Coindesk Logo

Bitcoin Foundation Forms Committee to Create Bitcoin Unicode Symbol

Bitcoin Foundation Forms Committee to Create Bitcoin Unicode Symbol

Bitcoin Foundation Forms Committee to Create Bitcoin Unicode Symbol

The foundation is seeking volunteers for its Standards Committee, which will be tasked with finding bitcoin's Unicode symbol.

The foundation is seeking volunteers for its Standards Committee, which will be tasked with finding bitcoin's Unicode symbol.

The foundation is seeking volunteers for its Standards Committee, which will be tasked with finding bitcoin's Unicode symbol.

AccessTimeIconJun 19, 2014, 12:52 PM
Updated Aug 18, 2021, 3:04 PM

Presented By Icon

Election 2024 coverage presented by

Stand with crypto

The Bitcoin Foundation is looking for volunteers for its Standards Committee, which will be tasked with creating and adopting a bitcoin Unicode symbol.

This committee will also examine denomination conventions, develop a recommended standard and deal with other, unspecified duties.

Unicode symbol for bitcoin

The foundation started discussing the possibility of introducing a Unicode symbol for bitcoin last year. Numerous proposals were floated, ranging from '฿' (Thai Baht symbol) to 'Ƀ' (U+0243).

Different variants of existing symbols were also proposed, alongside entirely new designs – nearly all of them based on a 'B' with some form of horizontal or vertical stroke overlay. Some of these designs are already in limited use, but there is no standard.

The Bitcoin Foundation Standards Committee will have to look at a number of different options, assess them, put them up for vote and eventually adopt one. Then comes the task of adding it to Unicode.

In addition to designing and implementing a new Unicode symbol, bitcoin will also require an ISO currency code standard. Currency code XBT is gaining traction for bitcoin under the ISO 4217 standard.

Standard bitcoin denominations

The second main task involves bitcoin denominations. The foundation states that the committee will have to examine denomination conventions and “come up with a recommended standard” for them.

This could prove a daunting task, as the committee will have to deal with numerous denominations rather than a single symbol. What’s more, there are already numerous denominations out there being used by developers, enthusiasts and the media.

The Bitcoin wiki currently lists a dozen denominations under 1 BTC, from 'sanbitcoin' to 'bitcoinbong' and 'satoshi'. Although many of them are used on a daily basis, they are not standardised.

The announcement was posted by Bitcoin Foundation forum admin Brad Wheeler, who cited membership director Kevin Beardsley as the go-to person for additional information.

Disclosure

Please note that our privacy policy, terms of use, cookies, and do not sell my personal information have been updated.

CoinDesk is an award-winning media outlet that covers the cryptocurrency industry. Its journalists abide by a strict set of editorial policies. CoinDesk has adopted a set of principles aimed at ensuring the integrity, editorial independence and freedom from bias of its publications. CoinDesk is part of the Bullish group, which owns and invests in digital asset businesses and digital assets. CoinDesk employees, including journalists, may receive Bullish group equity-based compensation. Bullish was incubated by technology investor Block.one.


Learn more about Consensus 2024, CoinDesk's longest-running and most influential event that brings together all sides of crypto, blockchain and Web3. Head to consensus.coindesk.com to register and buy your pass now.