Once that level was passed, however, bitcoin’s price continued to surge dramatically throughout 2017 until BTC peaked at its previous long-standing all-time high of $19,850. In February 2011, BTC’s price reached parity with the U.S dollar for the first time. The milestone encouraged new investors into the market, and over the next four months, bitcoin’s price continued to rise – peaking at over $30. Bitcoin took less than a month in 2021 to smash its 2020 price record, surpassing $40,000 by Jan. 7, 2021. By mid-April, Bitcoin prices reached new all-time highs of over $60,000 as Coinbase, a cryptocurrency exchange, went public. Among asset classes, Bitcoin has had one of the more volatile trading histories. The cryptocurrency’s first big price increase occurred in 2010 when the value of a single bitcoin jumped from just a fraction of a penny to $0.09. If you want to exchange Bitcoins to another cryptocurrency, go to the Exchange tab. What you should do next is just select the currencies from the drop-down list and click Exchange Now button.

You can also use Bitcoin for further investment opportunities. You can buy gold and silver through JM Bullion with Bitcoin here. Nobody owns or controls Bitcoin, which is one of the reasons it appeals to people. The network was launched by an unknown developer or developers, and then other volunteer developers continued to add new updates to the software, which anyone can now do. There are custodial services for those who wish to entrust a third party with safeguarding their funds, but otherwise, the user is solely responsible. It’s not necessary to submit your personal information when setting up a Bitcoin wallet or transacting in Bitcoin. Technically, the network is said to be pseudonymous, rather than anonymous – if anyone can connect your personal wallet to your identity, they can view every transaction you’ve made. Now a widely accepted commodity and a common feature of mainstream financial news reports, Bitcoin adoption and awareness continues to grow.

How Does Bitcoin Work?

Finance analytics believe that there are a few main drivers that affect BTC and most altcoins. The strongest one is probably the global adoption and popularity. Because the more people know about the asset, the more they want to buy it. Other factors, like network operability and transaction security, are also important, but they rather contribute to the two first mentioned. Thus, the news about the technical upgrade could attract more attention to the project so more people read about it and decide to obtain the digital token. These points are just a few reasons why people prefer virtual currencies against traditional fiat funds.