Bitcoin is a decentralized digital currency created by developer Satoshi Nakamoto. It does not rely on a central server to process transactions or store funds. There are a maximum of 2,099,999,997,690,000 Bitcoin elements (called satoshis), which are currently most commonly measured in units of 100,000,000 known as BTC. Stated another way, no more than 21 million BTC can ever be created. As of April 2014, it is the most widely used alternative currency, now with the total market cap over 6 billion US dollars. Bitcoin has no central issuer; instead, the peer-to-peer network regulates Bitcoins, transactions and issuance according to consensus in network software. Bitcoins are issued to various nodes that verify transactions through computing power; it is established that there will be a limited and scheduled release of no more than 21 million BTC worth of coins, which will be fully issued by the year 2140. Internationally, Bitcoins can be exchanged and managed through various websites and software along with physical banknotes and coins. (Source: https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Bitcoin )