$BTC **Bitcoin (BTC)** is the world's first and most dominant cryptocurrency, created in 2009 by the pseudonymous Satoshi Nakamoto. As a decentralized digital currency, it operates on blockchain technology, enabling peer-to-peer transactions without intermediaries like banks. Bitcoin's fixed supply of 21 million coins drives its scarcity, often likened to "digital gold." Its price is highly volatile, influenced by factors like institutional adoption, regulatory news, macroeconomic trends, and halving events. While praised for its store-of-value potential and hedge against inflation, BTC faces criticism for its energy-intensive mining and scalability challenges. Despite market fluctuations, Bitcoin remains a cornerstone of crypto, shaping the future of finance.