Revision as of 06:41, 1 June 2018 view sourceLadislav Mecir (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users11,014 edits →Forks: rv. replacement of reliably sourced material by extremely poorly sourced text← Previous edit | Latest revision as of 17:36, 5 January 2025 view source Sgconlaw (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users, Template editors13,936 edits Applied {{Wiktionary}} | ||
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{{Short description|Decentralized digital currency}} | |||
{{Redirect-distinguish2|₿|"฿" for ]}} | |||
{{for|the colloquial expression for coinage|Bit (money)}} | |||
{{pp-protect|small=yes}} | |||
{{Redirect-distinguish-text|₿|"฿" for ]}} | |||
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2018}} | |||
{{pp-extended|small=yes}} | |||
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2024}} | |||
{{Use American English|date=December 2017}} | {{Use American English|date=December 2017}} | ||
{{infobox cryptocurrency | {{infobox cryptocurrency | ||
| currency_name |
| currency_name = Bitcoin | ||
| image_1 |
| image_1 = Bitcoin.svg | ||
| image_2 = | |||
| image_title_1 = Prevailing bitcoin logo | |||
| image_width_1 = 150 | |||
| alt1 = Prevailing bitcoin logo | |||
| image_width_2 = 110 | |||
| subunit_ratio_1 = {{frac|1000}} | |||
| image_title_1 = Official logo from bitcoin.org | |||
| subunit_name_1 = millibitcoin | |||
| alt1 = Prevailing bitcoin logo | |||
| subunit_ratio_2 = {{frac|100000000}} | |||
| precision = 10<sup>−8</sup> | |||
| subunit_name_2 = satoshi<ref name="satoshi unit">{{cite web |title = Cracking the Bitcoin: Digging Into a $131M USD Virtual Currency |url = http://www.dailytech.com/Cracking+the+Bitcoin+Digging+Into+a+131M+USD+Virtual+Currency/article21878.htm |author = Jason Mick |publisher = Daily Tech |date = 12 June 2011 |accessdate = 30 September 2012 |deadurl = yes |archiveurl = https://archive.is/20130120051306/http://www.dailytech.com/Cracking+the+Bitcoin+Digging+Into+a+131M+USD+Virtual+Currency/article21878.htm |archivedate = 20 January 2013 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> | |||
| subunit_ratio_1 = {{frac|1000}} | |||
| plural = bitcoins | |||
| subunit_name_1 = Millibitcoin | |||
| symbol = ₿{{efn|group=infobox|The symbol was encoded in ] version 10.0 at position {{unichar|20BF|BITCOIN SIGN}} in the ] in June 2017.<ref name="unicode-10">{{cite web |url = https://www.unicode.org/versions/Unicode10.0.0/ |title = Unicode 10.0.0 |publisher = Unicode Consortium |date = 20 June 2017 |accessdate = 20 June 2017 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20170620130342/http://www.unicode.org/versions/Unicode10.0.0/ |archivedate = 20 June 2017 |df = dmy-all }}</ref>}} | |||
| subunit_ratio_2 = {{frac|{{val|1000000}}}} | |||
| ticker_symbol = BTC, XBT{{efn|group=infobox|Compatible with ISO 4217.}} | |||
| subunit_name_2 = Microbitcoin | |||
| coin_definition = ] (in multiples of a satoshi)<ref name="Antonopoulos2014"/>{{rp|ch. 5}} | |||
| subunit_ratio_3 = {{frac|{{val|100000000}}}} | |||
| implementations = ] | |||
| subunit_name_3 = {{lang|ja-Latn|Satoshi|italic=no}}{{efn|name=satoshi}}<ref name="satoshi unit">{{Cite journal |last=Bradbury |first=Danny |date=November 2013 |title=The problem with Bitcoin |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1361372313701015 |journal=Computer Fraud & Security |language=en |volume=2013 |issue=11 |pages=5–8 |doi=10.1016/S1361-3723(13)70101-5 |access-date=25 November 2023 |archive-date=18 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230118052355/https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1361372313701015 |url-status=live |issn=1361-3723}}</ref> | |||
| plural = Bitcoins | |||
| symbol = '''₿'''<br/>(Unicode: {{unichar|20BF|BITCOIN SIGN|html=}})<ref name="unicode-10">{{cite web |date=20 June 2017 |title=Unicode 10.0.0 |url=https://www.unicode.org/versions/Unicode10.0.0/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170620130342/http://www.unicode.org/versions/Unicode10.0.0/ |archive-date=20 June 2017 |access-date=20 June 2017 |publisher=Unicode Consortium}}</ref> | |||
| code = BTC | |||
| implementations = ] | |||
| initial_release_version = 0.1.0 | | initial_release_version = 0.1.0 | ||
| initial_release_date |
| initial_release_date = {{Start date and age|df=yes|2009|1|9|p=y}} | ||
| code_repository = {{URL|https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin}} | |||
| latest_release_version = 0.16.0 | |||
| status = Active | |||
| latest_release_date = {{Start date and age|df=yes|2018|02|26|p=y}} | |||
| latest_release_version = 28.0 | |||
| author = ] | |||
| latest_release_date = {{Start date and age|df=yes|2024|10|04|p=y}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Bitcoin Core 28.0 released |date=2 October 2024 |url=https://bitcoincore.org/en/2024/10/02/release-28.0/ |access-date=5 October 2024 |archive-date=5 October 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241005063435/https://bitcoincore.org/en/2024/10/02/release-28.0/ |url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
| white_paper = <ref name="paper" /> | |||
| forked_from = | |||
| website = {{URL|bitcoin.org}} | |||
| |
| website = {{URL|https://bitcoin.org}} | ||
| programming_languages = C++ | |||
| ledger_start = {{Start date and age|df=yes|2009|1|3|p=y}} | |||
| operating_system = | |||
| hash_function = ] | |||
| author = ] | |||
| circulating_supply = ₿16,858,762 ({{as of|2018|2|11|lc=y}}) | |||
| developer = | |||
| supply_limit = ₿21,000,000 | |||
| white_paper = | |||
| timestamping = ] (partial hash inversion) | |||
| source_model = ] | |||
| issuance = Decentralized (block reward)<ref name="JSC">{{cite web |url = https://www.fincen.gov/sites/default/files/2016-08/20131118.pdf |title = Statement of Jennifer Shasky Calvery, Director Financial Crimes Enforcement Network United States Department of the Treasury Before the United States Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Subcommittee on National Security and International Trade and Finance Subcommittee on Economic Policy |publisher = Financial Crimes Enforcement Network |work = fincen.gov |date = 19 November 2013 |accessdate = 1 June 2014 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20161009183700/https://www.fincen.gov/sites/default/files/2016-08/20131118.pdf |archivedate = 9 October 2016 |df = dmy-all }}</ref><ref name="tcdecentralized">{{cite news |last1 = Empson |first1 = Rip |title = Bitcoin: How an Unregulated, Decentralized Virtual Currency Just Became a Billion Dollar Market |url = https://techcrunch.com/2013/03/28/bitcoin-how-an-unregulated-decentralized-virtual-currency-just-became-a-billion-dollar-market/ |accessdate = 8 October 2016 |work = TechCrunch |publisher = AOL inc. |date = 28 March 2013 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20161009205955/https://techcrunch.com/2013/03/28/bitcoin-how-an-unregulated-decentralized-virtual-currency-just-became-a-billion-dollar-market/ |archivedate = 9 October 2016 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> | |||
| license = ] | |||
| block_time = 10 minutes | |||
| ledger_start = {{Start date and age|df=yes|2009|1|3|p=y}} | |||
| block_reward = ₿12.5{{efn|group=infobox|July 2016 to approximately June 2020, halved approximately every four years}} | |||
| hash_function = ] (two rounds) | |||
| footnotes = {{notelist|group=infobox}} | |||
| circulating_supply = ₿19,591,231 ({{as of|2024|01|06|lc=y}}) | |||
| supply_limit = ₿21,000,000{{efn|name=supply}} | |||
| timestamping = ] (partial hash inversion) | |||
| issuance_schedule = Decentralized (block reward)<br />Initially ₿50 per block, halved every 210,000 blocks | |||
| block_time = 10 minutes | |||
| block_reward = ₿3.125 ({{as of|2024|lc=y}}) | |||
| exchange_rate = Floating | |||
| market_cap = <!--A reliable source is required --> | |||
| using_countries = ]<ref name="BTCSVSept7FT">{{cite news |title=El Salvador's dangerous gamble on bitcoin |url=https://www.ft.com/content/c257a925-c864-4495-9149-d8956d786310 |date=7 September 2021 |access-date=7 September 2021 |work=] |department=The editorial board |archive-date=7 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210907081627/https://www.ft.com/content/c257a925-c864-4495-9149-d8956d786310 |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
}} | }} | ||
{{Special characters}} | {{Special characters}} | ||
'''Bitcoin''' (abbreviation: '''BTC'''; ]: '''₿''') is the first ] ]. Based on a ] ideology, bitcoin was invented in 2008 by ], an unknown person.<ref name="whoissn">{{Cite news |last=S. |first=L. |date=2 November 2015 |title=Who is Satoshi Nakamoto? |newspaper=The Economist |url=https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2015/11/02/who-is-satoshi-nakamoto |access-date=21 November 2023 |archive-date=22 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201122172929/https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2015/11/02/who-is-satoshi-nakamoto |url-status=live }}</ref> Use of bitcoin as a ] began in 2009,<ref name="NY2011">{{Cite magazine |last=Davis |first=Joshua |date=10 October 2011 |title=The Crypto-Currency: Bitcoin and its mysterious inventor |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/10/10/the-crypto-currency |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141101014157/http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/10/10/the-crypto-currency |archive-date=1 November 2014 |access-date=31 October 2014 |magazine=]}}</ref> with the release of its ].<ref name="Antonopoulos2014">{{Cite book |last=Antonopoulos |first=Andreas M. |title=Mastering Bitcoin: Unlocking Digital Crypto-Currencies |year=2014 |publisher=O'Reilly Media |isbn=978-1-4493-7404-4 |author-link=Andreas Antonopoulos}}</ref>{{rp|ch. 1}} In 2021, ].<ref name="BTCSVSept7FT" /> It is mostly seen as an ] and has been described by some scholars as an ].<ref name="4Nobels">{{Cite news |last=Wolff-Mann |first=Ethan |date=27 April 2018 |title='Only good for drug dealers': More Nobel prize winners snub bitcoin |work=Yahoo Finance |url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/good-drug-dealers-nobel-prize-winners-snub-bitcoin-184903784.html |url-status=live |access-date=7 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612141128/https://finance.yahoo.com/news/good-drug-dealers-nobel-prize-winners-snub-bitcoin-184903784.html |archive-date=12 June 2018}}</ref> As bitcoin is ]ous, ] has attracted the attention of regulators, leading to ] {{as of|2021|lc=yes}}.<ref name="SunYin2019">{{Cite journal |last1=Sun Yin |first1=Hao Hua |last2=Langenheldt |first2=Klaus |last3=Harlev |first3=Mikkel |last4=Mukkamala |first4=Raghava Rao |last5=Vatrapu |first5=Ravi |date=2 January 2019 |title=Regulating Cryptocurrencies: A Supervised Machine Learning Approach to De-Anonymizing the Bitcoin Blockchain |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/332118587 |journal=] |language=en |volume=36 |issue=1 |page=65 |doi=10.1080/07421222.2018.1550550 |s2cid=132398387 |issn=0742-1222 |access-date=29 November 2023 |archive-date=21 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240421113631/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/332118587_Regulating_Cryptocurrencies_A_Supervised_Machine_Learning_Approach_to_De-Anonymizing_the_Bitcoin_Blockchain |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
] in the ] ] verify transactions through ] and record them in a public ], called a ], without central oversight. ] between nodes is achieved using a computationally intensive process based on ], called ], that secures the bitcoin blockchain. Mining consumes large quantities of electricity and has been criticized for ].<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Huang |first1=Jon |last2=O’Neill |first2=Claire |last3=Tabuchi |first3=Hiroko |author3-link=Hiroko Tabuchi |date=3 September 2021 |title=Bitcoin Uses More Electricity Than Many Countries. How Is That Possible? |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/09/03/climate/bitcoin-carbon-footprint-electricity.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230217105559/https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/09/03/climate/bitcoin-carbon-footprint-electricity.html |archive-date=17 February 2023 |access-date=26 October 2022 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> | |||
'''Bitcoin''' ('''₿''') is a ] and worldwide ].<ref name="primer">{{cite web |url = http://mercatus.org/sites/default/files/Brito_BitcoinPrimer.pdf |title = Bitcoin: A Primer for Policymakers |publisher = George Mason University |work = Mercatus Center |year = 2013 |accessdate = 22 October 2013 |author1 = Jerry Brito |author2 = Andrea Castillo |lastauthoramp = yes |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20130921060724/http://mercatus.org/sites/default/files/Brito_BitcoinPrimer.pdf |archivedate = 21 September 2013 |df = dmy-all }}</ref>{{rp|3}} It is the first decentralized ], as the system works without a ] or single administrator.<ref name="primer" />{{rp|1}}<ref name="ieeesurvey" /> The system was designed to work as a ] network, a network in which transactions take place between users directly, without an intermediary.<ref name="primer" />{{rp|4,5}} These transactions are verified by network ] through the use of ] and recorded in a public ] called a ]. Bitcoin was invented by an unknown person or group of people under the name ]<ref name="whoissn">{{cite news |url = https://www.economist.com/blogs/economist-explains/2015/11/economist-explains-1 |title = Who is Satoshi Nakamoto? |last1 = S. |first1 = L. |date = 2 November 2015 |work = The Economist |accessdate = 23 September 2016 |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20160821154511/http://www.economist.com/blogs/economist-explains/2015/11/economist-explains-1 |archivedate = 21 August 2016 |deadurl = no |publisher = The Economist Newspaper Limited |df = dmy-all }}</ref> and released as ] in 2009.<ref name="NY2011">{{cite web |last = Davis |first = Joshua |title = The Crypto-Currency: Bitcoin and its mysterious inventor |url = http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/10/10/the-crypto-currency |work = The New Yorker |date = 10 October 2011 |accessdate = 31 October 2014 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20141101014157/http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/10/10/the-crypto-currency |archivedate = 1 November 2014 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> | |||
{{TOC LIMIT|4}} | |||
Bitcoins are created as a reward for a process known as ]. They can be exchanged for other currencies,<ref>{{cite news |title = What is Bitcoin? |url = http://money.cnn.com/infographic/technology/what-is-bitcoin/ |publisher = CNN Money |accessdate = 16 November 2015 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20151031113913/http://money.cnn.com/infographic/technology/what-is-bitcoin/ |archivedate = 31 October 2015 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> products, and services. As of February 2015, over 100,000 merchants and vendors accepted bitcoin as payment.<ref name=100tmerchants /> Research produced by the ] estimates that in 2017, there were 2.9 to 5.8 million unique users using a cryptocurrency wallet, most of them using bitcoin.<ref name="CU2017">{{cite web |last1 = Hileman |first1 = Garrick |last2 = Rauchs |first2 = Michel |title = Global Cryptocurrency Benchmarking Study |url = https://www.jbs.cam.ac.uk/fileadmin/user_upload/research/centres/alternative-finance/downloads/2017-global-cryptocurrency-benchmarking-study.pdf |publisher = Cambridge University |accessdate = 14 April 2017 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20170410130007/https://www.jbs.cam.ac.uk/fileadmin/user_upload/research/centres/alternative-finance/downloads/2017-global-cryptocurrency-benchmarking-study.pdf |archivedate = 10 April 2017 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> | |||
== |
==History== | ||
The word ''bitcoin'' was first used and defined in a ]<ref name="paper" /> published on 31 October 2008.<ref name="ageofcr">{{cite book |last1 = Vigna |first1 = Paul |last2 = Casey |first2 = Michael J. |title = The Age of Cryptocurrency: How Bitcoin and Digital Money Are Challenging the Global Economic Order |date = January 2015 |publisher = St. Martin's Press |location = New York |isbn = 978-1-250-06563-6 |edition = 1 }}</ref> It is a ] of the words '']'' and '']''.<ref name=btox>{{cite web |title = bitcoin |url = http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/bitcoin |publisher = ] |accessdate = 28 December 2014 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20150102041748/http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/bitcoin |archivedate = 2 January 2015 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> The white paper frequently uses the shorter ''coin''.<ref name="paper">{{cite web |url = https://bitcoin.org/bitcoin.pdf |title = Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System |date = 31 October 2008 |publisher = bitcoin.org |accessdate = 28 April 2014 |first = Satoshi |last = Nakamoto |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20140320135003/https://bitcoin.org/bitcoin.pdf |archivedate = 20 March 2014 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> | |||
There is no uniform convention for ''bitcoin'' capitalization. Some sources use ''Bitcoin'', capitalized, to refer to the technology and ] and ''bitcoin'', lowercase, to refer to the unit of account.<ref name="capitalization">{{cite web |url = http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/the-bitcoin-boom |title = The Bitcoin Boom |publisher = Condé Nast |work = The New Yorker |date = 2 April 2013 |accessdate = 22 December 2013 |author = Bustillos, Maria |quote = Standards vary, but there seems to be a consensus forming around Bitcoin, capitalized, for the system, the software, and the network it runs on, and bitcoin, lowercase, for the currency itself. |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20140727185121/http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/the-bitcoin-boom |archivedate = 27 July 2014 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> '']'',<ref>{{cite news |last = Vigna |first = Paul |title = BitBeat: Is It Bitcoin, or bitcoin? The Orthography of the Cryptography |url = https://blogs.wsj.com/moneybeat/2014/03/14/bitbeat-is-it-bitcoin-or-bitcoin-the-orthography-of-the-cryptography |accessdate = 21 April 2014 |newspaper = ] |date = 3 March 2014 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20140419024119/http://blogs.wsj.com/moneybeat/2014/03/14/bitbeat-is-it-bitcoin-or-bitcoin-the-orthography-of-the-cryptography/ |archivedate = 19 April 2014 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> '']'',<ref>{{cite web |publisher = The Chronicle of Higher Education (chronicle.com) |title = The latest style |date = 14 April 2014 |last = Metcalf |first = Allan |series = Lingua Franca blog |url = http://chronicle.com/blogs/linguafranca/2014/04/11/the-latest-style/ |accessdate = 19 April 2014 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20140416083920/http://chronicle.com/blogs/linguafranca/2014/04/11/the-latest-style/ |archivedate = 16 April 2014 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> and the '']''{{r|btox}} advocate use of lowercase ''bitcoin'' in all cases, a convention followed throughout this article. | |||
=== Units === | |||
The ] of the bitcoin system is a ''bitcoin''. ]s used to represent bitcoin are BTC{{efn|name=BTCcode|{{as of | 2014}}, BTC is a commonly used code. | |||
It does not conform to ] as BT is the country code of Bhutan, and ISO 4217 requires the first letter used in global commodities to be 'X'.}} and XBT.{{efn|name=XBTcode|{{as of | 2014}}, XBT, a code that conforms to ISO 4217 though is not officially part of it, is used by ],<ref>{{cite news |title = Bitcoin Ticker Available On Bloomberg Terminal For Employees |publisher = ] |url = https://techcrunch.com/2013/08/09/bitcoin-ticker-available-on-bloomberg-terminal/ |date = 9 August 2013 |author = Romain Dillet |accessdate = 2 November 2014 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20141101232825/http://techcrunch.com/2013/08/09/bitcoin-ticker-available-on-bloomberg-terminal/ |archivedate = 1 November 2014 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> ],<ref>{{cite news |title = Bitcoin Composite Quote (XBT) |url = http://money.cnn.com/quote/quote.html?symb=XBT |publisher = CNN |work = CNN Money |accessdate = 2 November 2014 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20141027100208/http://money.cnn.com/quote/quote.html?symb=xbt |archivedate = 27 October 2014 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> and ].<ref>{{cite web |title = XBT – Bitcoin |publisher = xe.com |accessdate = 2 November 2014 |url = http://www.xe.com/currency/xbt-bitcoin? |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20141102111801/http://www.xe.com/currency/xbt-bitcoin |archivedate = 2 November 2014 |df = dmy-all }}</ref>}} Small amounts of bitcoin used as alternative units are millibitcoin (mBTC), and satoshi (sat). Named in homage to bitcoin's creator, a ''satoshi'' is the smallest amount within bitcoin representing 0.00000001 bitcoins, one hundred millionth of a bitcoin.<ref name="satoshi unit" /> A ''millibitcoin'' equals 0.001 bitcoins, one thousandth of a bitcoin or 100,000 satoshis.<ref>{{cite news |url = http://edition.cnn.com/2014/06/18/business/bitcoin-your-way-to-a-double-espresso/ |title = Bitcoin your way to a double espresso |publisher = CNN |work = cnn.com |date = 9 July 2014 |accessdate = 23 April 2015 |author1 = Katie Pisa |author2 = Natasha Maguder |lastauthoramp = yes |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20150618072429/http://edition.cnn.com/2014/06/18/business/bitcoin-your-way-to-a-double-espresso/ |archivedate = 18 June 2015 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> | |||
=== Symbol === | |||
The ] character for bitcoin is ₿.<ref name=btcregs>{{cite web |url = https://www.loc.gov/law/help/bitcoin-survey/regulation-of-bitcoin.pdf |title = Regulation of Bitcoin in Selected Jurisdictions |publisher = The Law Library of Congress, Global Legal Research Center |date = January 2014 |accessdate = 26 August 2014 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20141014012832/http://www.loc.gov/law/help/bitcoin-survey/regulation-of-bitcoin.pdf |archivedate = 14 October 2014 |df = dmy-all }}</ref>{{rp|2}} This was standardized in version 10.0 in June 2017. As with most new symbols, font support is very limited. Typefaces supporting it include Horta. | |||
== History == | |||
{{Main|History of bitcoin}} | {{Main|History of bitcoin}} | ||
===Background=== | |||
On 18 August 2008, the domain name "bitcoin.org" was registered.<ref name="whatisbitcoin">{{cite web |title = What is 'Bitcoin' |url = http://www.investopedia.com/terms/b/bitcoin.asp |publisher = Investopedia |accessdate = 11 October 2017 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20171011103855/http://www.investopedia.com/terms/b/bitcoin.asp |archivedate = 11 October 2017 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> In November that year, a link to a paper authored by ] titled ''Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System''<ref name="paper" /> was posted to a cryptography mailing list.<ref name="whatisbitcoin" /> Nakamoto implemented the bitcoin software as ] and released it in January 2009 on ].<ref>{{cite web |url = https://sourceforge.net/p/bitcoin/code/HEAD/tree/ |title = Bitcoin |author = Nakamoto, Satoshi |date = 3 January 2009 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20170721190347/https://sourceforge.net/p/bitcoin/code/HEAD/tree/ |archivedate = 21 July 2017 |df = dmy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.mail-archive.com/cryptography@metzdowd.com/msg10142.html |author = Nakamoto, Satoshi |date = 9 January 2009 |title = Bitcoin v0.1 released |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20140326174921/http://www.mail-archive.com/cryptography%40metzdowd.com/msg10142.html |archivedate = 26 March 2014 |deadurl = no |df = }}</ref><ref name="NY2011" /> The identity of Nakamoto remains unknown.{{r|whoissn}} | |||
Before bitcoin, several ] were released, starting with ]'s ] in the 1980s.<ref name=Narayanan2017/> The idea that solutions to computational puzzles could have some value was first proposed by cryptographers ] and ] in 1992.<ref>{{Citation |last=Dwork |first=Cynthia |title=Pricing via Processing or Combatting Junk Mail |date=1993 |work=Advances in Cryptology — CRYPTO’ 92 |volume=740 |pages=139–147 |editor-last=Brickell |editor-first=Ernest F. |url=http://link.springer.com/10.1007/3-540-48071-4_10 |access-date=2025-01-02 |place=Berlin, Heidelberg |publisher=Springer Berlin Heidelberg |language=en |doi=10.1007/3-540-48071-4_10 |isbn=978-3-540-57340-1 |last2=Naor |first2=Moni}}</ref><ref name=Narayanan2017/> The concept was ] by ] who developed ], a ] scheme for ] in 1997.<ref name="Narayanan2017" /> The first proposals for distributed digital scarcity-based ] came from ]s ] (b-money) and ] (]) in 1998.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Tschorsch |first1=Florian |last2=Scheuermann |first2=Bjorn |date=2 March 2016 |title=Bitcoin and Beyond: A Technical Survey on Decentralized Digital Currencies |url=https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7423672 |journal=IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials |volume=18 |issue=3 |pages=2084–2123 |doi=10.1109/COMST.2016.2535718 |s2cid=5115101 |issn=1553-877X |access-date=23 November 2023 |archive-date=19 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231119025114/http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7423672 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2004, ] developed the first currency based on reusable proof of work.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Judmayer |first1=Aljosha |chapter=History of Cryptographic Currencies |date=2017 |chapter-url=https://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-3-031-02352-1_3 |title=Blocks and Chains |pages=15–18 |publisher=] |language=en |doi=10.1007/978-3-031-02352-1_3 |isbn=978-3-031-01224-2 |last2=Stifter |first2=Nicholas |last3=Krombholz |first3=Katharina |last4=Weippl |first4=Edgar |series=Synthesis Lectures on Information Security, Privacy, and Trust |url=https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-02352-1 |access-date=22 November 2023 |archive-date=22 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231122135006/https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-02352-1 |url-status=live }}</ref> These various attempts were not successful:<ref name="Narayanan2017" /> Chaum's concept required centralized control and no banks wanted to sign on, Hashcash had no protection against ], while b-money and bit gold were not resistant to ]s.<ref name=Narayanan2017>{{Cite journal |last1=Narayanan |first1=Arvind |last2=Clark |first2=Jeremy |date=27 November 2017 |title=Bitcoin's academic pedigree |url=https://queue.acm.org/detail.cfm?id=3136559 |journal=] |volume=60 |issue=12 |pages=36–45 |doi=10.1145/3132259 |s2cid=6425116 |issn=0001-0782 |access-date=22 November 2023 |archive-date=14 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231014120907/https://queue.acm.org/detail.cfm?id=3136559 |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
===2008–2009: Creation=== | |||
In January 2009, the bitcoin network came into existence after Satoshi Nakamoto mined the first ever block on the chain, known as the ''genesis block''.<ref name="Wired:RFB">{{cite news |author = Wallace, Benjamin |title = The Rise and Fall of Bitcoin |url = https://www.wired.com/magazine/2011/11/mf_bitcoin/ |publisher = Wired |date = 23 November 2011 |accessdate = 13 October 2012 |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20131031043919/http://www.wired.com/magazine/2011/11/mf_bitcoin |archivedate = 31 October 2013 |deadurl = no |df = }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title = Block 0 – Bitcoin Block Explorer |url = http://blockexplorer.com/block/000000000019d6689c085ae165831e934ff763ae46a2a6c172b3f1b60a8ce26f |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20131015154613/http://blockexplorer.com/block/000000000019d6689c085ae165831e934ff763ae46a2a6c172b3f1b60a8ce26f |archivedate = 15 October 2013 |deadurl = no |df = }}</ref> Embedded in the coinbase of this block was the following text: | |||
{{external media | |||
<blockquote>The Times 03/Jan/2009 Chancellor on brink of second bailout for banks.<ref name="NY2011" /></blockquote> | |||
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This note has been interpreted as both a timestamp of the genesis date and a derisive comment on the instability caused by ].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Pagliery|first1=Jose|title=Bitcoin: And the Future of Money|date=2014|publisher=Triumph Books|isbn=9781629370361|url=https://books.google.com.au/books?id=_-wuBAAAQBAJ|accessdate=20 January 2018|deadurl=no|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180121071329/https://books.google.com.au/books?id=_-wuBAAAQBAJ|archivedate=21 January 2018}}</ref>{{rp|18}} | |||
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| footer = Bitcoin logos made by Satoshi Nakamoto in 2009 (left) and 2010 (right). | |||
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The domain name ''bitcoin.org'' was registered on 18 August 2008.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bernard |first=Zoë |date=2 December 2017 |title=Everything you need to know about Bitcoin, its mysterious origins, and the many alleged identities of its creator |work=Business Insider |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/bitcoin-history-cryptocurrency-satoshi-nakamoto-2017-12 |url-status=live |access-date=15 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180615010015/http://www.businessinsider.com/bitcoin-history-cryptocurrency-satoshi-nakamoto-2017-12 |archive-date=15 June 2018}}</ref> On 31 October 2008, a link to a ] authored by ] titled ''Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System'' was posted to a cryptography mailing list.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Finley |first=Klint |date=31 October 2018 |title=After 10 Years, Bitcoin Has Changed Everything—And Nothing |magazine=Wired |url=https://www.wired.com/story/after-10-years-bitcoin-changed-everything-nothing/ |url-status=live |access-date=9 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181105070656/https://www.wired.com/story/after-10-years-bitcoin-changed-everything-nothing/ |archive-date=5 November 2018}}</ref> Nakamoto implemented the bitcoin software as ] and released it in January 2009.<ref name="NY2011" /> Nakamoto's identity remains unknown.{{r|whoissn}} According to computer scientist ], all individual components of bitcoin originated in earlier academic literature.<ref name=Narayanan2017/> Nakamoto's innovation was their complex interplay resulting in the first decentralized, Sybil resistant, ] tolerant digital cash system, that would eventually be referred to as the first blockchain.<ref name=Narayanan2017/><ref name="te20151031">{{Cite news |last=Economist Staff |date=31 October 2015 |title=Blockchains: The great chain of being sure about things |url=https://www.economist.com/news/briefing/21677228-technology-behind-bitcoin-lets-people-who-do-not-know-or-trust-each-other-build-dependable |url-status=live |newspaper=] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160703000844/http://www.economist.com/news/briefing/21677228-technology-behind-bitcoin-lets-people-who-do-not-know-or-trust-each-other-build-dependable |archive-date=3 July 2016 |access-date=18 June 2016 }}</ref> Nakamoto's paper was not ]ed and was initially ignored by academics, who argued that it could not work.<ref name=Narayanan2017/> | |||
On 3 January 2009, the bitcoin network was created when Nakamoto mined the starting block of the chain, known as the '']''.<ref name="Wired:RFB">{{Cite magazine |last=Wallace, Benjamin |date=23 November 2011 |title=The Rise and Fall of Bitcoin |url=https://www.wired.com/2011/11/mf-bitcoin/ |url-status=live |magazine=Wired |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131031043919/http://www.wired.com/magazine/2011/11/mf_bitcoin |archive-date=31 October 2013 |access-date=13 October 2012}}</ref> Embedded in this block was the text "The Times 03/Jan/2009 Chancellor on brink of ]", which is the date and headline of an issue of '']'' newspaper.<ref name="NY2011" /> Nine days later, Hal Finney received the first bitcoin transaction: ten bitcoins from Nakamoto.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Popper |first=Nathaniel |date=30 August 2014 |title=Hal Finney, Cryptographer and Bitcoin Pioneer, Dies at 58 |work=] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/31/business/hal-finney-cryptographer-and-bitcoin-pioneer-dies-at-58.html |url-status=live |access-date=2 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140903162835/http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/31/business/hal-finney-cryptographer-and-bitcoin-pioneer-dies-at-58.html |archive-date=3 September 2014}}</ref> Wei Dai and Nick Szabo were also early supporters.<ref name="Wired:RFB" /> On May 22, 2010, the first known ] using bitcoin occurred when programmer Laszlo Hanyecz bought two ] pizzas for ₿10,000, in what would later be celebrated as "Bitcoin Pizza Day".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Cooper |first1=Anderson |title=Meet the man who spent millions worth of bitcoin on pizza |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/meet-the-man-who-spent-millions-worth-of-bitcoin-on-pizza-60-minutes-2019-05-16 |work=] |date=16 May 2019 |access-date=8 December 2021 |archive-date=8 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211208180706/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/meet-the-man-who-spent-millions-worth-of-bitcoin-on-pizza-60-minutes-2019-05-16/ |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
===2010–2012: Early growth=== | |||
In the early days, Nakamoto is estimated to have mined 1 million bitcoins.<ref>{{cite news |last1 = McMillan |first1 = Robert |title = Who Owns the World's Biggest Bitcoin Wallet? The FBI |url = https://www.wired.com/2013/12/fbi_wallet/ |accessdate = 7 October 2016 |work = Wired |publisher = Condé Nast |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20161021221609/https://www.wired.com/2013/12/fbi_wallet/ |archivedate = 21 October 2016 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> In 2010, Nakamoto handed the network alert key and control of the ] code repository over to ], who later became lead developer at the ].<ref>{{cite web |last1 = Simonite |first1 = Tom |title = Meet Gavin Andresen, the most powerful person in the world of Bitcoin |url = https://www.technologyreview.com/s/527051/the-man-who-really-built-bitcoin/ |website = MIT Technology Review |accessdate = 6 December 2017 }}</ref> Nakamoto subsequently disappeared from any involvement in bitcoin.<ref name="governance">{{cite news |last1 = Odell |first1 = Matt |title = A Solution To Bitcoin’s Governance Problem |url = https://techcrunch.com/2015/09/21/a-solution-to-bitcoins-governance-problem/ |accessdate = 24 January 2016 |work = TechCrunch |date = 21 September 2015 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20160126051521/http://techcrunch.com/2015/09/21/a-solution-to-bitcoins-governance-problem/ |archivedate = 26 January 2016 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> Andresen stated he then sought to decentralize control, saying: "As soon as Satoshi stepped back and threw the project onto my shoulders, one of the first things I did was try to decentralize that. So, if I get hit by a bus, it would be clear that the project would go on."<ref name="governance" /> This left opportunity for controversy to develop over the future development path of bitcoin.<ref name="breakingup" /> | |||
] estimate that Nakamoto had mined about one million bitcoins<ref>{{Cite news |last=McMillan |first=Robert |title=Who Owns the World's Biggest Bitcoin Wallet? The FBI |magazine=Wired |url=https://www.wired.com/2013/12/fbi-wallet/ |url-status=live |access-date=7 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161021221609/https://www.wired.com/2013/12/fbi-wallet/ |archive-date=21 October 2016}}</ref> before disappearing in 2010 when he handed the network alert key and control of the ] over to ]. Andresen later became lead developer at the ],<ref>{{cite news |last=Simonite |first=Tom |title=Meet Gavin Andresen, the most powerful person in the world of Bitcoin |date=15 August 2014 |url=https://www.technologyreview.com/2014/08/15/12784/the-man-who-really-built-bitcoin |work=] |access-date=22 November 2023 |archive-date=22 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231122163924/https://www.technologyreview.com/2014/08/15/12784/the-man-who-really-built-bitcoin |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Odell |first=Matt |date=21 September 2015 |title=A Solution To Bitcoin's Governance Problem |work=TechCrunch |url=https://techcrunch.com/2015/09/21/a-solution-to-bitcoins-governance-problem/ |url-status=live |access-date=24 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160126051521/http://techcrunch.com/2015/09/21/a-solution-to-bitcoins-governance-problem/ |archive-date=26 January 2016}}</ref> an ] founded in September 2012 to promote bitcoin.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bustillos |first=Maria |date=1 April 2013 |title=The Bitcoin Boom |magazine=The New Yorker |url=https://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/the-bitcoin-boom |url-status=live |access-date=30 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180702064450/https://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/the-bitcoin-boom |archive-date=2 July 2018}}</ref> | |||
After early "]" transactions, the first major users of bitcoin were ]s, such as the ] ]. During its 30 months of existence, beginning in February 2011, Silk Road exclusively accepted bitcoins as payment, transacting ₿9.9 million, worth about $214 million.<ref name=JEP/>{{rp|222}} | |||
===Altcoins=== | |||
Over the history of bitcoin there have been several spin offs that have lived on in separate blockchains. These have come to be known as ''altcoins'', short for alternative coins, since bitcoin was the first blockchain-based cryptocurrency and these are derivatives of it. These spin offs occur so that new ideas can be tested, when the scope of that idea is outside that of bitcoin, or when the community is split about merging such changes.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.investopedia.com/terms/a/altcoin.asp|title=Altcoin|last=|first=|date=|website=|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|access-date=}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://en.bitcoin.it/Altcoin|title=Altcoin|last=|first=|date=|website=|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|access-date=}}</ref> | |||
===2013–2014: First regulatory actions=== | |||
One early altcoin was ], which began in October, 2011. Since then there have been numerous altcoins created as interest in cryptocurrency has increased. | |||
In March 2013, the US ] (FinCEN) established regulatory guidelines for "decentralized virtual currencies" such as bitcoin, classifying American bitcoin miners who sell their generated bitcoins as ]es, subject to registration and other legal obligations.<ref>{{cite news |last=Lee |first=Timothy B. |date=19 March 2013 |title=US regulator Bitcoin Exchanges Must Comply With Money Laundering Laws |url=https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2013/03/us-regulator-bitcoin-exchanges-must-comply-with-money-laundering-laws/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021203745/http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2013/03/us-regulator-bitcoin-exchanges-must-comply-with-money-laundering-laws/ |archive-date=21 October 2013 |access-date=28 July 2017 |work=]}}</ref> In May 2013, US authorities seized the unregistered ] ].<ref>{{cite news |last=Dillet |first=Romain |title=Feds Seize Assets From Mt. Gox's Dwolla Account, Accuse It Of Violating Money Transfer Regulations |url=https://techcrunch.com/2013/05/16/mt-gox-dwolla-account-money-seizure/ |work=] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131009161856/http://techcrunch.com/2013/05/16/mt-gox-dwolla-account-money-seizure/ |archive-date=9 October 2013 |access-date=15 May 2013}}</ref> In June 2013, the US ] seized ₿11.02 from a man attempting to use them to buy illegal substances. This marked the first time a government agency had seized bitcoins.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Sampson |first=Tim |year=2013 |title=U.S. government makes its first-ever Bitcoin seizure |work=The Daily Dot |url=http://www.dailydot.com/business/11-bitcoins-seized-government-dea/ |url-status=live |access-date=15 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130712010826/http://www.dailydot.com/business/11-bitcoins-seized-government-dea/ |archive-date=12 July 2013}}</ref> The FBI seized about ₿30,000 in October 2013 from Silk Road, following the arrest of its founder ].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hill |first=Kashmir |title=The FBI's Plan For The Millions Worth Of Bitcoins Seized From Silk Road |work=Forbes |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2013/10/04/fbi-silk-road-bitcoin-seizure/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140502154935/http://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2013/10/04/fbi-silk-road-bitcoin-seizure/ |archive-date=2 May 2014}}</ref> | |||
In December 2013, the ] prohibited Chinese financial institutions from using bitcoin.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kelion, Leo |date=18 December 2013 |title=Bitcoin sinks after China restricts yuan exchanges |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-25428866 |url-status=live |access-date=20 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131219214615/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-25428866 |archive-date=19 December 2013}}</ref> After the announcement, the value of bitcoin dropped,<ref>{{Cite news |date=6 December 2013 |title=China bans banks from bitcoin transactions |work=] |publisher=Reuters |url=https://www.smh.com.au/business/markets/currencies/china-bans-banks-from-bitcoin-transactions-20131206-2yugy.html |url-status=live |access-date=31 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140323102824/http://www.smh.com.au/business/markets/currencies/china-bans-banks-from-bitcoin-transactions-20131206-2yugy.html |archive-date=23 March 2014}}</ref> and ] no longer accepted bitcoins for certain services.<ref>{{Cite news |date=7 December 2013 |title=Baidu Stops Accepting Bitcoins After China Ban |work=Bloomberg |location=New York |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-12-07/baidu-stops-accepting-bitcoins-after-china-ban.html |url-status=live |access-date=11 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131210214547/http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-12-07/baidu-stops-accepting-bitcoins-after-china-ban.html |archive-date=10 December 2013}}</ref> Buying real-world goods with any virtual currency had been illegal in China since at least 2009.<ref>{{cite web |date=29 June 2009 |title=China bars use of virtual money for trading in real goods |url=http://english.mofcom.gov.cn/aarticle/newsrelease/commonnews/200906/20090606364208.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131129184312/http://english.mofcom.gov.cn/aarticle/newsrelease/commonnews/200906/20090606364208.html |archive-date=29 November 2013 |access-date=10 January 2014 |publisher=English.mofcom.gov.cn}}</ref> | |||
=== Forks === | |||
{{see also|Fork (blockchain)|List of bitcoin forks}} | |||
On 1 August 2017, a ] of bitcoin was created, known as ].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Smith|first1=Jake|title=The Bitcoin Cash Hard Fork Will Show Us Which Coin Is Best|url=http://fortune.com/2017/08/11/bitcoin-cash-hard-fork-price-date-why/|accessdate=11 March 2018|work=Forbes|date=11 August 2017}}</ref> Bitcoin Cash has a larger block size limit and had an identical blockchain at the time of fork. On 24 October 2017 another hard fork, ], was created. Bitcoin Gold changes the proof-of-work algorithm used in mining.<ref>{{cite web|title=Bitcoin Gold, the latest Bitcoin fork, explained|url=https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2017/11/bitcoin-gold-the-latest-bitcoin-fork-explained/|website=Ars Technica|accessdate=29 December 2017|deadurl=no|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20171229172206/https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2017/11/bitcoin-gold-the-latest-bitcoin-fork-explained/|archivedate=29 December 2017}}</ref> | |||
=== |
===2015–2019=== | ||
Research produced by the ] estimated that in 2017, there were 2.9 to 5.8 million unique users using a ], most of them using bitcoin.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hileman |first1=Garrick |last2=Rauchs |first2=Michel |title=Global Cryptocurrency Benchmarking Study |url=https://www.jbs.cam.ac.uk/fileadmin/user_upload/research/centres/alternative-finance/downloads/2017-global-cryptocurrency-benchmarking-study.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170410130007/https://www.jbs.cam.ac.uk/fileadmin/user_upload/research/centres/alternative-finance/downloads/2017-global-cryptocurrency-benchmarking-study.pdf |archive-date=10 April 2017 |access-date=14 April 2017 |publisher=Cambridge University}}</ref> In August 2017, the ] software upgrade was activated. Segwit was intended to support the ] as well as improve ].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Vigna |first=Paul |date=21 July 2017 |title=Bitcoin Rallies Sharply After Vote Resolves Bitter Scaling Debate |work=The Wall Street Journal |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/bitcoin-rallies-sharply-after-vote-resolves-bitter-scaling-debate-1500656084 |access-date=21 November 2023 |archive-date=21 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231121164350/https://www.wsj.com/articles/bitcoin-rallies-sharply-after-vote-resolves-bitter-scaling-debate-1500656084 |url-status=live }}</ref> SegWit opponents, who supported larger blocks as a scalability solution, ] to create ], one of many ].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Selena Larson |date=1 August 2017 |title=Bitcoin split in two, here's what that means |work=CNN Tech |publisher=Cable News Network |url=https://money.cnn.com/2017/08/01/technology/business/bitcoin-cash-new-currency/index.html |url-status=live |access-date=2 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180227214042/https://money.cnn.com/2017/08/01/technology/business/bitcoin-cash-new-currency/index.html |archive-date=27 February 2018}}</ref> | |||
As disagreements around scaling bitcoin heated up, several hard forks were proposed. ] was one proposal that aimed for 24 transactions per second. In order to accomplish this, it proposed increasing the block size from 1 megabyte to 8 megabytes. When Bitcoin XT declined, some community members still wanted block sizes to increase. In response, a group of developers launched ], which intended to increase the block size to only 2 megabytes. ] set itself apart by allowing miners to decide on the size of their blocks, with nodes and miners limiting the size of blocks they accept, up to 16 megabytes. | |||
In December 2017, the first ] on bitcoin was introduced by the ] (CME).<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2017/12/17/worlds-largest-futures-exchange-set-to-launch-bitcoin-futures-sunday-night.html |title=Bitcoin debuts on the world's largest futures exchange, and prices fall slightly |date=17 December 2017 |access-date=19 January 2024 |website=CNBC |last=Cheng |first=Evelyn |archive-date=18 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240118182719/https://www.cnbc.com/2017/12/17/worlds-largest-futures-exchange-set-to-launch-bitcoin-futures-sunday-night.html |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
==== Segwit Soft-fork ==== | |||
] developer Peter Wuille presented the idea of Segregated Witness (]) in late 2015. Put simply, SegWit is a backward-compatible soft-fork that aims to reduce the size of each bitcoin transaction, thereby allowing more transactions to take place at once. Segwit activated on 1 August 2017. | |||
In February 2018, the price crashed after China imposed a complete ban on bitcoin trading.<ref>{{Cite news |last=French |first=Sally |date=9 February 2017 |title=Here's proof that this bitcoin crash is far from the worst the cryptocurrency has seen |publisher=Market Watch |url=https://www.marketwatch.com/story/heres-proof-that-this-bitcoin-crash-is-far-from-the-worst-the-cryptocurrency-has-seen-2018-02-09 |url-status=live |access-date=3 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180703220246/https://www.marketwatch.com/story/heres-proof-that-this-bitcoin-crash-is-far-from-the-worst-the-cryptocurrency-has-seen-2018-02-09 |archive-date=3 July 2018}}</ref> The percentage of bitcoin trading in the Chinese ] fell from over 90% in September 2017 to less than 1% in June 2018.<ref>{{Cite news |date=7 July 2018 |title=RMB Bitcoin trading falls below 1 pct of world total |publisher=Xinhuanet |agency=] |url=http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-07/07/c_137308879.htm |url-status=live |access-date=10 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180710225218/http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-07/07/c_137308879.htm |archive-date=10 July 2018}}</ref> During the same year, bitcoin prices were negatively affected by several hacks or thefts from cryptocurrency exchanges.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Chavez-Dreyfuss |first=Gertrude |date=3 July 2018 |title=Cryptocurrency exchange theft surges in first half of 2018: report |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-crypto-currencies-ciphertrace/cryptocurrency-exchange-theft-surges-in-first-half-of-2018-report-idUSKBN1JT1Q5 |url-status=live |access-date=10 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180704120854/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-crypto-currencies-ciphertrace/cryptocurrency-exchange-theft-surges-in-first-half-of-2018-report-idUSKBN1JT1Q5 |archive-date=4 July 2018}}</ref> | |||
In response to SegWit, some developers and users decided to initiate a hard fork in order to avoid the protocol updates it brought about. ] was the result, which increased the block size to 8 megabytes.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://fortune.com/2017/08/11/bitcoin-cash-hard-fork-price-date-why/|title=The Bitcoin Cash Hard Fork Will Show Us Which Coin Is Best|last1=Smith|first1=Jake|date=11 August 2017|work=Forbes|accessdate=11 March 2018}}</ref> However, there was another proposed hard fork called ], which would have increased the block size to 2 megabytes. After a number of companies and individuals in the community decided to back out of the hard fork, the team behind SegWit2x cancelled their planned hard fork in November 2017. | |||
=== |
===2020–present=== | ||
] |date=4 December 2024 |url=https://fred.stlouisfed.org/graph/?g=1BVJt |access-date=4 December 2024 |publisher=]}}</ref>}} December 1, 2014 - <br> December 4, 2024]] | |||
Bitcoin Gold was a hard fork that followed several months later in October 2017 that changed the proof-of-work algorithm with the aim of restoring mining functionality to basic graphics processing units (GPU), as the developers felt that mining had become too specialized.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2017/11/bitcoin-gold-the-latest-bitcoin-fork-explained/|title=Bitcoin Gold, the latest Bitcoin fork, explained|website=Ars Technica|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20171229172206/https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2017/11/bitcoin-gold-the-latest-bitcoin-fork-explained/|archivedate=29 December 2017|deadurl=no|accessdate=29 December 2017}}</ref> ], launched in March 2018, added the ability to keep certain details private in a transaction, in contrast to bitcoin which has a transparent transaction history. | |||
In 2020, some major companies and institutions started to acquire bitcoin: ] invested $250 million in bitcoin as a ],<ref>{{Cite news |date=13 September 2021 |title=MicroStrategy buys another $250m worth of bitcoin in hope of 100X price growth |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/tech/microstrategy-bitcoin-crypto-price-prediction-b1919178.html |access-date=22 November 2023 |work=] |first=Anthony |last=Cuthbertson |language=en |archive-date=22 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231122163924/https://www.independent.co.uk/tech/microstrategy-bitcoin-crypto-price-prediction-b1919178.html |url-status=live }}</ref> ], $50 million,<ref>{{cite news |author=Oliver Effron |title=Square just bought $50 million in bitcoin |url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/08/business/square-bitcoin-crypto-investment/index.html |access-date=22 October 2020 |work=CNN |archive-date=24 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201024101610/https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/08/business/square-bitcoin-crypto-investment/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and ], $100 million.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-12-10/169-year-old-insurer-massmutual-invests-100-million-in-bitcoin |title=169-Year-Old MassMutual Invests $100 Million in Bitcoin |date=11 December 2020 |work=Bloomberg |access-date=26 December 2020 |author=Olga Kharif |archive-date=19 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201219220543/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-12-10/169-year-old-insurer-massmutual-invests-100-million-in-bitcoin |url-status=live }}</ref> In November 2020, ] added support for bitcoin in the US.<ref>{{cite news |date=13 November 2020 |title=PayPal says all users in US can now buy, hold and sell cryptocurrencies |url=https://techcrunch.com/2020/11/12/paypal-says-all-users-in-u-s-can-now-buy-hold-and-sell-cryptocurrencies/ |access-date=26 November 2020 |work=Techcrunch |archive-date=24 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201124050031/https://techcrunch.com/2020/11/12/paypal-says-all-users-in-u-s-can-now-buy-hold-and-sell-cryptocurrencies/ |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
In February 2021, bitcoin's ] reached $1 trillion for the first time.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Chavez-Dreyfuss |first1=Gertrude |last2=Wilson |first2=Tom |date=19 February 2021 |title=Bitcoin hits $1 trillion market cap, surges to fresh all-time peak |language=en-US |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com.article/idUSKBN2AJ0GC/ |access-date=24 November 2023}}</ref> In November 2021, the ] ] upgrade was activated, adding support for ]s, improved functionality of ]s and ].<ref>{{cite news |last=Sigalos |first=MacKenzie |date=14 November 2021 |title=Bitcoin's biggest upgrade in four years just happened – here's what changes |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2021/11/14/bitcoin-taproot-upgrade-what-it-means-for-investors.html |access-date=15 November 2021 |work=CNBC |archive-date=14 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211114215032/https://www.cnbc.com/2021/11/14/bitcoin-taproot-upgrade-what-it-means-for-investors.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Before, bitcoin only used a custom ] with the ] algorithm to produce ].<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Van Hijfte |first1=Stijn |title=Blockchain Platforms: A Look at the Underbelly of Distributed Platforms |publisher=Morgan & Claypool Publishers |year=2020 |isbn=978-1681738925}}</ref>{{rp|101}} In September 2021, bitcoin became ] in ], alongside the US dollar.<ref name=BTCSVSept7FT/> In October 2021, the first bitcoin futures ] (ETF), called BITO, from ] was approved by the ] and listed on the ].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-bitcoin-etf-is-almost-here-what-does-that-mean-for-investors-11634376601 |title=A Bitcoin ETF Is Here. What Does That Mean for Investors? |date=19 October 2021 |access-date=11 January 2024 |website=The Wall Street Journal |last=Wursthorn |first=Michael |url-access=subscription |archive-date=10 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240110200308/https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-bitcoin-etf-is-almost-here-what-does-that-mean-for-investors-11634376601 |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
== Design == | |||
In May and June 2022, the bitcoin price fell following the collapses of ], a ],<ref>{{cite news|last=Browne|first=Ryan|date=10 May 2022|title=Bitcoin investors are panicking as a controversial crypto experiment unravels|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2022/05/10/bitcoin-btc-investors-panic-as-terrausd-ust-sinks-below-1-peg.html|work=CNBC|access-date=11 May 2022|archive-date=11 May 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220511021259/https://www.cnbc.com/2022/05/10/bitcoin-btc-investors-panic-as-terrausd-ust-sinks-below-1-peg.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and the ], a cryptocurrency loan company.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Milmo|first1=Dan|title=Bitcoin value slumps below $20,000 in cryptocurrencies turmoil|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/jun/18/bitcoin-value-falls-cryptocurrency-markets-turmoil|access-date=19 June 2022|work=The Guardian|date=18 June 2022|language=en|archive-date=18 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220618231120/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/jun/18/bitcoin-value-falls-cryptocurrency-markets-turmoil|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Yaffe-Bellany|first=David|date=13 June 2022|title=Celsius Network Leads Crypto Markets Into Another Free Fall|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/13/technology/bitcoin-ether-price.html|work=The New York Times|access-date=14 June 2022|archive-date=14 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220614030021/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/13/technology/bitcoin-ether-price.html|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
=== Blockchain === | |||
{{broader|Blockchain}} | |||
In 2023, ordinals—]s (NFTs)—on bitcoin, went live.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Behrendt |first=Philipp |date=2023 |title=Taxation of the New Age: New Guidance for the World of Digital Assets |url=https://heinonline.org/HOL/Page?handle=hein.journals/jtaxpp25&id=105&div=&collection= |journal=Journal of Tax Practice & Procedure |volume=25 |pages=47 |access-date=21 November 2023 |archive-date=21 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231121164911/https://heinonline.org/HOL/Page?handle=hein.journals/jtaxpp25&id=105&div=&collection= |url-status=live }}</ref> As of June 2023, River Financial estimated that bitcoin had 81.7 million users, about 1% of the global population.<ref>{{cite web |date=2024-03-01 |title=As banks buy up bitcoins, who else are the 'Bitcoin whales'? |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-68434579 |access-date=2024-03-14 |website=BBC Home}}</ref> In January 2024, the first 11 US ] bitcoin ]s began trading, offering direct exposure to bitcoin for the first time on American stock exchanges.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Schmitt |first=Will |date=12 January 2024 |title=Bitcoin trading volumes surge after debut of long-awaited US ETFs |url=https://www.ft.com/content/f30ece62-0f1c-492a-8ccd-63ec9730573c |access-date=12 January 2024 |work=Financial Times |archive-date=12 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240112025105/https://www.ft.com/content/f30ece62-0f1c-492a-8ccd-63ec9730573c |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Lang|first1=Hannah|title=US bitcoin ETFs see $4.6B in volume in first day of trading|url=https://www.reuters.com/technology/spot-bitcoin-etfs-start-trading-big-boost-crypto-industry-2024-01-11/|access-date=12 January 2024|work=Reuters|date=11 January 2024|language=en}}</ref> In December 2024, bitcoin price reached $100,000 for the first time, as ] ] promised to make the US the "crypto capital of the planet" and to stockpile bitcoin.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/technology/bitcoin-tops-100000-optimism-over-trump-crypto-plans-2024-12-05/|title=Bitcoin storms above $100,000 as Trump 2.0 fuels crypto euphoria|work=Reuters|date=2024-12-05}}</ref> The same month, ], the world's largest ], recommended investors to allocate up to 2% of their ] to bitcoin.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/markets/us/blackrock-recommends-bitcoin-portfolio-weighting-up-2-interested-investors-2024-12-12/ | title=BlackRock recommends bitcoin portfolio weighting of up to 2% for interested investors|date=2024-12-12|first=Suzanne|last= McGee|work=Reuters}}</ref> | |||
]]] | |||
==Design== | |||
The ''blockchain'' is a public ] that records bitcoin transactions.{{r|econbc}} It is implemented as a chain of blocks, each block containing a hash of the previous block up to the ''genesis block''{{efn|The genesis block is the block number 0. The timestamp of the block is 2009-01-03 18:15:05. This block is unlike all other blocks in that it doesn't have a previous block to reference.}} of the chain. A novel solution accomplishes this without any trusted central authority: the maintenance of the blockchain is performed by a ] of communicating ] running bitcoin software.{{r|"primer"}} Transactions of the form ''payer X sends Y bitcoins to payee Z'' are ] to this network using readily available software applications.<ref>{{cite web |title = Bitcoin Wallet |url = http://www.investopedia.com/terms/b/bitcoin-wallet.asp?layout=infini&v=5A&orig=1&adtest=5A |publisher = Investopedia |accessdate = 28 June 2016 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20160819142658/http://www.investopedia.com/terms/b/bitcoin-wallet.asp?layout=infini&v=5A&orig=1&adtest=5A |archivedate = 19 August 2016 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> Network nodes can validate transactions, add them to their copy of the ledger, and then broadcast these ledger additions to other nodes. The blockchain is a ] – to achieve independent verification of the chain of ownership of any and every bitcoin amount, each network node stores its own copy of the blockchain.<ref name="f_c2">{{cite news |url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/10881213/The-coming-digital-anarchy.html |title = The coming digital anarchy |publisher = Telegraph Media Group Limited |work = The Telegraph |date = 9 June 2014 |accessdate = 7 January 2015 |author = Sparkes, Matthew |location = London |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20150123190900/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/10881213/The-coming-digital-anarchy.html |archivedate = 23 January 2015 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> Approximately once every 10 minutes, a new group of accepted transactions, a block, is created, added to the blockchain, and quickly published to all nodes. This allows bitcoin software to determine when a particular bitcoin amount has been spent, which is necessary in order to prevent ] in an environment without central oversight. Whereas a conventional ledger records the transfers of actual ] or ]s that exist apart from it, the blockchain is the only place that bitcoins can be said to exist in the form of ].<ref name="Antonopoulos2014">{{cite book |author = Andreas M. Antonopoulos |date = April 2014 |isbn = 978-1-4493-7404-4 |publisher = O'Reilly Media |title = Mastering Bitcoin: Unlocking Digital Crypto-Currencies }}</ref>{{rp|ch. 5}} | |||
{{Main|Bitcoin protocol}} | |||
=== |
===Units and divisibility=== | ||
The ] of the bitcoin system is the ''bitcoin''. It is most commonly represented with the ] ₿<ref name="unicode-10" /> and the ] BTC. However, the BTC code does not conform to ] as BT is the country code of Bhutan,<ref name="ssrn.3383734">{{Cite journal |last1=Alexander |first1=Carol |last2=Imeraj |first2=Arben |date=2019 |title=Introducing the BITIX: The Bitcoin Fear Gauge |url=https://www.ssrn.com/abstract=3383734 |journal=] |language=en |doi=10.2139/ssrn.3383734 |issn=1556-5068|quote=XBT satisfies the norm ‘ISO 4217’ by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) as BTC goes against the name of Bhutan’s currency. In general, transaction instruments that are not national currencies, like gold or silver, begin with an X. However, the symbol XBT is not officially recognised by ISO.}}</ref> and ISO 4217 requires the first letter used in global commodities to be 'X'.<ref name="ssrn.3383734"/> XBT, a code that conforms to ] though not officially part of it,<ref name="ssrn.3383734"/> is used by ]<ref>{{Cite news |last=Romain Dillet |date=9 August 2013 |title=Bitcoin Ticker Available On Bloomberg Terminal For Employees |work=] |url=https://techcrunch.com/2013/08/09/bitcoin-ticker-available-on-bloomberg-terminal/ |url-status=live |access-date=2 November 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141101232825/http://techcrunch.com/2013/08/09/bitcoin-ticker-available-on-bloomberg-terminal/ |archive-date=1 November 2014}}</ref> | |||
] | |||
{{See also|Bitcoin network }} | |||
Transactions are defined using a ]-like scripting language.{{r|Antonopoulos2014|p=ch. 5}} Transactions consist of one or more ''inputs'' and one or more ''outputs''. When a user sends bitcoins, the user designates each address and the amount of bitcoin being sent to that address in an output. To prevent double spending, each input must refer to a previous unspent output in the blockchain.<ref name="EconOfBTC">{{cite web |url = http://www.econinfosec.org/archive/weis2013/papers/KrollDaveyFeltenWEIS2013.pdf |title = The Economics of Bitcoin Mining, or Bitcoin in the Presence of Adversaries |work = The Twelfth Workshop on the Economics of Information Security (WEIS 2013) |date = 11–12 June 2013 |accessdate = 26 April 2016 |author1 = Joshua A. Kroll |author2 = Ian C. Davey |author3 = Edward W. Felten |quote = A transaction fee is like a tip or gratuity left for the miner. |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20160509053819/http://www.econinfosec.org/archive/weis2013/papers/KrollDaveyFeltenWEIS2013.pdf |archivedate = 9 May 2016 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> The use of multiple inputs corresponds to the use of multiple coins in a cash transaction. Since transactions can have multiple outputs, users can send bitcoins to multiple recipients in one transaction. As in a cash transaction, the sum of inputs (coins used to pay) can exceed the intended sum of payments. In such a case, an additional output is used, returning the change back to the payer.<ref name="EconOfBTC" /> Any input satoshis not accounted for in the transaction outputs become the transaction fee.<ref name="EconOfBTC" /> | |||
No uniform ] convention exists; some sources use ''Bitcoin'', capitalized, to refer to the technology and ], and ''bitcoin'', lowercase, for the unit of account.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Bustillos, Maria |date=2 April 2013 |title=The Bitcoin Boom |url=https://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/the-bitcoin-boom |url-status=live |magazine=] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140727185121/http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/the-bitcoin-boom |archive-date=27 July 2014 |access-date=22 December 2013}}</ref> The '']'' and the '']'' use the capitalized and lowercase variants without distinction.<ref>, '']''</ref><ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220503092252/http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/bitcoin |date=3 May 2022 }}, '']''</ref> | |||
=== Transaction fees === | |||
One bitcoin is divisible to eight decimal places.<ref name="Antonopoulos2014" />{{rp|ch. 5}} Units for smaller amounts of bitcoin are the millibitcoin (mBTC), equal to {{frac|1|1000}} bitcoin, and the satoshi{{efn|name=satoshi|Named after ]}} (sat), representing {{frac|1|{{val|100000000}}}} (one hundred millionth) bitcoin, the smallest amount possible.<ref name="satoshi unit" /> 100,000 satoshis are one mBTC.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Katie Pisa |last2=Natasha Maguder |date=9 July 2014 |title=Bitcoin your way to a double espresso |work=CNN |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2014/06/18/business/bitcoin-your-way-to-a-double-espresso/ |url-status=live |access-date=23 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150618072429/http://edition.cnn.com/2014/06/18/business/bitcoin-your-way-to-a-double-espresso/ |archive-date=18 June 2015 }}</ref> | |||
] to a hardware wallet.]] | |||
===Blockchain=== | |||
Paying a transaction fee is optional.<ref name="EconOfBTC" /> Miners can choose which transactions to process,<ref name="EconOfBTC" /> and they are incentivised to prioritize those that pay higher fees. | |||
{{further|Blockchain#Structure and design}} | |||
As a ] system, bitcoin operates without a central authority or single administrator,<ref name=Gervais2014>{{Cite journal |last1=Gervais |first1=Arthur |last2=Karame |first2=Ghassan O. |last3=Capkun |first3=Vedran |last4=Capkun |first4=Srdjan |date=May 2014 |title=Is Bitcoin a Decentralized Currency? |url=https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/6824541 |journal=] |volume=12 |issue=3 |pages=54–60 |doi=10.1109/MSP.2014.49 |s2cid=13948781 |issn=1540-7993 |access-date=22 November 2023 |archive-date=19 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231119101600/https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/6824541/ |url-status=live }}</ref> so that anyone can create a new bitcoin address and transact without needing any approval.{{r|Antonopoulos2014|page=ch. 1}} This is accomplished through a specialized ] called a '']'' that records bitcoin transactions.{{r|econbc}} | |||
The blockchain is implemented as an ordered list of ''blocks''. Each block contains a ] ] of the previous block,<ref name="econbc" /> chaining them in chronological order.<ref name="Antonopoulos2014" />{{rp|ch. 7}}<ref name="econbc" /> The blockchain is maintained by a ] network.<ref name=JEP/>{{rp|215–219}} Individual blocks, public addresses, and transactions within blocks are public information, and can be examined using a blockchain explorer.<ref>{{Cite web| url=https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/ir/2021/NIST.IR.8301.pdf| publisher=National Institute of Standards Technology (NIST)| access-date=29 December 2022| title=Blockchain Networks: Token Design and Management Overview| page=32| archive-date=24 December 2022| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221224003108/https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/ir/2021/NIST.IR.8301.pdf| url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
Because the size of mined blocks is capped by the network, miners choose transactions based on the fee paid relative to their storage size, not the absolute amount of money paid as a fee. Thus, fees are generally measured in ''satoshis per byte'', or ''sat/b''. The size of transactions is dependent on the number of inputs used to create the transaction, and the number of outputs.<ref name="Antonopoulos2014" />{{rp|ch. 8}} | |||
Nodes validate and broadcast transactions, each maintaining a copy of the blockchain for ownership verification.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Sparkes, Matthew |date=9 June 2014 |title=The coming digital anarchy |work=The Daily Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/10881213/The-coming-digital-anarchy.html |url-status=live |access-date=7 January 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150123190900/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/10881213/The-coming-digital-anarchy.html |archive-date=23 January 2015}}</ref> A new block is created every 10 minutes on average, updating the blockchain across all nodes without central oversight. This process tracks bitcoin spending, ensuring each bitcoin is ]. Unlike a traditional ledger that tracks physical currency, bitcoins exist digitally as ].<ref name="Antonopoulos2014" />{{rp|ch. 5}} | |||
=== Ownership === | |||
===Addresses and transactions=== | |||
] | |||
] | |||
In the blockchain, bitcoins are linked to specific addresses that are hashes of a ]. Creating an address involves generating a random ] and then computing the corresponding address. This process is almost instant, but the reverse (finding the private key for a given address) is nearly impossible.<ref name="Antonopoulos2014" />{{rp|ch. 4}} Publishing a bitcoin address does not risk its private key, and it is extremely unlikely to accidentally generate a used key with funds. To use bitcoins, owners need their private key to ] transactions, which are verified by the network using the public key, keeping the private key secret.<ref name="Antonopoulos2014" />{{rp|ch. 5}} | |||
Bitcoin transactions use a ]-like ],{{r|Antonopoulos2014|p=ch. 5}} involving one or more inputs and outputs. When sending bitcoins, a user specifies the recipients' addresses and the amount for each output. This allows sending bitcoins to several recipients in a single transaction. To prevent double-spending, each input must refer to a previous unspent output in the blockchain.<ref name="EconOfBTC">{{Cite conference |last1=Kroll |first1=Joshua A. |last2=Davey |first2=Ian C. |last3=Felten |first3=E. |title=The Economics of Bitcoin Mining, or Bitcoin in the Presence of Adversaries |conference=The Twelfth Workshop on the Economics of Information Security (WEIS 2013) |location=Washington, DC|date= 11–12 June 2013|s2cid=2794725 }}</ref> Using multiple inputs is similar to using multiple coins in a cash transaction. As in a cash transaction, the sum of inputs can exceed the intended sum of payments. In such a case, an additional output can return the change back to the payer.<ref name="EconOfBTC" /> Unallocated input satoshis in the transaction become the transaction fee.<ref name="EconOfBTC" /> | |||
In the blockchain, bitcoins are registered to bitcoin addresses. Creating a bitcoin address is nothing more than picking a random valid private key and computing the corresponding bitcoin address. This computation can be done in a split second. But the reverse (computing the private key of a given bitcoin address) is mathematically unfeasible and so users can tell others and make public a bitcoin address without compromising its corresponding private key. Moreover, the number of valid private keys is so vast that it is extremely unlikely someone will compute a key-pair that is already in use and has funds. The vast number of valid private keys makes it unfeasible that brute force could be used for that. To be able to spend the bitcoins, the owner must know the corresponding ] and ] the transaction. The network verifies the signature using the ].<ref name="Antonopoulos2014" />{{rp|ch. 5}} | |||
Losing a private key means losing access to the bitcoins, with no other proof of ownership accepted by the ].<ref name=JEP/> For instance, in 2013, a user lost ₿7,500, valued at US$7.5 million, by accidentally discarding a ] with the private key.<ref>{{Cite news |date=29 November 2013 |title=Man Throws Away 7,500 Bitcoins, Now Worth $7.5 Million |work=CBS DC |url=http://washington.cbslocal.com/2013/11/29/man-throws-away-7500-bitcoins-now-worth-7-5-million/ |url-status=live |access-date=23 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140115062630/http://washington.cbslocal.com/2013/11/29/man-throws-away-7500-bitcoins-now-worth-7-5-million/ |archive-date=15 January 2014}}</ref> It is estimated that around 20% of all bitcoins are lost.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Krause |first=Elliott |date=5 July 2018 |title=A Fifth of All Bitcoin Is Missing. These Crypto Hunters Can Help |work=The Wall Street Journal |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-fifth-of-all-bitcoin-is-missing-these-crypto-hunters-can-help-1530798731 |url-status=live |access-date=8 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180709010939/https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-fifth-of-all-bitcoin-is-missing-these-crypto-hunters-can-help-1530798731 |archive-date=9 July 2018}}</ref> The private key must also be kept secret as its exposure, such as through a ], can lead to theft of the associated bitcoins.<ref name="Antonopoulos2014" />{{rp|ch. 10}}<ref>{{Cite news |last=Jeffries |first=Adrianne |date=19 December 2013 |title=How to steal Bitcoin in three easy steps |work=The Verge |url=https://www.theverge.com/2013/12/19/5183356/how-to-steal-bitcoin-in-three-easy-steps |url-status=live |access-date=17 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190727141228/https://www.theverge.com/2013/12/19/5183356/how-to-steal-bitcoin-in-three-easy-steps |archive-date=27 July 2019}}</ref> {{As of|2017|12}}, approximately ₿980,000 had been stolen from ]s.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Harney |first1=Alexandra |last2=Stecklow |first2=Steve |date=16 November 2017 |title=Twice burned – How Mt. Gox's bitcoin customers could lose again |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/bitcoin-gox/ |url-status=live |access-date=6 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190829052101/https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/bitcoin-gox/ |archive-date=29 August 2019}}</ref> | |||
=== |
===Mining=== | ||
{{See also|Bitcoin protocol#Mining}} | |||
] | |||
] with large amounts of mining hardware]] | |||
The mining process in bitcoin involves maintaining the blockchain through computer ]. Miners group and broadcast new transactions into blocks, which are then verified by the network.<ref name="econbc">{{Cite news |date=31 October 2015 |title=The great chain of being sure about things |newspaper=The Economist |url=https://www.economist.com/briefing/2015/10/31/the-great-chain-of-being-sure-about-things |access-date=22 November 2023 |archive-date=4 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231204154941/https://www.economist.com/briefing/2015/10/31/the-great-chain-of-being-sure-about-things |url-status=live }}</ref> Each block must contain a proof of work (PoW) to be accepted,<ref name="econbc" /> involving finding a ] number that, combined with the block content, produces a ] numerically smaller than the network's ''difficulty target''.<ref name="Antonopoulos2014" />{{rp|ch. 8}} This PoW is simple to verify but hard to generate, requiring many attempts.<ref name="Antonopoulos2014" />{{rp|ch. 8}} PoW forms the basis of bitcoin's ].<ref name=Mingxiao2017>{{Cite conference |last1=Mingxiao |first1=Du |last2=Xiaofeng |first2=Ma |last3=Zhe |first3=Zhang |last4=Xiangwei |first4=Wang |last5=Qijun |first5=Chen |date=5–8 October 2017 |title=A review on consensus algorithm of blockchain |url=https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8123011 |publisher=IEEE |pages=2567–2572 |doi=10.1109/SMC.2017.8123011 |isbn=978-1-5386-1645-1 |conference=2017 IEEE International Conference on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics (SMC) |location=Banff, AB, Canada |access-date=29 November 2023 |archive-date=24 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231124215821/http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8123011 |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
The difficulty of generating a block is ] based on the ] by changing the difficulty target, which is recalibrated every 2,016 blocks (approximately two weeks) to maintain an average time of ten minutes between new blocks. The process requires significant computational power and specialized ].<ref name="Antonopoulos2014" />{{rp|ch. 8}}<ref>{{cite news |date=4 January 2014 |url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/biz/archives/2014/01/04/2003580449 |title=Bitcoin boom benefiting TSMC: report |newspaper=] |access-date=22 October 2021 |archive-date=29 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230129102127/https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/biz/archives/2014/01/04/2003580449 |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
] of relative mining difficulty{{efn|Relative mining difficulty is defined as the ratio of the difficulty target on 9 January 2009 to the current difficulty target.}}<ref name="Blockchain.info">{{cite web |url = https://blockchain.info/charts |title = Charts |accessdate = 2 November 2014 |publisher = ] |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20141103020741/http://blockchain.info/charts |archivedate = 3 November 2014 |df = dmy-all }}</ref>]] | |||
Miners who successfully find a new block can collect transaction fees from the included transactions and a set reward in bitcoins.<ref name="bloombergvance111413">{{Cite magazine |last=Ashlee |first= Vance |author-link=Ashlee Vance |date=14 November 2013 |title=2014 Outlook: Bitcoin Mining Chips, a High-Tech Arms Race |url=http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-11-14/2014-outlook-bitcoin-mining-chips-a-high-tech-arms-race |url-status=dead |magazine=] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131121225123/http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-11-14/2014-outlook-bitcoin-mining-chips-a-high-tech-arms-race |archive-date=21 November 2013 |access-date=24 November 2013}}</ref> To claim this reward, a special transaction called a ''coinbase'' is included in the block, with the miner as the payee. All bitcoins in existence have been created through this type of transaction.<ref name="Antonopoulos2014" />{{rp|ch. 8}} This reward is halved every 210,000 blocks until ₿21 million,{{efn|name=supply|The exact number is ₿20,999,999.9769.{{r|Antonopoulos2014|page=ch. 8}}}} with new bitcoin issuance slated to end around 2140. Afterward, miners will only earn from transaction fees. These fees are determined by the transaction's size and the amount of data stored, measured in satoshis per byte.<ref>{{cite news |first1=Ritchie S. |last1=King |first2=Sam |last2=Williams |first3=David |last3=Yanofsky |date=17 December 2013 |title=By reading this article, you're mining bitcoins |url=http://qz.com/154877/by-reading-this-page-you-are-mining-bitcoins |work=] |access-date=17 December 2013 |archive-date=17 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131217221429/http://qz.com/154877/by-reading-this-page-you-are-mining-bitcoins/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="EconOfBTC" /><ref name="Antonopoulos2014" />{{rp|ch. 8}} | |||
''Mining'' is a record-keeping service done through the use of computer ].{{efn|It is misleading to think that there is an analogy between gold mining and bitcoin mining. The fact is that gold miners are rewarded for producing gold, while bitcoin miners are not rewarded for producing bitcoins; they are rewarded for their record-keeping services.<ref name="Andolfatto2014-03">{{cite web |url = http://www.stlouisfed.org/dialogue-with-the-fed/assets/Bitcoin-3-31-14.pdf |title = Bitcoin and Beyond: The Possibilities and Pitfalls of Virtual Currencies |publisher = Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis |work = Dialogue with the Fed |date = 31 March 2014 |accessdate = 16 April 2014 |author = Andolfatto, David |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20140409044505/http://www.stlouisfed.org/dialogue-with-the-fed/assets/Bitcoin-3-31-14.pdf |archivedate = 9 April 2014 |df = dmy-all }}</ref>}} Miners keep the blockchain consistent, complete, and unalterable by repeatedly grouping newly broadcast transactions into a ''block'', which is then broadcast to the network and verified by recipient nodes.<ref name="econbc">{{cite news |title = The great chain of being sure about things |url = https://www.economist.com/news/briefing/21677228-technology-behind-bitcoin-lets-people-who-do-not-know-or-trust-each-other-build-dependable |accessdate = 3 July 2016 |work = The Economist |publisher = The Economist Newspaper Limited |date = 31 October 2015 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20160703000844/http://www.economist.com/news/briefing/21677228-technology-behind-bitcoin-lets-people-who-do-not-know-or-trust-each-other-build-dependable |archivedate = 3 July 2016 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> Each block contains a ] ] of the previous block,<ref name="econbc" /> thus linking it to the previous block and giving the blockchain its name.<ref name="Antonopoulos2014" />{{rp|ch. 7}}<ref name="econbc" /> | |||
The proof of work system and the chaining of blocks make blockchain modifications very difficult, as altering one block requires changing all subsequent blocks. As more blocks are added, modifying older blocks becomes increasingly challenging.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hampton |first=Nikolai |date=5 September 2016 |title=Understanding the blockchain hype: Why much of it is nothing more than snake oil and spin |work=] |url=http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/606253/understanding-blockchain-hype-why-much-it-nothing-more-than-snake-oil-spin/ |url-status=live |access-date=5 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160906171838/http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/606253/understanding-blockchain-hype-why-much-it-nothing-more-than-snake-oil-spin/ |archive-date=6 September 2016}}</ref><ref name="econbc" /> In case of disagreement, nodes trust the longest chain, which required the greatest amount of effort to produce.<ref name=Mingxiao2017/> To tamper or censor the ledger, one needs to control the majority of the global ].<ref name=Mingxiao2017/> The high cost required to reach this level of computational power ] the bitcoin blockchain.<ref name=Mingxiao2017/> | |||
To be accepted by the rest of the network, a new block must contain a so-called '']'' (PoW).<ref name="econbc" /> The system used is based on ]'s 1997 anti-] scheme, ].<ref name="paper" /><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Blocki|first1=Jeremiah|last2=Zhou|first2=Hong-Sheng|title=Designing Proof of Human-Work Puzzles for Cryptocurrency and Beyond|journal=Theory of Cryptography|date=1 January 2016|volume=9986|pages=517–546|doi=10.1007/978-3-662-53644-5_20|url=https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007%2F978-3-662-53644-5_20|accessdate=4 February 2018|publisher=Springer Berlin Heidelberg|series=Lecture Notes in Computer Science|isbn=978-3-662-53643-8}}</ref> The PoW requires miners to find a number called a '']'', such that when the block content is ] along with the nonce, the result is numerically smaller than the network's ''difficulty target''.<ref name="Antonopoulos2014" />{{rp|ch. 8}} This proof is easy for any node in the network to verify, but extremely time-consuming to generate, as for a secure cryptographic hash, miners must try many different nonce values (usually the sequence of tested values is the ascending natural numbers: 0, 1, 2, 3, ...<ref name="Antonopoulos2014" />{{rp|ch. 8}}) before meeting the difficulty target. | |||
] is controversial and has attracted the attention of regulators, ].<ref name=Stoll2023>{{Cite report |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep51839 |title=Climate Impacts of Bitcoin Mining in the U.S. |last1=Stoll |first1=Christian |last2=Klaaßen |first2=Lena |date=June 2023 |publisher=MIT Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research |last3=Gallersdörfer |first3=Ulrich |last4=Neumüller |first4=Alexander |series=Working Paper Series |access-date=24 November 2023 |archive-date=18 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231118132421/https://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep51839 |url-status=live }}</ref> {{As of|2022}}, a ] study by the ] (CCAF) estimated that bitcoin mining represented {{sigfig|0.38|1}}% of ].<ref name=Messina2023>{{Cite web |last=Messina |first=Irene |date=31 August 2023 |title=Bitcoin electricity consumption: an improved assessment |url=https://www.jbs.cam.ac.uk/2023/bitcoin-electricity-consumption |access-date=7 September 2023 |website=] |language=en-GB |archive-date=7 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230907181818/https://www.jbs.cam.ac.uk/2023/bitcoin-electricity-consumption/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Another 2022 non-peer-reviewed commentary published in '']'' estimated that bitcoin mining was responsible for {{sigfig|0.19|1}}% of world greenhouse gas emissions.<ref name= deVries2022>{{Cite journal |last1=de Vries |first1=Alex |last2=Gallersdörfer |first2=Ulrich |last3=Klaaßen |first3=Lena |last4=Stoll |first4=Christian |date=16 March 2022 |title=Revisiting Bitcoin's carbon footprint |journal=] |volume=6 |issue=3 |page=499 |doi=10.1016/j.joule.2022.02.005 |s2cid=247143939 |issn=2542-4351|doi-access=free |bibcode=2022Joule...6..498D }}</ref> About half of the electricity used is generated through ]s.<ref name=NYT20220116>{{Cite news |last1=Huang |first1=Jon |last2=O'Neill |first2=Claire |last3=Tabuchi |first3=Hiroko |date=3 September 2021 |title=Bitcoin Uses More Electricity Than Many Countries. How Is That Possible? |work=] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/09/03/climate/bitcoin-carbon-footprint-electricity.html |issn=0362-4331 |access-date=16 January 2022 |archive-date=17 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230217105559/https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/09/03/climate/bitcoin-carbon-footprint-electricity.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Moreover, mining hardware's short lifespan results in ].<ref name=deVries2021/> The amount of electrical energy consumed, and the e-waste generated, is comparable to that of Greece and the Netherlands, respectively.<ref name=deVries2021>{{Cite journal |last1=de Vries |first1=Alex |last2=Stoll |first2=Christian |date=December 2021 |title=Bitcoin's growing e-waste problem |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921344921005103 |journal=Resources, Conservation and Recycling |volume=175 |page=105901 |doi=10.1016/j.resconrec.2021.105901 |bibcode=2021RCR...17505901D |s2cid=240585651 |issn=0921-3449 |access-date=24 November 2023 |archive-date=23 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211123145025/https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0921344921005103 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name= deVries2022/> | |||
Every 2,016 blocks (approximately 14 days at roughly 10 min per block), the difficulty target is adjusted based on the network's recent performance, with the aim of keeping the average time between new blocks at ten minutes. In this way the system automatically adapts to the total amount of mining power on the network.<ref name="Antonopoulos2014" />{{rp|ch. 8}} Between 1 March 2014 and 1 March 2015, the average number of nonces miners had to try before creating a new block increased from 16.4 quintillion to 200.5 quintillion.<ref name="diffhistory">{{cite web |url = https://blockchain.info/charts/difficulty?timespan=all&showDataPoints=false&daysAverageString=1&show_header=true&scale=0&address= |title = Difficulty History |publisher = Blockchain.info |accessdate = 26 March 2015 |type = The ratio of all hashes over valid hashes is D x 4,295,032,833, where D is the published "Difficulty" figure. |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20150408212548/https://blockchain.info/charts/difficulty?timespan=all&showDataPoints=false&daysAverageString=1&show_header=true&scale=0&address= |archivedate = 8 April 2015 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> | |||
===Privacy and fungibility=== | |||
The proof-of-work system, alongside the chaining of blocks, makes modifications of the blockchain extremely hard, as an attacker must modify all subsequent blocks in order for the modifications of one block to be accepted.<ref>{{cite news |last1 = Hampton |first1 = Nikolai |title = Understanding the blockchain hype: Why much of it is nothing more than snake oil and spin |url = http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/606253/understanding-blockchain-hype-why-much-it-nothing-more-than-snake-oil-spin/ |accessdate = 5 September 2016 |work = Computerworld |publisher = IDG |date = 5 September 2016 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20160906171838/http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/606253/understanding-blockchain-hype-why-much-it-nothing-more-than-snake-oil-spin/ |archivedate = 6 September 2016 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> As new blocks are mined all the time, the difficulty of modifying a block increases as time passes and the number of subsequent blocks (also called ''confirmations'' of the given block) increases.<ref name="econbc" /> | |||
Bitcoin is ]ous, with funds linked to addresses, not real-world identities. While the owners of these addresses are not directly identified, all transactions are public on the blockchain. Patterns of use, like spending coins from multiple inputs, can hint at a common owner. Public data can sometimes be matched with known address owners.<ref>{{cite news |last=Simonite |first=Tom |date=5 September 2013 |title=Mapping the Bitcoin Economy Could Reveal Users' Identities |url=https://www.technologyreview.com/2013/09/05/176558/mapping-the-bitcoin-economy-could-reveal-users-identities/ |access-date=2 April 2014 |work=] |archive-date=27 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200927062235/https://www.technologyreview.com/2013/09/05/176558/mapping-the-bitcoin-economy-could-reveal-users-identities/ |url-status=live }}</ref> ] might also need to collect personal data as per legal requirements.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lee, Timothy |date=21 August 2013 |title=Five surprising facts about Bitcoin |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2013/08/21/five-surprising-facts-about-bitcoin-2 |access-date=21 November 2023 |archive-date=9 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220709135222/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2013/08/21/five-surprising-facts-about-bitcoin-2/ |url-status=live }}</ref> For enhanced ], users can generate a new address for each transaction.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=McMillan, Robert |date=6 June 2013 |title=How Bitcoin lets you spy on careless companies |url=https://www.wired.com/2013/06/bitcoin-retai/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140209202222/http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2013-06/06/bitcoin-retail |archive-date=9 February 2014 |access-date=3 April 2020 |magazine=] }}</ref> | |||
In the bitcoin network, each bitcoin is treated equally, ensuring basic ]. However, users and applications can choose to differentiate between bitcoins. While wallets and software treat all bitcoins the same, each bitcoin's transaction history is recorded on the blockchain. This public record allows for ], where users can identify and potentially reject bitcoins from controversial sources.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Anderson |first1=Ross |last2=Shumailov |first2=Ilia |last3=Ahmed |first3=Mansoor |title=Security Protocols XXVI |chapter=Making Bitcoin Legal |series=Lecture Notes in Computer Science |date=24 November 2018 |volume=11286 |chapter-url=https://www.research.ed.ac.uk/en/publications/making-bitcoin-legal |language=en |publisher=Springer |pages=243–253 |doi=10.1007/978-3-030-03251-7_29 |isbn=978-3-030-03250-0 |editor-last=Matyáš |editor-first=Vashek |editor2-last=Švenda |editor2-first=Petr |editor3-last=Stajano |editor3-first=Frank |editor4-last=Christianson |editor4-first=Bruce |access-date=24 November 2023 |archive-date=24 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231124165246/https://www.research.ed.ac.uk/en/publications/making-bitcoin-legal |url-status=live }}</ref> For example, in 2012, Mt. Gox froze accounts containing bitcoins identified as stolen.<ref>{{Cite conference |last1=Möser |first1=Malte |last2=Böhme |first2=Rainer |last3=Breuker |first3=Dominic |year=2013 |title=An Inquiry into Money Laundering Tools in the Bitcoin Ecosystem |url=https://maltemoeser.de/paper/money-laundering.pdf |conference=2013 APWG eCrime Researchers Summit |publisher=] |isbn=978-1-4799-1158-5 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180626110754/https://maltemoeser.de/paper/money-laundering.pdf |archive-date=26 June 2018 |access-date=19 June 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
==== Pooled mining ==== | |||
===Wallets=== | |||
{{Main|Mining pool}} | |||
Computing power is often bundled together or "pooled" to reduce variance in miner income. Individual mining rigs often have to wait for long periods to confirm a block of transactions and receive payment. In a pool, all participating miners get paid every time a participating server solves a block. This payment depends on the amount of work an individual miner contributed to help find that block.<ref name=Techcrunch12>{{cite web|last=Biggs|first=John|title=How To Mine Bitcoins|url=https://techcrunch.com/2013/04/08/how-to-mine-bitcoins/|publisher=Techcrunch|date=8 April 2013|deadurl=no|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170706132517/https://techcrunch.com/2013/04/08/how-to-mine-bitcoins/|archivedate=6 July 2017|df=dmy-all}}</ref> | |||
=== Supply === | |||
] | |||
The successful miner finding the new block is rewarded with newly created bitcoins and transaction fees.<ref name="bloombergvance111413">{{cite web |url = http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-11-14/2014-outlook-bitcoin-mining-chips-a-high-tech-arms-race |title = 2014 Outlook: Bitcoin Mining Chips, a High-Tech Arms Race |publisher = Businessweek |date = 14 November 2013 |author = Ashlee Vance |accessdate = 24 November 2013 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20131121225123/http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-11-14/2014-outlook-bitcoin-mining-chips-a-high-tech-arms-race |archivedate = 21 November 2013 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> {{as of|2016|07|09}},<ref name="BlockChain.info">{{cite web |url = https://blockchain.info/block/000000000000000002cce816c0ab2c5c269cb081896b7dcb34b8422d6b74ffa1 |title = Block #420000 |publisher = Blockchain.info |accessdate = 11 September 2016 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20160918115932/https://blockchain.info/block/000000000000000002cce816c0ab2c5c269cb081896b7dcb34b8422d6b74ffa1 |archivedate = 18 September 2016 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> the reward amounted to 12.5 newly created bitcoins per block added to the blockchain. To claim the reward, a special transaction called a ''coinbase'' is included with the processed payments.<ref name="Antonopoulos2014" />{{rp|ch. 8}} All bitcoins in existence have been created in such coinbase transactions. The ] specifies that the reward for adding a block will be halved every 210,000 blocks (approximately every four years). Eventually, the reward will decrease to zero, and the limit of 21 million bitcoins{{efn|The exact number is 20,999,999.9769 bitcoins.{{r|Antonopoulos2014|page=ch. 8}}}} will be reached ] 2140; the record keeping will then be rewarded by transaction fees solely.<ref name="KWY">{{cite web |url = http://qz.com/154877/by-reading-this-page-you-are-mining-bitcoins/ |title = By reading this article, you're mining bitcoins |publisher = Atlantic Media Co |work = qz.com |date = 17 December 2013 |accessdate = 17 December 2013 |author1 = Ritchie S. King |author2 = Sam Williams |author3 = David Yanofsky |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20131217221429/http://qz.com/154877/by-reading-this-page-you-are-mining-bitcoins/ |archivedate = 17 December 2013 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> | |||
In other words, bitcoin's inventor Nakamoto set a ] based on ] at bitcoin's inception that there would only ever be 21 million bitcoins in total. Their numbers are being released roughly every ten minutes and the rate at which they are generated would drop by half every four years until all were in ].<ref>{{cite news |last1 = Shin |first1 = Laura |title = Bitcoin Production Will Drop By Half In July, How Will That Affect The Price? |url = https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2016/05/24/bitcoin-production-will-drop-by-half-in-july-how-will-that-affect-the-price/#79bdaa0999e1 |accessdate = 13 July 2016 |work = Forbes |date = 24 May 2016 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20160524141916/http://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2016/05/24/bitcoin-production-will-drop-by-half-in-july-how-will-that-affect-the-price/#79bdaa0999e1 |archivedate = 24 May 2016 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> | |||
=== Wallets === | |||
{{Broader|Cryptocurrency wallet}} | {{Broader|Cryptocurrency wallet}} | ||
{{multiple image | |||
| total_width = 600 | |||
| align = center | |||
| image1 = Bitcoin-core-v0.10.0.png | |||
| caption1 = Screenshot of ] | |||
| image2 = Sample Bitcoin paper wallet.png | |||
| caption2 = A paper wallet with the address as a ] while the private key is hidden | |||
| image3 = 10elqpi.jpg | |||
| caption3 = A hardware wallet which processes bitcoin transactions without exposing private keys | |||
}} | |||
Bitcoin wallets were the first ]s, enabling users to store the information necessary to transact bitcoins.<ref>{{cite news |first1=Adam |last1=Serwer |first2=Dana|last2= Liebelson |date=10 April 2013 |title=Bitcoin, Explained |url=https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/04/what-is-bitcoin-explained |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140427022315/https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/04/what-is-bitcoin-explained |archive-date=27 April 2014 |access-date=26 April 2014 |work=]}}</ref>{{r|Antonopoulos2014|p=ch. 1, glossary}} The first wallet program, simply named ''Bitcoin'', and sometimes referred to as the ''Satoshi client'', was released in 2009 by Nakamoto as ].<ref name="NY2011" /> ] is among the best known ]. ] of Bitcoin Core exist such as ].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Vigna |first=Paul |date=17 January 2016 |title=Is Bitcoin Breaking Up? |work=The Wall Street Journal |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/is-bitcoin-breaking-up-1453044493 |url-status=live |access-date=8 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160820144312/http://www.wsj.com/articles/is-bitcoin-breaking-up-1453044493 |archive-date=20 August 2016}}</ref> Wallets can be full clients, with a full copy of the blockchain to check the validity of mined blocks,{{r|Antonopoulos2014|p=ch. 1}} or lightweight clients, just to send and receive transactions without a local copy of the entire blockchain.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Gervais |first1=Arthur |last2=Capkun |first2=Srdjan |last3=Karame |first3=Ghassan O. |last4=Gruber |first4=Damian |title=Proceedings of the 30th Annual Computer Security Applications Conference |chapter=On the privacy provisions of Bloom filters in lightweight bitcoin clients |date=8 December 2014 |chapter-url=https://doi.org/10.1145/2664243.2664267 |series=ACSAC '14 |location=New York, NY, USA |publisher=Association for Computing Machinery |pages=326–335 |doi=10.1145/2664243.2664267 |isbn=978-1-4503-3005-3 |s2cid=9161497 |access-date=22 November 2023 |archive-date=21 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240421113526/https://consent.cookiebot.com/uc.js |url-status=live }}</ref> Third-party internet services called online wallets store users' credentials on their servers, making them susceptible of hacks.<ref>{{Cite news |first=Bill |last=Barhydt |date=4 June 2014 |title=3 reasons Wall Street can't stay away from bitcoin |publisher=CNBC |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2014/06/04/3-reasons-wall-street-cant-stay-away-from-bitcoin.html |access-date=22 November 2023 |archive-date=4 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231204140256/https://www.cnbc.com/2014/06/04/3-reasons-wall-street-cant-stay-away-from-bitcoin.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Cold storage protects bitcoins from such hacks by keeping private keys offline, either through specialized hardware wallets or paper printouts.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Roberts |first=Daniel |date=15 December 2017 |title=How to send bitcoin to a hardware wallet |work=Yahoo Finance |url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/send-bitcoin-hardware-wallet-140141385.html |url-status=live |access-date=17 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180217142235/https://finance.yahoo.com/news/send-bitcoin-hardware-wallet-140141385.html |archive-date=17 February 2018}}</ref><ref name="Antonopoulos2014" />{{rp|ch. 4}} | |||
=== Scalability and decentralization challenges === | |||
] wallet GUI]] | |||
Nakamoto limited the block size to one ].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mike Orcutt |date=19 May 2015 |title=Leaderless Bitcoin Struggles to Make Its Most Crucial Decision |work=MIT Technology Review |url=https://www.technologyreview.com/s/537486/leaderless-bitcoin-struggles-to-make-its-most-crucial-decision/ |access-date=15 November 2016 |archive-date=18 October 2017 |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20171018075515/https://www.technologyreview.com/s/537486/leaderless-bitcoin-struggles-to-make-its-most-crucial-decision/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The limited block size and frequency can lead to delayed processing of transactions, increased fees and a ].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Orcutt |first=Mike |date=19 May 2015 |title=Leaderless Bitcoin Struggles to Make Its Most Crucial Decision |work=MIT Technology Review |url=https://www.technologyreview.com/s/537486/leaderless-bitcoin-struggles-to-make-its-most-crucial-decision/ |url-status=live |access-date=22 June 2017 |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20171018075515/https://www.technologyreview.com/s/537486/leaderless-bitcoin-struggles-to-make-its-most-crucial-decision/ |archive-date=18 October 2017}}</ref> The ], ] ] network, is a potential scaling solution.<ref name="Antonopoulos2014"/>{{rp|ch. 8}} | |||
] | |||
A ''wallet'' stores the information necessary to transact bitcoins. While wallets are often described as a place to hold<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/04/what-is-bitcoin-explained |title = Bitcoin, Explained |publisher = Mother Jones |work = motherjones.com |date = 10 April 2013 |accessdate = 26 April 2014 |author1 = Adam Serwer |author2 = Dana Liebelson |lastauthoramp = yes |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20140427022315/http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/04/what-is-bitcoin-explained |archivedate = 27 April 2014 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> or store bitcoins,<ref name=3ceos /> due to the nature of the system, bitcoins are inseparable from the blockchain transaction ledger. A better way to describe a wallet is something that "stores the digital credentials for your bitcoin holdings"<ref name=3ceos>{{cite news |url = https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnvillasenor/2014/04/26/secure-bitcoin-storage-a-qa-with-three-bitcoin-company-ceos/ |title = Secure Bitcoin Storage: A Q&A With Three Bitcoin Company CEOs |publisher = Forbes |work = forbes.com |date = 26 April 2014 |accessdate = 26 April 2014 |author = Villasenor, John |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20140427011731/http://www.forbes.com/sites/johnvillasenor/2014/04/26/secure-bitcoin-storage-a-qa-with-three-bitcoin-company-ceos/ |archivedate = 27 April 2014 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> and allows one to access (and spend) them. Bitcoin uses ], in which two cryptographic keys, one public and one private, are generated.<ref name="Economist113013Pressure">{{cite news |url = https://www.economist.com/news/technology-quarterly/21590766-virtual-currency-it-mathematically-elegant-increasingly-popular-and-highly |title = Bitcoin: Bitcoin under pressure |work = The Economist |date = 30 November 2013 |accessdate = 30 November 2013 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20131130032403/http://www.economist.com/news/technology-quarterly/21590766-virtual-currency-it-mathematically-elegant-increasingly-popular-and-highly |archivedate = 30 November 2013 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> At its most basic, a wallet is a collection of these keys. | |||
There are three modes which wallets can operate in. They have an inverse relationship with regards to trustlessness and computational requirements. | |||
* ''Full clients'' verify transactions directly by downloading a full copy of the blockchain (over 150 GB {{as of|2018|January}}).<ref>{{cite web|title=Blockchain Size|url=https://blockchain.info/charts/blocks-size|website=Blockchain.info|accessdate=16 January 2018|deadurl=no|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170527050820/https://blockchain.info/charts/blocks-size|archivedate=27 May 2017|df=dmy-all}}</ref> They are the most secure and reliable way of using the network, as trust in external parties is not required. Full clients check the validity of mined blocks, preventing them from transacting on a chain that breaks or alters network rules.<ref>{{cite web |last1 = Torpey |first1 = Kyle |title = You Really Should Run a Bitcoin Full Node: Here's Why |url = https://bitcoinmagazine.com/articles/you-really-should-run-full-bitcoin-node-heres-why/ |website = Bitcoin Magazine |accessdate = 29 November 2017 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20170703210734/https://bitcoinmagazine.com/articles/you-really-should-run-full-bitcoin-node-heres-why/ |archivedate = 3 July 2017 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> Because of its size and complexity, downloading and verifying the entire blockchain is not suitable for all computing devices. | |||
* ''Lightweight clients'' consult full clients to send and receive transactions without requiring a local copy of the entire blockchain (see ] – SPV). This makes lightweight clients much faster to set up and allows them to be used on low-power, low-bandwidth devices such as smartphones. When using a lightweight wallet, however, the user must trust the server to a certain degree, as it can report faulty values back to the user. Lightweight clients follow the longest blockchain and do not ensure it is valid, requiring trust in miners.<ref name="LBC">{{cite web |last1 = Gervais |first1 = Arthur |last2 = O. Karame |first2 = Ghassan |last3 = Gruber |first3 = Damian |last4 = Capkun |first4 = Srdjan |title = On the Privacy Provisions of Bloom Filters in Lightweight Bitcoin Clients |url = https://eprint.iacr.org/2014/763.pdf |accessdate = 3 September 2016 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20161005045518/https://eprint.iacr.org/2014/763.pdf |archivedate = 5 October 2016 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> | |||
Third-party internet services called ''online wallets'' offer similar functionality but may be easier to use. In this case, credentials to access funds are stored with the online wallet provider rather than on the user's hardware.<ref>{{cite news |title = Be Your Own Bank: Bitcoin Wallet for Apple |url = https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonmatonis/2012/04/26/be-your-own-bank-bitcoin-wallet-for-apple/ |author = Jon Matonis |date = 26 April 2012 |accessdate = 17 November 2014 |publisher = Forbes |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20141012002316/http://www.forbes.com/sites/jonmatonis/2012/04/26/be-your-own-bank-bitcoin-wallet-for-apple/ |archivedate = 12 October 2014 |df = dmy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author1 = Bill Barhydt |title = 3 reasons Wall Street can't stay away from bitcoin |url = https://www.cnbc.com/id/101711220 |accessdate = 2 April 2015 |publisher = NBCUniversal |date = 4 June 2014 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20150403052101/http://www.cnbc.com/id/101711220 |archivedate = 3 April 2015 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> As a result, the user must have complete trust in the wallet provider. A malicious provider or a breach in server security may cause entrusted bitcoins to be stolen. An example of such a security breach occurred with ] in 2011.<ref name="mtgoxdetails">{{cite web |url = http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-26420932 |title = MtGox gives bankruptcy details |publisher = BBC |work = bbc.com |date = 4 March 2014 |accessdate = 13 March 2014 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20140312001338/http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-26420932 |archivedate = 12 March 2014 }}</ref> This has led to the often-repeated meme "Not your keys, not your bitcoin".<ref>{{cite web|title=Antonopoulos: Your Keys, Your Bitcoin. Not Your Keys, Not Your Bitcoin|url=https://cointelegraph.com/news/antonopoulos-your-keys-your-bitcoin-not-your-keys-not-your-bitcoin|website=Cointelegraph|accessdate=16 February 2018}}</ref> | |||
] | |||
] | |||
''Physical wallets'' store offline the credentials necessary to spend bitcoins.<ref name=3ceos /> One notable example was a novelty coin with these credentials printed on the reverse side.<ref name="theverge">{{cite web |last = Staff |first = Verge |url = https://www.theverge.com/2013/12/13/5207256/casascius-maker-of-shiny-physical-bitcoins-shut-down-by-treasury |title = Casascius, maker of shiny physical bitcoins, shut down by Treasury Department |publisher = The Verge |date = 13 December 2013 |accessdate = 10 January 2014 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20140110010445/http://www.theverge.com/2013/12/13/5207256/casascius-maker-of-shiny-physical-bitcoins-shut-down-by-treasury |archivedate = 10 January 2014 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> ''Paper wallets'' are simply paper printouts. | |||
Another type of wallet called a ''hardware wallet'' keeps credentials offline while facilitating transactions.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Roberts|first1=Daniel|title=How to send bitcoin to a hardware wallet|url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/send-bitcoin-hardware-wallet-140141385.html|accessdate=17 February 2018|work=Yahoo Finance|date=15 December 2017}}</ref> | |||
=== Implementations === | |||
{{further|Bitcoin Core}} | |||
The first wallet program – simply named "Bitcoin" – was released in 2009 by ] as ] code.<ref name="NY2011" /> In version 0.5 the client moved from the ] user interface toolkit to ], and the whole bundle was referred to as "Bitcoin-Qt".<ref name="Bitcoin Clients">{{Cite thesis |url = http://publications.theseus.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/47166/Skudnov_Rostislav.pdf?sequence=1 |first = Rostislav |last = Skudnov |title = Bitcoin Clients |type = Bachelor's Thesis |year = 2012 |publisher = ] |accessdate = 16 January 2014 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20140118104507/http://publications.theseus.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/47166/Skudnov_Rostislav.pdf?sequence=1 |archivedate = 18 January 2014 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> After the release of version 0.9, the software bundle was renamed "Bitcoin Core" to distinguish itself from the underlying network.<ref>{{cite web |title = Bitcoin Core version 0.9.0 released |url = https://bitcoin.org/en/release/v0.9.0 |website = bitcoin.org |accessdate = 8 January 2015 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20150227213613/https://bitcoin.org/en/release/v0.9.0 |archivedate = 27 February 2015 |df = dmy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1 = Metz |first1 = Cade |title = The Bitcoin Schism Shows the Genius of Open Source |url = https://www.wired.com/2015/08/bitcoin-schism-shows-genius-open-source/ |accessdate = 3 July 2016 |work = Wired |publisher = Condé Nast |date = 19 August 2015 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20160630230101/http://www.wired.com/2015/08/bitcoin-schism-shows-genius-open-source |archivedate = 30 June 2016 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> It is sometimes referred to as the "Satoshi client". | |||
While a decentralized system cannot have an "official" implementation, Bitcoin Core is considered by some to be bitcoin's preferred implementation.<ref>{{cite web|title=Who Funds Bitcoin Core Development? How the Industry Supports Bitcoin's 'Reference Client'|url=https://www.nasdaq.com/article/who-funds-bitcoin-core-development-how-the-industry-supports-bitcoins-reference-client-cm602664|website=NASDAQ.com|accessdate=16 February 2018|date=6 April 2016}}</ref> Today, other alternative clients (] of Bitcoin Core) exist, such as ], ],<ref name="breakingup">{{cite news |last1 = Vigna |first1 = Paul |title = Is Bitcoin Breaking Up? |url = https://www.wsj.com/articles/is-bitcoin-breaking-up-1453044493 |accessdate = 8 November 2016 |work = The Wall Street Journal |date = 17 January 2016 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20160820144312/http://www.wsj.com/articles/is-bitcoin-breaking-up-1453044493 |archivedate = 20 August 2016 |df = dmy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1 = Bajpai |first1 = Prableen |title = What Is Bitcoin Unlimited? |url = http://www.investopedia.com/news/what-bitcoin-unlimited/ |accessdate = 8 November 2016 |publisher = Investopedia, LLC |date = 26 October 2016 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20161109021428/http://www.investopedia.com/news/what-bitcoin-unlimited/ |archivedate = 9 November 2016 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> and Parity Bitcoin.<ref>{{cite news |last1 = Allison |first1 = Ian |title = Ethereum co-founder Dr Gavin Wood and company release Parity Bitcoin |url = http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/ethereum-co-founder-dr-gavin-wood-company-release-parity-bitcoin-1619025 |accessdate = 28 April 2017 |work = International Business Times |date = 28 April 2017 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20170428032027/http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/ethereum-co-founder-dr-gavin-wood-company-release-parity-bitcoin-1619025 |archivedate = 28 April 2017 }}</ref> | |||
=== Decentralization === | |||
Bitcoin was designed not to need a central authority{{r|paper}} and the bitcoin network is considered to be decentralized.{{r|primer}}{{r|JSC}}<ref name="ieeesurvey">{{cite journal |last1 = Tschorsch |first1 = Florian |last2 = Scheuermann |first2 = Björn |title = Bitcoin and Beyond: A Technical Survey on Decentralized Digital Currencies |journal = IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials |volume = 18 |issue = 3 |pages = 2084–2123 |url = http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7423672/?reload=true |accessdate = 24 October 2017 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20171024161444/http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7423672/?reload=true |archivedate = 24 October 2017 |df = dmy-all |doi=10.1109/comst.2016.2535718|year = 2016 }}</ref><ref name="USoff">{{cite news |url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2013/11/21/heres-how-bitcoin-charmed-washington/# |title = Here's how Bitcoin charmed Washington |date = 21 November 2013 |first = Timothy B. |last = Lee |work = The Washington Post |accessdate = 10 October 2016 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20170101144528/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2013/11/21/heres-how-bitcoin-charmed-washington/ |archivedate = 1 January 2017 |df = dmy-all }}</ref><ref name="dh150613">{{cite news |last1 = O'Brien |first1 = Matt |title = The scam called Bitcoin |url = http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20150613/business/150619551/ |accessdate = 20 September 2016 |work = Daily Herald |date = 13 June 2015 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20150616000405/http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20150613/business/150619551 |archivedate = 16 June 2015 |df = dmy-all }}</ref><ref name=kopstein>{{cite news |author1 = Janus Kopfstein |title = The Mission to Decentralize the Internet |url = http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/the-mission-to-decentralize-the-internet |accessdate = 30 December 2014 |work = ] |date = 12 December 2013 |quote = The network's 'nodes' – users running the bitcoin software on their computers – collectively check the integrity of other nodes to ensure that no one spends the same coins twice. All transactions are published on a shared public ledger, called the 'blockchain'. |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20141231031044/http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/the-mission-to-decentralize-the-internet |archivedate = 31 December 2014 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> However, researchers have pointed out a visible "trend towards centralization" by the means of miners joining large ]s to minimise the variance of their income.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Beikverdi|first=A.|last2=Song|first2=J.|date=June 2015|title=Trend of centralization in Bitcoin's distributed network|url=http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/7176229/?reload=true|journal=2015 IEEE/ACIS 16th International Conference on Software Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, Networking and Parallel/Distributed Computing (SNPD)|pages=1–6|doi=10.1109/SNPD.2015.7176229|deadurl=no|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180126125601/http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/7176229/?reload=true|archivedate=26 January 2018|df=dmy-all|isbn=978-1-4799-8676-7}}</ref> According to researchers, other parts of the ecosystem are also "controlled by a small set of entities", notably online wallets and simplified payment verification (SPV) clients.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |last1= Gervais |first1= Arthur |last2= Karame |first2= Ghassan O. |last3= Capkun |first3= Vedran |last4= Capkun |first4= Srdjan |title= Is Bitcoin a Decentralized Currency? |url= https://www.infoq.com/articles/is-bitcoin-a-decentralized-currency/ |accessdate= 11 October 2016 |website= InfoQ |publisher= InfoQ & ] |deadurl= no |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20161010042659/https://www.infoq.com/articles/is-bitcoin-a-decentralized-currency/ |archivedate= 10 October 2016 |df= dmy-all }}</ref> | |||
Because transactions on the network are confirmed by miners, decentralization of the network requires that no single miner or mining pool obtains 51% of the hashing power, which would allow them to ] coins, prevent certain transactions from being verified and prevent other miners from earning income.<ref name=":0" /> As of 2013 just six mining pools controlled 75% of overall bitcoin hashing power.<ref name=":0" /> | |||
In 2014 mining pool ] obtained 51% hashing power which raised significant controversies about the safety of the network. The pool has voluntarily capped their hashing power at 39.99% and requested other pools to act responsibly for the benefit of the whole network.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://techcrunch.com/2014/07/16/popular-bitcoin-mining-pool-promises-to-restrict-its-compute-power-to-prevent-feared-51-fiasco/|title=Popular Bitcoin Mining Pool Promises To Restrict Its Compute Power To Prevent Feared ‘51%’ Fiasco|last=Wilhelm|first=Alex|work=TechCrunch|accessdate=25 January 2018|deadurl=no|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20171205042008/https://techcrunch.com/2014/07/16/popular-bitcoin-mining-pool-promises-to-restrict-its-compute-power-to-prevent-feared-51-fiasco/|archivedate=5 December 2017}}</ref> | |||
=== Privacy === | |||
Bitcoin is ], meaning that funds are not tied to real-world entities but rather bitcoin addresses. Owners of bitcoin addresses are not explicitly identified, but all transactions on the blockchain are public. In addition, transactions can be linked to individuals and companies through "idioms of use" (e.g., transactions that spend coins from multiple inputs indicate that the inputs may have a common owner) and corroborating public transaction data with known information on owners of certain addresses.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.technologyreview.com/news/518816/mapping-the-bitcoin-economy-could-reveal-users-identities/ |title = Mapping the Bitcoin Economy Could Reveal Users’ Identities |work = MIT Technology Review |date = 5 September 2013 |accessdate = 2 April 2014 |author = Simonite, Tom }}</ref> Additionally, bitcoin exchanges, where bitcoins are traded for traditional currencies, may be required by law to collect personal information.<ref name="5facts">{{cite news |url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/wp/2013/08/21/five-surprising-facts-about-bitcoin-2/ |title = Five surprising facts about Bitcoin |publisher = The Washington Post |date = 21 August 2013 |accessdate = 2 April 2014 |author = Lee, Timothy |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20131012035053/http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/wp/2013/08/21/five-surprising-facts-about-bitcoin-2/ |archivedate = 12 October 2013 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> | |||
To heighten financial privacy, a new bitcoin address can be generated for each transaction.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2013-06/06/bitcoin-retail |title = How Bitcoin lets you spy on careless companies |publisher = Conde Nast |work = wired.co.uk |date = 6 June 2013 |accessdate = 2 April 2014 |author = McMillan, Robert |deadurl = yes |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20140209202222/http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2013-06/06/bitcoin-retail |archivedate = 9 February 2014 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> For example, hierarchical deterministic wallets generate ] "rolling addresses" for every transaction from a single ], while only requiring a single passphrase to be remembered to recover all corresponding private keys.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://airbitz.co/go/mastering-bitcoin-privacy/ |title = Mastering Bitcoin Privacy |publisher = Airbitz |date = 31 July 2015 |accessdate = 23 February 2016 |author = Potts, Jake |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20150810042927/https://airbitz.co/go/mastering-bitcoin-privacy/ |archivedate = 10 August 2015 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> Researchers at ] and ] have also shown that bitcoin exchanges and other entities can prove assets, ], and ] without revealing their addresses using ]s.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://eprint.iacr.org/2015/1008.pdf |title = Provisions: Privacy-preserving proofs of solvency for Bitcoin exchanges |publisher = ] |date = 26 October 2015 |accessdate = 23 February 2016 |author1 = Gaby G. Dagher |author2 = Benedikt Bünz |author3 = Joseph Bonneau |author4 = Jeremy Clark |author5 = ] |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20160310104206/http://eprint.iacr.org/2015/1008.pdf |archivedate = 10 March 2016 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> "Bulletproofs," a version of Confidential Transactions proposed by Greg Maxwell, have been tested by Professor ] of Stanford.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://bitcoinmagazine.com/articles/how-bulletproofs-could-make-bitcoin-privacy-less-costly/ |publisher = bitcoin magazine|date = 20 December 2017 |accessdate = 22 February 2018 |author1 = Michiel Mulders |title = How Bulletproofs Could Make Bitcoin Privacy Less Costly |df = dmy-all }}</ref> Other solutions such Merkelized Abstract Syntax Trees (MAST), pay-to-script-hash (P2SH) with MERKLE-BRANCH-VERIFY, and "Tail Call Execution Semantics", have also been proposed to support private smart contracts.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.coindesk.com/smart-contracts-proposal-mast-inches-closer-bitcoins-code/ |publisher = coindesk|date = 9 January 2018 |accessdate = 22 February 2018 |author1 = Nikhilesh De |title = Smart Contracts Proposal MAST Inches Closer to Bitcoin's Code |deadurl = yes |archiveurl =https://web.archive.org/web/20180209104607/https://www.coindesk.com/smart-contracts-proposal-mast-inches-closer-bitcoins-code/|archivedate =2018-02-09|df = dmy-all }}</ref> | |||
=== Fungibility === | |||
Wallets and similar software technically handle all bitcoins as equivalent, establishing the basic level of ]. Researchers have pointed out that the history of each bitcoin is registered and publicly available in the blockchain ledger, and that some users may refuse to accept bitcoins coming from controversial transactions, which would harm bitcoin's fungibility.<ref>{{cite web |first1 = Eli |last1 = Ben-Sasson |first2 = Alessandro |last2 = Chiesa |first3 = Christina |last3 = Garman |first4 = Matthew |last4 = Green |first5 = Ian |last5 = Miers |first6 = Eran |last6 = Tromer |first7 = Madars |last7 = Virza |work = 2014 IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy |title = Zerocash: Decentralized Anonymous Payments from Bitcoin |url = http://zerocash-project.org/media/pdf/zerocash-oakland2014.pdf |date = 2014 |accessdate = 31 October 2014 |publisher = IEEE computer society |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20141014012438/http://zerocash-project.org/media/pdf/zerocash-oakland2014.pdf |archivedate = 14 October 2014 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> | |||
=== Scalability === | |||
{{Main|Bitcoin scalability problem}} | |||
The blocks in the blockchain were originally limited to 32 ] in size. The block size limit of one ] was introduced by Satoshi Nakamoto in 2010, as an anti-spam measure.<ref name="blockweight">{{cite news |title = Understanding Block Weight: How much Capacity does SegWit really Give? by Christoph Bergmann |url = https://btcmanager.com/understanding-block-weight-how-much-capacity-does-segwit-really-give/ |website = btcmanager.com |date = 26 June 2017|accessdate = 20 February 2018 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> Eventually the block size limit of one megabyte created problems for transaction processing, such as increasing transaction fees and delayed processing of transactions.<ref>{{cite news |last1 = Orcutt |first1 = Mike |title = Leaderless Bitcoin Struggles to Make Its Most Crucial Decision |url = https://www.technologyreview.com/s/537486/leaderless-bitcoin-struggles-to-make-its-most-crucial-decision/ |accessdate = 22 June 2017 |work = MIT Technology Review |date = 19 May 2015 }}{{cite news |title = Bitcoin Transaction Fees Are Pretty Low Right Now: Heres Why |url=https://bitcoinmagazine.com/articles/bitcoin-transaction-fees-are-pretty-low-right-now-heres-why/ |date = 31 Jan 2018}}</ref> | |||
Research shows a trend towards centralization in bitcoin as miners join ] for stable income.<ref name="JEP">{{Cite journal |last1=Rainer Böhme |last2=Nicolas Christin |last3=Benjamin Edelman |last4=Tyler Moore |year=2015 |title=Bitcoin: Economics, Technology, and Governance |journal=] |volume=29 |issue=2 |pages=213–238 |doi=10.1257/jep.29.2.213 |doi-access=free |issn=0895-3309}}</ref>{{rp|215, 219–222}}<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Tschorsch |first1=Florian |last2=Scheuermann |first2=Björn |year=2016 |title=Bitcoin and Beyond: A Technical Survey on Decentralized Digital Currencies |journal=] |volume=18 |issue=3 |pages=2084–2123 |doi=10.1109/comst.2016.2535718 |s2cid=5115101}}</ref>{{rp|3}} If a single miner or pool controls more than 50% of the ], it would allow them to censor transactions and double-spend coins.<ref name=Gervais2014/> In 2014, mining pool ] reached 51% mining power, causing safety concerns, but later voluntarily capped its power at 39.99% for the benefit of the whole network.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Wilhelm |first=Alex |title=Popular Bitcoin Mining Pool Promises To Restrict Its Compute Power To Prevent Feared '51%' Fiasco |work=TechCrunch |url=https://techcrunch.com/2014/07/16/popular-bitcoin-mining-pool-promises-to-restrict-its-compute-power-to-prevent-feared-51-fiasco/ |url-status=live |access-date=25 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171205042008/https://techcrunch.com/2014/07/16/popular-bitcoin-mining-pool-promises-to-restrict-its-compute-power-to-prevent-feared-51-fiasco/ |archive-date=5 December 2017}}</ref> A few entities also dominate other parts of the ecosystem such as the client software, online wallets, and simplified payment verification (SPV) clients.<ref name=Gervais2014/> | |||
On 24 August 2017 (at block 481,824), ] (SegWit) went live. Transactions contain some data which is only used to verify the transaction, and does not otherwise effect the movement of coins. SegWit introduces a new transaction format that moves this data into a new field in a backwards-compatible way. The segregated data, the so-called ''witness'', is not sent to non-SegWit nodes and therefore does not form part of the blockchain as seen by legacy nodes. This lowers the size of the average transaction in such nodes' view, thereby increasing the block size without incurring the hard fork implied by other proposals for block size increases.<ref name="blockweight" /><ref>{{cite web |title = Segwit Activated: How it Works & What's Next for Bitcoin – Bitcoinist.com |url = https://bitcoinist.com/segwit-activated-next-bitcoin/ |website = bitcoinist.com |accessdate = 10 October 2017 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20171010155943/https://bitcoinist.com/segwit-activated-next-bitcoin/ |archivedate = 10 October 2017 |df = dmy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1 = Momoh |first1 = Osi |title = SegWit (Segregated Witness) |url = http://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/segwit-segregated-witness.asp |website = Investopedia |accessdate = 11 October 2017 |date = 3 May 2017 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20171006113733/http://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/segwit-segregated-witness.asp |archivedate = 6 October 2017 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> Thus, per computer scientist Jochen Hoenicke, the actual block capacity depends on the ratio of SegWit transactions in the block, and on the ratio of signature data. Based on his estimate, if the ratio of SegWit transactions is 50%, the block capacity may be 1.25 megabytes.<ref name="blockweight" /> According to Hoenicke, if native SegWit addresses from Bitcoin Core version 0.16.0 are used,<ref>{{cite web|title=New Bitcoin Code Will Finally Boast Full SegWit Support|url=https://www.coindesk.com/bitcoins-new-code-will-finally-boast-full-segwit-support/ |website=coindesk.com|accessdate=20 February 2018|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180220041926/https://www.coindesk.com/bitcoins-new-code-will-finally-boast-full-segwit-support/|archivedate=2018-02-20|df=dmy-all}}</ref> and SegWit adoption reaches 90 to 95%, a block size of up to 1.8 megabytes is possible.<ref name="blockweight" /> | |||
== |
==Economics and usage== | ||
{{Main|Economics of bitcoin}} | {{Main|Economics of bitcoin}} | ||
===Bitcoin's theoretical roots and ideology=== | |||
=== Classification === | |||
According to the ], the decentralization of money offered by bitcoin has its theoretical roots in the ], especially with ]'s '']'', in which he advocates a complete ] in the production, distribution and management of money to end the monopoly of ].<ref>{{cite book |author=European Central Bank |url=http://www.ecb.europa.eu/pub/pdf/other/virtualcurrencyschemes201210en.pdf |title=Virtual Currency Schemes |year=2012 |publisher=] |isbn=978-92-899-0862-7 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121106053452/http://www.ecb.europa.eu/pub/pdf/other/virtualcurrencyschemes201210en.pdf |archive-date=6 November 2012 |url-status=live|oclc=1044382974|doi=10.2866/47380 }}</ref>{{rp|22}} Sociologist ] argues that the essence of the bitcoin ideology is to remove money from social, as well as governmental, control.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Dodd |first1=Nigel |date=May 2018 |title=The Social Life of Bitcoin |url=https://eprints.lse.ac.uk/69229/1/Dodd_The%20social%20life%20of%20Bitcoin_author_2017%20LSERO.pdf |journal=Theory, Culture & Society |volume=35 |issue=3 |pages=35–56 |doi=10.1177/0263276417746464 |s2cid=51914607 |issn=0263-2764 |authorlink1=Nigel Dodd |access-date=22 November 2023 |archive-date=22 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231122163925/https://eprints.lse.ac.uk/69229/1/Dodd_The%20social%20life%20of%20Bitcoin_author_2017%20LSERO.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> '']'' describes bitcoin as "a ] project to create an online version of cash, a way for people to transact without the possibility of interference from malicious governments or banks".<ref name="30082018Economist" /> These philosophical ideas initially attracted ]s and ]s.<ref>{{cite news |last=Feuer |first=Alan |date=14 December 2013 |title=The Bitcoin Ideology |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/15/sunday-review/the-bitcoin-ideology.html |url-status=live |access-date=1 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180701222302/https://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/15/sunday-review/the-bitcoin-ideology.html |archive-date=1 July 2018}}</ref> Economist ] argues that cryptocurrencies like bitcoin are only used by bank skeptics and criminals.{{r|Krugman}} | |||
=== Recognition as a currency and legal status === | |||
Bitcoin is a ] designed by its inventor, Satoshi Nakamoto, to work as a currency.{{r|paper|Monetarists}} It is commonly referred to with terms like digital currency,<ref name="primer" />{{rp|1}} ],<ref>{{cite news |url = https://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/01/technology/personaltech/virtual-currency-gains-ground-in-actual-world.html |title = Virtual Currency Gains Ground in Actual World |publisher = The New York Times |date = 31 July 2013 |accessdate = 6 May 2014 |author = Murphy, Kate |quote = A type of digital cash, bitcoins were invented in 2009 and can be sent directly to anyone, anywhere in the world. |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20141014012602/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/01/technology/personaltech/virtual-currency-gains-ground-in-actual-world.html |archivedate = 14 October 2014 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> ],<ref name="satoshi unit" /> ],<ref name="capitalization" /> or cryptocurrency.<ref name="currencydispute" /> | |||
{{Legal status of bitcoin|300px}} | |||
] serves three purposes: a ], a ], and a ].<ref name="econ315">{{Cite news |date=15 March 2014 |title=Free Exchange. Money from nothing. Chronic deflation may keep Bitcoin from displacing its rivals. |newspaper=The Economist |url=https://www.economist.com/news/finance-and-economics/21599053-chronic-deflation-may-keep-bitcoin-displacing-its-fiat-rivals-money |url-status=live |access-date=25 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140325085119/http://www.economist.com/news/finance-and-economics/21599053-chronic-deflation-may-keep-bitcoin-displacing-its-fiat-rivals-money |archive-date=25 March 2014}}</ref> According to ''The Economist'' in 2014, bitcoin functions best as a medium of exchange.<ref name=econ315 /> In 2015, ''The Economist'' noted that bitcoins had three qualities useful in a currency: they are "hard to earn, limited in supply and easy to verify".<ref>{{Cite news |date=13 January 2015 |title=The magic of mining |newspaper=] |url=https://www.economist.com/news/business/21638124-minting-digital-currency-has-become-big-ruthlessly-competitive-business-magic |url-status=live |access-date=13 January 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150112165531/http://www.economist.com/news/business/21638124-minting-digital-currency-has-become-big-ruthlessly-competitive-business-magic |archive-date=12 January 2015}}</ref> However, a 2018 assessment by ''The Economist'' stated that cryptocurrencies met none of these three criteria.<ref name="30082018Economist">{{Cite news |date=30 August 2018 |title=Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are useless |newspaper=The Economist |url=https://www.economist.com/leaders/2018/08/30/bitcoin-and-other-cryptocurrencies-are-useless |url-status=live |access-date=4 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180904040905/https://www.economist.com/leaders/2018/08/30/bitcoin-and-other-cryptocurrencies-are-useless |archive-date=4 September 2018 }}</ref> Per some researchers, {{as of|2015|lc=yes}}, bitcoin functions more as a ] than as a currency.<ref name=JEP/> In 2014, economist ] wrote that bitcoin has potential as a unit of account for measuring the relative value of goods, as with Chile's ], but that "Bitcoin in its present form... doesn't really solve any sensible economic problem".<ref name="Shiller">{{Cite news |last=Shiller |first=Robert |date=1 March 2014 |title=In Search of a Stable Electronic Currency |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/02/business/in-search-of-a-stable-electronic-currency.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141024120222/http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/02/business/in-search-of-a-stable-electronic-currency.html |archive-date=24 October 2014}}</ref> François R. Velde, Senior Economist at the ], described bitcoin as "an elegant solution to the problem of creating a digital currency".<ref>{{cite web |last=Velde |first=François |date=December 2013 |title=Bitcoin: A primer |url=https://www.chicagofed.org/digital_assets/publications/chicago_fed_letter/2013/cfldecember2013_317.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141026065254/http://www.chicagofed.org/digital_assets/publications/chicago_fed_letter/2013/cfldecember2013_317.pdf |archive-date=26 October 2014 |access-date=3 September 2016 |website=Chicago Fed letter |publisher=] |page=4 |issue=317}}</ref> David Andolfatto, Vice President at the ], stated that bitcoin is a threat to the establishment, which he argues is a good thing for the ] and other ]s, because it prompts these institutions to operate sound policies.<ref>{{cite news |last=Wile|first= Rob |date=6 April 2014 |title=St. Louis Fed Economist: Bitcoin Could Be A Good Threat To Central Banks |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/interview-with-david-andolfatto-2014-4 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924095030/http://www.businessinsider.com/interview-with-david-andolfatto-2014-4 |archive-date=24 September 2015 |access-date=16 April 2014 |work=]}}</ref> | |||
The ] varies substantially from one jurisdiction to another. Because of its decentralized nature and its global presence, regulating bitcoin is difficult. However, the use of bitcoin can be criminalized, and shutting down exchanges and the peer-to-peer economy in a given country would constitute a ] ban.<ref>{{cite news |first=Jacob |last=Weindling |date=18 September 2017 |title=China May Be Gearing Up to Ban Bitcoin |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/politics/bitcoin/china-may-be-gearing-up-to-ban-bitcoin |work=] |access-date=22 November 2023 |archive-date=22 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231122163924/https://www.pastemagazine.com/politics/bitcoin/china-may-be-gearing-up-to-ban-bitcoin |url-status=live }}</ref> The ] has attracted the attention of financial regulators, legislative bodies, and law enforcement.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lavin|first= Tim |date=8 August 2013 |title=The SEC Shows Why Bitcoin Is Doomed |work=] |url=http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2013-08-08/did-the-sec-just-validate-bitcoin-no- |url-status=live |access-date=20 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140325214514/http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2013-08-08/did-the-sec-just-validate-bitcoin-no- |archive-date=25 March 2014}}</ref> Nobel-prize winning economist ] says that bitcoin's anonymity encourages ] and other crimes.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Montag |first=Ali |date=9 July 2018 |title=Nobel-winning economist: Authorities will bring down 'hammer' on bitcoin |publisher=CNBC |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2018/07/09/nobel-prize-winning-economist-joseph-stiglitz-criticizes-bitcoin.html |url-status=live |access-date=11 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180711200915/https://www.cnbc.com/2018/07/09/nobel-prize-winning-economist-joseph-stiglitz-criticizes-bitcoin.html |archive-date=11 July 2018}}</ref> This is the main justification behind bitcoin bans.<ref name=SunYin2019/> {{As of|2021|11}}, nine countries applied an absolute ban (Algeria, Bangladesh, China, Egypt, Iraq, Morocco, Nepal, Qatar, and Tunisia) while another 42 countries had an implicit ban.<ref name=LOC2021>{{cite web |title=Regulation of Cryptocurrency Around the World: November 2021 Update |url=https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ll/llglrd/2021687419/2021687419.pdf |publisher=United States Library of Congress |access-date=28 December 2022 |archive-date=24 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211224043203/https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ll/llglrd/2021687419/2021687419.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>{{Update inline|reason=Many things have changed since Nov 2021.|date=November 2023}} Bitcoin is only ] in ].<ref name=BTCSVSept7FT/> | |||
The question whether bitcoin is a ] or not is still disputed.<ref name="currencydispute">{{cite news |url = https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2014/04/25/ozy-bitcoin-africa-currency/8148853/ |title = How bitcoin is moving money in Africa |publisher = USA Today |work = usatoday.com |date = 25 April 2014 |accessdate = 25 May 2014 |author = Joyner, April |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20140501011649/http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2014/04/25/ozy-bitcoin-africa-currency/8148853/ |archivedate = 1 May 2014 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> Bitcoins have three useful qualities in a currency, according to ''The Economist'' in January 2015: they are "hard to earn, limited in supply and easy to verify".<ref name=ec1305>{{cite news |title = The magic of mining |url = https://www.economist.com/news/business/21638124-minting-digital-currency-has-become-big-ruthlessly-competitive-business-magic |accessdate = 13 January 2015 |work = ] |date = 13 January 2015 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20150112165531/http://www.economist.com/news/business/21638124-minting-digital-currency-has-become-big-ruthlessly-competitive-business-magic |archivedate = 12 January 2015 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> Economists define money as a ], a ], and a ] and agree that bitcoin has some way to go to meet all these criteria.<ref name=econ315 /> It does best as a medium of exchange; {{as of|2015|2|lc=y}} the number of merchants accepting bitcoin had passed 100,000.<ref name=100tmerchants /> {{As of|2014|3}}, the bitcoin market suffered from ], limiting the ability of bitcoin to act as a stable store of value, and retailers accepting bitcoin use other currencies as their principal unit of account.<ref name=econ315>{{cite news |title = Free Exchange. Money from nothing. Chronic deflation may keep Bitcoin from displacing its rivals. |url = https://www.economist.com/news/finance-and-economics/21599053-chronic-deflation-may-keep-bitcoin-displacing-its-fiat-rivals-money |accessdate = 25 March 2014 |newspaper = The Economist |date = 15 March 2014 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20140325085119/http://www.economist.com/news/finance-and-economics/21599053-chronic-deflation-may-keep-bitcoin-displacing-its-fiat-rivals-money |archivedate = 25 March 2014 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> | |||
=== |
=== Use for payments === | ||
] accepting Bitcoin]] | |||
{{As of|2018}}, bitcoin is rarely used in transactions with merchants,<ref name="FT08062018" /> but it is popular to ] online.<ref name=TheEconomist20120929>{{Cite news |title=Monetarists Anonymous |newspaper=The Economist |url=https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2012/09/29/monetarists-anonymous |date=29 September 2012 |access-date=22 November 2023 |issn=0013-0613 |archive-date=1 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220901043303/https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2012/09/29/monetarists-anonymous |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Ball |first=James |date=22 March 2013 |title=Silk Road: the online drug marketplace that officials seem powerless to stop |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/mar/22/silk-road-online-drug-marketplace |access-date=22 November 2023 |issn=0261-3077 |archive-date=12 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131012012106/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/mar/22/silk-road-online-drug-marketplace |url-status=live }}</ref> Prices are not usually quoted in bitcoin and trades involve conversions into ] currencies.<ref name=JEP/> Commonly cited reasons for not using bitcoin include high costs, the inability to process ]s, high ], long transaction times, and ] (especially for small purchases).<ref name="FT08062018">{{Cite news |last=Murphy |first=Hannah |date=8 June 2018 |title=Who really owns bitcoin now? |work=Financial Times |url=https://www.ft.com/content/29259448-69b3-11e8-b6eb-4acfcfb08c11 |url-status=live |access-date=10 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180610051316/https://www.ft.com/content/29259448-69b3-11e8-b6eb-4acfcfb08c11 |archive-date=10 June 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Katz |first=Lily |date=12 July 2017 |title=Bitcoin Acceptance Among Retailers Is Low and Getting Lower |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-07-12/bitcoin-acceptance-among-retailers-is-low-and-getting-lower |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180125204553/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-07-12/bitcoin-acceptance-among-retailers-is-low-and-getting-lower |archive-date=25 January 2018 |access-date=25 January 2018 |work=Bloomberg News}}</ref> ''Bloomberg'' reported that bitcoin was being used for large-item purchases on the site ] and for cross-border payments to ]s.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kharif |first=Olga |date=1 August 2018 |title=Bitcoin's Use in Commerce Keeps Falling Even as Volatility Eases |work=Bloomberg News|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-08-01/bitcoin-s-use-in-commerce-keeps-falling-even-as-volatility-eases |url-status=live |access-date=2 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180802073219/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-08-01/bitcoin-s-use-in-commerce-keeps-falling-even-as-volatility-eases |archive-date=2 August 2018}}</ref> {{As of|2015}}, there was little sign of bitcoin use in international ]s despite high fees charged by banks and ] who compete in this market.<ref name=JEP/><ref>{{Cite news |last=Chan |first=Bernice |date=16 January 2015 |title=Bitcoin transactions cut the cost of international money transfers |work=] |url=https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/technology/article/1679904/bitcoin-transactions-cut-cost-international-money-transfers |url-status=live |access-date=31 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190531060301/https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/technology/article/1679904/bitcoin-transactions-cut-cost-international-money-transfers |archive-date=31 May 2019}}</ref> Despite associated risks and costs, in 2022, a growing use of bitcoin, alongside cash and cards, was reported in restaurant business.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/business/bitcoin-bitcoin-restaurants-start-accept-cryptocurrencies-rcna21211 |title=Bitcoin by bitcoin, restaurants start to accept cryptocurrencies |date=2022-04-11 |access-date=2024-10-07 |website=NBC News |last=Sheidlower |first=Noah}}</ref> | |||
In September 2021, the ] made bitcoin ] in ], alongside the US dollar.<ref name=BTCSVSept7FT/> The adoption has been criticized internationally and within El Salvador.<ref name=BTCSVSept7FT/><ref>{{cite news |date=2 September 2021 |title=Majority of Salvadorans do not want bitcoin, poll shows |url=https://www.reuters.com/technology/majority-salvadorans-do-not-want-bitcoin-poll-shows-2021-09-02/ |access-date=30 November 2021 |work=Reuters |archive-date=30 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211130154620/https://www.reuters.com/technology/majority-salvadorans-do-not-want-bitcoin-poll-shows-2021-09-02/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2022, the ] (IMF) urged El Salvador to reverse its decision.<ref>{{cite news |date=26 January 2022 |title=IMF urges El Salvador to remove Bitcoin as legal tender |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-60135552 |access-date=26 January 2022 |archive-date=26 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220126154241/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-60135552 |url-status=live }}</ref> {{As of|2022}}, the use of ] remains low: 80% of businesses refused to accept it.<ref>{{cite report |title=Are Cryptocurrencies Currencies? Bitcoin as Legal Tender in El Salvador |last1=Alvarez |first1=Fernando |last2=Argente |first2=David |publisher=National Bureau of Economic Research |doi=10.3386/w29968 |page= |last3=Van Patten |first3=Diana |doi-access=free |publication-place=Cambridge, MA |year=2022}}</ref> In April 2022, the ] (CAR) adopted bitcoin as legal tender alongside the ],<ref>{{Cite news |date=28 April 2022 |title=Bitcoin Declared Legal Currency in Central African Republic |work=Bloomberg |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-04-28/bitcoin-is-declared-a-legal-currency-in-central-african-republic-l2isppnb |access-date=28 April 2022 |archive-date=28 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220428141222/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-04-28/bitcoin-is-declared-a-legal-currency-in-central-african-republic-l2isppnb |url-status=live }}</ref> but repealed the reform one year later.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Frequently Asked Questions on Central African Republic |url=https://www.imf.org/en/Countries/CAF/central-african-republic-qandas |access-date=11 August 2023 |website=International Monetary Fund |language=en |archive-date=11 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230811002905/https://www.imf.org/en/Countries/CAF/central-african-republic-qandas |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
] | |||
Bitcoin is also used by some governments. For instance, the ] initially opposed cryptocurrencies, but later saw them as an opportunity to circumvent ].<ref>{{cite news |date=3 November 2020 |title=Iran Is Pivoting to Bitcoin |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/qjppx3/iran-bitcoin-us-sanctions |work=] |last=Rasool |first=Mohammed |access-date=10 November 2020 |archive-date=3 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201103235640/https://www.vice.com/en/article/qjppx3/iran-bitcoin-us-sanctions |url-status=live }}</ref> Since 2020, Iran has required local bitcoin miners to sell bitcoin to the ], allowing the central bank to use it for imports.<ref name="aawsat202011">{{cite news |date=31 October 2020 |title=Iran: New Crypto Law Requires Selling Bitcoin Directly to Central Bank to Fund Imports |url=https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2596686/iran-new-crypto-law-requires-selling-bitcoin-directly-central-bank-fund-imports |work=] |access-date=31 October 2020 |archive-date=31 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201031235032/https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2596686/iran-new-crypto-law-requires-selling-bitcoin-directly-central-bank-fund-imports |url-status=live }}</ref> Some ] also accept tax payments in bitcoin, including ] (])<ref>{{Cite news |date=21 September 2022 |title=Colorado accepts cryptocurrency to pay taxes, moving the state "tech forward" |url=https://www.denverpost.com/2022/09/21/colorado-accepts-cryptocurrency-taxes/ |first=Judith |last=Kohler |work=] |language=en-US |access-date=29 December 2022 |archive-date=29 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221229090417/https://www.denverpost.com/2022/09/21/colorado-accepts-cryptocurrency-taxes/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and ] (]).<ref>{{Cite news |date=3 September 2020 |title='Crypto Valley' canton to accept Bitcoin for tax payments |url=https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/business/-crypto-valley--canton-to-accept-bitcoin-for-tax-payments/46010364 |work=] |language=en |access-date=22 November 2023 |archive-date=22 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231122163924/https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/business/-crypto-valley--canton-to-accept-bitcoin-for-tax-payments/46010364 |url-status=live }}</ref> As of 2023, the US government owned more than $5 billion worth of seized bitcoin.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Huang |first=Vicky Ge |title=Why the U.S. Government Has $5 Billion in Bitcoin |url=https://www.wsj.com/finance/currencies/federal-government-bitcoin-5-billion-78ce0938 |date=15 October 2023 |work=] |language=en-US |access-date=20 February 2024 |archive-date=20 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240220023509/https://www.wsj.com/finance/currencies/federal-government-bitcoin-5-billion-78ce0938 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Castillo |first=Michael del |title=U.S. Government Owns Way More Bitcoin Than Any Other Country–So Why Aren't They Selling It? |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaeldelcastillo/2023/06/16/us-government-owns-way-more-bitcoin-than-any-other-countryso-why-arent-they-selling-it |date=16 June 2023 |website=] |language=en |access-date=21 February 2024 |archive-date=21 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240221155659/https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaeldelcastillo/2023/06/16/us-government-owns-way-more-bitcoin-than-any-other-countryso-why-arent-they-selling-it/ |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
According to research produced by ], there were between 2.9 million and 5.8 million unique users using a cryptocurrency wallet, as of 2017, most of them using bitcoin. The number of users has grown significantly since 2013, when there were 300,000 to 1.3 million users.<ref name="CU2017" /> | |||
===Use for investment and status as an economic bubble === | |||
=== Acceptance by merchants === | |||
{{Further|Cryptocurrency bubble}} | |||
] | |||
{{As of|2018}}, the overwhelming majority of bitcoin transactions took place on ]s.<ref name="FT08062018" /> Since 2014, regulated bitcoin funds also allow ] to the asset or to ] as an investment.<ref>{{Cite news |date=10 July 2014 |title=Jersey approve Bitcoin fund launch on island |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-jersey-28247796 |url-status=live |access-date=10 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140710211917/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-jersey-28247796 |archive-date=10 July 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=18 December 2017 |title=Chicago Mercantile Exchange jumps into bitcoin futures |work=CBS News |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/chicago-mercantile-exchange-jumps-into-bitcoin-futures/ |url-status=live |access-date=31 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190531054602/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/chicago-mercantile-exchange-jumps-into-bitcoin-futures/ |archive-date=31 May 2019}}</ref> Bitcoin is used as a ]:<ref>{{Cite news |date=2021-10-25 |title=Gold or Bitcoin? Store-of-value debate rages as Bitcoin grows |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/professional/insights/trading/gold-or-bitcoin-store-of-value-debate-rages-as-bitcoin-grows/ |access-date=2024-10-02 |work=Bloomberg Professional Services |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/goldman-sachs-says-bitcoin-will-compete-with-gold-store-value-2022-01-05/|title=Goldman Sachs says bitcoin will compete with gold as "store of value"|website=Reuters|date=2022-01-05}}</ref> individuals and companies such as the ]<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lee |first=Timothy B. |title=The $11 million in bitcoins the Winklevoss brothers bought is now worth $32 million |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2013/11/09/the-11-million-in-bitcoins-the-winklevoss-brothers-bought-is-now-worth-32-million/ |url-status=live |access-date=11 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170706111658/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2013/11/09/the-11-million-in-bitcoins-the-winklevoss-brothers-bought-is-now-worth-32-million/ |archive-date=6 July 2017}}</ref> and ]'s companies ] and ] have massively invested in bitcoin.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Maidenberg |first1=Micah |last2=Driebusch |first2=Corrie |last3=Jin |first3=Berber |title=A Rare Look Into the Finances of Elon Musk's Secretive SpaceX |url=https://www.wsj.com/tech/behind-the-curtain-of-elon-musks-secretive-spacex-revenue-growth-and-rising-costs-2c828e2b |access-date=19 November 2023 |work=The Wall Street Journal |date=17 August 2023 |url-access=subscription |archive-date=17 August 2023 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230817224420/https://www.wsj.com/tech/behind-the-curtain-of-elon-musks-secretive-spacex-revenue-growth-and-rising-costs-2c828e2b |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last1=Ostroff |first1=Caitlin |last2=Elliott |first2=Rebecca |date=8 February 2021 |title=Tesla Buys $1.5 Billion in Bitcoin |language=en-US |work=] |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/tesla-buys-1-5-billion-in-bitcoin-11612791688 |access-date=22 November 2023 |issn=0099-9660 |url-access=subscription |archive-date=6 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240106160013/https://www.wsj.com/articles/tesla-buys-1-5-billion-in-bitcoin-11612791688 |url-status=live }}</ref> Bitcoin wealth is highly concentrated, with 0.01% holding 27% of in-circulation currency, as of 2021.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Vigna |first1=Paul |title=Bitcoin's 'One Percent' Controls Lion's Share of the Cryptocurrency's Wealth |work=] |date=20 December 2021 |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/bitcoins-one-percent-controls-lions-share-of-the-cryptocurrencys-wealth-11639996204 |issn=0099-9660 |url-access=subscription |access-date=22 December 2021 |archive-date=22 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211222180909/https://www.wsj.com/articles/bitcoins-one-percent-controls-lions-share-of-the-cryptocurrencys-wealth-11639996204 |url-status=live }}</ref> {{As of|2023|9}}, El Salvador had $76.5 million worth of bitcoin in its ].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Cota |first=Isabella |date=2 September 2023 |title=Two years of bitcoin in Bukele's El Salvador: An opaque experiment with a little-used currency |url=https://english.elpais.com/international/2023-09-02/two-years-of-bitcoin-in-bukeles-el-salvador-an-opaque-experiment-with-a-little-used-currency.html |website=] |language=en-us |access-date=24 November 2023 |archive-date=24 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231124082557/https://english.elpais.com/international/2023-09-02/two-years-of-bitcoin-in-bukeles-el-salvador-an-opaque-experiment-with-a-little-used-currency.html |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
In 2018, research published in the '']'' concluded that ] occurred during the ] bitcoin theft and that the market remained vulnerable to manipulation.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Gandal |first1=Neil |last2=Hamrick |first2=J.T. |last3=Moore |first3=Tyler |last4=Oberman |first4=Tali |date=May 2018 |title=Price manipulation in the Bitcoin ecosystem |journal=] |volume=95 |pages=86–96 |doi=10.1016/j.jmoneco.2017.12.004 |s2cid=26358036 |doi-access=free}}</ref> Research published in '']'' also suggested that trading associated with increases in the amount of the ] and associated trading at the ] exchange accounted for about half of the price increase in bitcoin in late 2017.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Griffin |first1=John M. |last2=Shams |first2=Amin |date=August 2020 |title=Is Bitcoin Really Untethered? |url= |journal=] |language=en |volume=75 |issue=4 |pages=1913–1964 |doi=10.1111/jofi.12903 |doi-access=free|s2cid=229576274 |issn=0022-1082}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Popper |first=Nathaniel |date=13 June 2018 |title=Bitcoin's Price Was Artificially Inflated Last Year, Researchers Say |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/13/technology/bitcoin-price-manipulation.html |url-status=live |access-date=13 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180613100732/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/13/technology/bitcoin-price-manipulation.html |archive-date=13 June 2018}}</ref> | |||
In 2015, the number of merchants accepting bitcoin exceeded 100,000.<ref name=100tmerchants>{{cite news |last1 = Cuthbertson |first1 = Anthony |title = Bitcoin now accepted by 100,000 merchants worldwide |url = http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/bitcoin-now-accepted-by-100000-merchants-worldwide-1486613 |website = International Business Times |publisher = IBTimes Co., Ltd. |date = 4 February 2015 |accessdate = 20 November 2015 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20151128010225/http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/bitcoin-now-accepted-by-100000-merchants-worldwide-1486613 |archivedate = 28 November 2015 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> | |||
Instead of 2{{ndash}}3% typically imposed by ] processors, merchants accepting bitcoins often pay fees under 2%, down to 0%.<ref name="merchantfee">{{cite news |url = https://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/31/technology/bitcoin-pursues-the-mainstream.html |title = Bitcoin Pursues the Mainstream |work = The New York Times |date = 30 October 2013 |accessdate = 4 November 2013 |author = Wingfield, Nick |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20131103150009/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/31/technology/bitcoin-pursues-the-mainstream.html |archivedate = 3 November 2013 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> Firms that accepted payments in bitcoin as of December 2014 included ],<ref>{{cite news |last1 = Williams |first1 = Sean |title = 5 big companies that currently accept bitcoin |url = http://www.businessinsider.com/5-big-companies-that-currently-accept-bitcoin-2017-7/#overstockcom-1 |work = Business Insider |date = 9 July 2017 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20171204114622/http://www.businessinsider.com/5-big-companies-that-currently-accept-bitcoin-2017-7/#overstockcom-1 |archivedate = 4 December 2017 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> ],<ref name="msftaccepts">{{cite news |author = Tom Warren |url = https://www.theverge.com/2014/12/11/7375771/microsoft-supports-bitcoin-payments |title = Microsoft now accepts Bitcoin to buy Xbox games and Windows apps |accessdate = 11 December 2014 |date = 11 December 2014 |publisher = Vox Media |work = The Verge |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20141211150329/http://www.theverge.com/2014/12/11/7375771/microsoft-supports-bitcoin-payments |archivedate = 11 December 2014 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> ],<ref name=Dell>{{cite news |url = https://dealbook.nytimes.com/2014/07/18/dell-begins-accepting-bitcoin/ |title = Dell Begins Accepting Bitcoin |author = Sydney Ember |work = New York Times |date = 18 July 2014 |accessdate = 18 July 2014 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20140718193834/http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2014/07/18/dell-begins-accepting-bitcoin/ |archivedate = 18 July 2014 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> and ].<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.newegg.com/bitcoin |title = Newegg accepts bitcoins |work = newegg.com |date = 1 July 2014 |accessdate = 3 July 2014 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20140706154330/http://www.newegg.com/bitcoin |archivedate = 6 July 2014 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> | |||
In 2017 bitcoin's acceptance among major online retailers included three out of the top 500 online merchants, down from five in 2016. Reasons for this fall include high transaction fees due to bitcoin's scalability issues, long transaction times and a rise in value making consumers unwilling to spend it.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-07-12/bitcoin-acceptance-among-retailers-is-low-and-getting-lower |title=Bitcoin Acceptance Among Retailers Is Low and Getting Lower |last=Katz |first=Lily |publisher=Bloomberg |date=12 July 2017 |accessdate=25 January 2018 |deadurl=no |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180125204553/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-07-12/bitcoin-acceptance-among-retailers-is-low-and-getting-lower |archivedate=25 January 2018 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> | |||
In November 2017 ] accepted bitcoin at its Hong Kong office in exchange for providing advisory services to local companies who are specialists in blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies, the first time any Big Four accounting firm accepted the cryptocurrency as payment.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/pricewaterhousecoopers-accepts-fee-in-bitcoin-1512036992|title=Bitcoin Goes to the Big Four: PwC Accepts First Digital-Currency Payment|last=Russolillo|first=Steven|date=30 November 2017|work=Wall Street Journal|accessdate=12 December 2017|issn=0099-9660|deadurl=no|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20171212081301/https://www.wsj.com/articles/pricewaterhousecoopers-accepts-fee-in-bitcoin-1512036992|archivedate=12 December 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.coindesk.com/accountancy-giant-pwc-accepts-first-bitcoin-payment/|title=PwC's Hong Kong Office Accepts Bitcoin Payment – CoinDesk|date=30 November 2017|work=CoinDesk|accessdate=12 December 2017|deadurl=no|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20171212193437/https://www.coindesk.com/accountancy-giant-pwc-accepts-first-bitcoin-payment/|archivedate=12 December 2017}}</ref> | |||
Bitcoin, along with other cryptocurrencies, has been described as an ] by several economists, including ] laureates, such as ],<ref name="Stiglitz">{{Cite news |last=Costelloe |first=Kevin |date=29 November 2017 |title=Bitcoin 'Ought to Be Outlawed,' Nobel Prize Winner Stiglitz Says |work=Bloomberg News |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-11-29/bitcoin-ought-to-be-outlawed-nobel-prize-winner-stiglitz-says-jal10hxd |url-status=live |access-date=5 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612224313/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-11-29/bitcoin-ought-to-be-outlawed-nobel-prize-winner-stiglitz-says-jal10hxd |archive-date=12 June 2018 |quote=It doesn't serve any socially useful function. |url-access=subscription}}</ref> ],<ref name=4Nobels/> and ].<ref name=Krugman>{{Cite news |last=Mohamed |first=Theron |title=Nobel economist Paul Krugman slams crypto as mostly useless, after saying it's hugely overpriced and helps criminals |url=https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/currencies/paul-krugman-crypto-bitcoin-price-bubble-crime-cbdc-desantis-banks-2023-5 |date=30 May 2023 |website=] |language=en-US |access-date=23 November 2023 |archive-date=23 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231123131322/https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/currencies/paul-krugman-crypto-bitcoin-price-bubble-crime-cbdc-desantis-banks-2023-5 |url-status=live }}</ref> Another recipient of the prize, ], argues that bitcoin is rather a ] that may become an ]. He describes its price growth as an "epidemic", driven by ].<ref>{{Cite news |date=9 June 2021 |title=Don't Call Bitcoin a Bubble. It's an Epidemic |language=en |work=Bloomberg.com |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2021-06-09/don-t-call-bitcoin-a-bubble-it-s-an-epidemic |first=John |last=Authers|author-link=John Authers|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210610021335/https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2021-06-09/don-t-call-bitcoin-a-bubble-it-s-an-epidemic |archive-date=10 June 2021 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription}}</ref> In 2024, ], also Nobel laureate, described bitcoin as a "pure bubble" as its ] is zero. According to him, some bubbles are long-lasting such as gold and fiat currencies, and it's impossible to predict whether bitcoin will collapse like other financial bubbles or become the new gold.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2024-02-01 |title=Cryptocurrencies: an economist's view |url=https://www.tse-fr.eu/cryptocurrencies-economists-view |access-date=2024-11-15 |language=en | first1=Jean|last1=Tirole|author-link1=Jean Tirole|work=La Jaune et la Rouge|issue=792|volume=February 2024}}</ref> The same year, ] ] described bitcoin as a digital competitor to gold but not to the dollar as he argued it is a highly volatile ] asset not used as a form of payment.<ref>{{Cite news |author= |date= |title=Bitcoin breaks $100,000 barrier amid post-election cryptocurrency surge |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/12/04/bitcoin-price-100k-crypto-trump/ |access-date=5 December 2024 |newspaper=Washington Post |quote=“People use bitcoin as a speculative asset. It’s like gold, it’s just like gold, only it’s virtual, it’s digital. People are not using it as a form of payment or a store of value,” he said. “It’s highly volatile. It’s not a competitor for the dollar; it’s really a competitor for gold.”}}</ref> | |||
=== Payment service providers === | |||
According to research published in the '']'' in 2018, bitcoin as an asset is highly volatile and does not behave like any other conventional asset.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Klein |first1=Tony |last2=Pham Thu |first2=Hien |last3=Walther |first3=Thomas |date=October 2018 |title=Bitcoin is not the New Gold – A comparison of volatility, correlation, and portfolio performance |url=https://pureadmin.qub.ac.uk/ws/files/155247201/crypto_V2.pdf |journal=International Review of Financial Analysis |language=en |volume=59 |pages=105–116 |doi=10.1016/j.irfa.2018.07.010 |s2cid=158400153 |doi-access= |access-date=24 November 2023 |archive-date=25 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231125164037/https://pureadmin.qub.ac.uk/ws/files/155247201/crypto_V2.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> According to one 2022 analysis published in '']'', bitcoin was less volatile than ], ], ], and 190 stocks in the ] during and after the ].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Mazur |first=Mieszko |date=31 March 2022 |title=Misperceptions of Bitcoin Volatility |url= |journal=The Journal of Alternative Investments |language=en |volume=24 |issue=4 |pages=33–44 |doi=10.3905/jai.2022.1.153 |s2cid=247843794 |issn=1520-3255 |doi-access=}}</ref> The term {{wikt-lang|en|hodl}} was created in December 2013 for ] bitcoin rather than selling it during periods of volatility.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Montag |first1=Ali |title='HODL,' 'whale' and 5 other cryptocurrency slang terms explained |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/23/what-hodl-whale-and-other-cryptocurrency-slang-terms-mean.html |work=CNBC |date=26 August 2018 |access-date=16 March 2021 |archive-date=12 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220112091630/https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/23/what-hodl-whale-and-other-cryptocurrency-slang-terms-mean.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-11-19/what-the-heck-is-hodl-bitcoin-lingo-for-crypto-noobs-quicktake |title=All the Bitcoin Lingo You Need to Know as Crypto Heats Up |last=Hajric |first=Vildana |date=19 November 2020 |work=Bloomberg |access-date=1 December 2020 |url-access=subscription |archive-date=29 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201129234847/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-11-19/what-the-heck-is-hodl-bitcoin-lingo-for-crypto-noobs-quicktake |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
Merchants accepting bitcoin ordinarily use the services of bitcoin payment service providers such as ] or ]. When a customer pays in bitcoin, the payment service provider accepts the bitcoin on behalf of the merchant, converts it to the local currency, and sends the obtained amount to merchant's bank account, charging a fee for the service.<ref name="Reutersmerchants">{{cite news |first1 = Gertrude |last1 = Chavez-Dreyfuss |first2 = Michael |last2 = Connor |title = Bitcoin shows staying power as online merchants chase digital sparkle |date = 28 August 2014 |publisher = Reuters |url = https://www.reuters.com/article/2014/08/28/us-usa-bitcoin-retailers-analysis-idUSKBN0GS0AG20140828 |accessdate = 28 August 2014 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20140828104451/http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/08/28/us-usa-bitcoin-retailers-analysis-idUSKBN0GS0AG20140828 |archivedate = 28 August 2014 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> | |||
Other economists, investors, and the ] have described bitcoin as a potential ].<ref>{{cite news |last=Clinch |first=Matt |date=10 March 2014 |title=Roubini launches stinging attack on bitcoin |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2014/03/10/nches-stinging-attack-on-bitcoin.html |publisher=] |access-date=22 November 2023 |archive-date=9 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220709232801/https://www.cnbc.com/2014/03/10/nches-stinging-attack-on-bitcoin.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=This Billionaire Just Called Bitcoin a 'Pyramid Scheme' |work=]|url=https://fortune.com/2017/07/27/howard-marks-bitcoin-pyramid-scheme |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170924045918/http://fortune.com/2017/07/27/howard-marks-bitcoin-pyramid-scheme/ |archive-date=24 September 2017 |access-date=23 September 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Ott Ummelas |last2=Milda Seputyte |date=31 January 2014 |title=Bitcoin 'Ponzi' Concern Sparks Warning From Estonia Bank |work=Bloomberg News |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-01-30/bitcoin-ponzi-scheme-worry-sparks-estonia-central-bank-caution.html |url-status=live |access-date=1 April 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140329214501/http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-01-30/bitcoin-ponzi-scheme-worry-sparks-estonia-central-bank-caution.html |archive-date=29 March 2014 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> Legal scholar ] disagrees, however, as "a real Ponzi scheme takes fraud; bitcoin, by contrast, seems more like a collective ]".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Posner |first=Eric |author-link=Eric Posner |date=11 April 2013 |title=Fool's Gold |language=en-US |work=Slate |url=https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2013/04/bitcoin-is-a-ponzi-scheme-the-internet-currency-will-collapse.html |access-date=22 November 2023 |issn=1091-2339 |archive-date=8 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220708202651/https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2013/04/bitcoin-is-a-ponzi-scheme-the-internet-currency-will-collapse.html |url-status=live }}</ref> A 2014 ] report also concluded that bitcoin was not a deliberate Ponzi scheme.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Davradakis |first1=Emmanouil |last2=Santos |first2=Ricardo |url=https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2867/11329 |title=Blockchain, FinTechs and their relevance for international financial institutions |date=2019 |publisher=] |doi=10.2867/11329 |isbn=978-92-861-4184-3 |access-date=24 November 2023 |archive-date=21 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240421113801/https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/ae472145-237a-11e9-8d04-01aa75ed71a1/language-en |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
=== Financial institutions === | |||
==See also== | |||
Bitcoins can be bought on ]s. According to ], a co-founder of ], "banks are scared to deal with bitcoin companies, even if they really want to".<ref name=scaredbankers>{{cite news |url = https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-12-05/bitcoin-skepticism-by-bankers-from-china-to-u-s-hinders-growth.html |title = Bankers Balking at Bitcoin in US as Real-World Obstacles Mount |publisher = Bloomberg |work = bloomberg.com |date = 5 December 2013 |accessdate = 16 April 2014 |author = Dougherty, Carter |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20140417033517/http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-12-05/bitcoin-skepticism-by-bankers-from-china-to-u-s-hinders-growth.html |archivedate = 17 April 2014 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> In 2014, the ] closed accounts of businesses with ties to bitcoin,<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/10/bitcoin-dumped-by-national-australia-bank-as-too-risky |title = Bitcoin firms dumped by National Australia Bank as 'too risky' |publisher = The Guardian |work = Australian Associated Press |date = 10 April 2014 |accessdate = 23 February 2015 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20150223011000/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/10/bitcoin-dumped-by-national-australia-bank-as-too-risky |archivedate = 23 February 2015 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> and ] refused to serve a hedge fund with links to bitcoin.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-jersey-30261976 |title = HSBC severs links with firm behind Bitcoin fund |publisher = BBC |work = bbc.com |date = 1 December 2014 |accessdate = 9 January 2015 |author = Weir, Mike |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20150203210318/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-jersey-30261976 |archivedate = 3 February 2015 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> Australian banks in general have been reported as closing down bank accounts of operators of businesses involving the currency;<ref name="afr.com">{{Cite web |title = ACCC investigating why banks are closing bitcoin companies' accounts |url = http://www.afr.com/technology/accc-investigating-why-banks-are-closing-bitcoin-companies-accounts-20151018-gkc5iv |website = Financial Review |accessdate = 28 January 2016 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20160211070834/http://www.afr.com/technology/accc-investigating-why-banks-are-closing-bitcoin-companies-accounts-20151018-gkc5iv |archivedate = 11 February 2016 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> this has become the subject of an investigation by the ].<ref name="afr.com" /> Nonetheless, Australian banks have trialled trading between each other using the blockchain technology on which bitcoin is based.<ref>{{Cite web |title = CBA tests blockchain trading with 10 global banks |url = http://www.smh.com.au/business/banking-and-finance/commonwealth-bank-of-australia-tests-blockchain-trading-with-10-global-banks-20160120-gmalvp.html |website = The Sydney Morning Herald |accessdate = 28 January 2016 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20160124022108/http://www.smh.com.au/business/banking-and-finance/commonwealth-bank-of-australia-tests-blockchain-trading-with-10-global-banks-20160120-gmalvp.html |archivedate = 24 January 2016 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> | |||
In a 2013 report, Bank of America Merrill Lynch stated that "we believe bitcoin can become a major means of payment for e-commerce and may emerge as a serious competitor to traditional money-transfer providers."<ref name=ForbesDec>{{cite news |last = Hill |first = Kashmir |title = Bitcoin Valued At $1300 By Bank of America Analysts |url = https://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2013/12/05/bank-of-america-analysts-say-bitcoins-value-is-1300/ |accessdate = 23 March 2014 |newspaper = Forbes.com |date = 5 December 2013 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20131207034653/http%3A//www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2013/12/05/bank%2Dof%2Damerica%2Danalysts%2Dsay%2Dbitcoins%2Dvalue%2Dis%2D1300/ |archivedate = 7 December 2013 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> In June 2014, the first bank that converts deposits in currencies instantly to bitcoin without any fees was opened in Boston.<ref>{{cite news |title = Bitcoin: is Circle the world's first crypto-currency bank? |url = http://www.theweek.co.uk/world-news/bitcoin/56138/bitcoin-passes-1000-mark-will-it-take-over-world |accessdate = 13 June 2014 |work = The week.co.uk |date = 16 May 2014 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20140627131048/http://www.theweek.co.uk/world-news/bitcoin/56138/bitcoin-passes-1000-mark-will-it-take-over-world |archivedate = 27 June 2014 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> | |||
Plans were announced to include a bitcoin futures option on the ] in 2017.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://cointelegraph.com/news/bitcoin-shatters-7k-barrier-after-futures-trading-announcement-by-cme-group |title = Bitcoin Shatters $7k Barrier After Futures Trading Announcement by CME Group |publisher = |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20171102153354/https://cointelegraph.com/news/bitcoin-shatters-7k-barrier-after-futures-trading-announcement-by-cme-group |archivedate = 2 November 2017 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> Trading in bitcoin futures was announced to begin on 10 December 2017.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.scribd.com/document/366280511/Cboe-Plans-December-10-Launch-of-Bitcoin-Futures-Trading |title=Archived copy |accessdate=16 December 2017 |deadurl=no |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180123163015/https://www.scribd.com/document/366280511/Cboe-Plans-December-10-Launch-of-Bitcoin-Futures-Trading |archivedate=23 January 2018 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> | |||
=== As an investment === | |||
Some Argentinians have bought bitcoins to protect their savings against high inflation or the possibility that governments could confiscate savings accounts.<ref name="5facts" /> During the ], bitcoin purchases in Cyprus rose due to fears that savings accounts would be confiscated or taxed.<ref name="BloombergCyprus">{{cite news |last = Salyer |first = Kirsten |title = Fleeing the Euro for Bitcoins |url = https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-03-20/fleeing-the-euro-for-bitcoins-.html |publisher = Bloomberg L.P. |date = 20 March 2013 |accessdate = 31 October 2014 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20140209094024/http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-03-20/fleeing-the-euro-for-bitcoins-.html |archivedate = 9 February 2014 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> | |||
The ] have invested into bitcoins. In 2013 ''The Washington Post'' claimed that they owned 1% of all the bitcoins in existence at the time.<ref>{{cite news |last1 = Lee |first1 = Timothy B. |title = The $11 million in bitcoins the Winklevoss brothers bought is now worth $32 million |url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2013/11/09/the-11-million-in-bitcoins-the-winklevoss-brothers-bought-is-now-worth-32-million/ |accessdate = 11 August 2017 |work = The Switch |publisher = The Washington Post |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20170706111658/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2013/11/09/the-11-million-in-bitcoins-the-winklevoss-brothers-bought-is-now-worth-32-million/ |archivedate = 6 July 2017 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> | |||
Other methods of investment are bitcoin funds. The first regulated bitcoin fund was established in Jersey in July 2014 and approved by the Jersey Financial Services Commission.<ref name="BitcoinJersey">{{cite news |title = Jersey approve Bitcoin fund launch on island |url = http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-jersey-28247796 |date = 10 July 2014 |accessdate = 10 July 2014 |publisher = BBC news |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20140710211917/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-jersey-28247796 |archivedate = 10 July 2014 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> ''Forbes'' started publishing arguments in favor of investing in December 2015.<ref>{{cite news |publisher = Forbes |date = 11 December 2015 |accessdate = 12 December 2015 |url = https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2015/12/11/should-you-invest-in-bitcoin-10-arguments-in-favor-as-of-december-2015/ |first = Laura |last = Shin |title = Should You Invest In Bitcoin? 10 Arguments In Favor As Of December 2015 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20151213154303/http://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2015/12/11/should-you-invest-in-bitcoin-10-arguments-in-favor-as-of-december-2015/ |archivedate = 13 December 2015 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> | |||
In 2013 and 2014, the ]<ref name="ebawarn">{{cite web |url = http://www.eba.europa.eu/documents/10180/16136/EBA+Warning+on+Virtual+Currencies.pdf |archiveurl = https://www.webcitation.org/6MCBOsSXG?url=http://www.eba.europa.eu/documents/10180/16136/EBA+Warning+on+Virtual+Currencies.pdf |archivedate = 28 December 2013 |title = Warning to consumers on virtual currencies |publisher = European Banking Authority |date = 12 December 2013 |accessdate = 23 December 2013 |deadurl = yes |df = dmy }}</ref> and the ] (FINRA), a United States ],<ref name="finrawarn">{{cite news |url = https://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/11/us-bitcoin-finra-idUSBREA2A1OJ20140311 |title = Beware Bitcoin: US brokerage regulator. |author = Jonathan Stempel |date = 11 March 2014 |accessdate = 14 March 2014 |publisher = reuters.com |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20140315093640/http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/11/us-bitcoin-finra-idUSBREA2A1OJ20140311 |archivedate = 15 March 2014 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> warned that investing in bitcoins carries significant risks. Forbes named bitcoin the best investment of 2013.<ref>{{Cite news |url = https://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2013/12/26/how-you-should-have-spent-100-in-2013-hint-bitcoin/ |title = How You Should Have Spent $100 In 2013 (Hint: Bitcoin) |last = Hill |first = Kashmir |date = |work = Forbes |accessdate = 16 February 2015 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20150219043444/http://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2013/12/26/how-you-should-have-spent-100-in-2013-hint-bitcoin/ |archivedate = 19 February 2015 }}</ref> In 2014, Bloomberg named bitcoin one of its worst investments of the year.<ref name=worst>{{cite news |url = https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-12-22/the-best-and-worst-investments-of-2014.html |title = The Best and Worst Investments of 2014 |publisher = Bloomberg LP |work = bloomberg.com |date = 23 December 2014 |accessdate = 9 January 2015 |author = Steverman, Ben |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20150109122649/http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-12-22/the-best-and-worst-investments-of-2014.html |archivedate = 9 January 2015 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> In 2015, bitcoin topped Bloomberg's currency tables.<ref>{{cite news |last1 = Gilbert |first1 = Mark |title = Bitcoin Won 2015. Apple ... Did Not |url = http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-12-29/bitcoin-won-in-2015-but-apple-lost-big |accessdate = 29 December 2015 |publisher = Bloomberg |date = 29 December 2015 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20151229200002/http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-12-29/bitcoin-won-in-2015-but-apple-lost-big |archivedate = 29 December 2015 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> | |||
According to bitinfocharts.com, in 2017 there are 9,272 bitcoin wallets with more than $1 million worth of bitcoins.<ref>{{Cite web |url = https://bitinfocharts.com/top-100-richest-bitcoin-addresses.html |title = Top 100 Richest Bitcoin Addresses and Bitcoin distribution |website = bitinfocharts.com |accessdate = 14 October 2017 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20171015082601/https://bitinfocharts.com/top-100-richest-bitcoin-addresses.html |archivedate = 15 October 2017 }}</ref> The exact number of bitcoin millionaires is uncertain as a single person can have more than one bitcoin wallet. | |||
=== Venture capital === | |||
]ists, such as ]'s ], which invested {{currency|3|USD}} million in ], do not purchase bitcoins themselves, instead funding bitcoin infrastructure like ] that provide payment systems to merchants, exchanges, wallet services, etc.<ref name="mtr20130612">{{cite news |url = http://www.technologyreview.com/news/515391/bitcoin-millionaires-become-investing-angels/ |title = Bitcoin Millionaires Become Investing Angels |work = Computing News |publisher = ] |date = 12 June 2013 |accessdate = 13 June 2013 |author = Simonite, Tom }}</ref> In 2012, an incubator for bitcoin-focused start-ups was founded by Adam Draper, with financing help from his father, venture capitalist ], one of the largest bitcoin holders after winning an auction of 30,000 bitcoins,<ref name=wsj1214>{{cite news |author1 = Robin Sidel |title = Ten-hut! Bitcoin Recruits Snap To |url = https://www.wsj.com/news/articles/SB21659981523255993497704580305120918936264?mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB21659981523255993497704580305120918936264.html |accessdate = 9 December 2014 |work = Wall Street Journal |publisher = Dow Jones & Company |date = 1 December 2014 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20150227214546/http://www.wsj.com/news/articles/SB21659981523255993497704580305120918936264?mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB21659981523255993497704580305120918936264.html |archivedate = 27 February 2015 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> at the time called 'mystery buyer'.<ref name=guard714>{{cite news |title = Silk Road's legacy 30,000 bitcoin sold at auction to mystery buyers |author = Alex Hern |url = https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/jul/01/silk-road-bitcoin-auction |publisher = The Guardian |date = 1 July 2014 |accessdate = 31 October 2014 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20141023190952/http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/jul/01/silk-road-bitcoin-auction |archivedate = 23 October 2014 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> The company's goal is to fund 100 bitcoin businesses within 2–3 years with $10,000 to $20,000 for a 6% stake.<ref name="wsj1214" /> Investors also invest in bitcoin mining.<ref>{{cite news |url = http://www.redherring.com/finance/coinseed-raises-7-5m-invests-5m-in-bitcoin-mining-hardware-investment-round-up/ |title = CoinSeed raises $7.5m, invests $5m in Bitcoin mining hardware – Investment Round Up |work = Red Herring |date = 24 January 2014 |accessdate = 9 March 2014 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20140309042510/http://www.redherring.com/finance/coinseed-raises-7-5m-invests-5m-in-bitcoin-mining-hardware-investment-round-up/ |archivedate = 9 March 2014 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> According to a 2015 study by ], bitcoin startups raised almost $1 billion in three years (Q1 2012 – Q1 2015).<ref>{{cite journal |last1 = Tasca |first1 = Paolo |title = Digital Currencies: Principles, Trends, Opportunities, and Risks |date = 7 September 2015 |ssrn = 2657598 |accessdate = |publisher = Social Science Research Network }}</ref> | |||
=== Price and volatility === | |||
] | |||
The price of bitcoins has gone through various cycles of appreciation and depreciation referred to by some as ] and busts.<ref>{{cite news |url = https://www.forbes.com/sites/jessecolombo/2013/12/19/bitcoin-may-be-following-this-classic-bubble-stages-chart/ |title = Bitcoin May Be Following This Classic Bubble Stages Chart |publisher = Forbes |date = 19 December 2013 |accessdate = 7 January 2014 |first = Jesse |last = Colombo |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20131220094917/http://www.forbes.com/sites/jessecolombo/2013/12/19/bitcoin-may-be-following-this-classic-bubble-stages-chart/ |archivedate = 20 December 2013 |df = dmy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/apr/03/bitcoin-currency-bubble-crash-not-rocking-financial-markets |title = Confused about Bitcoin? It's 'the Harlem Shake of currency' |publisher = The Guardian |work = theguardian.com |date = 3 April 2013 |accessdate = 2 May 2014 |author = Moore, Heidi |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20140301083816/http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/apr/03/bitcoin-currency-bubble-crash-not-rocking-financial-markets |archivedate = 1 March 2014 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> In 2011, the value of one bitcoin rapidly rose from about US$0.30 to US$32 before returning to US$2.<ref name="Leebubble">{{cite news |url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/wp/2013/11/05/when-will-the-people-who-called-bitcoin-a-bubble-admit-they-were-wrong |title = When will the people who called Bitcoin a bubble admit they were wrong |publisher = The Washington Post |date = 5 November 2013 |accessdate = 10 January 2014 |author = Lee, Timothy |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20140111011839/http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/wp/2013/11/05/when-will-the-people-who-called-bitcoin-a-bubble-admit-they-were-wrong/ |archivedate = 11 January 2014 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> In the latter half of 2012 and during the ], the bitcoin price began to rise,<ref>{{cite web |last = Liu |first = Alec |url = http://motherboard.vice.com/blog/cyprus-spain-when-governments-take-your-money-bitcoin-looks-really-good |title = When Governments Take Your Money, Bitcoin Looks Really Good |publisher = Motherboard |date = 19 March 2013 |accessdate = 7 January 2014 |deadurl = yes |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20140207194506/http://motherboard.vice.com/blog/cyprus-spain-when-governments-take-your-money-bitcoin-looks-really-good |archivedate = 7 February 2014 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> reaching a high of US$266 on 10 April 2013, before crashing to around US$50.<ref>{{cite news |url = https://www.forbes.com/sites/timothylee/2013/04/11/an-illustrated-history-of-bitcoin-crashes/ |title = An Illustrated History Of Bitcoin Crashes |publisher = Forbes |date = 11 April 2013 |accessdate = 7 January 2014 |first = Timothy B. |last = Lee |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20150920154402/http://www.forbes.com/sites/timothylee/2013/04/11/an-illustrated-history-of-bitcoin-crashes/ |archivedate = 20 September 2015 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> On 29 November 2013, the cost of one bitcoin rose to a peak of US$1,242.<ref>{{cite news |url = http://money.cnn.com/2013/11/29/investing/bitcoin-gold/index.html |title = Bitcoin worth almost as much as gold |author = Ben Rooney |date = 29 November 2013 |publisher = CNN |accessdate = 31 October 2014 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20141026213248/http://money.cnn.com/2013/11/29/investing/bitcoin-gold/index.html |archivedate = 26 October 2014 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> In 2014, the price fell sharply, and as of April remained depressed at little more than half 2013 prices. {{As of|2014|August}} it was under US$600.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.nasdaq.com/article/bitcoin-prices-remain-below-600-amid-bearish-chart-signals-cm376685 |title = Bitcoin prices remain below $600 amid bearish chart signals |publisher = nasdaq.com |date = August 2014 |accessdate = 31 October 2014 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20141014012642/http://www.nasdaq.com/article/bitcoin-prices-remain-below-600-amid-bearish-chart-signals-cm376685 |archivedate = 14 October 2014 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> | |||
According to ], {{as of | 2014 | lc = y}}, bitcoin has ] seven times greater than gold, eight times greater than the ], and 18 times greater than the US dollar.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://management.bu.edu/files/2014/10/Wlliams-World-Bank-10-21-2014.pdf |title = Virtual Currencies – Bitcoin Risk |publisher = Boston University |work = World Bank Conference Washington DC |date = 21 October 2014 |accessdate = 11 November 2014 |author = Williams, Mark T. |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20141111095526/http://management.bu.edu/files/2014/10/Wlliams-World-Bank-10-21-2014.pdf |archivedate = 11 November 2014 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> According to ''Forbes'', there are uses where volatility does not matter, such as online gambling, tipping, and international remittances.<ref name="VolatilityFatal">{{cite news |last = Lee |first = Timothy B. |url = https://www.forbes.com/sites/timothylee/2013/04/12/bitcoins-volatility-is-a-disadvantage-but-not-a-fatal-one/ |title = Bitcoin's Volatility Is A Disadvantage, But Not A Fatal One |publisher = Forbes |date = 12 April 2013 |accessdate = 15 November 2014 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20141105194854/http://www.forbes.com/sites/timothylee/2013/04/12/bitcoins-volatility-is-a-disadvantage-but-not-a-fatal-one/ |archivedate = 5 November 2014 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> | |||
According to an article in ''The Wall Street Journal'', {{as of|2016|4|19|lc=y}}, bitcoin had been more stable than gold for the preceding 24 days, and it was suggested that its value might be more stable in the future.<ref>{{cite news |last1 = Yang |first1 = Stephanie |title = Is Bitcoin Becoming More Stable Than Gold? |url = https://blogs.wsj.com/moneybeat/2016/04/19/is-bitcoin-becoming-more-stable-than-gold/ |accessdate = 20 April 2016 |publisher = The Wall Street Journal |date = 19 April 2016 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20160420032208/http://blogs.wsj.com/moneybeat/2016/04/19/is-bitcoin-becoming-more-stable-than-gold/ |archivedate = 20 April 2016 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> On 3 March 2017, the price of a bitcoin surpassed the market value of an ounce of ] for the first time as its price surged to an all-time high of $1,268.<ref>{{Cite news |title = Bitcoin value tops gold for first time |url = http://www.bbc.com/news/business-39149475 |newspaper = BBC |date = 3 March 2017 |accessdate = 22 April 2017 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20170423080907/http://www.bbc.com/news/business-39149475 |archivedate = 23 April 2017 |df = dmy-all }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title = Bitcoin value surpasses gold for the first time |url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2017/03/03/bitcoin-value-surpasses-gold-first-time/ |newspaper = Telegraph |date = 3 March 2017 |accessdate = 22 April 2017 |first = Mark |last = Molloy |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20170423064511/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2017/03/03/bitcoin-value-surpasses-gold-first-time/ |archivedate = 23 April 2017 }}</ref> A study in ''Electronic Commerce Research and Applications'', going back through the network's historical data, showed the value of the bitcoin network as measured by the price of bitcoins, to be roughly proportional to the square of the number of daily unique users participating on the network, i.e. that the network is "fairly well modeled by the ]".<ref>{{Cite journal |last = Alabi |first = Ken |date = 2017 |title = Digital blockchain networks appear to be following Metcalfe's Law |url = https://doi.org/10.1016/j.elerap.2017.06.003 |journal = Electronic Commerce Research and Applications |volume = 24 |issue = |pages = 23 |doi = 10.1016/j.elerap.2017.06.003 |pmid = |accessdate = |via = }}</ref> | |||
== Legal status, tax and regulation == | |||
{{Main|Legality of bitcoin by country or territory}} | |||
Because of bitcoin's decentralized nature, nation-states cannot shut down the network or alter its technical rules.<ref>{{cite web |title = It's Impossible to Kill Bitcoin, Says Former Chief of Govt-Owned Bank of China – CryptoCoinsNews |url = https://www.cryptocoinsnews.com/former-pboc-governor-its-impossible-to-kill-bitcoin/ |website = CryptoCoinsNews |accessdate = 30 November 2017 |date = 14 February 2017 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20171201081909/https://www.cryptocoinsnews.com/former-pboc-governor-its-impossible-to-kill-bitcoin/ |archivedate = 1 December 2017 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> However, the use of bitcoin can be criminalized, and shutting down exchanges and the peer-to-peer economy in a given country would constitute a "de facto ban".<ref>{{cite web |title = China May Be Gearing Up to Ban Bitcoin |url = https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2017/09/china-may-be-gearing-up-to-ban-bitcoin.html |website = pastemagazine.com |accessdate = 6 October 2017 |quote = The decentralized nature of bitcoin is such that it is impossible to “ban” the cryptocurrency, but if you shut down exchanges and the peer-to-peer economy running on bitcoin, it’s a de facto ban. |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20171003224721/https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2017/09/china-may-be-gearing-up-to-ban-bitcoin.html |archivedate = 3 October 2017 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> | |||
The legal status of bitcoin varies substantially from country to country and is still undefined or changing in many of them. While some countries have explicitly allowed its use and trade, others have banned or restricted it. Regulations and bans that apply to bitcoin probably extend to similar cryptocurrency systems.<ref>{{cite journal |last1 = Tasca |first1 = Paolo |title = Digital Currencies: Principles, Trends, Opportunities, and Risks |date = 7 September 2015 |doi = |ssrn = 2657598 |accessdate = |publisher = Social Science Research Network }}</ref> | |||
== Criticism == | |||
=== Ponzi scheme and pyramid scheme concerns === | |||
Various journalists,<ref name="dh150613" /><ref>{{cite news |last1 = Braue |first1 = David |title = Bitcoin confidence game is a Ponzi scheme for the 21st century |url = http://www.zdnet.com/article/bitcoin-confidence-game-is-a-ponzi-scheme-for-the-21st-century/ |accessdate = 5 October 2016 |publisher = ZDNet |date = 11 March 2014 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20161006050933/http://www.zdnet.com/article/bitcoin-confidence-game-is-a-ponzi-scheme-for-the-21st-century/ |archivedate = 6 October 2016 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> economists,<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.cnbc.com/id/101479123 |title = Roubini launches stinging attack on bitcoin |publisher = ] |date = 10 March 2014 |accessdate = 2 July 2014 |author = Clinch, Matt |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20141006074352/http://www.cnbc.com/id/101479123 |archivedate = 6 October 2014 |df = dmy-all }}</ref><ref name="dd">{{cite web |url = http://www.dailydot.com/opinion/why-bitcoin-ponzi-scheme/ |title = Bitcoins: The second biggest Ponzi scheme in history |publisher = The Daily Dot |date = 3 December 2013 |accessdate = 23 May 2016 |author = North, Gary |author-link = Gary North (economist) |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20160617002042/http://www.dailydot.com/opinion/why-bitcoin-ponzi-scheme/ |archivedate = 17 June 2016 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> and the central bank of Estonia<ref name="Ott Ummelas and Milda Seputyte">{{cite news |url = https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-01-30/bitcoin-ponzi-scheme-worry-sparks-estonia-central-bank-caution.html |title = Bitcoin ‘Ponzi’ Concern Sparks Warning From Estonia Bank |publisher = Bloomberg |work = bloomberg.com |date = 31 January 2014 |accessdate = 1 April 2014 |author1 = Ott Ummelas |author2 = Milda Seputyte |lastauthoramp = yes |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20140329214501/http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-01-30/bitcoin-ponzi-scheme-worry-sparks-estonia-central-bank-caution.html |archivedate = 29 March 2014 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> have voiced concerns that bitcoin is a ]. In 2013, ], a law professor at the University of Chicago, stated that "a real Ponzi scheme takes fraud; bitcoin, by contrast, seems more like a collective delusion."<ref name="Posner, Eric">{{cite web |url = http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/view_from_chicago/2013/04/bitcoin_is_a_ponzi_scheme_the_internet_currency_will_collapse.html |title = Bitcoin is a Ponzi scheme—the Internet's favorite currency will collapse. |work = Slate |date = 11 April 2013 |accessdate = 1 April 2014 |author = Posner, Eric |authorlink = Eric Posner |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20140326185128/http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/view_from_chicago/2013/04/bitcoin_is_a_ponzi_scheme_the_internet_currency_will_collapse.html |archivedate = 26 March 2014 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> A 2014 report by the ] concluded that bitcoin was not a deliberate Ponzi scheme.<ref>{{cite web |title = Ponzis: The Science and Mystique of a Class of Financial Frauds |url = http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2014/07/16/000112742_20140716115536/Rendered/PDF/WPS6967.pdf |author = Kaushik Basu |publisher = ] |date = July 2014 |accessdate = 30 October 2014 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20141031043236/http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2014/07/16/000112742_20140716115536/Rendered/PDF/WPS6967.pdf |archivedate = 31 October 2014 |df = dmy-all }}</ref>{{rp|7}} The Swiss ]<ref name="FC20140625">{{cite web |publisher = ] |title = Federal Council report on virtual currencies in response to the Schwaab (13.3687) and Weibel (13.4070) postulates |work = ] |date = 25 June 2014 |accessdate = 28 November 2014 |url = http://www.news.admin.ch/NSBSubscriber/message/attachments/35355.pdf |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20141205182453/http://www.news.admin.ch/NSBSubscriber/message/attachments/35355.pdf |archivedate = 5 December 2014 |df = dmy-all }}</ref>{{rp|21}} examined the concerns that bitcoin might be a pyramid scheme; it concluded that "Since in the case of bitcoin the typical promises of profits are lacking, it cannot be assumed that bitcoin is a pyramid scheme." In July 2017, billionaire ] referred to bitcoin as a ].<ref>{{cite web |title = This Billionaire Just Called Bitcoin a 'Pyramid Scheme' |url = http://fortune.com/2017/07/27/howard-marks-bitcoin-pyramid-scheme/ |accessdate = 23 September 2017 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20170924045918/http://fortune.com/2017/07/27/howard-marks-bitcoin-pyramid-scheme/ |archivedate = 24 September 2017 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> | |||
On 12 September 2017, ], CEO of ], called bitcoin a "fraud" and said he would fire anyone in his firm caught trading it. ] claimed that the same day Dimon made his statement, JP Morgan also purchased a large amount of bitcoins for its clients.<ref>{{cite web |title = JPMorgan Helps Clients Buy Bitcoin Despite CEO Calling Bitcoin ‘a Fraud’ |url = http://fortune.com/2017/09/18/jpmorgan-buy-bitcoin-ceo-callingfraud/ |accessdate = 23 September 2017 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20170923172754/http://fortune.com/2017/09/18/jpmorgan-buy-bitcoin-ceo-callingfraud/ |archivedate = 23 September 2017 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> In a January 2018 interview Dimon voiced regrets about his earlier remarks, and said "The blockchain is real. You can have cryptodollars in yen and stuff like that. ]s ... you got to look at every one individually."<ref>{{cite web|work=CNBC|title=Jamie Dimon says he regrets calling bitcoin a fraud and believes in the technology behind it|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/09/jamie-dimon-says-he-regrets-calling-bitcoin-a-fraud.html|date=9 January 2018|deadurl=no|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180113085325/https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/09/jamie-dimon-says-he-regrets-calling-bitcoin-a-fraud.html|archivedate=13 January 2018|df=dmy-all}}</ref> | |||
=== Speculative bubble dispute === | |||
{{Main|Cryptocurrency bubble}} | |||
Bitcoin has been labelled a '']'' by many including former ] ]<ref name=Kearns>{{cite news |url = https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-12-04/greenspan-says-bitcoin-a-bubble-without-intrinsic-currency-value.html |title = Greenspan Says Bitcoin a Bubble Without Intrinsic Currency Value |publisher = Bloomberg LP |work = bloomberg.com |date = 4 December 2013 |accessdate = 23 December 2013 |author = Kearns, Jeff |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20131229054844/http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-12-04/greenspan-says-bitcoin-a-bubble-without-intrinsic-currency-value.html |archivedate = 29 December 2013 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> and economist ].<ref name="BMH">{{cite news |url = http://nationalinterest.org/commentary/the-bitcoin-bubble-bad-hypothesis-8353 |title = The Bitcoin Bubble and a Bad Hypothesis |last = Quiggin |first = John |work = The National Interest |date = 16 April 2013 |accessdate = 31 October 2014 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20141022081554/http://nationalinterest.org/commentary/the-bitcoin-bubble-bad-hypothesis-8353 |archivedate = 22 October 2014 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> ] laureate ] said that bitcoin "exhibited many of the characteristics of a speculative bubble".<ref>{{cite news |last = Shiller |first = Robert |title = In Search of a Stable Electronic Currency |url = https://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/02/business/in-search-of-a-stable-electronic-currency.html?_r=0 |publisher = New York Times |date = 1 March 2014 |accessdate = 31 October 2014 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20141024120222/http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/02/business/in-search-of-a-stable-electronic-currency.html?_r=0 |archivedate = 24 October 2014 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> Journalist Matthew Boesler in 2013 rejected the speculative bubble label and saw bitcoin's quick rise in price as nothing more than normal economic forces at work.<ref>{{cite web |last = Boesler |first = Matthew |title = ANALYST: The Rise Of Bitcoin Teaches A Tremendous Lesson About Global Economics |url = http://www.businessinsider.com/global-economics-lesson-from-bitcoin-2013-3 |publisher = Business Insider |date = 7 March 2013 |accessdate = 31 October 2014 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20141014012742/http://www.businessinsider.com/global-economics-lesson-from-bitcoin-2013-3 |archivedate = 14 October 2014 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> Timothy B. Lee, in a 2013 piece for ''The Washington Post'' pointed out that the observed cycles of appreciation and depreciation don't correspond to the definition of speculative bubble.<ref name="Leebubble" /> On 14 March 2014, the American business magnate ] said, "Stay away from it. It's a mirage, basically."<ref>{{Cite web |url = https://www.cnbc.com/2014/03/14/buffett-blasts-bitcoin-as-mirage-stay-away.html |title = Bitcoin? Here's what Warren Buffett is saying |last = Crippen |first = Alex |date = 14 March 2014 |website = CNBC |accessdate = 11 January 2017 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20170113070447/http://www.cnbc.com/2014/03/14/buffett-blasts-bitcoin-as-mirage-stay-away.html |archivedate = 13 January 2017 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> During their time as bitcoin developers, Gavin Andresen<ref>{{cite web |title = Bitcoin's History of Crushing Speculators |author = Dan Caplinger |publisher = ] |date = 4 April 2013 |accessdate = 7 January 2014 |url = http://www.fool.com/retirement/general/2013/04/04/bitcoins-history-of-crushing-speculators.aspx |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20140107121554/http://www.fool.com/retirement/general/2013/04/04/bitcoins-history-of-crushing-speculators.aspx |archivedate = 7 January 2014 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> and Mike Hearn<ref>{{cite news |url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-25332746 |title = Bitcoin: Price v hype |publisher = BBC |work = bbc.com |date = 13 December 2013 |accessdate = 23 December 2013 |author = Barford, Vanessa |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20131219213618/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-25332746 |archivedate = 19 December 2013 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> warned that bubbles may occur. | |||
=== Energy consumption === | |||
Bitcoin has been criticized for the amounts of electricity consumed by mining. As of 2015, ''The Economist'' estimated that even if all miners used modern facilities, the combined electricity consumption would be 166.7 megawatts (1.46 terawatt-hours per year).<ref name=ec1305 /> | |||
At the end of 2017, the global bitcoin mining activity was estimated to consume between 1 and 4 gigawatts of electricity.<ref>{{Cite news |url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/12/19/why-the-bitcoin-craze-is-using-up-so-much-energy |title = Why the bitcoin craze is using up so much energy |last1 = Mooney |first1 = Chris |last2 = Mufson |first2 = Steven |date = 19 December 2017 |newspaper = The Washington Post |accessdate = 11 January 2018 |dead-url = no |df = dmy-all |quote = several experts told The Washington Post that bitcoin probably uses as much as 1 to 4 gigawatts, or billion watts, of electricity, roughly the output of one to three nuclear reactors. |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20180109212301/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/12/19/why-the-bitcoin-craze-is-using-up-so-much-energy/ |archivedate = 9 January 2018 }}</ref> ] noted that the banking sector today consumes about 6% of total global power, and even if bitcoin's consumption levels increased 100 fold from today's levels, bitcoin's consumption would still only amount to about 2% of global power consumption.<ref name="politico201804">{{cite news |last1 = Roberts |first1 = Paul |title = This Is What Happens When Bitcoin Miners Take Over Your Town - Eastern Washington had cheap power and tons of space. Then the suitcases of cash started arriving. |url = https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/03/09/bitcoin-mining-energy-prices-smalltown-feature-217230 |accessdate = 16 March 2018 |work = Politico |date = 9 March 2018 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> | |||
To lower the costs, bitcoin miners have set up in places like Iceland where ] is cheap and cooling ] air is free.{{r|dh150613}} Bitcoin miners are known to use ] in ], ], ], and ] to reduce electricity costs.<ref name="politico201804" /><ref name="cryptocoinnews20160914">{{cite news |last1 = Maras |first1 = Elliot |title = China’s Mining Dominance: Good Or Bad For Bitcoin? |url = https://www.cryptocoinsnews.com/chinas-mining-dominance-good-or-bad-for-bitcoin/ |accessdate = 25 November 2016 |work = Cryptocoin News |date = 14 September 2016 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20161126064550/https://www.cryptocoinsnews.com/chinas-mining-dominance-good-or-bad-for-bitcoin/ |archivedate = 26 November 2016 |df = dmy-all }}</ref><ref name="CBC20171115">{{cite news |last1 = |first1 = |title = Montreal entrepreneur banking on province's largest bitcoin 'mining' operation |url = http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/montreal-bitcoin-mine-operation-1.4400985 |accessdate = 7 January 2018 |work = Cryptocoin News |date = 15 November 2017 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20180110191438/http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/montreal-bitcoin-mine-operation-1.4400985 |archivedate = 10 January 2018 |df = }}</ref><ref name="verge20171221">{{cite news |last1 = Potenza |first1 = Alessandra |title = Can renewable power offset bitcoin's massive energy demands? |url = https://www.theverge.com/2017/12/21/16806772/bitcoin-cryptocurrency-energy-consumption-renewables-climate-change |accessdate = 12 January 2018 |work = TheVerge News |date = 21 December 2017 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20180112155940/https://www.theverge.com/2017/12/21/16806772/bitcoin-cryptocurrency-energy-consumption-renewables-climate-change |archivedate = 12 January 2018 |df = }}</ref> Miners are attracted to suppliers such as ] that have energy surpluses.<ref name="hydro2018">{{cite news |last1 = Lampert |first1 = Allison |title = Chinese bitcoin miners eye sites in energy-rich Canada |url = https://www.reuters.com/article/us-canada-bitcoin-china/chinese-bitcoin-miners-eye-sites-in-energy-rich-canada-idUSKBN1F10BU |accessdate = 14 January 2018 |work = Reuters |date = 12 January 2018 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20180114001018/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-canada-bitcoin-china/chinese-bitcoin-miners-eye-sites-in-energy-rich-canada-idUSKBN1F10BU |archivedate = 14 January 2018 |df = }}</ref> According to a ] study, much of bitcoin mining is done in China, where electricity is subsidized by the government.<ref>{{cite news|title=Bitcoin is literally ruining the earth, claim experts|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/bitcoin-environment-green-energy-power-global-warming-climate-change-a8094661.html|accessdate=23 January 2018|work=The Independent|date=6 December 2017|deadurl=no|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180119145633/http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/bitcoin-environment-green-energy-power-global-warming-climate-change-a8094661.html|archivedate=19 January 2018|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=The Hard Math Behind Bitcoin's Global Warming Problem|url=https://www.wired.com/story/bitcoin-global-warming/|accessdate=23 January 2018|work=WIRED|date=15 December 2017|deadurl=no|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180121095259/https://www.wired.com/story/bitcoin-global-warming/|archivedate=21 January 2018|df=dmy-all}}</ref> | |||
=== Price manipulation investigation === | |||
The first major official investigation into bitcoin traders was reported in May 2018.<ref name="Times05252018">{{cite news|last1=Dean|first1=James|title=Bitcoin investigation to focus on British traders, US officials examine manipulation of cryptocurrency prices|url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/bitcoin-investigation-to-focus-on-british-traders-c58brwn60|accessdate=May 25, 2018|publisher=The Times|date=May 25, 2018}}</ref> The U.S. Justice Department launched an investigation into possible price manipulation, including the techniques of ] and ]s.<ref name="chloeFT">{{cite news|last1=Cornish|first1=Chloe|title=Bitcoin slips again on reports of US DoJ investigation|url=https://www.ft.com/content/5d8f06f2-5f3a-11e8-9334-2218e7146b04|accessdate=May 24, 2018|publisher=Financial Times|date=May 24, 2018}}</ref><ref name="Bloom052418">{{cite news|last1=Robinson|first1=Matt|last2=Schoenberg|first2=Tom|title=U.S. Launches Criminal Probe into Bitcoin Price Manipulation|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-05-24/bitcoin-manipulation-is-said-to-be-focus-of-u-s-criminal-probe|accessdate=May 24, 2018|publisher=Bloomberg|date=May 24, 2018}}</ref><ref name="USAT05242018">{{cite news|last1=McCoy|first1=Kevin|title=Bitcoin value gyrates amid report of Department of Justice manipulation investigation|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2018/05/24/bitcoin-value-gyrates-after-report-department-justice-probe/640289002/|accessdate=May 25, 2018|publisher=]|date=May 24, 2018}}</ref> Traders in the U.S., the U.K, South Korea, and possibly other countries are being investigated.<ref name="Times05252018"/> Brett Redfearn, head of the ]'s Division of Trading and Markets, had identified several manipulation techniques of concern in March 2018. State and provincial securities regulators, coordinated through the ], are investigating "bitcoin scams" and ] in 40 jurisdictions.<ref name="WaPo52118">{{cite news|last1=Fung|first1=Brian|title=State regulators unveil nationwide crackdown on suspicious cryptocurrency investment schemes|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2018/05/21/state-regulators-unveil-nationwide-crackdown-on-suspicious-cryptocurrency-investment-schemes/?utm_term=.96560403e998|accessdate=May 27, 2018|publisher=Washington Post|date=May 21, 2018}}</ref> Academic research published in the ] concluded that price manipulation occurred during the ] bitcoin theft and that the market remains vulnerable to manipulation.<ref name="JME">{{cite journal|last1=Gandal|first1=Neil|last2=Hamrick|first2=J.T.|last3=Moore|first3=Tyler|last4=Oberman|first4=Tali|title=Price manipulation in the Bitcoin ecosystem|journal=]|date=May 2018|volume=95|page=86-96|url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304393217301666|accessdate=May 25, 2018}}</ref> The history of hacks, fraud and theft involving bitcoin dates back to at least 2011.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Lee|first1=Tim|title=A brief history of Bitcoin hacks and frauds|url=https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2017/12/a-brief-history-of-bitcoin-hacks-and-frauds/|website=Ars Technica|accessdate=May 27, 2018|date=December 12, 2017}}</ref> | |||
=== Criminal activity === | |||
{{See also|Bitcoin network#Criminal activity}} | |||
The use of bitcoin by criminals has attracted the attention of financial regulators, legislative bodies, law enforcement, and the media.<ref name="Lavin, Tim">{{cite news |url = http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2013-08-08/did-the-sec-just-validate-bitcoin-no- |title = The SEC Shows Why Bitcoin Is Doomed |publisher = Bloomberg LP |work = bloomberg.com |date = 8 August 2013 |accessdate = 20 October 2013 |author = Lavin, Tim |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20140325214514/http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2013-08-08/did-the-sec-just-validate-bitcoin-no- |archivedate = 25 March 2014 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> In the United States, the ] prepared an intelligence assessment,<ref name="fbi_report">{{cite news |url = https://www.wired.com/images_blogs/threatlevel/2012/05/Bitcoin-FBI.pdf |title = Bitcoins Virtual Currency: Unique Features Present Challenges for Deterring Illicit Activity |publisher = FBI |work = Cyber Intelligence Section and Criminal Intelligence Section |date = 24 April 2012 |accessdate = 2 November 2014 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20141014180733/http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/threatlevel/2012/05/Bitcoin-FBI.pdf |archivedate = 14 October 2014 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> the ] issued a pointed warning about investment schemes using virtual currencies,<ref name="Lavin, Tim" /> and the ] held a hearing on virtual currencies in November 2013.<ref name="USoff" /> | |||
Several news outlets have asserted that the popularity of bitcoins hinges on the ability to use them to purchase illegal goods.<ref name=Monetarists>{{cite news |url = http://www.economist.com/node/21563752 |title = Monetarists Anonymous |publisher = The Economist Newspaper Limited |work = The Economist |date = 29 September 2012 |accessdate = 21 October 2013 |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20131020192331/http://www.economist.com/node/21563752 |archivedate = 20 October 2013 |df = dmy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/mar/22/silk-road-online-drug-marketplace |title = Silk Road: the online drug marketplace that officials seem powerless to stop |publisher = Guardian News and Media Limited |work = theguardian.com |date = 22 March 2013 |accessdate = 20 October 2013 |author = Ball, James |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20131012012106/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/mar/22/silk-road-online-drug-marketplace |archivedate = 12 October 2013 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> In 2014, researchers at the ] found "robust evidence that computer programming enthusiasts and illegal activity drive interest in bitcoin, and find limited or no support for political and investment motives".<ref name=uok>{{cite journal |ssrn = 2518603 |title = Characteristics of Bitcoin Users: An Analysis of Google Search Data |author1 = Matthew Graham Wilson |author2 = Aaron Yelowitz |lastauthoramp = yes |journal = Social Science Research Network |date = November 2014 |volume = Working Papers Series }}</ref> | |||
== Documentation == | |||
=== Academia === | |||
In September 2015, the establishment of the ] ] '']'' ({{ISSN|2379-5980}}) was announced. It will cover studies of cryptocurrencies and related technologies, and is published by the ].<ref>{{cite web |url = http://motherboard.vice.com/read/introducing-ledger-the-first-bitcoin-only-academic-journal |title = Introducing Ledger, the First Bitcoin-Only Academic Journal |author = |date = |work = Motherboard |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20170110172807/http://motherboard.vice.com/read/introducing-ledger-the-first-bitcoin-only-academic-journal |archivedate = 10 January 2017 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> | |||
The journal encourages authors to ] a ] of submitted papers, which will then be ] into the bitcoin ]. Authors are also asked to include a personal bitcoin address in the first page of their papers.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://ledgerjournal.org/ojs/index.php/ledger/about/editorialPolicies#custom-0 |title = Editorial Policies |author = |date = |work = ledgerjournal.org |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20161223135741/http://www.ledgerjournal.org/ojs/index.php/ledger/about/editorialPolicies#custom-0 |archivedate = 23 December 2016 |df = dmy-all }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last = |first = |date = 2015 |title = How to Write and Format an Article for Ledger |url = http://ledger.pitt.edu/ojs/public/journals/1/AuthorGuide.pdf |journal = ] |volume = |issue = |doi = 10.5195/LEDGER.2015.1 |pmid = |accessdate = |via = |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20150922190603/http://ledger.pitt.edu/ojs/public/journals/1/AuthorGuide.pdf |archivedate = 22 September 2015 |doi-broken-date = 2018-03-18}}</ref> | |||
=== Film === | |||
The documentary film, '']'' (late 2014), features interviews with people who use bitcoin, such as a computer programmer and a drug dealer.<ref>{{cite news |url = https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/03/movies/the-rise-and-rise-of-bitcoin-from-nicholas-mross.html?_r=0 |title = Financial Wild West |newspaper = The New York Times |date = 2 October 2014 |accessdate = 8 May 2015 |author = Kenigsberg, Ben |deadurl = no |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20150518232516/http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/03/movies/the-rise-and-rise-of-bitcoin-from-nicholas-mross.html?_r=0 |archivedate = 18 May 2015 |df = dmy-all }}</ref> | |||
== See also == | |||
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{{Portal bar|Cryptography|Business and economics|Free and open-source software|Internet|Numismatics}} | |||
== Notes == | |||
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== References == | |||
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== External links == | |||
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==Further reading== | |||
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*{{cite web|last=Nakamoto|first=Satoshi|date=31 October 2008|title=Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System|url=https://bitcoin.org/bitcoin.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140320135003/https://bitcoin.org/bitcoin.pdf|archive-date=20 March 2014|access-date=28 April 2014|publisher=bitcoin.org}} | |||
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Latest revision as of 17:36, 5 January 2025
Decentralized digital currency For the colloquial expression for coinage, see Bit (money). "₿" redirects here. Not to be confused with "฿" for Thai baht.
Official logo from bitcoin.org | |
Denominations | |
---|---|
Plural | Bitcoins |
Symbol | ₿ (Unicode: U+20BF ₿ BITCOIN SIGN) |
Code | BTC |
Precision | 10 |
Subunits | |
1⁄1000 | Millibitcoin |
1⁄1000000 | Microbitcoin |
1⁄100000000 | Satoshi |
Development | |
Original author(s) | Satoshi Nakamoto |
White paper | "Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System" |
Implementation(s) | Bitcoin Core |
Initial release | 0.1.0 / 9 January 2009 (15 years ago) (2009-01-09) |
Latest release | 28.0 / 4 October 2024 (3 months ago) (2024-10-04) |
Code repository | github |
Development status | Active |
Written in | C++ |
Source model | Free and open-source software |
License | MIT License |
Ledger | |
Ledger start | 3 January 2009 (16 years ago) (2009-01-03) |
Timestamping scheme | Proof of work (partial hash inversion) |
Hash function | SHA-256 (two rounds) |
Issuance schedule | Decentralized (block reward) Initially ₿50 per block, halved every 210,000 blocks |
Block reward | ₿3.125 (as of 2024) |
Block time | 10 minutes |
Circulating supply | ₿19,591,231 (as of 6 January 2024) |
Supply limit | ₿21,000,000 |
Valuation | |
Exchange rate | Floating |
Demographics | |
Official user(s) | El Salvador |
Website | |
Website | bitcoin |
Bitcoin (abbreviation: BTC; sign: ₿) is the first decentralized cryptocurrency. Based on a free-market ideology, bitcoin was invented in 2008 by Satoshi Nakamoto, an unknown person. Use of bitcoin as a currency began in 2009, with the release of its open-source implementation. In 2021, El Salvador adopted it as legal tender. It is mostly seen as an investment and has been described by some scholars as an economic bubble. As bitcoin is pseudonymous, its use by criminals has attracted the attention of regulators, leading to its ban by several countries as of 2021.
Nodes in the peer-to-peer bitcoin network verify transactions through cryptography and record them in a public distributed ledger, called a blockchain, without central oversight. Consensus between nodes is achieved using a computationally intensive process based on proof of work, called mining, that secures the bitcoin blockchain. Mining consumes large quantities of electricity and has been criticized for its environmental impact.
History
Main article: History of bitcoinBackground
Before bitcoin, several digital cash technologies were released, starting with David Chaum's ecash in the 1980s. The idea that solutions to computational puzzles could have some value was first proposed by cryptographers Cynthia Dwork and Moni Naor in 1992. The concept was independently rediscovered by Adam Back who developed Hashcash, a proof-of-work scheme for spam control in 1997. The first proposals for distributed digital scarcity-based cryptocurrencies came from cypherpunks Wei Dai (b-money) and Nick Szabo (bit gold) in 1998. In 2004, Hal Finney developed the first currency based on reusable proof of work. These various attempts were not successful: Chaum's concept required centralized control and no banks wanted to sign on, Hashcash had no protection against double-spending, while b-money and bit gold were not resistant to Sybil attacks.
2008–2009: Creation
External image | |
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Cover page of The Times 3 January 2009 showing the headline used in the genesis block |
The domain name bitcoin.org was registered on 18 August 2008. On 31 October 2008, a link to a white paper authored by Satoshi Nakamoto titled Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System was posted to a cryptography mailing list. Nakamoto implemented the bitcoin software as open-source code and released it in January 2009. Nakamoto's identity remains unknown. According to computer scientist Arvind Narayanan, all individual components of bitcoin originated in earlier academic literature. Nakamoto's innovation was their complex interplay resulting in the first decentralized, Sybil resistant, Byzantine fault tolerant digital cash system, that would eventually be referred to as the first blockchain. Nakamoto's paper was not peer reviewed and was initially ignored by academics, who argued that it could not work.
On 3 January 2009, the bitcoin network was created when Nakamoto mined the starting block of the chain, known as the genesis block. Embedded in this block was the text "The Times 03/Jan/2009 Chancellor on brink of second bailout for banks", which is the date and headline of an issue of The Times newspaper. Nine days later, Hal Finney received the first bitcoin transaction: ten bitcoins from Nakamoto. Wei Dai and Nick Szabo were also early supporters. On May 22, 2010, the first known commercial transaction using bitcoin occurred when programmer Laszlo Hanyecz bought two Papa John's pizzas for ₿10,000, in what would later be celebrated as "Bitcoin Pizza Day".
2010–2012: Early growth
Blockchain analysts estimate that Nakamoto had mined about one million bitcoins before disappearing in 2010 when he handed the network alert key and control of the code repository over to Gavin Andresen. Andresen later became lead developer at the Bitcoin Foundation, an organization founded in September 2012 to promote bitcoin.
After early "proof-of-concept" transactions, the first major users of bitcoin were black markets, such as the dark web Silk Road. During its 30 months of existence, beginning in February 2011, Silk Road exclusively accepted bitcoins as payment, transacting ₿9.9 million, worth about $214 million.
2013–2014: First regulatory actions
In March 2013, the US Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) established regulatory guidelines for "decentralized virtual currencies" such as bitcoin, classifying American bitcoin miners who sell their generated bitcoins as money services businesses, subject to registration and other legal obligations. In May 2013, US authorities seized the unregistered exchange Mt. Gox. In June 2013, the US Drug Enforcement Administration seized ₿11.02 from a man attempting to use them to buy illegal substances. This marked the first time a government agency had seized bitcoins. The FBI seized about ₿30,000 in October 2013 from Silk Road, following the arrest of its founder Ross Ulbricht.
In December 2013, the People's Bank of China prohibited Chinese financial institutions from using bitcoin. After the announcement, the value of bitcoin dropped, and Baidu no longer accepted bitcoins for certain services. Buying real-world goods with any virtual currency had been illegal in China since at least 2009.
2015–2019
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. In August 2017, the SegWit software upgrade was activated. Segwit was intended to support the Lightning Network as well as improve scalability. SegWit opponents, who supported larger blocks as a scalability solution, forked to create Bitcoin Cash, one of many forks of bitcoin.
In December 2017, the first futures on bitcoin was introduced by the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME).
In February 2018, the price crashed after China imposed a complete ban on bitcoin trading. The percentage of bitcoin trading in the Chinese renminbi fell from over 90% in September 2017 to less than 1% in June 2018. During the same year, bitcoin prices were negatively affected by several hacks or thefts from cryptocurrency exchanges.
2020–present
In 2020, some major companies and institutions started to acquire bitcoin: MicroStrategy invested $250 million in bitcoin as a treasury reserve asset, Square, Inc., $50 million, and MassMutual, $100 million. In November 2020, PayPal added support for bitcoin in the US.
In February 2021, bitcoin's market capitalization reached $1 trillion for the first time. In November 2021, the Taproot soft-fork upgrade was activated, adding support for Schnorr signatures, improved functionality of smart contracts and Lightning Network. Before, bitcoin only used a custom elliptic curve with the ECDSA algorithm to produce signatures. In September 2021, bitcoin became legal tender in El Salvador, alongside the US dollar. In October 2021, the first bitcoin futures exchange-traded fund (ETF), called BITO, from ProShares was approved by the SEC and listed on the CME.
In May and June 2022, the bitcoin price fell following the collapses of TerraUSD, a stablecoin, and the Celsius Network, a cryptocurrency loan company.
In 2023, ordinals—non-fungible tokens (NFTs)—on bitcoin, went live. As of June 2023, River Financial estimated that bitcoin had 81.7 million users, about 1% of the global population. In January 2024, the first 11 US spot bitcoin ETFs began trading, offering direct exposure to bitcoin for the first time on American stock exchanges. In December 2024, bitcoin price reached $100,000 for the first time, as US president-elect Donald Trump promised to make the US the "crypto capital of the planet" and to stockpile bitcoin. The same month, BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager, recommended investors to allocate up to 2% of their portfolio to bitcoin.
Design
Main article: Bitcoin protocolUnits and divisibility
The unit of account of the bitcoin system is the bitcoin. It is most commonly represented with the symbol ₿ and the currency code BTC. However, the BTC code does not conform to ISO 4217 as BT is the country code of Bhutan, and ISO 4217 requires the first letter used in global commodities to be 'X'. XBT, a code that conforms to ISO 4217 though not officially part of it, is used by Bloomberg L.P.
No uniform capitalization convention exists; some sources use Bitcoin, capitalized, to refer to the technology and network, and bitcoin, lowercase, for the unit of account. The Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary and the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary use the capitalized and lowercase variants without distinction.
One bitcoin is divisible to eight decimal places. Units for smaller amounts of bitcoin are the millibitcoin (mBTC), equal to 1⁄1000 bitcoin, and the satoshi (sat), representing 1⁄100000000 (one hundred millionth) bitcoin, the smallest amount possible. 100,000 satoshis are one mBTC.
Blockchain
Further information: Blockchain § Structure and designAs a decentralized system, bitcoin operates without a central authority or single administrator, so that anyone can create a new bitcoin address and transact without needing any approval. This is accomplished through a specialized distributed ledger called a blockchain that records bitcoin transactions.
The blockchain is implemented as an ordered list of blocks. Each block contains a SHA-256 hash of the previous block, chaining them in chronological order. The blockchain is maintained by a peer-to-peer network. Individual blocks, public addresses, and transactions within blocks are public information, and can be examined using a blockchain explorer.
Nodes validate and broadcast transactions, each maintaining a copy of the blockchain for ownership verification. A new block is created every 10 minutes on average, updating the blockchain across all nodes without central oversight. This process tracks bitcoin spending, ensuring each bitcoin is spent only once. Unlike a traditional ledger that tracks physical currency, bitcoins exist digitally as unspent outputs of transactions.
Addresses and transactions
In the blockchain, bitcoins are linked to specific addresses that are hashes of a public key. Creating an address involves generating a random private key and then computing the corresponding address. This process is almost instant, but the reverse (finding the private key for a given address) is nearly impossible. Publishing a bitcoin address does not risk its private key, and it is extremely unlikely to accidentally generate a used key with funds. To use bitcoins, owners need their private key to digitally sign transactions, which are verified by the network using the public key, keeping the private key secret.
Bitcoin transactions use a Forth-like scripting language, involving one or more inputs and outputs. When sending bitcoins, a user specifies the recipients' addresses and the amount for each output. This allows sending bitcoins to several recipients in a single transaction. To prevent double-spending, each input must refer to a previous unspent output in the blockchain. Using multiple inputs is similar to using multiple coins in a cash transaction. As in a cash transaction, the sum of inputs can exceed the intended sum of payments. In such a case, an additional output can return the change back to the payer. Unallocated input satoshis in the transaction become the transaction fee.
Losing a private key means losing access to the bitcoins, with no other proof of ownership accepted by the protocol. For instance, in 2013, a user lost ₿7,500, valued at US$7.5 million, by accidentally discarding a hard drive with the private key. It is estimated that around 20% of all bitcoins are lost. The private key must also be kept secret as its exposure, such as through a data breach, can lead to theft of the associated bitcoins. As of December 2017, approximately ₿980,000 had been stolen from cryptocurrency exchanges.
Mining
See also: Bitcoin protocol § MiningThe mining process in bitcoin involves maintaining the blockchain through computer processing power. Miners group and broadcast new transactions into blocks, which are then verified by the network. Each block must contain a proof of work (PoW) to be accepted, involving finding a nonce number that, combined with the block content, produces a hash numerically smaller than the network's difficulty target. This PoW is simple to verify but hard to generate, requiring many attempts. PoW forms the basis of bitcoin's consensus mechanism.
The difficulty of generating a block is deterministically adjusted based on the mining power on the network by changing the difficulty target, which is recalibrated every 2,016 blocks (approximately two weeks) to maintain an average time of ten minutes between new blocks. The process requires significant computational power and specialized hardware.
Miners who successfully find a new block can collect transaction fees from the included transactions and a set reward in bitcoins. To claim this reward, a special transaction called a coinbase is included in the block, with the miner as the payee. All bitcoins in existence have been created through this type of transaction. This reward is halved every 210,000 blocks until ₿21 million, with new bitcoin issuance slated to end around 2140. Afterward, miners will only earn from transaction fees. These fees are determined by the transaction's size and the amount of data stored, measured in satoshis per byte.
The proof of work system and the chaining of blocks make blockchain modifications very difficult, as altering one block requires changing all subsequent blocks. As more blocks are added, modifying older blocks becomes increasingly challenging. In case of disagreement, nodes trust the longest chain, which required the greatest amount of effort to produce. To tamper or censor the ledger, one needs to control the majority of the global hashrate. The high cost required to reach this level of computational power secures the bitcoin blockchain.
Bitcoin mining's environmental impact is controversial and has attracted the attention of regulators, leading to restrictions or incentives in various jurisdictions. As of 2022, a non-peer-reviewed study by the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance (CCAF) estimated that bitcoin mining represented 0.4% of global electricity consumption. Another 2022 non-peer-reviewed commentary published in Joule estimated that bitcoin mining was responsible for 0.2% of world greenhouse gas emissions. About half of the electricity used is generated through fossil fuels. Moreover, mining hardware's short lifespan results in electronic waste. The amount of electrical energy consumed, and the e-waste generated, is comparable to that of Greece and the Netherlands, respectively.
Privacy and fungibility
Bitcoin is pseudonymous, with funds linked to addresses, not real-world identities. While the owners of these addresses are not directly identified, all transactions are public on the blockchain. Patterns of use, like spending coins from multiple inputs, can hint at a common owner. Public data can sometimes be matched with known address owners. Bitcoin exchanges might also need to collect personal data as per legal requirements. For enhanced privacy, users can generate a new address for each transaction.
In the bitcoin network, each bitcoin is treated equally, ensuring basic fungibility. However, users and applications can choose to differentiate between bitcoins. While wallets and software treat all bitcoins the same, each bitcoin's transaction history is recorded on the blockchain. This public record allows for chain analysis, where users can identify and potentially reject bitcoins from controversial sources. For example, in 2012, Mt. Gox froze accounts containing bitcoins identified as stolen.
Wallets
For broader coverage of this topic, see Cryptocurrency wallet. Screenshot of Bitcoin CoreA paper wallet with the address as a QR code while the private key is hiddenA hardware wallet which processes bitcoin transactions without exposing private keysBitcoin wallets were the first cryptocurrency wallets, enabling users to store the information necessary to transact bitcoins. The first wallet program, simply named Bitcoin, and sometimes referred to as the Satoshi client, was released in 2009 by Nakamoto as open-source software. Bitcoin Core is among the best known clients. Forks of Bitcoin Core exist such as Bitcoin Unlimited. Wallets can be full clients, with a full copy of the blockchain to check the validity of mined blocks, or lightweight clients, just to send and receive transactions without a local copy of the entire blockchain. Third-party internet services called online wallets store users' credentials on their servers, making them susceptible of hacks. Cold storage protects bitcoins from such hacks by keeping private keys offline, either through specialized hardware wallets or paper printouts.
Scalability and decentralization challenges
Nakamoto limited the block size to one megabyte. The limited block size and frequency can lead to delayed processing of transactions, increased fees and a bitcoin scalability problem. The Lightning Network, second-layer routing network, is a potential scaling solution.
Research shows a trend towards centralization in bitcoin as miners join pools for stable income. If a single miner or pool controls more than 50% of the hashing power, it would allow them to censor transactions and double-spend coins. In 2014, mining pool Ghash.io reached 51% mining power, causing safety concerns, but later voluntarily capped its power at 39.99% for the benefit of the whole network. A few entities also dominate other parts of the ecosystem such as the client software, online wallets, and simplified payment verification (SPV) clients.
Economics and usage
Main article: Economics of bitcoinBitcoin's theoretical roots and ideology
According to the European Central Bank, the decentralization of money offered by bitcoin has its theoretical roots in the Austrian school of economics, especially with Friedrich Hayek's The Denationalisation of Money, in which he advocates a complete free market in the production, distribution and management of money to end the monopoly of central banks. Sociologist Nigel Dodd argues that the essence of the bitcoin ideology is to remove money from social, as well as governmental, control. The Economist describes bitcoin as "a techno-anarchist project to create an online version of cash, a way for people to transact without the possibility of interference from malicious governments or banks". These philosophical ideas initially attracted libertarians and anarchists. Economist Paul Krugman argues that cryptocurrencies like bitcoin are only used by bank skeptics and criminals.
Recognition as a currency and legal status
Money serves three purposes: a store of value, a medium of exchange, and a unit of account. According to The Economist in 2014, bitcoin functions best as a medium of exchange. In 2015, The Economist noted that bitcoins had three qualities useful in a currency: they are "hard to earn, limited in supply and easy to verify". However, a 2018 assessment by The Economist stated that cryptocurrencies met none of these three criteria. Per some researchers, as of 2015, bitcoin functions more as a payment system than as a currency. In 2014, economist Robert J. Shiller wrote that bitcoin has potential as a unit of account for measuring the relative value of goods, as with Chile's Unidad de Fomento, but that "Bitcoin in its present form... doesn't really solve any sensible economic problem". François R. Velde, Senior Economist at the Chicago Fed, described bitcoin as "an elegant solution to the problem of creating a digital currency". David Andolfatto, Vice President at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, stated that bitcoin is a threat to the establishment, which he argues is a good thing for the Federal Reserve System and other central banks, because it prompts these institutions to operate sound policies.
The legal status of bitcoin varies substantially from one jurisdiction to another. Because of its decentralized nature and its global presence, regulating bitcoin is difficult. However, the use of bitcoin can be criminalized, and shutting down exchanges and the peer-to-peer economy in a given country would constitute a de facto ban. The use of bitcoin by criminals has attracted the attention of financial regulators, legislative bodies, and law enforcement. Nobel-prize winning economist Joseph Stiglitz says that bitcoin's anonymity encourages money laundering and other crimes. This is the main justification behind bitcoin bans. As of November 2021, nine countries applied an absolute ban (Algeria, Bangladesh, China, Egypt, Iraq, Morocco, Nepal, Qatar, and Tunisia) while another 42 countries had an implicit ban. Bitcoin is only legal tender in El Salvador.
Use for payments
As of 2018, bitcoin is rarely used in transactions with merchants, but it is popular to purchase illegal goods online. Prices are not usually quoted in bitcoin and trades involve conversions into fiat currencies. Commonly cited reasons for not using bitcoin include high costs, the inability to process chargebacks, high price volatility, long transaction times, and transaction fees (especially for small purchases). Bloomberg reported that bitcoin was being used for large-item purchases on the site Overstock.com and for cross-border payments to freelancers. As of 2015, there was little sign of bitcoin use in international remittances despite high fees charged by banks and Western Union who compete in this market. Despite associated risks and costs, in 2022, a growing use of bitcoin, alongside cash and cards, was reported in restaurant business.
In September 2021, the Bitcoin Law made bitcoin legal tender in El Salvador, alongside the US dollar. The adoption has been criticized internationally and within El Salvador. In 2022, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) urged El Salvador to reverse its decision. As of 2022, the use of Bitcoin in El Salvador remains low: 80% of businesses refused to accept it. In April 2022, the Central African Republic (CAR) adopted bitcoin as legal tender alongside the CFA franc, but repealed the reform one year later.
Bitcoin is also used by some governments. For instance, the Iranian government initially opposed cryptocurrencies, but later saw them as an opportunity to circumvent sanctions. Since 2020, Iran has required local bitcoin miners to sell bitcoin to the Central Bank of Iran, allowing the central bank to use it for imports. Some constituent states also accept tax payments in bitcoin, including Colorado (US) and Zug (Switzerland). As of 2023, the US government owned more than $5 billion worth of seized bitcoin.
Use for investment and status as an economic bubble
Further information: Cryptocurrency bubbleAs of 2018, the overwhelming majority of bitcoin transactions took place on cryptocurrency exchanges. Since 2014, regulated bitcoin funds also allow exposure to the asset or to futures as an investment. Bitcoin is used as a store of value: individuals and companies such as the Winklevoss twins and Elon Musk's companies SpaceX and Tesla have massively invested in bitcoin. Bitcoin wealth is highly concentrated, with 0.01% holding 27% of in-circulation currency, as of 2021. As of September 2023, El Salvador had $76.5 million worth of bitcoin in its international reserves.
In 2018, research published in the Journal of Monetary Economics concluded that price manipulation occurred during the Mt. Gox bitcoin theft and that the market remained vulnerable to manipulation. Research published in The Journal of Finance also suggested that trading associated with increases in the amount of the Tether cryptocurrency and associated trading at the Bitfinex exchange accounted for about half of the price increase in bitcoin in late 2017.
Bitcoin, along with other cryptocurrencies, has been described as an economic bubble by several economists, including Nobel Prize in Economics laureates, such as Joseph Stiglitz, James Heckman, and Paul Krugman. Another recipient of the prize, Robert Shiller, argues that bitcoin is rather a fad that may become an asset class. He describes its price growth as an "epidemic", driven by contagious narratives. In 2024, Jean Tirole, also Nobel laureate, described bitcoin as a "pure bubble" as its intrinsic value is zero. According to him, some bubbles are long-lasting such as gold and fiat currencies, and it's impossible to predict whether bitcoin will collapse like other financial bubbles or become the new gold. The same year, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell described bitcoin as a digital competitor to gold but not to the dollar as he argued it is a highly volatile speculative asset not used as a form of payment.
According to research published in the International Review of Financial Analysis in 2018, bitcoin as an asset is highly volatile and does not behave like any other conventional asset. According to one 2022 analysis published in The Journal of Alternative Investments, bitcoin was less volatile than oil, silver, US Treasuries, and 190 stocks in the S&P 500 during and after the 2020 stock market crash. The term hodl was created in December 2013 for holding bitcoin rather than selling it during periods of volatility.
Other economists, investors, and the central bank of Estonia have described bitcoin as a potential Ponzi scheme. Legal scholar Eric Posner disagrees, however, as "a real Ponzi scheme takes fraud; bitcoin, by contrast, seems more like a collective delusion". A 2014 World Bank report also concluded that bitcoin was not a deliberate Ponzi scheme.
See also
Notes
- ^ Named after Satoshi Nakamoto
- ^ The exact number is ₿20,999,999.9769.
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Further reading
- Nakamoto, Satoshi (31 October 2008). "Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System" (PDF). bitcoin.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 March 2014. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
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