Bitcoin: News

Bitcoin is a type of cryptocurrency that operates without an authority resembling a central bank for conventional currency. This digital currency operates on a peer-to-peer network without the need for any intermediaries, currency-issuing authorities, or governing bodies. This unique self-sufficient system was invented in 2008 by an unknown entity operating under the name of Satoshi Nakamoto. The currency was first used in 2009 where its implementation was released as open-source software. Today, bitcoin is one of the most highly valued cryptocurrencies trading under the code BTC. Today, over 18,660,000 bitcoin are in circulation, each of which is valued at approximately 46,357 USD as of August 2021. Bitcoin is created or "mined" by solving complicated hash calculations using supercomputers or an array of ordinary consumer-grade computing hardware known as a mining rig. Since the total supply of bitcoin is limited to 21,000,000 tokens, the complexity of the hash calculations increases exponentially, having a similar effect on the value of the cryptocurrency. However, bitcoin has been criticized for facilitating illegal transactions, price volatility, thefts from exchanges, and the large carbon footprint of mining rigs, since they run on electricity.