What is Bitcoin (BTC)?

Sponsored by What's this? What Is Bitcoin? Bitcoin (BTC) is a cryptocurrency, a virtual currency designed to act as money and a form of payment outside the control of any one person, group, or entity, thus removing the need for third-party involvement in financial transactions.

What is bitcoin & how does it work?

Unlike fiat currency, Bitcoin is created, distributed, traded, and stored using a decentralized ledger system known as a blockchain. Bitcoin and its ledger are secured by proof-of-work (PoW) consensus, which is also the "mining" process that introduces new bitcoins into the system. Bitcoin can be purchased via various cryptocurrency exchanges.

Is bitcoin a market asset?

When discussed as a market asset, bitcoin is represented by the ticker symbol BTC. The term “decentralized” is used often when discussing cryptocurrency, and simply means something that is widely distributed and has no single, centralized location or controlling authority.

Who can use Bitcoin?

Permissionless: Anyone can use Bitcoin, there are no gatekeepers, and there is no need to create a 'Bitcoin account.' Any and all transactions that follow the rules of the protocol will be confirmed by the network along the defined consensus mechanisms. Pseudo-anonymous.