Papa

Pizza

2026

Bitcoin

April

The Bitcoin community celebrated the 16th anniversary of “Pizza Day” on Friday, marking the first recorded commercial Bitcoin transaction, in which real-world goods were purchased with Bitcoin.
In May 2010, software developer Laszlo Hanyecz published an online post offering 10,000 BTC, which was valued at about $41 at the time, in exchange for two Papa John's pizzas.
At current market prices, the BTC is worth more than $767 million, and at the all-time high of about $126,000 reached in October 2025, the 10,000 BTC was valued at more than $1.2 billion. Nischal Shetty, the founder of crypto exchange WazirX, said:&nbsp;
<blockquote>
 “Bitcoin Pizza Day is one of the most important moments in crypto history because it transformed Bitcoin from an internet experiment into a real economic network. It was actually the first proof that a decentralized digital asset could facilitate real-world commerce.”
</blockquote>
At the time, only a “few hundred” transactions were processed on the Bitcoin network daily, and there was “almost no” <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/bybit-pay-launches-in-south-africa-with-moneybadger-integration" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Bitcoin payment infrastructure</a>, service providers or institutional involvement, Shetty added.&nbsp;<img alt="Bitcoin 'Pizza Day' was 16 years ago, here's how much that BTC is worth today" height="781" src="https://s3-images.ctmedia.io/media/content/hi5wacwx0aaqhq9.jpeg" width="900">
Laszlo Hanyecz in 2010, with the two Papa John's pizzas. Source: <a href="https://x.com/coingecko/status/2057705227755667793" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Coingecko</a>
Hanyecz’s transaction showed that Bitcoin can be used as a medium of exchange to pay for goods and services in the real world, moving the world's first digital currency from online experimentation to real-world utility.
Related: <a href="https://cointelegraph-magazine.com/big-questions-can-bitcoin-save-you-from-the-cantillon-effect/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">US lawmakers renew strategic Bitcoin reserve push with ARMA bill</a>
<h2 id="bitcoiners-now-have-their-eyes-set-on-nation-state-adoption">Bitcoiners now have their eyes set on nation-state adoption</h2>
In 2024, nation-state adoption of Bitcoin began to capture narrative attention, with the Bitcoin community supporting initiatives like a <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/missouri-bitcoin-strategic-reserve-hb2080-advance" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">strategic Bitcoin reserve</a> and tax exemptions for Bitcoin payments.
The Iranian government announced in April 2026 that oil ships crossing through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping waterway located in the Persian Gulf, could <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/iran-crypto-ships-strait-hormuz" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">pay for shipping tolls in Bitcoin</a>, US dollar stablecoins and Chinese yuan.<img alt="Bitcoin 'Pizza Day' was 16 years ago, here's how much that BTC is worth today" height="572" src="https://s3-images.ctmedia.io/media/content/screenshot-2026-05-22-at-11535-pm.png" width="1522">
A timeline of the Iranian government's adoption of Bitcoin and other digital assets. Source: <a href="https://www.btcpolicy.org/articles/state-of-play-bitcoin-the-strait-of-hormuz-and-the-war-in-iran" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Bitcoin Policy Institute</a>
However, there is no onchain evidence of an oil toll being paid in BTC at the time of publication. Instead, Tether’s USDt dollar-pegged stablecoin continues to be the <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/iran-btc-strategic-usdt-dominate-oil-tolls" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">payment method of choice</a> for the tolls, according to Sam Lyman, the head of research at Bitcoin Policy Institute, a digital asset advocacy organization.
Magazine: <a href="https://cointelegraph-magazine.com/big-questions-can-bitcoin-save-you-from-the-cantillon-effect/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Big Questions: Can Bitcoin save you from the dreaded Cantillon Effect?</a>

Bitcoin 'Pizza Day' was 16 years ago, here's how much that BTC is worth today

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