CMC TURNS 10

Celebrate CoinMarketCap's 10th-year anniversary with us (2013 ~ 2023)

EVOLUTION OF CRYPTO & COINMARKETCAP

CoinMarketCap has evolved side-by-side with the crypto-industry. Looking back, it’s fascinating to see how much the top CMC coins have transformed over time.

Crypto Top 20 Coins by Market Cap in History
Top 5 Meme Coins in History
Top 5 Smart Contracts in History

Crypto Top 20 Coins by Market Cap in History

This chart shows how the crypto game has changed. Back in 2013, it was all about Bitcoin and similar coins, mainly used for payments and data trading. Fast forward to 2015-16, and we're seeing a whole new breed of coins built for smart contracts and app-focused platforms. Talk about progress!

HOW FAR WE'VE COME

2008: Economic Chaos Breeds Crypto as Hope

The domain Bitcoin.org is registered on August 18
Satoshi Nakamoto publishes the Bitcoin whitepaper on October 31
The term "cryptocurrency" appears for the first time in the Bitcoin whitepaper
Discussions about Bitcoin begin on the Cryptography Mailing List
The global financial crisis sparks interest in alternative financial systems

2009: Setting the Stage - Bitcoin’s Value Takes Shape

The first block, known as the Genesis block, is mined on January 3
The first Bitcoin open-source software client is released
The first recipient of Bitcoin, Hal Finney, receives 10 BTC from Satoshi Nakamoto
The first Bitcoin exchange rate is established, with 1 USD equal to 1,309.03 BTC
Bitcoin version 0.1 is released

2010: From Crashes to Calories - The Million-Dollar Pizza Quest

The first Bitcoin-to-fiat transaction occurs when 10,000 BTC is used to buy two pizzas on May 22 (now celebrated as Bitcoin Pizza Day)
The Mt. Gox Bitcoin exchange is established
The first Bitcoin pooled mining takes place
The Bitcoin protocol bug results in the creation of 184 billion BTC, which is later corrected

2011: Satoshi’s Farewell and the Ripple Effects of WikiLeaks’ Adoption

Rival cryptocurrencies, such as Litecoin, Peercoin, and Namecoin, start to emerge
Silk Road, an online marketplace for illegal goods, is launched and uses Bitcoin as its primary currency
Bitcoin reaches parity with the US dollar for the first time
WikiLeaks begins accepting Bitcoin donations
The first conference dedicated to Bitcoin, Bitcoin 2011, is held in New York

2012: Bit by Bit - Evolution, Expansion, and Scarcity

The Bitcoin Foundation is created to promote the use and development of Bitcoin
Coinbase, a cryptocurrency exchange and wallet service, is founded
BitPay reports processing over 1,000 Bitcoin transactions per month
The first Bitcoin halving occurs, reducing the mining reward from 50 BTC to 25 BTC
The popular media outlet, WordPress, starts accepting Bitcoin payments

2013: Crypto’s Trifecta - Fed’s Embrace,Silk Road’s Demise, and CoinMarketCap’s Rise

Price of Bitcoin: Bitcoin reaches an all-time high of $1,000
Robocoin and Bitcoiniacs launch the world's first Bitcoin ATM on October 29, 2013
The first Bitcoin hard fork, Bitcoin Scaled, is proposed
The U.S. Federal Reserve acknowledges cryptocurrencies
CoinMarketCap is founded!

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2014: Ethereum Emerges - A Year of Innovation, Adoption, and Challenges

Mt. Gox, then the largest Bitcoin exchange in the world, goes bankrupt
The first regulated Bitcoin futures exchange, TeraExchange, is launched
Ethereum raises over 25,000 BTC in its ICO
Microsoft begins accepting Bitcoin payments
The IRS issues tax guidance for virtual currencies

2015: The Exchange Evolution

ShapeShift is launched, a crypto-to-crypto instant exchange.
The BitLicense is introduced in New York, regulating cryptocurrency businesses.
Ethereum, the first programmable blockchain, is launched.
Gemini, a US-based cryptocurrency exchange, is co-founded by the Winklevoss twins.
Nasdaq unveils Linq, a blockchain-backed trading platform.

2016: The Wild Ride of Crypto Hacks, Innovations, and Privacy Pioneers

The DAO launches, becoming one of the largest crowdfunding initiatives in history.
CoinMarketCap introduces its first public API.
Bitmain launches the Antminer S9, a highly efficient Bitcoin mining machine.
Ethereum undergoes a hard fork, resulting in the creation of Ethereum Classic.
Bitfinex is hacked, resulting in the theft of 120,000 BTC.

2017: Crypto Explodes - ICO Boom, Forks, and Wall Street's Embrace

The SEC rejects several Bitcoin ETF proposals.
The Bitcoin Cash hard fork occurs as a result of scaling debates.
The ICO boom drives a significant increase in cryptocurrency adoption.
CME Group and Cboe Global Markets launch Bitcoin futures.
The market capitalization of all cryptocurrencies combined reaches $800 billion.

2018: Sticks and Stones Break Bones - But Not Crypto’s

The cryptocurrency market experiences a significant downturn, with BTC dropping from $20,000 to below $4,000.
The Lightning Network goes live, enabling faster and cheaper Bitcoin transactions.
EOS, a blockchain platform developed by Block.one, launches its mainnet.
CoinMarketCap launches its first iOS app.
Binance becomes the largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume.

2019: Banks, Giants and Nations Embrace Crypto

JPMorgan Chase announces the JPM Coin, its own digital currency.
China announces plans to launch a digital version of its national currency, the yuan. You can read more about it in Central Bank Digital Currency.
Facebook announces the Libra project, which is now known as Diem.
Bakkt is launched, offering Bitcoin futures trading and custodial services.
CoinMarketCap forms the DATA Alliance to promote data transparency and accountability in the crypto space.

2020: The DeFi Explosion and Mainstream Acceptance

Bitcoin undergoes its third halving, reducing the mining reward to 6.25 BTC.
The DeFi boom accelerates, with the Total Value Locked (TVL) surpassing $10 billion.
MicroStrategy invests in Bitcoin as a reserve asset, paving the way for other institutions.
PayPal announces that it will offer support for cryptocurrency transactions.
Binance acquires CoinMarketCap.

2021: A Revolutionary Year - Bitcoin Becomes Legal Tender

Tesla buys $1.5 billion worth of Bitcoin.
The first Bitcoin ETF is approved in North America (Canada).
The NFT market booms, with pieces like Beeple's artwork selling for $69 million.
Bitcoin hits an all-time high of $68,789 USD.
El Salvador becomes the first country to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender.

2022: NFTs Keep Shining, CBDCs, and Protocol Upgrades Take the Stage

The number of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) sold surpasses 1 million.
Ethereum 2.0, a major upgrade to Ethereum's blockchain, is fully implemented.
CMC introduces DexScan, a powerful DEX screener tool covering over 50 chains and more than 100 DEXs.
Terra experiences a bank run and collapses to practically zero.
FTX crashes and gets exposed for fraudulent business practices.

2023: Accelerating Adoption- Bitcoin Outpaces S&P

Bitcoin outperforms 97% of all S&P 500 companies in 2023.
Bitcoin adoption: Nearly a million addresses now hold +1 BTC.
BlackRock explores “tokenization of stocks.”
Microsoft testing Edge browser Web3 wallet integration.
SEC targets major cryptocurrency exchanges, citing the trading of unregistered securities as the rationale.

Read the Full Timeline

The Full Story of Crypto & CoinMarketCap

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CMC STORIES TO REMEMBER

Crypto Market Frontier According to CMC Q1 2023

2023 NFT Market Analysis: An Insider Look

We discuss the state of the NFT market, micro trends and liquidity, major projects and events, trader & whale analysis, NFTFi and valuation.

CoinMarketCap Market Pulse April 2023

Is the crypto bull market back? CoinMarketCap looks at what the data indicates Q1 -> Q2 2023

Bitcoin Halvings — What They Are, Why They Happen, and Why You Should Care

The last Bitcoin halving took place in May, and we are only now seeing a Bitcoin price rise — could the two be connected?

What is Web 3.0? Decentralized Internet Explained

Web 3.0 is a decentralized internet built on an open blockchain network that is not owned and controlled by large entities.

Top NFT Games (Updated for 2022)

NFTs and NFT games are all the hype lately, with prices and number of users skyrocketing – what are some of the top NFT games, and what are the up-and-coming ones to look out for?

The Evolution of Decentralized Exchanges

While today’s DEXes are largely feature-packed and intuitive to users, things have come a long way since their early days.

Bitcoin Whitepaper: Simplified for Everyone

Want to know what the Bitcoin whitepaper is all about? We understand this document can be overwhelming. Our guide breaks down each section in simple terms, making it accessible to everyone.

Satoshi Files: Hal Finney

Hal Finney was an American computer scientist, software developer and games designer.

Self-Custody: Where and How to Store your Crypto Safely

Safely storing your crypto holdings should be one of your new year resolutions — learn how with CoinMarketCap Alexandria.

Evolution of Top-10 Coins in CoinMarketCap’s History (2013-2023)

The top 10 list on CMC has seen some unusual and crazy stuff come and go over the past decade. As CMC turns 10, let's take a quick look at the evolution of crypto!

The Story of Crypto & CoinMarketCap

CMC turns 10! On this occasion, let's take a trip down memory lane and explore the significant moments that shaped the crypto landscape!

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