Cryptocurrencies emerged as a form of digital money based on blockchain technology. Bitcoin, the first and best-known cryptocurrency, was created in 2009 by a person or group of people under the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto. The idea behind Bitcoin was to create a decentralized electronic money system, without the need for intermediaries such as banks or governments.

The Bitcoin white paper, titled "Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System," describes how the Bitcoin network works, using a blockchain to record all transactions securely and transparently. Since then, thousands of alternative cryptocurrencies (altcoins) have emerged, each with different characteristics and purposes, but all based on the fundamental principles of the blockchain.