**Bitcoin Reclaims Dominance as Runes Protocol Hype Fades**

Bitcoin is back on top! Recent data shows that Bitcoin (BTC) now accounts for 90% of all transactions on its network, reclaiming its dominance after a brief surge by the Runes protocol. Launched on April 20, Runes initially took the spotlight, consuming over 50% of Bitcoin's bandwidth on 13 separate days. However, interest has waned, with Runes now representing just 7.9% of transactions as of July 17.

Despite the initial buzz, Runes' transaction share has averaged below 9% over the past month, indicating a cooling investor sentiment. Bitcoin miners, however, benefited from the early hype, earning over 2,540 BTC in fees.

Experts believe this is just the beginning for Bitcoin-based decentralized finance (DeFi). Rich Rines, a Core DAO contributor, suggests that protocols like Runes and BRC-20 tokens are stepping stones in Bitcoin's evolution, adding more utility to the network. Stay tuned as Bitcoin continues to innovate and dominate!