The Bitcoin white paper was published in 2008.
Satoshi Nakamoto released the paper, “Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System,” on 31 October 2008. It described a digital payment system designed to let participants transfer value directly without relying on a central financial institution. The proposal combined established ideas, including cryptographic proof, peer-to-peer networking, and a chain of timestamped records.
The paper is short, consisting of an abstract and nine numbered sections. It explains how transactions could be grouped into blocks, secured through proof-of-work, and accepted by a distributed network. This design became the conceptual foundation for Bitcoin, although the working software and live network came later.
The year is sometimes confused with 2009, because Bitcoin’s first block and publicly running network date from January 2009. The white paper therefore predates the blockchain’s launch by several months. Its title uses “electronic cash,” not “cryptocurrency,” a term that became more common afterward.