BITCOIN: THE DECENTRALIZED DIGITAL CURRENCY
Bitcoin stands as a digital asset and an innovative payment system, conceived by an anonymous programmer or collective known by the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto. Its genesis dates back to October 31, 2008, when it was presented in a cryptography mailing list, and then officially launched as open-source software in 2009. Despite the numerous speculations surrounding Nakamoto's identity, none have achieved confirmation to this day.
The operation of Bitcoin is based on a peer-to-peer model, allowing direct transactions between users without the intervention of intermediaries. The validation of these operations is the responsibility of the network nodes and is recorded in a public and distributed ledger known as blockchain, where bitcoin itself acts as a unit of account. Given its decentralized structure, lacking a central repository or a single administrator, the U.S. Treasury categorizes it as a decentralized virtual currency. While it is commonly referred to as the first cryptocurrency, a more precise description defines it as the pioneering decentralized digital currency, currently standing out as the most relevant asset in the market by its total value.