Litecoin ($LTC ) is a decentralized, peer-to-peer cryptocurrency launched in 2011 as a fork of Bitcoin.
Designed to improve on Bitcoin’s transaction speed and cost efficiency, Litecoin quickly became one of the earliest and most established altcoins in the crypto market.
While Litecoin shares Bitcoin’s core principles decentralization, fixed supply, and proof-of-work security it operates on its own independent blockchain.
This allows the network to evolve separately while maintaining the robustness of Bitcoin’s original design.
One of Litecoin’s key technical distinctions is its use of the Scrypt mining algorithm, rather than Bitcoin’s SHA-256. Scrypt enables:
Faster block generation times (≈2.5 minutes)
Lower transaction fees
More accessible mining participation compared to specialized ASIC-heavy networks
These features make Litecoin particularly suitable for everyday payments and fast value transfers.
Litecoin was founded by Charlie Lee, a former Google engineer, with the vision of creating a “lighter” version of Bitcoin optimized for practical use.
Over more than a decade and multiple market cycles, Litecoin has remained operational, secure, and widely supported across exchanges, wallets, and payment platforms.
Today, $LTC continues to serve as a reliable medium for on-chain payments and cross-border transactions, reinforcing its role as one of the longest-standing cryptocurrencies in the industry.