Key Takeaways
- Exchanges are giving away over $10 million to celebrate Bitcoin Pizza Day.
- Binance leads with a $5 million BTC referral pool and global pizza-themed events.
- Bitcoin Pizza Day commemorates the first real-world BTC transaction made in 2010.
Today marks 15 years since Laszlo Hanyecz made the first real-world Bitcoin transaction, trading 10,000 BTC for two pizzas.
At Bitcoin’s new all-time high of $111,000, that 2010 purchase now equates to $1.11 billion.
As Hanyecs reflected on the transaction that helped kick off Bitcoin’s journey into mainstream use, he said:
It was exciting to get real pizza for bitcoin back then.
Exchange promotions & celebrations
To celebrate, major exchanges are hosting promotions totaling over $10 million. Binance leads with a $5 million Bitcoin referral pool, capping payouts at $40 per pair—a nod to Hanyecz’s original pizza purchase.
The company also deployed pizza trucks and hosted global parties.
Rachel Conlan, Binance CMO, said:
From two pizzas to a global financial movement… we’re marking Bitcoin Pizza Day with the biggest BTC referral giveaway in history.
Other exchange activities
BTSE joined the festivities with a $5.22 million USDT trading contest, mirroring the May 22 date, and offering a 5.22% BTC staking yield.
They also launched a pizza-themed photo competition.
HTX rolled out a $200,000 “Surprise Gift” campaign with seven TRON partners, while MEXC’s Lucky Wheel featured over $100,000 in BTC and token prizes.
Global events & community engagement
Events spanned from Buenos Aires to Dubai, including community meetups, livestreams, and brand activations via a new Pizza Day hub.
Though some critics view the marketing blitz as superficial, the legacy of a billion-dollar pizza lunch continues to captivate the Bitcoin community.
