Bitcoin had a blockbuster 2024, settling over $19 trillion in transactions, more than doubling from 2023's $8.7 trillion. This surge marks a rebound from two years of declining volumes since the 2021 bull market peak of $47 trillion. Key events like the launch of a Bitcoin ETF in the U.S., the April halving, and a new all-time high price of around $108,000 fueled this growth.

Meanwhile, Bitcoin's hashrate hit a record 1,000 exahashes per second in early 2025, though it later settled at 775 EH/s. U.S. mining pools, like Foundry USA and MARA Pool, dominated with over 38.5% of blocks mined in 2024, yet China-based pools still hold a majority. The decentralized nature of mining makes pinpointing exact hashrate dominance challenging.