Cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin, witnessed a surge in popularity during recent years. With the rise of attention, the discussion about a better design of these cryptocurrencies also increased, to solve issues like security problems and network congestion. Many suggested solutions require a total redesign of the cryptocurrency. This thesis looks into ways to redesign the cryptocurrency Bitcoin in a more subtle way, by only optimizing its current parameters.
For that reason an agent-based computation model is used to simulate the Bitcoin market and its transaction system. Its parameters are optimized and compared to the real Bitcoin parameters. The results suggest a trade-off between security and economic efficiency, and that the real parameter values of Bitcoin are sub-optimal.

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