Bitcoin is a form of digital currency, created and held electronically. No one controls it. Bitcoins arent printed, like dollars or euros theyre produced by people, and increasingly businesses, running computers all around the world, using software that solves mathematical problems.However, bitcoins most important characteristic, and the thing that makes it different to conventional money, is that it is decentralized. No single institution controls the bitcoin network. This puts some people at ease, because it means that a large bank cant control their money.