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2019The slow recovery

Bitcoin more than doubled from its lows to a mid-year high near $13,800, then gave back much of it. Big technology and finance players began to take crypto seriously, even when regulators pushed back.

Year-end price (approx.)

~$7,200

Block reward

12.5 BTC

Mid-year high

~$13,800

What happened

1. Apr 2

   A sudden jump lifts Bitcoin from roughly $4,100 to around $5,000 within hours, ending months of low volatility.

2. May 7

   Hackers steal about 7,000 BTC from the Binance exchange.

3. Jun 18

   Facebook unveils its Libra stablecoin plan, prompting scrutiny from regulators worldwide.

4. Jun 26

   Bitcoin reaches about $13,800, its high for the year.

5. Sep 22

   Bakkt launches physically settled Bitcoin futures.

6. Oct 25

   After China’s president speaks in favour of blockchain technology, Bitcoin jumps by roughly 40% in a single day.

Why it mattered

2019 showed that Bitcoin could survive a deep bear market with its network, developers and core users intact.

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