Michael Saylor, the Executive Chairman of MicroStrategy, recently commemorated a significant milestone for Bitcoin—the network’s one billionth transaction. This historic transaction was recorded in block 842241 on May 5th at 21:34 UTC. Data from the Clark Moody Dashboard reveals that approximately 155 million transactions were logged in the last 30 days alone.
The journey to one billion transactions began with the very first transaction on January 12, 2009, between Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto and cypherpunk Hal Finney, who received 10 bitcoins. Throughout the years, Bitcoin has displayed remarkable growth in both adoption and transaction volume. By February 2020, the network had reached half a billion transactions, indicating a steady increase in usage and value.
Milestones and Predictions
The initial milestone of one million transactions was achieved in July 2011 when Bitcoin’s value was around $15. By late 2015, Bitcoin had recorded 100 million transactions, marking a significant surge in adoption. Michael Saylor continues to be a strong advocate for Bitcoin, foreseeing that its market value could potentially reach $100 trillion.
Remembering Hal Finney
Hal Finney, a prominent figure in Bitcoin’s early days and a possible candidate for the pseudonymous creator Satoshi, passed away in 2014 after battling Lou Gehrig’s disease. His early involvement and contributions to Bitcoin’s development were crucial to its expansion.
Growing Adoption
The consistent increase in the number of transactions and the network’s resilience underscore Bitcoin’s growing acceptance as a mainstream financial asset and a potential future cornerstone of global finance.