$BTC Bitcoin (BTC) is a decentralized cryptocurrency that operates without central authority or single administrator. It uses peer-to-peer technology to facilitate transactions and manage the issuance of bitcoins collectively by the network.

*Key Features:*

- *Decentralized*: Operates without central authority or banks

- *Peer-to-Peer Transactions*: Fast and worldwide payments with low processing fees

- *Blockchain*: A public distributed ledger records transactions, maintained by a network of nodes

- *Mining*: A process to validate transactions and create new blocks, rewarding miners with bitcoins

- *Limited Supply*: Total supply capped at 21 million bitcoins

*Bitcoin's History:*

- Invented in 2008 by an unknown entity, Satoshi Nakamoto

- Released as open-source software in 2009

- First used as a currency in 2009

- Adopted as legal tender in El Salvador in 2021

*Current Developments:*

- Recently reached $100,000 price mark in December 2024

- US President Joe Biden's successor, Donald Trump, promised to make the US the "crypto capital of the planet" and stockpile bitcoin

- BlackRock recommends investors allocate up to 2% of their portfolio to bitcoin ¹