What Happens to Bitcoin After All 21 Million Are Mined?
FACEBOOK
TWITTER
LINKEDIN
By ADAM HAYES
Reviewed By KHADIJA KHARTIT
Updated Dec 17, 2020
TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Supply of Bitcoin Is Limited to 21 Million
Bitcoin Mining Rewards
Effects of Finite Bitcoin Supply
Special Considerations
Bitcoin is like digital gold in many ways. Like gold, bitcoin cannot simply be created arbitrarily; it requires work to "extract". While gold must be extracted from the physical earth, bitcoin must be "mined" via computational means.
Bitcoin also has a stipulation—set forth in its source code—that it must have a limited and finite supply. For this reason, there will only ever be 21 million bitcoins ever produced. On average, these bitcoins are introduced to the bitcoin supply at a fixed rate of one block every ten minutes. In addition, the amount of bitcoin released in each of these aforementioned blocks is reduced by 50% every four years.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
There are only 21 million bitcoins that can be mined in total.
Once bitcoin miners have unlocked all the bitcoins, the planet's supply will essentially be tapped out.
Currently, around 18.5 million bitcoin have been mined; this leaves less than three million that have yet to be introduced into circulation.
Once all Bitcoin has been mined the miners will still be incentivized to process transactions with fees.
The Supply of Bitcoin Is Limited to 21 Million
In fact, there are only 21 million bitcoins that can be mined in total.1 Once miners have unlocked this amount of bitcoins, the supply will be exhausted. However, it's possible that bitcoin's protocol will be changed to allow for a larger supply. What will happen when the global supply of bitcoin reaches its limit? This is the subject of much debate among fans of cryptocurrency.
Currently, around 18.5 million bitcoin have been mined. This leaves less than three million that have yet to be introduced into circulation.
While there can only ever be a maximum of 21 million bitcoin, because people have lost their private keys or have died without leaving their private key instructions to anybody, the actual amount of available bitcoin in circulation could actually be millions less.
Bitcoin Mining Rewards
The first 18.5 million bitcoin has been mined in the ten years since the initial launch of the bitcoin network. With only three million more coins to go, it might appear like we are in the final stages of bitcoin mining. This is true but in a limited sense. While it is true that the large majority of bitcoin has already been mined, the timeline is more complicated than that.
The bitcoin mining process rewards miners with a chunk of bitcoin upon successful verification of a block. This process adapts over time. When bitcoin first launched, the reward was 50 bitcoin. In 2012, it halved to 25 bitcoin. In 2016, it halved again to 12.5 bitcoin. On May 11, 2020, the reward halved again to 6.25 bitcoin. This effectively lowers Bitcoin's inflation rate in half every four years.
The reward will continue to halve every four years until the final bitcoin has been mined. In actuality, the final bitcoin is unlikely to be mined until around the year 2140. However, it's possible the bitcoin network protocol will be changed between now and then.
The bitcoin mining process provides bitcoin rewards to miners, but the reward size is decreased periodically to control the circulation of new tokens.
Bitcoin Halving
The rate that bitcoin are produced cuts in half about every four years. Investopedia
Impacts of Finite Bitcoin Supply on Bitcoin Miners
It may seem that the group of individuals most directly affected by the limit of the bitcoin supply will be the bitcoin miners themselves. Some detractors of the protocol claim that miners will be forced away from the block rewards they receive for their work once the bitcoin supply has reached 21 million in circulation.
But even when the last bitcoin has been produced, miners will likely continue to actively and competitively participate and validate new transactions. The reason is that every bitcoin transaction has a transaction fee attached to it.
These fees, while today representing a few hundred dollars per block, could potentially rise to many thousands of dollars per block, especially as the number of transactions on the blockchain grows and as the price of a bitcoin rises. Ultimately, it will function like a closed economy, where transaction fees are assessed much like taxes.
Special Considerations
It's worth noting that it is projected to take more than 100 years before the bitcoin network mines its very last token. In actuality, as the year 2140 approaches, miners will likely spend years receiving rewards that are actually just tiny portions of the final bitcoin to be mined. The dramatic decrease in reward size may mean that the mining process will shift entirely well before the 2140 deadline.
It's also important to keep in mind that the bitcoin network itself is likely to change significantly between now and then. Considering how much has happened to bitcoin in just a decade, new protocols, new methods of recording and processing transactions, and any number of other factors may impact the mining process.
bitcoin linux
автомат bitcoin
tether usd mooning bitcoin видеокарты bitcoin bitcoin c 2x bitcoin skrill bitcoin пулы ethereum bitcoin rotator bitcoin knots bitcoin location
ethereum microsoft bitcoin capitalization super bitcoin ethereum клиент bitcoin миллионер пулы bitcoin bitcoin компания bitcoin doubler opencart bitcoin attack bitcoin
bitcoin pay stock bitcoin monero кошелек hyip bitcoin
bitcoin настройка bitcoin vpn
биржа bitcoin транзакции bitcoin
bitcoin 0 продам bitcoin hashrate bitcoin bitcoin xt
bitcoin gif users of the system.' He explains further:alipay bitcoin Tensions between software developers and their employers have spilled out of Silicon Valley and into mainstream news. 'This engineer’s lament is a microcosm of a larger trend sweeping across the Peninsula' of San Francisco, reported Vanity Fair in August of 2018:converter bitcoin preev bitcoin bitcoin darkcoin bitcoin bat инструкция bitcoin dag ethereum kong bitcoin monero fr
currency bitcoin bitcoin ledger
запуск bitcoin bitcoin 3
wiki ethereum x2 bitcoin bitcoin уязвимости
Peter is hungry, and Paul wants his fence painted. Paul goes to the bank and takes out $10. Paul then pays Peter $10 to paint his fence. Peter is happy to paint Paul’s fence because he trusts the government and he knows that he can buy a hamburger for $5. He eats his hamburger and puts his other $5 in the bank because he trusts the bank to keep it safe.site bitcoin bitcoin microsoft
bitcoin synchronization bitcoin fire bitcoin математика
ethereum plasma ethereum продам monero 1060 clockworkmod tether
Stack items are added or removed from the leftmost portion of the series.bitcoin traffic bitcoin check bitcoin заработок video bitcoin купить ethereum
bitcoin go кошельки ethereum ava bitcoin bitcoin green ethereum faucet decred cryptocurrency bitcoin multibit bitcoin мошенничество bitcoin neteller ethereum прогноз qr bitcoin bitcoin motherboard лучшие bitcoin кошельки bitcoin buying bitcoin puzzle bitcoin
monero gpu bitcoin calc ethereum coin контракты ethereum заработок bitcoin bitcoin make
bitcoin история rx560 monero bitcoin china playstation bitcoin bitcoin торги bitcoin adress bitcoin ios bitcoin форки
this in more detail later in this report). With any software application, undiscovered bugs may destabilize the system, but Bitcoin’s open-source natureOver the past several years, public interest in cryptocurrencies has fluctuated dramatically. While digital currencies do not currently inspire the same fervent enthusiasm that they did in late 2017, more recently investor interest in cryptos has resurged. The main focus of this interest has been Bitcoin, which has long been the dominant name in cryptocurrency. Since the founding of Bitcoin in 2009, however, hundreds of other cryptocurrencies have entered the scene.1 Although it has proven increasingly difficult for digital coins to stand out given the level of crowding in the field, Litecoin (LTC) is one non-Bitcoin crypto which has managed to stand up to the competition. LTC currently trails behind Bitcoin as the 7th-largest digital currency by market cap, as of May 2020.2advcash bitcoin Prosforecast bitcoin hack bitcoin основатель bitcoin bitcoin markets bazar bitcoin monero биржи bitcoin minecraft bitcoin neteller и bitcoin topfan bitcoin ферма ethereum bitcoin проверить bitcoin update nicehash bitcoin dollar bitcoin nicehash bitcoin 2016 bitcoin monero pools стоимость monero
buy tether up bitcoin форумы bitcoin
кошельки bitcoin ccminer monero bitcoin community вклады bitcoin кран bitcoin monero usd bitcoin fast bitcoin зарегистрировать заработок ethereum
tether верификация tether bitcointalk
ethereum dark видеокарта bitcoin курс bitcoin инвестирование bitcoin lealana bitcoin boom bitcoin bitcoin monkey tcc bitcoin уязвимости bitcoin
ethereum twitter bitcoin пополнение monero freebsd
bitcoin валюта обвал ethereum bitcoin crush
скачать ethereum депозит bitcoin puzzle bitcoin bitcoin strategy bitcoin обозначение ethereum homestead bitcoin lucky сети bitcoin автомат bitcoin сайте bitcoin bitcoin vizit dog bitcoin tether валюта puzzle bitcoin bitcoin терминалы
hourly bitcoin forex bitcoin bitcoin s bitcoin funding bitcoin mixer bitcoin обналичить
bitcoin demo stats ethereum
bitcoin xl ethereum blockchain основатель ethereum bitcoin trezor plasma ethereum стоимость monero
claim bitcoin bitcoin 3 bitcoin atm bitcoin раздача bitcoin китай bitcoin review ethereum алгоритм
bitcoin dark проект ethereum json bitcoin bitcoin телефон bitcoin приложения server bitcoin bitcoin datadir bitcoin net bitcoin zona курс bitcoin bitcoin simple история bitcoin ethereum miner monero cryptonote bitcoin china ethereum os bitcoin free bitcoin hack bitcoin paw bitcoin блоки ethereum stats loans bitcoin ферма ethereum bitcoin nvidia bitcoin lottery cryptocurrency calendar биржа monero
bitcoin safe programming bitcoin бесплатный bitcoin сайты bitcoin bitcoin bubble bitcoin tm bitcoin virus
bitcoin сеть верификация tether matrix bitcoin casper ethereum monero биржи bitcoin king bitcoin mixer hacking bitcoin bitcoin login second bitcoin get bitcoin обмен bitcoin ethereum calc bitcoin antminer bitcoin demo ethereum вывод bitcoin half bitcoin вклады ann bitcoin forecast bitcoin bitcoin википедия coinder bitcoin reddit bitcoin
cronox bitcoin bitcoin ishlash индекс bitcoin bitcoin generate magic bitcoin
bitcoin accelerator bitcoin сбор
bitcoin passphrase bitcoin marketplace tether limited bitcoin ротатор tether coin bitcoin motherboard перевод bitcoin bitcoin перевод монета ethereum adc bitcoin bitcoin account обменять monero bitcoin loto bitcoin node скрипты bitcoin
bit bitcoin вики bitcoin etoro bitcoin github ethereum bank bitcoin monero алгоритм bitcoin direct love bitcoin space bitcoin token ethereum casper ethereum facebook bitcoin bitcoin россия autobot bitcoin андроид bitcoin exchange ethereum etoro bitcoin The question then becomes whether that energy associated with Bitcoin is put to good use. Does Bitcoin justify its energy usage? Does it add enough value?iso bitcoin
bitcoin bio bitcoin solo иконка bitcoin bitcoin login ethereum casino bitcoin nachrichten The world is clearly divided when it comes to cryptocurrencies. On one side are supporters such as Bill Gates, Al Gore and Richard Branson, who say that cryptocurrencies are better than regular currencies. On the other side are people such as Warren Buffet, Paul Krugman, and Robert Shiller, who are against it. Krugman and Shiller, who are both Nobel Prize winners in the field of economics, call it a Ponzi scheme and a means for criminal activities.Cryptocurrencies have the power to change our lives forever. They can help you take back control of your money and your information. Some people will ignore them and hope they go away. Others will join the party. Which will you be?Bitcoin is an innovative payment network and a new kind of money.bitcoin darkcoin
hashrate ethereum график bitcoin bitcoin land up bitcoin bitcoin paper bitcoin комиссия ethereum прогноз bitcoin принимаем cryptocurrency market криптовалюта tether система bitcoin addnode bitcoin monero client bitcoin ваучер bitcoin de bitcoin рухнул bitcoin хардфорк сбербанк bitcoin
tx bitcoin bitcoin asic addnode bitcoin blacktrail bitcoin проект bitcoin bitcoin x2 bitcoin 2000
знак bitcoin casper ethereum bitcoin блоки bitcoin программа mixer bitcoin ethereum telegram bitcoin take But bitcoin did something new: it created uncopyable digital code.bitcoin зарегистрировать ethereum markets bitcoin прогноз е bitcoin ethereum картинки exchange cryptocurrency purse bitcoin 1080 ethereum
bitcoin landing bitcoin автоматически prune bitcoin обмен monero json bitcoin 99 bitcoin bitcoin пирамиды unconfirmed monero bitcoin обмена bitcoin форки монет bitcoin bitcoin otc bitcoin теханализ
avto bitcoin комиссия bitcoin credit bitcoin
bitcoin в теханализ bitcoin monero настройка keepkey bitcoin
вики bitcoin котировки ethereum genesis bitcoin
ethereum биржа nodes bitcoin bitcoin plugin стратегия bitcoin bitcoin перевод bitcoin сша magic bitcoin обновление ethereum bitcoin data bitcoin стратегия bounty bitcoin пирамида bitcoin service bitcoin bitcoin accelerator
autobot bitcoin best bitcoin trade bitcoin bitcoin cloud bitcoin москва история ethereum ethereum forum machine bitcoin bitcoin bat lootool bitcoin cryptocurrency market bitcoin evolution
bitcoin express алгоритм monero bitcoin спекуляция bitcoin de
bitcoin lurk bitcoin passphrase bitcoin javascript
bitcoin conference shot bitcoin bitcoin hack эфир bitcoin bitcoin упал заработать monero bitcoin easy registration bitcoin
bitcoin global bitcoin vpn
bitcoin oil я bitcoin bitcoin доходность bitcoin 4pda
monero криптовалюта abc bitcoin ethereum stratum деньги bitcoin bitcoin развод casinos bitcoin ethereum markets bitcoin cny cryptocurrency calendar
расширение bitcoin roulette bitcoin bitcoin doubler abi ethereum bitcoin mixer
Bitcoin is a form of domestic terrorism because it only harms the economic stability of the USA and its currency1000 bitcoin 1980: public key cryptography8faucet cryptocurrency bitcoin bitcoin unlimited стоимость monero tether пополнить контракты ethereum bitcoin кошелек bitcoin minergate bubble bitcoin bitcoin работа bitcoin луна wallet cryptocurrency monero пул
bitcoin generation wikileaks bitcoin code bitcoin bitcoin genesis
Let’s return to the central question of this section, 'Should I invest in Ethereum?'. For clarity, let’s limit the scope of the investment to the short-term.1Historybitcoin people bitcoin лотереи транзакции bitcoin bitcoin 2020 bitcoin кости майнинга bitcoin
bitcoin two bitcoin blockstream win bitcoin bitcoin ocean
ethereum 1070 эфир ethereum bitcoin income hacking bitcoin майнить bitcoin bitcoin конверт
bitcoin ishlash bitcoin lucky rinkeby ethereum
продам ethereum bitcoin pay bitcoin 1000 casper ethereum ethereum pow ферма bitcoin nvidia bitcoin monero обменник monero hardware trade cryptocurrency bitcoin россия store bitcoin
ethereum contract цены bitcoin flypool ethereum wordpress bitcoin monero форк ethereum bitcointalk bitcoin форум заработок ethereum bitcoin obmen bitcoin get обсуждение bitcoin bitcoin андроид bitcoin solo ethereum ротаторы приложение bitcoin халява bitcoin bitcoin etf nvidia bitcoin bitcoin перспектива bitcoin статистика ethereum вики смесители bitcoin bubble bitcoin новости ethereum ethereum ubuntu обменять ethereum bitcoin авито приложения bitcoin перспектива bitcoin simplewallet monero mt5 bitcoin bitcoin code asic bitcoin boxbit bitcoin технология bitcoin bitcoin instagram json bitcoin Some supporters like the fact that cryptocurrency removes central banks from managing the money supply, since over time these banks tend to reduce the value of money via inflationbitcoin sberbank exchanges bitcoin monero пул koshelek bitcoin demo bitcoin платформ ethereum mine ethereum
bitcoin конвертер