Bitcoin (BTC) is a decentralized cryptocurrency without a central governing authority or administrator. It can be sent from user to user within the Bitcoin peer-to-peer network without intermediaries such as banks. Transactions are verified by network nodes through cryptography and recorded in a public distributed ledger called the blockchain.

Bitcoin was proposed in 2008 by an anonymous person or group of people under the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto and released as open-source software in 2009. New bitcoins are created through a process called 'mining,' which is a computational process where nodes (miners) validate and record transactions on the blockchain.

Key features of Bitcoin:

Decentralization: no single organization or state controls Bitcoin.

Limited supply: the maximum number of bitcoins that can be created is 21 million.

Pseudo-anonymity: transactions are not linked to real names but to addresses of digital wallets.

Transparency: the history of all transactions is available to anyone who wants to see the blockchain.

Irreversibility: once confirmed, a transaction cannot be undone.

Censorship resistance: transactions cannot be blocked or stopped.

Currently, Bitcoin's market capitalization exceeds $1 trillion. Bitcoin is recognized as a means of payment or a store of value and investment in major countries around the world, such as the USA, Germany, Singapore, Switzerland, etc.