You know how every family has that one sibling who’s like “I’m gonna do my own thing”? That’s Bitcoin Cash. It split from Bitcoin back in the day and said,
“Yo, I’m gonna be faster, cheaper, and actually usable for daily payments.”
So what happened? Why does BCH exist? And is it still relevant in today’s crypto scene? Let’s get into it 👇
🧬 Where Did BCH Even Come From?
TL;DR: It’s a fork of Bitcoin.
But let’s roll back the timeline…
📜 2009–2017: Bitcoin Gets Big, But Slow
- Bitcoin (BTC) starts gaining popularity.
- Network traffic explodes.
- Transaction fees rise.
- Blocks (limited to 1MB) get congested.
- People are like:
“This ain’t what Satoshi had in mind — how can we call this ‘peer-to-peer electronic cash’ if it costs $20 to send $10?”
This sparked a civil war in the Bitcoin community. One side said, “Keep BTC small and let second-layer solutions (like Lightning) handle scaling.”
The other side said, “Nah bro, just increase the block size so more transactions fit.”
⚡ 2017: The Hard Fork Heard Around the World
On August 1, 2017, the rebels forked away from Bitcoin and launched Bitcoin Cash (BCH) — same codebase, same history up to that point, but now with larger block sizes.
- BTC = 1MB blocks (slow, expensive)
- BCH = started with 8MB blocks, now up to 32MB
So basically, BCH is built to handle more transactions faster and cheaper.
🔁 What’s the Actual Difference from BTC?
| Feature | Bitcoin (BTC) | Bitcoin Cash (BCH) |
|---|---|---|
| Block Size | 1MB | Up to 32MB |
| Speed | Slower | Faster |
| Fees | Higher (can spike $5–$20+) | Much lower (usually < $0.01) |
| Purpose | Store of value (“digital gold”) | Peer-to-peer cash |
| Dev Community | Massive, conservative | Smaller, experimental |
So while BTC is like gold you hodl, BCH is like digital money you spend.
📈 When Did BCH Go Viral?
Right after the fork in 2017, Bitcoin Cash exploded in value — like seriously moon-mode.
- August 2017: Launches at ~$200
- December 2017: Hits $4,000+ during the epic bull run
- 2021 bull market: Reached ~$1,600
- 2024–2025: Still in the top coins by market cap, with renewed interest in fast, spendable crypto
But BCH had ups and downs. It got hit by more forks (like Bitcoin SV), and struggled to keep devs and users compared to BTC. Still, it remained a top 20 crypto and has a strong OG following.
💸 Why Do People Still Use Bitcoin Cash?
Let’s keep it real — BCH is super usable. You can:
- Send money instantly with fees under a penny.
- Buy stuff — especially in places where fees matter (like Africa, South America, etc.).
- Use BCH for everyday payments, online and IRL.
- Send microtransactions (which BTC can’t handle well).
It’s like that one payment app that just works without a million popups and middlemen.
And yes, it even has smart contract capabilities via CashScript and tokens via the Simple Ledger Protocol (SLP).
🌍 Who’s Using BCH Now?
BCH has stayed alive through grassroots adoption and continues to grow, especially in places where traditional banking is a pain.
- Emerging economies like Nigeria, Venezuela, and the Philippines use BCH for remittances and P2P payments.
- Crypto ATMs, merchant services, and gift card platforms often support BCH.
- Peer-to-peer marketplaces like Local.bitcoin.com are built around it.
Real-world stuff:
- Buy groceries in the Bahamas using BCH.
- Tip streamers with BCH via Twitch integrations.
- Pay for VPNs, gift cards, domain names, and more.
🧠 Tech Breakdown (Without the Geek Overload)
| Tech Stuff | BCH Details |
|---|---|
| Consensus | Proof of Work (like BTC) |
| Block Time | 10 mins (same as BTC) |
| Block Size Limit | 32MB (vs BTC’s 1MB) |
| Transaction Speed | 100+ TPS (BTC is ~7 TPS) |
| Fees | Fractions of a cent |
| Smart Contracts | Limited, but growing (CashScript) |
| Token System | SLP (Simple Ledger Protocol) |
So yeah, BCH is kinda like if Bitcoin took pre-workout and decided to sprint.
🔥 Latest Vibes & What’s Cookin’ in BCH (2024–2025)
📢 BCH Halving Hype (April 2024)
BCH had its halving in April 2024 (same as Bitcoin’s), cutting mining rewards from 6.25 to 3.125 BCH per block. Result? More scarcity and price hype.
🚀 Price Spikes
After the halving and a general market pump, BCH saw new volume and media attention. It didn’t hit $4k again, but it did move up strong, proving it still had gas in the tank.
🔒 Privacy Features Incoming?
There are community efforts to integrate better privacy features, like CashFusion — an alternative to mixers that obfuscates transaction history.
🛠️ Development Still Active
Projects like:
- Paytaca (mobile wallets)
- Electron Cash
- BCHD full nodes
- SLP tokens + NFT experiments
are all still actively being worked on.
👁️🗨️ Is BCH Still Relevant Today?
Short answer: Yes — but it’s niche.
It’s no longer competing with Bitcoin for “top dog” status. BTC became gold. BCH became Venmo on crypto steroids.
And in a world obsessed with DeFi, NFTs, and meme coins — BCH sticks to its roots: fast, cheap payments.
If you want:
- A chain that just works
- Low fees forever
- Real-world usability
- Not worrying about gas wars or congested mempools
Then Bitcoin Cash is still that one solid option flying under the radar.
🧃 Final Drip: TL;DR for the Scroll-Happy Gen Z
- BCH forked from Bitcoin in 2017 over block size beef
- It’s designed for payments, not just storing value
- Bigger blocks = faster + cheaper transactions
- Still used globally for real-life stuff
- Saw a price comeback in 2024 after halving
- OG project with loyal fans, even if it’s not the hypebeast of crypto anymore
If Bitcoin is like digital gold…
Bitcoin Cash is digital cash, plain and simple.
No gas wars, no flexing. Just crypto doing what it was originally meant to do: be money.
