Bitcoin is a virtual monetary unit and therefore has no physical representation. A Bitcoin unit is divisible and can be divided into 100 million “Satoshis,” the smallest fraction of a Bitcoin. The Bitcoin Blockchain is a data file that carries the records of all past Bitcoin transactions, including the creation of new Bitcoin units.
It is often referred to as the ledger of the Bitcoin system. The Bitcoin Blockchain consists of a sequence of blocks where each block builds on its predecessors and contains information about new Bitcoin transactions. The average time between Bitcoin blocks is 10 minutes.
The first block, block #0, was created in 2009. Because everyone can download and read the Bitcoin Blockchain, it is a public record, a ledger that contains Bitcoin ownership information for any point in time.
The word “ledger” has to be qualified here. There is no single instance of the Bitcoin Blockchain. Instead, every participant is free to manage his or her own copy of the ledger. There is no central authority with an exclusive right to keep accounts.
Instead, there is a predefined set of rules and the opportunity for individuals to monitor that other participants adhere to the rules. The notion of “public record of ownership” also has to be qualified because the owners of Bitcoin units usually remain anonymous through the use of pseudonyms.
To use the Bitcoin system, an agent downloads a Bitcoin wallet. A Bitcoin wallet is software that allows the receiving, storing, and sending of (fractions of) Bitcoin units. The next step is to exchange fiat currencies, such as the U.S. dollar, for Bitcoin units.
The most common way is to open an account at one of the many Bitcoin exchanges and to transfer fiat currency to it. The account holder can then use these funds to buy Bitcoin units or one of the many other cryptoassets on the exchange.
Due to the widespread adoption of Bitcoin, the pricing on large exchanges is very competitive with relatively small bid-ask spreads. Most exchanges provide order books and many other financial tools that make the trading process transparent.
For a virtual currency to function, it is crucial to establish at every point in time how many monetary units exist, as well as how many new units have been created. There must also be a consensus mechanism that ensures that all participants agree about the ownership rights to the virtual currency units.
In small communities, as with the Yap islanders, everyone knows everyone else. The participants care about their reputation, and conflicts can be disputed directly. In contrast, within the Bitcoin system the number of participants is substantially larger, and network participants can remain anonymous.
Consequently, reputation effects cannot be expected to have a significant positive impact, and coordination becomes very difficult. Instead, there is a consensus mechanism that allows the Bitcoin system to reach an agreement. This consensus mechanism is the core innovation of the Bitcoin system and allows consensus to be reached on a larger scale and in the absence of any personal relations.
