$BTC Bitcoin is considered the **cornerstone** of the digital currency world, and its relationship with other currencies (such as Ethereum, Ripple, Cardano, etc.) is multifaceted and can be summarized as follows:
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### 1. **Leadership and Historical Impact**
- **Bitcoin (2009)** is the first successful decentralized digital currency, paving the way for other currencies.
- Most other digital currencies (referred to as "Altcoins" or "alternative currencies") were born as:
- **Developments** on the idea of Bitcoin (such as Litecoin).
- **Solutions to problems** in Bitcoin (slowness, energy consumption, limited functionalities).
- **New platforms** with different characteristics (such as smart contracts in Ethereum).
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### 2. **Price Impact (Correlation)**
- **Prices** often follow Bitcoin's movements:
- If the price of Bitcoin rises, the majority of other currencies rise.
- If it falls, the entire market usually declines.
- The reason: Bitcoin represents **>40% of the total market capitalization** of digital currencies (as of 2025), making it the "primary indicator" of the market.
