RUNIVERSARY: One Year of Runes
One Year of Runes: The Rise of Bitcoin’s Native Meme Magic
Casey, Runes, and History Was Made
One year ago, on April 20, 2024, a The Runes Protocol was etched. With it began a new chapter in Bitcoin’s evolution.
Created by Casey Rodarmor, the founder of Ordinals, the Runes Protocol introduced a new way to issue fungible tokens on Bitcoin; simple, efficient, and fully native to the UTXO model. No bridges. No wrappers. No outside dependencies.
The protocol launched on Bitcoin’s fourth halving block, Block 840000. It became the most expensive block in Bitcoin history, with users spending over 2.4 million dollars in fees to etch Runes on that block.
Building the Rune Ecosystem: Our Journey
At OrdinalNews, we didn’t just observe the rise of Runes. We helped shape it.
Inspired by the momentum, we began reaching out to builders, developers, and communities across the space. Just like we had done with OrdinalTools, we wanted to create a hub for discovery – something to support the entire ecosystem.
This is how RunesTools was born; a directory of every project, explorer, and platform building on the Runes Protocol.
We spoke with over 100 projects across seven categories and mapped them all to create the most complete public ecosystem overview at the time. That resource now lives on our website and has received over 200,000 views. It has been referenced by the biggest companies and projects like CoinMarketCap (Link to X Post) and more.
In the early stages, we shared the idea privately with a few friends. Some of them took the concept and rushed to publish a version of it themselves, ahead of us. No one else had mentioned it until then. That moment was frustrating, but it didn’t stop us. We stayed focused, built better, and launched the official RunesTools platform just in time for the protocol’s debut.
What happened next was harder.
Just one hour before the Runes protocol went live, our X account was banned. On the most important day of our year, we were locked out, unable to post, support launches, or engage with our community.
After multiple appeals, we got the account back within 12 hours and full access in 24. We’ve been building nonstop ever since.
Memes Took Over. Bitcoin Smiled.
Runes were not just about efficiency. They unlocked culture.
It started with DOG, the Dog of Bitcoin. Then tokens like PUPS, MIM, BILLY, and more. What followed was an explosion of memetic energy; tokens, lore, art, games, and entire movements.
From rune-themed anime visuals to Viking memes and Ordinals crossovers, Runes brought something new to Bitcoin: creativity with purpose.
What Runes Fixed
Runes simplified token creation and transfers on Bitcoin by focusing on:
- One transaction per transfer
- Minimal on-chain footprint using native UTXO logic
- Clean metadata via OP_RETURN
- No bridges, no account model
- Simpler indexing and tooling
Runes reimagined fungible tokens the Bitcoin way without overcomplicating the base layer.
The Future of Bitcoin DeFi
Runes opened the door to a new generation of Bitcoin-native builders.
Developers are returning to Bitcoin. Tools are being built. Communities are growing. Major exchanges have already listed several Rune tokens. Entire DeFi experiments are forming around them.
OrdinalNews has helped onboard thousands of users to both Ordinals and Runes. We believe the next major wave of DeFi will emerge directly from Bitcoin, and Runes will be at its core.
The Runiverse Has Just Begun
One year in. Thousands of tokens. An unstoppable community.
Runes didn’t just launch a protocol. They sparked a movement.
Whether you’re a collector, builder, artist, or degen, you are part of this moment. Bitcoin is evolving, and Runes are writing its next chapter.
Thank you for being here.
– OrdinalNews
