Bitcoin is a digital currency invented in 2009 by an unknown person or group under the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto. BTC is a decentralised currency, meaning it operates on a peer-to-peer network without the need for intermediaries like banks. Transactions are verified and recorded on a public ledger called a blockchain.
According to Satoshi Nakamoto, Bitcoin was created to allow “online payments to be sent directly from one party to another without going through a financial institution.”
Bitcoin is the biggest, most well-known cryptocurrency and often accounts for over 50% of the overall cryptocurrency market capitalisation (the total value of the crypto market).
The maximum supply of Bitcoin is capped at 21 million coins, with over 19 million BTC already in circulation. New coins are constantly being created through a process called mining. Bitcoin mining is performed by specialised computers that verify transactions on the Bitcoin blockchain and in exchange, are rewarded with newly-minted BTC.
This reward, known as the block reward, diminishes every four years to help keep BTC deflationary in an event called “Bitcoin halving”. 2024 saw Bitcoin experience its fourth halving, with the block reward reducing to 3.125 BTC.
That same year, spot Bitcoin ETFs were approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission. This allowed investors to buy funds on traditional stock exchanges in the United States, providing exposure to the price of BTC.
Bitcoin has also introduced smart contracts to its blockchain. This lets users release their own tokens, build decentralised applications or create NFT collections within the Bitcoin ecosystem.
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