Bitcoin (BTC)

Bitcoin (BTC) is the first and largest cryptocurrency, launched in January 2009 by the pseudonymous Satoshi Nakamoto, who published the original white paper a few months earlier. It introduced a peer-to-peer electronic cash system secured by proof-of-work mining and a fixed supply capped at 21 million coins, making scarcity a core part of its design. Unlike money issued by a central bank, no single party controls Bitcoin: its ledger is maintained by thousands of independent nodes around the world that each validate every transaction against the same consensus rules, and miners compete to add new blocks roughly every ten minutes.

Bitcoin's primary use today is as a store of value and a settlement network, often described as "digital gold". Its block reward halves roughly every four years — an event known as the halving that the market watches closely — gradually slowing issuance until the last coin is mined around the year 2140. Because it is the most liquid and widely held digital asset, Bitcoin's price often sets the tone for the rest of the crypto market, and "Bitcoin dominance", the share of total crypto value held in BTC, is a common gauge of risk appetite across the sector. Large holders, exchange-traded funds and corporate treasuries have all become part of its ownership base in recent years.

For newcomers, the most important properties to understand are its capped supply, its decentralised security model, and its volatility. Bitcoin has experienced multiple drawdowns of more than 70% from prior highs, alongside long-run appreciation over its history, and individual years have ranged from spectacular gains to deep losses. None of that history guarantees future results, and past performance is never a promise of what comes next. This page is information only and is not financial advice; always do your own research and consider your own circumstances before making any decision.

Вы можете хранить Bitcoin на регулируемой бирже ради удобства, но в этом случае вы не будете контролировать приватные ключи — "not your keys, not your coins". При значительных суммах многие держатели переводят свои BTC в кошелёк с самостоятельным хранением. Аппаратный кошелёк (небольшое офлайн-устройство, например Ledger или Trezor) хранит ваши ключи вне любого подключённого к интернету компьютера и подписывает транзакции прямо на устройстве, что существенно снижает риск удалённой кражи.

Что бы вы ни выбрали, фраза для восстановления — обычно 12 или 24 слова, сгенерированные при настройке кошелька, — является главной резервной копией. Запишите её на бумаге или металле, храните копии в разных надёжных местах и никогда не вводите её на сайтах и не сообщайте никому. Любой, у кого есть эта фраза, может переместить ваши монеты. Это общая информация, а не консультация по безопасности или финансам.