electricity used by miners, price volatility, and thefts from exchanges.[citation needed] Some economists, including several Nobel laureates, have characterized it as a speculative bubble at various times. Bitcoin has also been used as an investment, although several regulatory agencies have issued investor alerts about bitcoin.[