2026-01-10 16:20:34

The story of Bitcoin begins with the 2008 financial crisis. That year, the global economy collapsed, and trust in the traditional financial system plummeted. A (or a group of) pseudonymous individual(s) named Satoshi Nakamoto saw this opportunity and officially launched Bitcoin in 2009—a fully decentralized cryptocurrency.

How does it work? Bitcoin is based on blockchain technology, without a central institution like a central bank issuing it. Instead, miners do. Miners use computational power to solve cryptographic problems, verify transactions on the network, and bundle these transactions into blocks. When a miner successfully generates a new block, they receive a Bitcoin reward—that's how Bitcoin is created.

Regarding the total supply, Satoshi capped it at 21 million coins. Over time, mining difficulty increases, and the rate of Bitcoin issuance halves at fixed intervals. It is estimated that around the year 2140, all Bitcoins will have been mined.

If you want to participate? First, clarify some practical issues: personal holdings are legal, but the legal status of trading activities is somewhat ambiguous. Platform trading, exchanges, and intermediary services are in regulatory gray areas in some regions. The risk of funds being frozen should be taken seriously.

A safer approach is to hold indirectly through compliant tools like ETFs, which can help avoid legal and capital risks associated with directly participating in overseas exchanges. Want to get started directly? Remember a few ironclad rules: only use idle funds (not more than 5% of total assets), employ a DCA strategy to average costs, take profits in batches, store coins in cold wallets, and absolutely avoid leverage and contracts.

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MoneyBurnerSociety

· 12h ago

Holding 21 million coins sounds very scarce, but what I’m even more scarce of is that 5% of idle funds haha --- I’ve used the DCA trick before, successfully spreading out losses over each month --- Storing coins in a cold wallet sounds easy to say, but if you really don’t touch leveraged contracts? That’s like entering a casino empty-handed --- I understand the risks of gray-area trading, but sometimes I feel that the safest approach is actually the easiest way to get caught --- It will take until 2140 to mine them all? I probably won’t live to see that day of financial freedom haha --- I get that personal holding isn’t illegal, I just worry about the trading phase being frozen, lessons learned the hard way

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OnchainUndercover

· 14h ago

5% of idle funds? I've already gone all in, haha

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MEVEye

· 15h ago

Satoshi Nakamoto's move was indeed brilliant; it's just looking down on the central bank's tricks.

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GateUser-5854de8b

· 15h ago

Satoshi Nakamoto's move was truly brilliant. The idea of decentralization back in 2008, right at that critical moment, still shows he's a genius.

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hodl_therapist

· 15h ago

The 21 million coin cap, how does it feel even more scarce than gold?

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nft_widow

· 16h ago

Satoshi Nakamoto was truly incredible back then; the financial collapse actually became an opportunity --- The setting of 21 million coins cap, no one can really change that --- Honestly, leverage is a tool for cutting leeks; I've seen too many people go back to zero overnight --- Cold wallets are the last line of defense; those who don't use them deserve to be robbed --- Regulated ETFs are indeed stable, but I always feel something's missing --- "Only move idle funds" is a good phrase, but unfortunately most people can't tell what idle money really is --- DCA is truly a must-learn for lazy investors; dollar-cost averaging investors never lose --- You need to thoroughly understand the risk of fund freezing before moving funds --- I didn't understand the logic of the halving cycle at first, but later I truly grasped the power of scarcity --- The tactic of taking profits in batches sounds easy but is extremely difficult to execute; most people just go all-in at once

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LiquidityWitch

· 16h ago

Satoshi Nakamoto's move was truly brilliant; the collapse of the financial system ended up benefiting him. Wait, it will take until 2140 to mine everything? I’m afraid I won’t live that long haha. Be very careful with gray area trading; once frozen, it’s over. DCA is real, but I still think the risk is too high. The phrase "only use idle funds" really hit home; how many people are still borrowing money to play? Cold wallets are no joke; I’ve heard many stories of exchanges exploding. The 21 million cap is so clever; it’s a perfect example of scarcity. The increasing mining difficulty must have been devastating for miners who entered later. A compliant ETF is definitely safer, but can it match the returns? I give full marks to the "avoid leverage" advice; I’ve seen too many people go bankrupt because of it.

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