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Bitcoin Runes

Runes is a token protocol on Bitcoin developed by the creator of Ordinals, Casey Rodarmor. It launched at the fourth halving and is taking the Bitcoin world by storm. Here's everything you need to know.

CollectionLast updated Apr 29, 2024
Apr 29
Bitcoin is the leading crypto asset by market cap. Image: Created by Decrypt using AI

Bitcoin Token Runecoin Hits All-Time High Price Ahead of OKX Listing

Runecoin, a token etched using the new Bitcoin Runes protocol and associated with the prominent RSIC Metaprotocol Ordinals collection, hit a new all-time high price overnight after cryptocurrency exchange OKX announced plans to list the token. OKX will list Runecoin on Tuesday, April 30, following a 24-hour rewards campaign that lets customers earn a share of tokens by staking their Bitcoin (BTC) on the exchange’s platform. Runecoin will be the first Runes token listed by the centralized exchang...

NewsCoins
3 min read
Andrew Hayward
Apr 24
Horse racing. Image: Shutterstock

Bitcoin Runes Transactions Are Taking Over the Network—And Dominating BRC-20

Bitcoin Runes are dominating Bitcoin blockchain activity, with over 81% of transactions on Tuesday being Rune etchings, according to a Dune report. Regular Bitcoin transactions represented 19% of the transactions, meanwhile, with BRC-20 tokens and Ordinals coming in a distance third and fourth at 0.2% and 0.1%, respectively. BREAKING: Runes accounted for 72.7% of all Bitcoin transactions in the past 24 hours — Ord.io (@ord_io) April 24, 2024 According to the Dune dashboard, 750,428 Runes tran...

NewsCoins
2 min read
Jason Nelson
DOG. Image: Leonidas

Bitcoin Meme Coin DOG Hits $336 Million Market Cap After Runes Airdrop

DOG•GO•TO•THE•MOON (aka DOG), a Bitcoin meme coin etched via the new Runes protocol, was airdropped to holders of the Runestone Ordinals project on Wednesday, immediately vaulting the newly created coin to the title of the most widely held Runes token to date. Holders of DOG surpassed 74,000 on Wednesday, according to data from minting and etching platform Luminex. It’s by far the Runes token with the most holders since the launch of the Runes protocol last week. Next on the list is RSIC•GENESIS...

NewsCoins
2 min read
Jason Nelson
Apr 23
A wizard lifting runestones. Illustration by Iobard/Shutterstock.

Why Are Bitcoin Rune Names So Weird? There's a Method to the Madness

The Bitcoin halving has come and gone, and along with the milestone, the new Runes token protocol went live on the Bitcoin network. Since its launch on April 20, the Runes protocol has seen over eight thousand “etchings”—the preferred term for the deployment of Runes tokens—created on the Bitcoin blockchain, according to Ordinals and Runes launchpad Luminex. One trend that quickly emerged among these new digital assets was long and unusually formatted names. A quick browse of the nascent categor...

NewsCoins
5 min read
Jason Nelson
Apr 22
Bitcoin Runes on Magic Eden. Image: Magic Eden

Bitcoin Runes Launch on Magic Eden in Attempt to 'Streamline' BTC Token Trading

Just days after the launch of Bitcoin’s buzzy Runes fungible token standard, leading cross-chain NFT marketplace Magic Eden has launched its promised Runes platform, aiming to ease some of the early headaches that traders have encountered around the tokens. As enthusiasts grapple with the complexities of new technology, some traders have griped about the frustrations of the bumpy minting and trading experience around Runes. Whether it's running a node, minting via Xverse on Luminex, or trading o...

NewsCoins
5 min read
Erika Lee
Bitcoin transaction fees. Image: Shutterstock

Bitcoin Fees Fall Back to Earth After Hitting All-Time High Amid Runes Launch

Bitcoin transaction fees are falling back to Earth. For some time this weekend, it was more expensive to transact on Bitcoin’s network than ever before in history. Teeming with activity, the higher costs for users came as a protocol for Bitcoin-based meme coins launched and rewards for miners were slashed in half. The average Bitcoin transaction fee soared to $127 Friday amid the quadrennial halving event and launch of Runes, according to data from Blockchain.com. Representing a record-level per...

NewsCoins
3 min read
André Beganski
Apr 21
Image created by Decrypt using AI

Solana, Ethereum Meme Coin Prices Blast Off as Bitcoin Stays Steady After Halving

The latest Bitcoin halving took place late Friday, cutting miner rewards in half for the fourth time in history—but BTC itself is hardly the biggest winner in the crypto markets this weekend. Instead, it’s meme coins leading the charge, with some prominent tokens marking sizable double-digit percentage jumps in the last day. Dog-themed coins are the biggest winners so far this weekend, with the Solana-based BONK charting a massive 37% jump in price over the last 24 hours alone, jumping to a curr...

NewsMarkets
3 min read
Andrew Hayward
Apr 19
Image created by Decrypt using AI

The Race Is On to Mint One of the First Bitcoin Runes

With the Bitcoin halving only hours away, the race is on to mint the first tokens on the new Bitcoin Runes protocol set to launch alongside the quadrennial event. Runes is a new fungible token protocol on Bitcoin that will let users “etch” and mint tokens on top of the chain. It’s akin to the experimental BRC-20 standard launched last year, but is said to be more efficient—and comes from the inventor of the Ordinals protocol. In any case, as with the NFT-like Ordinals before it, project creators...

NewsCoins
4 min read
Jason Nelson
Image created by Decrypt using AI

What the Bitcoin Halving Means for Ordinals and BRC-20 Tokens

We’re hours away from the Bitcoin halving and the associated launch of the Runes fungible token standard, and collectors on the top chain might be wondering: What does any of this have to do with the NFT-like Ordinals inscriptions on the chain? And what of BRC-20 fungible tokens built on the Ordinals protocol? Unlike Ethereum’s “merge” transition back in late 2022, there’s no reason for concern around what could happen to on-chain Bitcoin assets after the halving. The halving simply refers to th...

NewsNFTs
5 min read
Andrew Hayward
Image generated by Decrypt using AI

Bitcoin Runes Launch at the Halving: Here's Everything You Need to Know

Bitcoin is front and center again, and orange coin lovers everywhere have plenty to be excited about: new all-time high prices, the upcoming halving, rising demand for Ordinals—and soon, something totally new called Runes. And while Runes won’t hit Bitcoin until the halving—currently set for April 19 as of this writing—when the supply of newly minted BTC is once again cut in half by slashing miner rewards, the project is already getting a lot of hype and attention. Here’s what you need to know....

NewsCoins
8 min read
Reza Jafery
Handmade wooden and stone runes. Image: Shutterstock.

How to Mint Runes at the Bitcoin Halving Without Getting Rekt

Merry Bitcoin Halving Eve! Hoping to unwrap a Rune? The same developer that brought you Bitcoin Ordinals will soon debut a new protocol, called Runes, which plans to rival the BRC-20 token standard. Since its announcement, the project seen huge hype with tons of projects gearing up for the Runes launch—which aligns with the Bitcoin halving. Most notably, meme coin PUPS skyrocketed ahead of its launch. But the rise didn’t come without some controversy. There have been spats over the project’s cla...

NewsCoins
5 min read
Ryan S. Gladwin
Apr 17
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Bitcoin Ordinals Explorer Ord.io Raises $2 Million, Embraces Runes Tokens

With the Runes protocol launch set for this weekend alongside the Bitcoin halving, Ordinals explorer Ord.io is beefing up its treasury, announcing on Wednesday the raise of $2 million that the company says will be used to hire more developers. Bitcoin Frontier Fund and Sora Ventures led the pre-seed funding round. Other investors include Eden Block, Arca, Longhash Ventures, Daxos Capital, Portal Ventures, UTXO Management, Rubik Ventures, VitalTao Capital, Antalpha Ventures, Kommune Fund, Edessa...

NewsBusiness
4 min read
Jason Nelson
Apr 16
Source: Shutterstock

Bitcoin Traders Brace for Runes Launch by Setting Up Their Own Nodes—Why?

Exchanging Bitcoin for Runes via a command-line interface? For some, setting up a Bitcoin node—which validates transactions and keeps a record of network activity—that is capable of doing just that evokes a sense of confusion or dread. For others, it’s a technical endeavor that could come in handy soon when Runes, a protocol for Bitcoin-based fungible tokens (such as meme coins), unleashes a sluice of new assets on the network. “A lot of people are super intimidated to run a Bitcoin node,” Trevo...

NewsTechnology
5 min read
André Beganski
Bitcoin and Internet Computer. Image: Dfinity

Bitcoin Runes Arrive at the Halving—And Internet Computer Will Support Them

With the Bitcoin halving and Runes protocol launch taking place this weekend, Dfinity is continuing Internet Computer's embrace of the Bitcoin ecosystem by adding support for etching Runes tokens and other BTC-centric functionality, the company said on Tuesday. Wading into an increasingly crowded pool of developers preparing for the launch of Runes, Dfinity said its “Bitcoin layer zero” upgrade makes it possible to etch Runes, send and receive BRC-20 tokens on the Bitcoin blockchain, and create...

NewsCoins
3 min read
Jason Nelson
Franklin Templeton offices in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Image: Franklin Templeton

Runes Will Help Bitcoin DeFi ‘Close the Gap’ on Ethereum, Solana: Franklin Templeton

The launch of Runes will help Bitcoin “close the gap” with Ethereum and Solana in the fungible digital asset space, investment firm Franklin Templeton Digital Assets said in a new report released Monday. “Currently the fungible token market for Bitcoin is quite small in comparison to ETH and SOL,” the investment firm said. “However, with the launch of a more efficient token standard (Runes), Bitcoin is positioned well to close the gap between its fungible market cap versus that of other blockcha...

NewsCoins
3 min read
Jason Nelson
Apr 15
Image generated by Decrypt using AI

Bitcoin BRC-20 Token Prices Plunge Ahead of Halving—Are Runes to Blame?

Fungible Bitcoin tokens, released under the BRC-20 standard, are taking a beating five days before the Bitcoin halving and the concurrent launch of the Runes protocol. Four of the top five BRC-20-based tokens by market capitalization—ORDI (ORDI), SATS (SATS), Multibit (MUBI), and Ordiswap (ORDS)—are down over the last seven days. Bitcoin Pups (PUPS) alone is up, rising over 139% for the week, according to CoinGecko. ORDI is trading at $42.67, down 43.4% for the week. SATS is at $0.00000027, down...

NewsCoins
3 min read
Jason Nelson
Apr 14
The scales of justice. Image: Tingey Law Firm on Unsplash.

This Week on Crypto Twitter: SEC Targets Uniswap, Bitcoin Runes Stir Hype

Illustration by Mitchell Preffer for Decrypt Twitter buzz this week exhibited a continued fixation on the crypto industry’s never-ending flow of legal drama, as well as steadily snowballing excitement for the latest meme coin trend: Bitcoin Runes.  On Tuesday, Avraham Eisenberg's criminal trial began in a federal courthouse in Manhattan. In 2022, the crypto trader drained $110 million from crypto exchange Mango Markets by employing a complex DeFi exploit that the Department of Justice has called...

NewsCoins
4 min read
Sander Lutz
Apr 11
Images: Pups/Decrypt

Bitcoin Pups Meme Coin Up 1,000% Ahead of Runes Launch

Bitcoin meme coin Pups is up 1,056% for the week, days before the Bitcoin halving and the concurrent launch of the Runes protocol. Pups began the week at $22.50 before surging 44% on Tuesday. With a max supply of 7.7 million, Pups has passed $365 million in market capitalization. While Pups (PUPS) is up over 1,000% and trading at $41.89, according to CoinGecko, the Ordinals inscription project that launched a year ago is up 119,813.7% since the beginning of the year. Pups is the first memecoin...

NewsNFTs
3 min read
Jason Nelson
Apr 9
Image created by Decrypt using AI

Bitcoin Runes Meme Coin ‘Dog’ Will be Airdropped to Runestone Holders

Following a successful airdrop in March, the Runestone project is gearing up for its next airdrop, which will feature a cuddly puppy. Bitcoin wallets that were airdropped Runestones will receive three meme coins starting with the Dog airdrop later this month—if they still hold those Runestone inscriptions when it happens. YOU ARE NOT READY FOR THE CUTENESS THAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO GET AIRDROPPED IF YOU HOLD A RUNESTONE pic.twitter.com/uKSEWzUhn6 — Leonidas (@LeonidasNFT) April 8, 2024 “The centra...

NewsNFTs
3 min read
Jason Nelson
The Runestone parent inscription. Image: Runestone

7 Bitcoin Ordinals and Runes Projects You Should Know Ahead of the Halving

It’s a wild time for Bitcoin. The leading cryptocurrency’s price surged higher and higher in March to break its 2021 peak price, spot Bitcoin ETFs are spurring wider interest in the coin, and this month’s Bitcoin halving and Runes token protocol are driving significant excitement. Given all of that, it’s no surprise that Bitcoin Ordinals are white hot lately, with the NFT-like assets taking over the market and shaking up the battle between marketplaces as well. If you’ve been sitting on the side...

NewsNFTs
5 min read
Andrew Hayward
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