Bitcoin (BTC) was the first cryptocurrency created and is now the most valuable and well known.
While the idea of cryptocurrency has been around for over 40 years, Bitcoin made it a reality in 2009 and its 15-year trading history has been an exhilarating ride. Fueled by increasing interest from younger investors, Bitcoin continues to be one of the most hotly debated global financial topics.
Bitcoin Timeline
Some key moments in the cryptocurrency’s timeline include:
1983: American cryptographer David Chaum, known as the “godfather of cryptocurrency,” published a concept for anonymous electronic money, which he named eCash. He founded Digicash in 1989 to launch his concept through a single bank, but failed to gain significant user adoption. The test bank was acquired by a large credit card issuer, leading to the dissolution of Digicash in 1998.
2008: A white paper titled Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System was published by an unknown person or persons going by the name Satoshi Nakamoto.
2009: Bitcoin was created, becoming the first truly decentralized cryptocurrency.
2013: Forbes recognized Bitcoin as the year’s best investment.
2014: Bloomberg proclaimed Bitcoin as the year’s worst investment.
October 2021: The Securities and Exchange Commission approved ProShares Bitcoin Strategy (ticker: BITO), the first U.S. Bitcoin futures exchange-traded fund.
November 2022: FTX, the leading cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, declared bankruptcy.
January 2024: The Securities and Exchange Commission approved the first 11 spot Bitcoin ETFs.
July 2024: The SEC gave final approval for spot Ether ETFs to start trading.
