Satoshi Nakamoto’s final post on the Bitcoin forum on Dec. 12, 2010, and subsequent disappearance on Dec. 13 of the same year marked a defining moment in Bitcoin’s history. Satoshi’s departure shifted the responsibility of Bitcoin’s development and governance to its decentralized community.
Fourteen years later, Bitcoin remains a testament to the power of decentralized technology, thriving without its creator’s direct involvement. The leading cryptocurrency has evolved into a multi-trillion-dollar asset class, inspiring the creation of thousands of cryptocurrencies and blockchain-based apps.
To this day, Satoshi Nakamoto’s true identity remains unknown. Speculation has ranged from a single individual to a group of developers, but no conclusive evidence has emerged.
According to Glassnode, the Bitcoin network has grown by leaps and bounds since the Genesis Block, achieving a market capitalization of $2 trillion, flipping silver in value and settling $131 trillion in volume via 1.12 billion transactions.
Throughout this era of exceptional market boom, investors have realized a total of $1.27 trillion in profit and -$592 billion in losses on-chain, resulting in a cumulative net capital inflow of $750 billion, highlighting the tremendous value that has flowed into the Bitcoin network over its lifetime.
On Dec. 5, notable aggregate balances included 1.8 million BTC (9.1% of the supply) held on exchanges and 1.1 million BTC (5.6% of the supply) managed by U.S.-based ETFs, indicating exceptional growth since their launch on Jan. 11, 2024. Furthermore, miners (excluding Patoshi) possessed 700,000 BTC (3.5% of the supply), whereas the U.S. Treasury had 187,000 BTC (0.9% of the supply), demonstrating the vast spread of ownership across various entities.
This article was originally published on U.Today
Source: Cryptocurrency - investing.com