Bitcoin

Bitcoin is a new electronic payment system that removes the need for third party financial institutions. It speeds up transactions while reducing costs and minimizing the potential for fraud. The name “cryptocurrency” points to how it uses “cryptographic proof” to work, AKA a blockchain.

Bitcoin’s concept was first introduced in 2008 when a person going by the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto shared a white paper titled “Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System.” In January 2009, the Bitcoin blockchain was launched. 

A new electronic payment system called Bitcoin removes the need for third-party financial institutions. It speeds up transactions while reducing costs and fraud-risk. The name “cryptocurrency” points to how it uses “cryptographic proof” to work, AKA a blockchain.   

Bitcoin has a finite supply of 21 million, which is expected to be reached by the year 2140. Currently, 18.8 million are circulating in the market. Note that Bitcoin represents the concept of the network, while bitcoin (lower-case ‘b’) represents the currency.

Bitcoin is one of the most well-known cryptos as it was the first decentralized currency. 

Currently, BTC’s dominance is above 40%. Bitcoin Dominance is a measure of how much of the total market cap of crypto is made up of Bitcoin. Bitcoin’s influence in the crypto ecosystem could be vulnerable to competition as alternative coins grow in popularity and utility.

Jeremy Grantham doubled down on his long-standing Bitcoin skepticism, predicting the cryptocurrency will "dwindle away with a whimper."

Billionaire Investor Jeremy Grantham: Bitcoin Will ‘Dwindle Away With a Whimper'

Strategy's flagship preferred stock tumbled again when U.S. markets opened, setting another record low as Bitcoin lingered below $60,000.

Strategy's Saylor Acknowledges 'Volatility Test' as STRC Hits New Low on Bitcoin Weakness

Crypto ETF flows deteriorated sharply on Thursday, June 25, as bitcoin ETFs posted a sixth straight day of outflows, with redemptions reaching $696 million. Ether funds also saw heavy exits, while HYPE and solana ETFs joined the selloff.

Bitcoin ETFs Lose $696 Million as Blackrock and Fidelity Lead Broad Crypto Selloff

Bitcoin is testing the critical $58,000–$60,000 support zone for a third time, with a break below could trigger a deeper decline.

‘I See Volatility as Opportunity': Bitcoin Tests Critical Support as Key Level Hangs in the Balance

"[Over] years and years, decades and decades, it will dwindle away, I suspect – not with a bang, but a whimper," Grantham said. "It's not a stable form of value.

Billionaire investor Jeremy Grantham says bitcoin will 'dwindle away with a whimper'

Bitcoin fell to around $59,400 as $691 million fled spot ETFs, the most since May, ahead of Friday's $10.6 billion options expiry.

Bitcoin Tests $59K as ETFs Shed $692M, Options Expiry Looms

Bitcoin fell to $58,000 on June 25 as hot PCE data stoked Fed rate fears and spot ETF outflows extended to a six-day streak.

Bitcoin's fragile floor cracks as Fed hawks circle and ETF investors keep pulling out: analysts

As the first half of 2026 draws to a close, major cryptocurrencies are deeply in the red, lagging far behind traditional assets. Bitcoin BTC$60,235.14 bulls can at least take one small consolation: they've outperformed shares in bitcoin-holder Strategy (MSTR).

With crypto ending the first half in the red, bitcoin's solace is it beat Strategy

BTC touched its lowest level since September 2024 before rebounding to $59,770, while ETH slipped further and another $1 billion in futures positions were wiped out.

Bitcoin bounces from $58,000 as derivatives signal more pain in the pipeline

The real estate investor pitched his model as a treasury company backed by cash-flowing property rather than stock sales, framing the slide in bitcoin as a chance to accumulate.

Grant Cardone says he will keep buying bitcoin using real estate cash flows

Strategy's paper loss exceeds the market caps of hundreds of tokens, highlighting the extreme concentration of risk in the crypto market right now.

Too big to fail: Strategy's $13 billion bitcoin paper loss alone dwarfs hundreds of prominent tokens

Digital mining firm Gomining said it mined the first live Bitcoin block using the Stratum V2 protocol via the DMND mining pool. A Milestone for Miner Autonomy Digital mining firm Gomining revealed Thursday, June 25, that it successfully mined the first known live Bitcoin block utilizing the Stratum V2 protocol.

Gomining Mines First Live Stratum V2 Bitcoin Block, Shifting Control to Miners

Disclosure & Polices: CoinDesk is an award-winning media outlet that covers the cryptocurrency industry. Its journalists abide by a strict set of editorial policies.

Live markets: Bitcoin rebounds to nearly $60,000. Kospi, Nikkei sink

Asian equities also fell sharply Friday morning, with South Korea's Kospi losing over 8% and triggering a circuit breaker.

Bitcoin briefly dips below $59,000 as macro pressures drag crypto, Asian equities lower

Vinny Lingham, co-founder of Praxos Capital, told Unchained's Laura Shin that Strategy's financial structure is now unraveling in a way he predicted 18 months ago, and that the company may be approaching the point where every available move makes its position worse.

Vinny Lingham Predicted Saylor Would Hurt Bitcoin More Than FTX. Now He's Explaining Why

Jeremy Grantham, the billionaire investor who predicted both the dot-com crash and the 2007 housing collapse, says the artificial intelligence (AI) market is the biggest investment bubble in American history and warns that a 70% decline in high-flying AI stocks would not be unexpected.

Jeremy Grantham Says SpaceX Defines AI Bubble Peak and Dismisses Bitcoin as ‘Unnecessary Nonsense'

Crypto exchange-traded fund (ETF) flows weakened sharply on Wednesday, June 24, as bitcoin ETFs posted a fifth straight day of outflows with a $469.08 million exit, the largest since June 2. Ether ETFs also remained negative, while XRP was the only category to draw fresh capital.

Blackrock's IBIT Leads $469 Million Bitcoin ETF Selloff in Biggest Exit Since June 2

Trezor Academy released a documentary highlighting Bitcoin adoption across Africa and launched a donation program to fund Bitcoin education initiatives in the Global South.

Trezor Academy Releases Documentary on Africa's Bitcoin Economy, Opens Education Donations

Bitcoin briefly plunged to a new year-to-date low of $58,035 on Thursday morning before staging a relief rally to trade flat around $59,500. Despite recovering its 24-hour losses, the intra-day chart reveals severe volatility and erratic price swings.

Bitcoin Slides Nearly 20% in June as $715M in Crypto Long Bets Collapse

Senior developers including Andrew Poelstra highlighted broken merge scripts, hidden diffs, and unreliable tracking, pushing Bitcoin projects toward self-hosted Forgejo solutions.

Matt Corallo Urges Bitcoin Projects to Exit GitHub After Rust Lightning Ban

The tightening correlation undermines STRC's appeal as a relatively steadier income vehicle.

Strategy's yield-generating STRC stock is more correlated with BTC than ever

For the past year, Strategy has been issuing and tapping preferred securities like STRC to raise capital for additional bitcoin purchases.

Bitcoin rout leads Strategy's STRC to slide 26% below par as MSTR shares hits 16-month low

Mike McCluskey argues that bitcoin's slide is due to its high-beta relationship with tech equities rather than broken crypto-native fundamentals. The Seoul-to-Nasdaq Contagion On Tuesday, June 23, the South Korean index, Kospi, plunged by more than 8%, triggering a Level 1 circuit breaker.

Former Fidelity Executive Says South Korean Index's 10% Crash Pulled BTC Below $60,000

Ethereum

Bitcoin touched its lowest price in 21 months early Thursday—and prediction market users don't see the crypto carnage ceasing imminently.

Traders Predict More Pain for Bitcoin and Ethereum After Monthly Drops Above 20%

The price of bitcoin reached a consequential low on Thursday, falling to its weakest level of 2026 when it touched $58,035 on Bitstamp at 9:55 a.m. Eastern time. Over the past 24 hours, $40 billion has vanished from the total crypto market capitalization, leaving it precariously close to slipping beneath the $2 trillion threshold.

News for Bitcoin Crypto (BTC)