Bitcoin was the first cryptocurrency and is now the most valuable and well-known. It was launched in January 2009 by a computer programmer, or group of programmers, under the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto. Mr. Nakamoto’s actual identity has not been confirmed.

His 2008 white paper by the mysterious creator of Bitcoin revealed the blockchain system that forms the backbone of the cryptocurrency market. A blockchain is a digital ledger of transactions that is replicated and distributed across a network of computer systems to protect information.