Satoshi Nakamoto created Bitcoin in 2009 as a peer-to-peer electronic cash system intended for use as a means of payment. Bitcoin relies on blockchain technology to function, with the blockchain preserving a record of all Bitcoin transactions and ownership across a network of independent computers globally. New bitcoins are created through mining by rewarding miners with newly created bitcoins and transaction fees as they facilitate Bitcoin transactions and add blocks to the blockchain. Currently, there are 16 million bitcoins in existence, with the total capped at 21 million.