14 Years of BTCX – From Pioneer Site to Sweden’s Oldest Bitcoin Company

On June 15, 2011, Christian Ander hit “publish” – alone, surrounded by skeptics and polite smiles that said, “Good luck with that.” But he had an idea he couldn’t let go of: that Swedes should be able to buy Bitcoin as easily as they buy milk. And so, BTCX was born.

Back then, most people had barely heard the word Bitcoin. The price hovered around one dollar. The idea of “digital money” sounded like something out of science fiction – and definitely not something you’d trade your real, hard-earned kronor for.

“People thought I was crazy. They chuckled a bit – so… nothing has really changed,” Christian says with a wry smile.

BTCX was the first in Sweden – and one of the first in the world – to offer Bitcoin purchases via regular bank transfer. The launch? It happened fast.

I built BTCX over a weekend in PHP, and my then-girlfriend designed the site. She didn’t believe in Bitcoin. No one really did. I followed the lean startup method – cheap, fast, simple. It was full-on DIY.

And the Bitcoin community?

There was one (1!) forum where bitcoiners hung out: Bitcointalk.org. Bitcoin Twitter didn’t exist yet. It was very niche – but incredibly alive.

Today, 14 years later, BTCX is still standing strong. The goal remains the same: to make Bitcoin easy, safe, and accessible for everyone.

It means a lot that we’ve stayed the course. We’ve matured, built trust – and now it’s time for the next step. We want to expand into Europe, where regulations are more innovation-friendly and people actually get what Bitcoin is about. It feels like we’re going from pioneer to export product.

Whether you’ve been with us since the start – or just joined the game

It doesn’t matter. BTCX has always been open to the curious, the skeptical, the convinced, and the enthusiastic. We’ve helped thousands of Swedes take their first step into the world of Bitcoin – sometimes with shaky hands, sometimes with full confidence.

Whether you bought your first sats in 2011 or downloaded your first wallet yesterday – you’re part of this. Bitcoin is a personal journey, not just a technical one. It’s a journey toward greater freedom and self-determination.

Thank you for being part of it. Now we enter the next phase – together!