What is bitcoin?
Bitcoin is the first and largest cryptocurrency. It was launched in January 2009 by a person or group using the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto, whose real identity nobody knows. There can never be more than 21 million bitcoin, and no bank, state or company controls it — the rules are in the code and run by thousands of computers around the world.
How it works
Every bitcoin transaction is written into a shared ledger, the blockchain. Roughly every 10 minutes the newest transactions are gathered into a new block. Computers called miners compete to make the block, and the winner receives new bitcoin as a reward. That is the only way new bitcoin come into existence.
The reward is cut in half roughly every four years — this is called a halving. So fewer and fewer new bitcoin are added, and around the year 2140 it stops completely.
21 million — and what it means
At the halving in April 2024, just under 19.7 million of the 21 million had already been created. The cap is one of the supporters' main arguments: no more can be printed. But a cap on the quantity says nothing about the price. The price is set by how many people want to buy — and that can change fast.
You do not have to buy a whole bitcoin. One bitcoin can be split into 100 million small units called satoshi. You can easily own 0.001 bitcoin.
Why the price swings so much
Bitcoin has no revenue or profit for the price to rest on. It moves on news, regulation, interest rates and mood. From peak to trough, bitcoin has fallen more than 70% several times — and it has also risen a lot. Both can happen again, and nobody can say when.
Measured by volatility, bitcoin typically swings several times as much as a broad world index.
The typical beginner's mistake
Thinking bitcoin is "expensive" because a whole one costs a lot — and buying a cheaper coin instead. The price per coin says nothing. What tells you about size is the total market cap. 100 € in bitcoin and 100 € in a cheap coin are both 100 €.
How you see it in Kiggo
Bitcoin is the largest tile on Kiggo's colour map under Market → Crypto — tile sizes are damped, otherwise bitcoin would fill everything. Tap it and you see three rings (short, medium and long term), "10 years at a glance" with the return year by year, and the tax card for your country. The map refreshes every 15 seconds. Crypto is part of Kiggo Plus.
Related terms
Frequently asked questions
Who owns bitcoin?
No single person or company. The rules are open-source code, and the network is run by thousands of computers. Satoshi Nakamoto stepped away from the project around 2010–11, and nobody knows for certain who it is.
How many bitcoin are there?
There can never be more than 21 million. At the halving in April 2024, just under 19.7 million had been created, and the rest will arrive slowly until around 2140. Some are lost forever because their owners lost their keys.
Can I buy part of a bitcoin?
Yes. One bitcoin can be split into 100 million satoshi, so you can buy a small amount. But that amount swings just as much in percent as a whole bitcoin.
Kiggo explains — Kiggo does not advise. We never tell you what to buy or sell, and key figures can only be compared between companies in the same industry. The decision is yours. Last updated 2026-09-23.
Written by Claus Frisch, founder of Kiggo. Not an adviser, not a bank — Kiggo explains, you decide.
