Bitcoin Cash

Bitcoin Cash (BCH) is a peer-to-peer electronic cash system created as a hard fork of Bitcoin on 1 August 2017. Its core aim is to make on-chain payments fast and cheap by increasing block capacity, restoring what its supporters see as Bitcoin's original purpose as everyday money.

What is Bitcoin Cash?

Bitcoin Cash emerged from a long-running debate over how Bitcoin should scale. Rather than adopting Segregated Witness as a soft fork, the BCH community increased the block size limit from 1MB to 8MB, allowing the network to process many more transactions per block. The result is lower fees and quicker settlement, positioning BCH as digital cash for merchants and individuals rather than primarily a store of value.

How does Bitcoin Cash work?

BCH is a Proof of Work chain that uses the same SHA-256 hashing algorithm as Bitcoin. Miners compete to solve computational puzzles, add blocks roughly every ten minutes, and earn block rewards for securing the ledger. The larger block size is the defining technical difference: it raises throughput so the network can handle more payments per second and avoid the fee spikes and delays that congest smaller-block chains.

A history of forks

BCH's path has included further splits, most notably the November 2018 hash war that separated Bitcoin SV from Bitcoin ABC. These events are part of the project's contentious governance history and are worth understanding before holding BCH.

Bitcoin Cash tokenomics and supply

Bitcoin Cash inherits Bitcoin's monetary policy, including a fixed maximum supply of 21,000,000 BCH. Circulating supply is already around 20.06 million, meaning the vast majority of coins have been mined. New BCH enters circulation as mining rewards, which halve on a schedule similar to Bitcoin's, steadily reducing issuance until the cap is reached. Price history is wide, from an all-time low near $76.93 to a high of $3,785.82.

What is Bitcoin Cash used for?

• Fast, low-fee everyday payments to individuals and merchants
• Peer-to-peer value transfer without intermediaries
• A scarce, capped digital asset for holding
• Merchant settlement where low transaction cost matters

Where to buy Bitcoin Cash (BCH)

BCH is one of the most widely listed cryptocurrencies. Check our best crypto exchanges ranking to compare fees and liquidity across trusted platforms, and use our best crypto wallets guide to select a wallet, from hardware devices to mobile apps, that supports Bitcoin Cash.

Is Bitcoin Cash a good investment?

Bitcoin Cash is an established, liquid asset with a clear payments use case and Bitcoin's scarcity model, but it competes with Bitcoin itself, stablecoins, and faster payment networks, and its price has been highly volatile. This is not financial advice: consider adoption trends, its contentious fork history, and your own risk tolerance before buying.