Bitcoin
One bitcoin went from about £0.056 on 18 July 2010 to £56,833.23 on 7 November 2026, about 1.01 million times as many pounds. That comparison only goes back as far as usable market prices.
The pound's buying power
One bitcoin.
A changing price in pounds.
Another way to ask what a pound buys. Bitcoin is a much younger comparison than gold or silver, and its history needs a different kind of care.
Dated snapshot: 7 November 2026, 14:38 GMT. Not a live price feed. Usually updated monthly.
Comparisons of what a pound buys
A few comparisons
A shorter, much bumpier history
Bitcoin began in 2009, but usable market prices only emerge around 2010. This chart starts on 18 July 2010, the first non-empty market-price observation in the Coin Metrics source used here. It cannot cover the 35-year window on the gold and silver page. It does not assign a made-up price to the years before trading.
| Start: 18 July 2010 | 7 Nov 2026, 14:38 GMT | As many pounds |
|---|---|---|
| About £0.056 | £56,833.23 | About 1.01 million times |
The starting value is about 5.6 pence. The multiple uses the unrounded observations, not the displayed rounded starting price. It is particularly sensitive to the very early, thinly traded starting market. It is not a return after costs or tax.
How the pound price has changed over the last 10 years
As of 7 November 2026: Bitcoin: £56,833.23 per bitcoin. Snapshot: 14:38 GMT.
Each period compares that snapshot with the pound price of bitcoin on the same date in earlier years. See how the figures were made.
| Period | Bitcoin |
|---|---|
| 1 year | −28% |
| 2 years | −2.8% |
| 3 years | +97% |
| 4 years | +218% |
| 5 years | +21% |
| 6 years | +404% |
| 7 years | +686% |
| 8 years | +1043% |
| 9 years | +948% |
| 10 years | +9920% |
These are changes in the quoted pound price, not investment returns after dealing costs, custody or tax. Choosing another end date would change the figures. Not financial advice.
Not all of that change is the pound
More pounds buy less bitcoin than at the start of this chart. That does not mean UK consumer prices rose by the same multiple. Much of Bitcoin's price move reflects adoption, speculation and changing expectations about its future. Exchange rates matter too.
Bitcoin offers a monetary contrast: its issuance follows network rules, rather than a supply set by banks. That is why it sometimes appears in discussions about money with a hard-to-expand supply. It does not make its pound price stable, or make losses impossible.
Its price has had sharp falls as well as rises. Ownership, security, access and regulation bring different risks from holding pounds or physical metal. None of these illustrations tells you what to buy.
Not financial advice. These are historical prices, not advice or a prediction.
A UK distinction
Bitcoin gains may be taxed
HMRC does not treat Bitcoin as currency or money for these tax rules. Unlike qualifying UK legal tender coins, Bitcoin has no sterling-currency CGT exemption.
Gains may be subject to Capital Gains Tax when you sell, swap, spend or give Bitcoin away. The usual tax-free allowance and individual circumstances matter; a gift to a spouse or civil partner is an exception. It is not correct to say tax is payable on every gain.
Read HMRC's guidance on selling Bitcoin for the disposal rules, including gifts to charity, and how total gains are assessed. Guidance checked 7 November 2026. This is not tax advice; rules can change.
Sources and how the figures were made
From 18 July 2010 to 16 September 2014, the source is Coin Metrics' public daily Bitcoin dataset, PriceUSD column. Each observation is converted into pounds by dividing by the Yahoo GBP/USD daily close on that source date, or the latest available prior date if missing. The first source price is 0.08584 US dollars, divided by 1.5225566626 US dollars per pound, giving about £0.056379.
From 17 September 2014, we use Yahoo's direct BTC-GBP daily closing series. The final point is its quote snapshot on 7 November 2026 at 14:38 GMT, not an end-of-day close. Bitcoin trades at weekends. Historical source dates are preserved as supplied; quote snapshot times are shown in GMT.
The chart selects the first observation and the last available daily observation of each month, plus the latest snapshot. Straight connecting lines and the logarithmic scale make the full range readable, but do not show every daily high, low or fall. There is a source change in September 2014; providers' pricing methods and daily cut-offs can differ.
Early markets were small and illiquid, so those first prices were not a promise that everyone could trade any amount at them. The comparison excludes fees, tax and custody costs. Download the daily observations used (CSV).
The 1-to-10-year table compares the same 7 November 2026 chart snapshot with the Yahoo BTC-GBP daily quote on 7 November in each earlier year. Bitcoin trades at weekends, so those lookbacks use the calendar date even when it falls on a Saturday or Sunday. This table is only Bitcoin versus the pound; it does not compare Bitcoin with gold or silver.
Each figure is calculated as (end price / lookback price − 1) × 100, with a leading plus or minus sign. Changes below 10% in magnitude are shown to one decimal place; larger changes are rounded to a whole percentage. These are cumulative price changes, not yearly averages or annualised rates. Download the table lookback dates, prices and calculations (CSV). Table sources checked 7 November 2026 (GMT).