Bitcoin’s 12th birthday marked by all-time high

Bitcoin’s blockchain turned 12 on Sunday, and the markets celebrated by sending its price higher than ever.

On Jan 3, 2009: Bitcoin added its first block — the ‘genesis block’ — which rewarded its miner/creator Satoshi Nakamoto with 50 BTC. The cryptocurrency was worth $0 at the time.

On Jan 3, 2021: Bitcoin hit $34,608 — 75% above 2017’s high of $20,000, a record which stood for three years before it was broken last December.

[Read more: Bitcoin sets 8 price records in 14 days]

Buried within the genesis block is a hidden message from Nakamoto, “Chancellor on brink of second bailout for banks.”

This references a Times article (published on the same day) detailing the ineffectuality of $50 billion given to the UK banking sector after the global financial crisis.

The headline has since become a mantra for Bitcoin fans around the world.

Today: BTC trades at $31,000 — up 7% for the year so far, and four times its worth on its last birthday.