Transactions within the peer-to-peer Bitcoin network are verified through cryptography and recorded on a public, distributed ledger called the blockchain, which operates without centralized control. Consensus among nodes is reached through a computationally demanding process known as proof of work, or mining, which helps secure the Bitcoin blockchain. However, mining requires significant amounts of electricity and has faced criticism for its environmental impact.

Creation

On August 18, 2008, the domain name bitcoin.org was registered. Later that year, on October 31, a link to a whitepaper titled Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System, authored by the pseudonymous Satoshi Nakamoto, was shared on a cryptography mailing list. The paper outlined a method for enabling electronic transactions without relying on trust by using a peer-to-peer network.

The Bitcoin network officially launched on January 3, 2009, when Nakamoto mined the genesis block (block 0), earning a reward of 50 bitcoins. Embedded in the genesis block was the text:
"The Times 03/Jan/2009 Chancellor on brink of second bailout for banks."
This message, referencing a headline from The Times on that date, has been interpreted as both a timestamp and a critique of the instability caused by fractional-reserve banking.

Bitcoin’s first open-source client was released on January 9, 2009, via SourceForge. Programmer Hal Finney was among its earliest adopters, downloading the software the same day it was released. On January 12, 2009, he received 10 bitcoins from Nakamoto in the first recorded Bitcoin transaction (block 170). Other early contributors included Wei Dai, creator of Bitcoin predecessor b-money, and Nick Szabo, creator of bit gold. Early mining participants also included James Howells, who famously lost thousands of bitcoins in a Newport landfill.

During Bitcoin’s early days, Nakamoto is estimated to have mined around 1 million bitcoins. Before stepping away from the project, Nakamoto passed on development responsibilities to Gavin Andresen, who became the lead developer for Bitcoin under the Bitcoin Foundation, often considered the closest thing the decentralized Bitcoin community had to an official representative.

Satoshi Nakamoto

"Satoshi Nakamoto" is widely believed to be a pseudonym for the individual or group that designed the original Bitcoin protocol in 2007, released its whitepaper in 2008, and launched the network in 2009. Nakamoto created most of the initial Bitcoin software, actively updated it, and contributed technical insights on the Bitcoin forum. Speculation about Nakamoto's identity has pointed to figures like Wei Dai, Nick Szabo, and Hal Finney, all of whom have denied being Satoshi. Some theories even suggest Nakamoto could be a collective of computer scientists from the European financial sector.

Investigations into Nakamoto’s true identity have yielded various suspects. The New Yorker highlighted Michael Clear and Vili Lehdonvirta as possibilities, while Fast Company linked the invention to Neal King, Vladimir Oksman, and Charles Bry, based on a 2008 encryption patent application and its linguistic similarities to the Bitcoin whitepaper. All three denied involvement. In 2013, Ted Nelson speculated that Japanese mathematician Shinichi Mochizuki might be Nakamoto. Israeli researchers Dorit Ron and Adi Shamir initially implicated Silk Road founder Ross William Ulbricht, though they later retracted their claim.

Nakamoto’s direct involvement with Bitcoin ceased by mid-2010. In April 2011, he informed a contributor that he had "moved on to other things." Analysis of Nakamoto’s forum activity by Swiss coder Stefan Thomas revealed a pattern of inactivity between 5 a.m. and 11 a.m. GMT, suggesting he was likely located in North America. Additionally, clues such as British English spellings in forum posts and a UK newspaper reference in the genesis block hint at a connection to Britain.

An anonymous blogger’s textual analysis linked Nakamoto’s writing style to Nick Szabo’s bit gold articles, though Szabo has denied being Satoshi. In 2014, Newsweek journalist Leah McGrath Goodman controversially claimed that Dorian S. Nakamoto, a Californian man, was Bitcoin’s creator, but her methods and conclusion faced widespread criticism.

More recently, theories have implicated cryptographer Adam Back, following a 2020 YouTube documentary. Despite extensive speculation and numerous investigations, the true identity of Satoshi Nakamoto remains a mystery.

Prices and value history

Bitcoin value history (comparison to US$)

2008–2009: Creation

The domain name bitcoin.org was registered on August 18, 2008. On October 31, 2008, a link to a white paper 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 of Bitcoin's individual components originate from previous academic literature. Nakamoto's innovation was in the complex interactions that gave birth to the first decentralized, Sybil-resistant, Byzantine fault-tolerant digital cash system, later called the first blockchain. Nakamoto's paper was not peer-reviewed and was initially ignored by academics who claimed it was ineffective.

The Bitcoin network was created on January 3, 2009, when Nakamoto mined the starting block of the chain, called the genesis block. Embedded in this block was the text "The Times 3 January 2009 Prime Minister on the brink of second bailout of banks", which is the date and headline of an edition of The Times. Nine days later, Hal Finney received the first Bitcoin transaction from Nakamoto: 10 Bitcoins. Wei Dai and Nick Szabo were also early supporters.The first known commercial transaction involving Bitcoin took place on May 22, 2010, when programmer Laszlo Hanyecz purchased two Papa John's pizzas for €10,000, a date later celebrated as "Bitcoin Pizza Day".

2010–2012: Early growth

Blockchain analysts estimate that Satoshi Nakamoto mined approximately one million bitcoins before withdrawing from public involvement in 2010. At that time, Nakamoto transferred the network alert key and control of Bitcoin’s code repository to Gavin Andresen, who later became the lead developer at the Bitcoin Foundation. This organization, established in September 2012, was dedicated to promoting Bitcoin’s adoption.

Following its initial "proof-of-concept" transactions, Bitcoin found its first significant use on black market platforms like the Silk Road. Operating on the dark web from February 2011 until its closure 30 months later, Silk Road exclusively accepted Bitcoin, facilitating transactions totalling ₿9.9 million, valued at approximately $214 million.

2013–2014: First regulatory actions

In March 2013, the U.S. Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) introduced regulatory guidelines for "decentralized virtual currencies" like Bitcoin. These guidelines classified American Bitcoin miners who sell their mined bitcoins as money services businesses, requiring them to register and comply with legal obligations. In May 2013, U.S. authorities seized the unregistered exchange Mt. Gox. A month later, in June 2013, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) confiscated ₿11.02 from an individual attempting to use them for purchasing illegal substances, marking the first government seizure of bitcoins.

In October 2013, following the arrest of Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht, the FBI seized approximately ₿30,000 associated with the dark web marketplace. Meanwhile, in December 2013, the People's Bank of China banned Chinese financial institutions from using Bitcoin. This announcement led to a decline in Bitcoin's value and prompted Baidu to stop accepting Bitcoin for certain services. Notably, China had prohibited using virtual currencies to purchase real-world goods since at least 2009.

2015–2019

Research from the University of Cambridge estimated that by 2017, between 2.9 and 5.8 million unique users worldwide were using cryptocurrency wallets, with Bitcoin being the most widely used. In August 2017, the SegWit software upgrade was implemented to enhance scalability and enable support for the Lightning Network. However, disagreements over scalability solutions led to a fork by SegWit opponents, resulting in the creation of Bitcoin Cash, one of several Bitcoin offshoots.

In December 2017, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) introduced the first Bitcoin futures, marking a significant milestone in institutional adoption. However, in February 2018, Bitcoin's price plummeted following China's complete ban on Bitcoin trading. Consequently, the share of Bitcoin trading in Chinese renminbi dropped from over 90% in September 2017 to under 1% by June 2018. That year, Bitcoin’s value also suffered due to multiple hacks and thefts targeting cryptocurrency exchanges.

2020–present

In 2020, several major companies and institutions began investing in Bitcoin. MicroStrategy allocated $250 million to Bitcoin as a treasury reserve asset, followed by Square, Inc. with $50 million, and MassMutual with $100 million. In November 2020, PayPal introduced support for Bitcoin in the U.S., enabling more mainstream adoption.

By February 2021, Bitcoin’s market capitalization surpassed $1 trillion for the first time. In September of the same year, El Salvador became the first country to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender alongside the U.S. dollar. October 2021 saw the approval and listing of the first Bitcoin futures exchange-traded fund (ETF), BITO, by ProShares on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME). In November 2021, the Taproot soft-fork upgrade was activated, bringing features like Schnorr signatures, enhanced smart contract functionality, and improved Lightning Network performance, evolving Bitcoin’s technical capabilities beyond its prior reliance on ECDSA elliptic curve signatures.

Bitcoin faced challenges in 2022, with its price dropping significantly following the collapse of TerraUSD, a stablecoin, and Celsius Network, a cryptocurrency lending company.

In 2023, ordinals—non-fungible tokens (NFTs) on the Bitcoin network—went live, broadening Bitcoin’s utility. By June 2023, River Financial estimated Bitcoin’s user base at 81.7 million, roughly 1% of the global population. January 2024 marked another milestone with the launch of 11 U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs, offering direct Bitcoin exposure on American stock exchanges for the first time.

At a 2024 Bitcoin conference in Nashville, Republican presidential candidate Donald J. Trump voiced strong support for the crypto industry, declaring his intention to transform the U.S. into the "crypto capital of the planet."

2021–2023

Bitcoin shattered its 2020 price record within the first week of 2021, surging past $40,000 by January 7. The rally continued, reaching a new all-time high of over $60,000 by mid-April as Coinbase, a leading cryptocurrency exchange, went public. Institutional interest drove Bitcoin to a peak of $64,895 on April 14, 2021.

However, by the summer of 2021, Bitcoin's value had dropped by 50%, closing at $30,829 on July 19. A September rebound saw prices climb to $52,956, but a subsequent correction brought it back down to $40,597 within two weeks. On November 10, 2021, Bitcoin hit an all-time high of $69,000 before ending the day at $64,921. By mid-December, concerns over inflation and the emergence of the Omicron COVID-19 variant contributed to increased price volatility, with Bitcoin closing at $46,211.

Between January and May 2022, Bitcoin's price steadily declined, peaking briefly at $47,459 in March before falling to $29,000 by May 11—the first time it closed below $30,000 since July 2021. On June 13, prices plummeted below $23,000 for the first time since December 2020, and by the end of 2022, Bitcoin was trading under $20,000.

The tide turned in 2023, with Bitcoin opening the year at $16,530. It experienced consistent growth throughout the year, closing at $42,258 by the end of December.

Bitcoin Prices 2024

In January 2024, the prolonged battle for Bitcoin Spot ETFs culminated as courts compelled the SEC to reconsider its denial of specific Bitcoin-related investment products. This shift sparked significant activity in the market, with some brokerages increasing their Bitcoin holdings, while others, such as Grayscale's Bitcoin Trust (GBTC), faced substantial outflows initially.

By March, outflows from certain funds began to stabilize, bringing a measure of balance to the market. This rebalancing was likely driven by the increased variety of investment options now available, offering investors more diverse choices for Bitcoin exposure.

Early 2024

Bitcoin’s price surged following the approval of Bitcoin Spot ETFs, surpassing $60,000 by late February and early March 2024. It set new highs of $69,210 on March 6 and $70,184 on March 8. On March 1, Bitcoin reached a record $73,835 on SunCrypto.

Mid-2024

On April 19, 2024, Bitcoin experienced its fourth halving event, reducing the block reward from 6.25 BTC to 3.25 BTC. The cryptocurrency saw a modest gain that day, closing at $63,821.

Later in the year, on September 18, 2024, the U.S. Federal Reserve announced its first interest rate cut since the COVID-19 pandemic, lowering the federal funds target rate to 4.75%-5%. This prompted a positive market response, with gains across major indices. Bitcoin followed its pattern of mirroring stock market trends and rose sharply, trading around $64,000 on September 19—up from approximately $60,000 just two days earlier.

Late 2024

On November 7, 2024, Bitcoin reached a new all-time high of $76,999 on SunCrypto following Donald Trump’s re-election as President, closing the day at $75,820—a 9% increase from its November 5 closing price. Just days later, on November 10, Bitcoin crossed the $80,000 mark on Crypto.com, peaking at $80,152.38. The rally continued, and by the morning of November 13, it surged past $91,000, reaching $91,203.83 on Coinbase.

Investor enthusiasm remained unshaken in the following weeks, propelling Bitcoin to unprecedented levels. On November 22, mid-day trading saw highs of $99,637 on Oanda, $99,543 on SunCrypto, and $99,555 on Gemini. Around 3 p.m. ET, Bitcoin broke the $100,000 barrier on the European exchange Whitebit before closing at $99,513.13.

This remarkable growth was largely driven by investor confidence in Trump’s campaign promises, including replacing SEC Chairman Gary Gensler, establishing America as the "crypto capital of the world," and creating a "Strategic Bitcoin Reserve," among other pro-crypto initiatives.

What Influences Bitcoin’s Price?

1. Supply and Demand
Bitcoin’s price, like that of other currencies, products, or services, is driven by perceived value, supply, and demand. If people believe Bitcoin holds significant value, they are more likely to buy it, especially if they expect its value to increase.

Bitcoin has a capped supply of 21 million coins, and as the total number of coins approaches this limit, the price is expected to rise, assuming other factors remain constant. This cap is designed to make Bitcoin more valuable over time as it becomes scarcer, increasing demand and putting upward pressure on its price.

Bitcoin is generated through mining, a process that uses specialized software and hardware. The rate at which new bitcoins are mined is halved approximately every four years, slowing down the rate of coin creation. The last halving took place on April 19, 2024. While past patterns suggest that Bitcoin’s price may increase following a halving, there is no certainty that future market reactions will mirror historical trends.

As long as Bitcoin continues to grow in popularity and the supply cannot meet the demand, its price is expected to rise. However, if interest declines and demand drops, supply may exceed demand, leading to a decrease in price unless other factors support its value.

2. New Bitcoin Securities
The price of Bitcoin is also influenced by the supply and demand for related investment products. As Bitcoin has become a mainstream financial asset, both individual investors and financial institutions use it for value storage and returns. This has led to the creation of derivatives that make BTC accessible to more investors, impacting its demand.

Investor sentiment, fueled by speculation, hype around investment products, and emotional responses like panic or fear, can significantly impact Bitcoin’s price. For instance, following the SEC’s approval of Spot Bitcoin ETFs, regulatory developments led to a surge in market activity. As new Bitcoin-based securities are introduced, the market adjusts, influencing the supply and demand balance and subsequently the price of Bitcoin.

3. Competition from Other Cryptocurrencies
Bitcoin’s price can also be affected by the performance and perception of other cryptocurrencies. As the utility of digital currencies grows and regulators, institutions, and merchants integrate them into financial systems, their collective acceptance influences the market.

If investors believe that other cryptocurrencies will offer greater value than Bitcoin, demand for Bitcoin may decrease, resulting in a lower price. Conversely, if sentiment shifts positively towards Bitcoin or if other cryptocurrencies gain less traction, demand and prices for Bitcoin may rise

To know about more cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC), visit SunCrypto Coin Analysis.