Coinranking is better without ads. Better without the ads. Elite keeps it that way and unlocks the full Pro Chart and premium features. Elite keeps it that way.

What is Bitcoin Diamond (BCD)?

Quick Facts

  • Type: Hard fork of the Bitcoin blockchain
  • Fork block: Bitcoin block height 495,866 (November 2017)
  • Consensus: Proof-of-Work (PoW) using the X13 hashing algorithm
  • Block size: 8 MB — ten times larger than original Bitcoin
  • Distribution: Bitcoin holders received 10 BCD for every 1 BTC held
  • Origin: Created by two anonymous mining teams, 'Team Evey' and 'Team 007'
  • Goal: Faster, cheaper, and more accessible transactions than Bitcoin

Introduction

Bitcoin Diamond (BCD) is a hard fork of Bitcoin that was launched in late 2017. It was designed to solve some of the most common pain points of the original Bitcoin network — namely slow confirmation times, high transaction fees, and a high barrier to entry for new miners and users.

By forking the Bitcoin blockchain, BCD preserved Bitcoin's foundational principles while introducing several technical upgrades aimed at making digital payments faster and more practical for everyday use.

History & Background

Bitcoin Diamond was created by two Bitcoin mining groups known as 'Team Evey' and 'Team 007', believed to originate from Asia, particularly Singapore and Hong Kong. The fork was announced and executed in 2017 when Bitcoin's network was congested and fees were notably high.

The split occurred at block 495,866 of the Bitcoin blockchain. Anyone holding Bitcoin at that moment automatically received BCD at a 10:1 ratio — ten BCD for every one Bitcoin held. This airdrop-style distribution helped bootstrap an early user base rapidly.

How Bitcoin Diamond Works

BCD runs on its own independent blockchain using a Proof-of-Work consensus mechanism, similar to Bitcoin, but with a different hashing algorithm — X13 — rather than Bitcoin's SHA-256. X13 was chosen to lower the dominance of ASIC mining hardware and make the network more accessible to a broader set of miners.

The network also features an increased block size of 8 MB, which allows more transactions to be processed per block, reducing congestion and lowering fees. Additional enhancements to transaction privacy were also incorporated into the protocol design.

Tokenomics

BCD was distributed at a 10:1 ratio to existing Bitcoin holders at the time of the fork, providing an immediate and wide distribution. The token is mineable, meaning new BCD enters circulation as block rewards paid to miners who secure the network.

The economic model mirrors Bitcoin's design — mining rewards incentivize network security, while a finite token design limits long-term inflation. BCD is primarily used as a medium of exchange and peer-to-peer payment asset.

Circulating Supply ? 153.76 million BCD
Total supply ? 156.76 million BCD
Max supply ? 210.00 million BCD
Fixed supply (updated manually)

Ecosystem & Use Cases

Bitcoin Diamond's primary use case is fast, low-cost peer-to-peer payments. The project developed ecosystem tools such as BCDpay and BCDbazaar to enable merchants and consumers to transact using BCD in real-world commerce.

The project also targeted the unbanked population — individuals without access to traditional banking — as a target demographic, aiming to provide a low-threshold entry point into digital finance.

Team, Governance & Community

The founding teams behind BCD — 'Team Evey' and 'Team 007' — remain largely anonymous. The project was community-driven from its inception, with governance decisions and development guided by its mining community and open-source contributors.

The project maintained social channels on Reddit, Telegram, and Twitter, and hosted its code on GitHub for public contribution.

Advantages

  • Lower transaction fees compared to Bitcoin, making small payments practical
  • Faster confirmations due to larger block sizes and protocol optimizations
  • Accessible mining via the X13 algorithm, reducing reliance on specialized ASIC hardware
  • Wide initial distribution through the 10:1 BTC airdrop model
  • Privacy enhancements built on top of the original Bitcoin framework

Risks & Challenges

  • Anonymous team raises questions about long-term accountability and development continuity
  • Competitive landscape — many Bitcoin forks exist, making differentiation difficult
  • Limited ecosystem growth — real-world adoption and developer activity have been modest
  • Network security — smaller PoW networks can be more vulnerable to 51% attacks than Bitcoin
  • Website and infrastructure concerns — the main project website reportedly went offline, signaling reduced maintenance activity

Long-Term Vision

Bitcoin Diamond's long-term vision centers on being a practical, everyday payment coin that extends Bitcoin's reach to underserved populations globally. By combining lower fees, faster speeds, and privacy improvements, BCD aspired to become a usable medium of exchange rather than purely a store of value.

Whether that vision is realized depends on sustained community effort, developer engagement, and broader adoption — challenges that many Bitcoin forks continue to face.

Frequently Asked Questions

Bitcoin Diamond is a hard fork of Bitcoin that launched in November 2017. It was designed to offer faster transaction speeds, lower fees, and improved privacy compared to the original Bitcoin network.

Bitcoin Diamond forked from Bitcoin at block height 495,866 on November 24, 2017. All Bitcoin holders at that moment received 10 BCD for every 1 BTC they held.

BCD uses a larger 8 MB block size, the X13 proof-of-work algorithm instead of SHA-256, and includes additional privacy features. These changes aim to make transactions faster, cheaper, and more accessible.

BCD was created by two anonymous Bitcoin mining groups known as 'Team Evey' and 'Team 007', believed to be based in Asia. The teams have remained largely anonymous since the project's launch.

BCD uses a Proof-of-Work consensus mechanism with the X13 hashing algorithm. This algorithm was chosen to reduce the dominance of ASIC miners and make participation more accessible.

BCD was distributed at a 10:1 ratio to existing Bitcoin holders at the time of the fork. For every 1 BTC held, a user automatically received 10 BCD, creating an immediate and wide distribution.

BCD is primarily used as a peer-to-peer payment currency for fast, low-cost transactions. The project also developed tools like BCDpay and BCDbazaar to facilitate real-world merchant payments.

BCD remains a tradeable cryptocurrency, though community and development activity have slowed significantly over the years. The project's main website reportedly went offline, which raises questions about ongoing maintenance.