Runes Protocol Launch at Halving event

Event · PageRank 0.0008

Also known as: Runes launch, Runes activation

Overview

Runes is a fungible token protocol for Bitcoin created by Casey Rodarmor, who also created Ordinals. Announced in September 2023, it went live at block 840,000 on April 20, 2024 — the same block as Bitcoin's fourth halving. Runes was designed as a more Bitcoin-native and UTXO-efficient alternative to the BRC-20 standard, which had been criticised for creating large numbers of junk UTXOs that bloated the network. Its launch produced an immediate surge of minting activity that pushed Bitcoin transaction fees to record levels.

Within the DeFi Intel graph, Runes Protocol Launch at Halving connects to 1 tracked entity, most strongly to Record Bitcoin Fees Post-Halving Runes Launch.

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Frequently asked questions

Who created Runes and when did it launch?

Casey Rodarmor, the creator of Ordinals, announced Runes in September 2023 and launched it at Bitcoin block 840,000 on April 20, 2024.

What problem was Runes meant to solve?

It was designed as a more efficient, Bitcoin-native alternative to the BRC-20 token standard, which had been criticised for generating excessive junk UTXOs that bloated the blockchain.

Why did Runes launch at the halving block?

Rodarmor deliberately set activation at block 840,000, which coincided with Bitcoin's fourth halving; the resulting rush to mint drove network fees to record highs.