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 digital asset?

Bitcoin is classified as a Currency under CoinDesks Digital Asset Classification Standard (DACS). Bitcoin is the world’s first decentralized cryptocurrency – a type of digital asset that uses public-key cryptography to record, sign and send transactions over the Bitcoin blockchain – all done without the oversight of a central authority.

What is bitcoin mining?

Bitcoin mining is the process of adding new transactions to the Bitcoin blockchain. It’s a tough job. People who choose to mine Bitcoin use proof of work, deploying computers in a race to solve mathematical puzzles that verify transactions.