Bitcoin Marks 18th White Paper Anniversary as Market Cap Hits $1.55 Trillion

Bitcoin reached its 18th white paper anniversary on October 31, 2026, trading near $77,310 with a market capitalization of $1.55 trillion. Originally published by Satoshi Nakamoto in 2008, the network has expanded into institutional markets, backed by spot ETFs and BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin Trust holding about $64.7 billion in net assets. Over 20 million of its hard-coded 21 million supply limit have been mined following the April 2024 halving. However, network security faces long-term questions, with transaction fees generating only 0.67% of miner revenue in an October 2026 Cambridge study.