Bitcoin is a digital currency that was launched in 2009 and has grown to be perhaps the most recognizable cryptocurrency in the world. It is not issued by any government authority and it uses a peer-to-peer instant transaction ledger system called Blockchain that keeps all transactions publicly available.
In a Bitcoin transaction the people that own the computers that do the processing [ also called Bitcoin miners ] receive new Bitcoin as they are periodically released, as well as transaction fees. Bitcoin mining uses very large amounts of electricity. There is a finite number of Bitcoin available, with the supply limited to 21 million bitcoins.
