Cryptocurrency | RBT Education

Cryptocurrency is a digital or virtual currency secured by cryptography, making it nearly impossible to counterfeit or double-spend. Many cryptocurrencies are decentralized networks based on blockchain technology—a distributed ledger enforced by a disparate network of computers. This decentralized nature means they aren't typically issued by any central authority, rendering them theoretically immune to government interference or manipulation. Bitcoin, launched in 2009 by the pseudonymous Satoshi Nakamoto, was the first and remains the most well-known cryptocurrency, but thousands of others, known as altcoins, now exist, each with unique features and use cases.