My first serious understanding of Bitcoin was when a friend pulled me into checking the market. At that time, I only thought this thing was terrifyingly volatile—rising and falling even more frighteningly. Some people around me made money, while others lost sleep over it. As I talked more, I gradually realized that Bitcoin is never just a simple “trading coin”; it’s more like a social experiment that has been ongoing for over a decade. Some believe it’s the future, while others call it a scam. The debate has been ongoing without a definitive conclusion.

Its origin story is actually quite simple. In 2008, during the financial crisis, people lost trust in banks and centralized finance. A person named Satoshi Nakamoto wrote a white paper proposing a peer-to-peer, intermediary-free, fixed-supply electronic cash system. The network went live in 2009, initially almost worthless. Over time, people started using it to buy things and transfer money, which gave it value. The most unique aspect is that its total supply is capped at 21 million coins, and mining will stop around 2140. The halving every four years makes it scarce, which is a core reason many people are optimistic about it.