Blockchains nearly always rely on testnets, kept separate from the ‘mainnet,’ to ensure changes to client software can be introduced safely. Bitcoin has a testnet and this testnet has its own currency, tBTC. Of course, tBTC and the entire Bitcoin testnet are supposed to be worthless. However, crypto’s embracing of degeneracy has transformed tBTC into a real, $25 million-and-growing asset backed by approximately one-third the hash rate of Litecoin. Litecoin, a proof-of-work blockchain operating since October 2011, has a hash rate of approximately 1 petahashes per second. Testnet bitcoin has a hash rate around 0.36 petahashes per second. For context, real Bitcoin has a hashrate of 678 exahashes per second. That is 678,000 times more mining security than Litecoin. So neither of these networks have anywhere close to the security of Bitcoin. Note that Litecoin miners use Scrypt-based hashing which is distinct from Bitcoin miners’ SHA-256 hashing, so the comparison between hashrates is somewhat apples-to-oranges. Nevertheless, Litecoin has a market capitalization of $5.7 billion while testnet bitcoin, which is also a proof-of-work blockchain, has a mere $25 million market capitalization. Yes, real Bitcoin miners mine tBTC — with real electricity, for a real profit motive. Although tBTC is not listed on major secondary markets like crypto exchanges, over-the-counter dealers sell tBTC for as much as $1.26 apiece.