Bitcoin (BTC)USD

Bitcoin is a decentralized digital currency that lets people send value directly to each other without a bank or central operator. It runs on a public blockchain maintained by a global network of nodes, and people use it for payments, transfers, and as a store of value. The pseudonymous Satoshi Nakamoto published the Bitcoin white paper in 2008 and launched the network in 2009. Transactions are confirmed through proof of work, where miners compete to add blocks and other nodes check the rules. The supply is capped at 21 million coins, and new issuance follows a fixed schedule that halves the mining reward at set intervals until the cap is reached.