logo
  • menu
  • Markets
  • ETFs
  • Live
  • Spot
  • Futures
  • Learn
  • Sign In
  • Sign Up
  • Downloads
  • English
  • |
  • USD
  • |
Sign Up
Crypto PricesLearnLatest NewsDownloadsMarketsSpotAnnouncements
Home/
Learn/
Crypto Basics

What is mBTC? Why do people use mBTC?

By Martha Grizzard
May 7, 2023
4 
★
★
★
★
★
★
★
★
★
★
 307 User Rating
Share

You will learn what is mBTC in this article. The value of bitcoin has risen up to thousands of dollars during these years. So, it was not easy to make transactions with the value of bitcoin. If you want to buy 500 USD of BTC, you will get only a fractional amount of BTC. It is confusing to use currencies in decimals. One of the answers the developers have solved is mBTC. 

What is mBTC?

Introduced in May 2011 by a poll, millibitcoin is also commonly referred to as millibit, millicoin, and millie. The letter “m” refers to milli-, which naturally stands for one-thousandth of a bitcoin. Therefore, mBTC, or a millibitcoin is 0.001 or 1/1000 of a bitcoin.

In 2017, BTCC CEO Bobby Lee started an open vote and took to Twitter to push the issue of trading in mBTC instead of BTC. As Cointelegraph reported in January 2017, the idea had a number of supporters, least of all because it would remove the psychological barriers for investing in Bitcoin by making it more affordable through smaller denominations. The article concluded that the adoption of mBTC would depend largely on the value of BTC and whether it would top $30,000.

Converting mBTC

Several Bitcoin converters make it easy to convert mBTC to other fiat currencies like dollars and euros. As of the time of writing, the current price of 1 BTC is $21,64.

According to Nomics, a homepage for cryptocurrencies,

1 mBTC = $21,646

1 mBTC = €20.78

Would you rather see your balance in decimals or units of mBTC?

Instead of counting the number of digits after a decimal, especially when dealing with a smaller amount of BTC, it can be more convenient for you to convert smaller units of BTC to mBTC. Let's look at the equivalent of 1 BTC to mBTC, shall we ?

1 BTC = 1000 mBTC

or

1 mBTC = 0.001BTC.

For example, if 1 BTC is equivalent to $20,000, then 1 mBTC (1/100th of BTC) will be equal to $20. It's that simple.

Why Do People Use mBTC?

One of the reasons why people would prefer to use the millibitcoin as a unit of measurement is because it makes it easier for users to understand and communicate smaller units of Bitcoin. Satoshi Nakamoto understood that sooner or later Bitcoin would get to a point price where it can increase dramatically, hence the need for smaller units.

Crypto proponents believe that using units of millibitcoin to describe smaller units of BTC would reduce the psychological barrier and perceptions and allow more users to purchase smaller amounts of Bitcoin without feeling like six places to the right of the decimal equates to a small hold

Arguments Against Using mBTC

However, there are arguments against using millibitcoin as a unit of Bitcoin. There's no doubt that the decimals can be confusing, but there's been a debate on what should be the smallest unit of Bitcoin since there are other options like microbitcoin and Satoshi.

In response to the post on the use of mBTC, a user suggested the generic use of Satoshi as the smallest unit of Bitcoin.

Another argument that you might encounter is that mBTC can result in inflation, but this is not true. Inflation rises when the supply of money in an economy increases. Since Bitcoin is capped at 21 million BTC, that means there will not be the mining of new Bitcoin once it hits its hard cap. Therefore, Bitcoin can be said to be deflationary.

Due to the increasing demand for Bitcoin, it takes a proportional amount of a given currency to purchase BTC. Therefore, it only becomes necessary and convenient to break BTC into smaller units using a globally acceptable unit standard.

Bottom Line

Several terms have emerged as smaller units of Bitcoin, in part due to the volatility of Bitcoin's price against the US dollar, with one of them being mBTC. No one can say that mBTC might not become the standard in the future. So, this article about what is mBTC would help you with the basic crypto knowledge.

Disclaimer: The information on this page may have been obtained from third parties and does not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of BitKan. This content is provided for general informational purposes only, without any representation or warranty of any kind, nor shall it be construed as financial or investment advice. BitKan shall not be liable for any errors or omissions, or for any outcomes resulting from the use of this information. Investments in digital assets can be risky. Please carefully evaluate the risks of a product and your risk tolerance based on your own financial circumstances. Products mentioned in this article may not be available in your region.

Related Articles

  • Crypto Trading Bots: What Are They and How Do They Work?

    Crypto Trading Bots: What Are They and How Do They Work?

    A crypto trading bot is a software application designed to automate the process of buying and selling digital assets, acting as an interface between the user and a cryptocurrency exchange.
    Cornell Rachel
    Jun 26, 2026
  • What Is Rehypothecation Risk in Crypto? How to Protect Yourself

    What Is Rehypothecation Risk in Crypto? How to Protect Yourself

    Rehypothecation is a practice where a lending platform takes collateral pledged by its clients and uses it for its own purposes.
    James Dean
    Jun 17, 2026
  • What Are Crypto Prediction Markets? A Complete Guide for Beginners

    What Are Crypto Prediction Markets? A Complete Guide for Beginners

    Crypto prediction markets are peer-to-peer decentralized financial platforms where participants trade contracts tied to the outcomes of real-world events, such as elections, sports, or economic data releases.
    Jun 12, 2026

Latest Articles

Crypto Basics

Tutorials

Currencies

Investing

  • Crypto Trading Bots: What Are They and How Do They Work?

    Crypto Trading Bots: What Are They and How Do They Work?

    A crypto trading bot is a software application designed to automate the process of buying and selling digital assets, acting as an interface between the user and a cryptocurrency exchange.
    Cornell Rachel
    Jun 26, 2026
  • What Are Appchains? How Do Application-Specific Blockchains Work?

    What Are Appchains? How Do Application-Specific Blockchains Work?

    Appchains are blockchains built to support a single application, providing dedicated resources instead of competing for block space with other decentralized applications.
    Jerry McNeill
    Jun 25, 2026
  • What Is Chain Abstraction? What Are the Advantages and Challenges?

    What Is Chain Abstraction? What Are the Advantages and Challenges?

    Chain abstraction is a design approach that decouples the user experience from the fragmented underlying blockchain infrastructure.
    Hallie Gill
    Jun 25, 2026
  • What Are Modular Blockchains? How Do They Scale Networks?

    What Are Modular Blockchains? How Do They Scale Networks?

    A modular blockchain is a specialized network that delegates specific functions to external layers rather than handling them all locally.
    Cornell Rachel
    Jun 25, 2026
  • What Are Short Liquidations? How Can Traders Prevent Them in Crypto?

    What Are Short Liquidations? How Can Traders Prevent Them in Crypto?

    A short liquidation is a mandatory event within derivatives markets where a cryptocurrency exchange automatically closes a leveraged short position.
    Cornell Rachel
    Jun 22, 2026
View more data 

Content

BTCBTC(BTC)
$0
--(Last 24h)
SpotFutures

Top

View more
  1. 1How To Sign Up For A BitKan Account (Web)?
  2. 2When Is Bitcoin Halving 2024? What Does Bitcoin Halving Do?
  3. 3What is Etherscan Used For and How to Find Token Decimal on Etherscan
  4. 4What is USDC used for? Why is USDC used?

Top Gainers

View more
Adventure Gold
Adventure GoldAGLD

$0.2066

+63.45%
MYX Finance
MYX FinanceMYX

$0.1020

+38.72%
Jotchua
JotchuaJOTCHUA

$0.0111

+37.22%
Pundi X
Pundi XPUNDIX

$0.1045

+36.42%
aelf
aelfELF

$0.0753

+31.53%

Top Trending

View more
Synapse
SynapseSYN

$0.3330

-3.79%
Yooldo Games
Yooldo GamesESPORTS

$0.0645

+52.65%
LAB
LABLAB

$19.9973

+3.15%
Magma Finance
Magma FinanceMAGMA

$0.4597

-9.48%
Adventure Gold
Adventure GoldAGLD

$0.2067

+63.53%

Recently added

View more
Nesa
NesaNES

$0.1859

-4.76%
Arcium
ArciumARX

$0.2926

+8.29%
Ambire AdEx
Ambire AdExADX

$0.0567

+1.07%
Re
ReRE

$0.5826

-4.87%
o1 exchange
o1 exchangeO

$0.4259

-14.06%

Latest News

View more
  1. 1Invesco Files for Tokenized Fund to Back Stablecoin Reserves
  2. 2Spark and Uniswap Target $4T Market with New FX Infrastructure
  3. 3Ethereum Foundation to Cut Budget by 40% in Major Restructuring
  4. 4Japan Regulators Greenlight Ripple’s RLUSD Stablecoin Launch
  5. 5Uniswap Soars 22% as Altcoins Rally While Bitcoin Stalls
About Us
  • About BitKan
  • Contact Us
  • Announcements
  • VIP Program
  • BitKan Ambassador
  • Institutional Services
Products
  • Spot
  • Futures
  • Crypto Prices
  • Learn
  • News
  • Markets
  • How to Buy Crypto
  • BTC to USD Calculator
  • Reward
Help
  • Help Center
  • Email Us
  • Live Chat
  • Download APP
  • Listing Application
  • Buy Bitcoin
  • Buy Ethereum
  • Buy Dogecoin
  • Buy Altcoins
Terms
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Trading Rules
  • Fee
K-Site
English
About Us
+
  • About BitKan
  • Contact Us
  • Announcements
  • VIP Program
  • BitKan Ambassador
  • Institutional Services
Products
+
  • Spot
  • Futures
  • Crypto Prices
  • Learn
  • News
  • Markets
  • How to Buy Crypto
  • BTC to USD Calculator
  • Reward
Help
+
  • Help Center
  • Email Us
  • Live Chat
  • Download APP
  • Listing Application
  • Buy Bitcoin
  • Buy Ethereum
  • Buy Dogecoin
  • Buy Altcoins
Terms
+
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Trading Rules
  • Fee
K-Site
+
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Telegram
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Medium
  • Linkedin
@2012-2026 BITKAN.com