A History of the Biggest Crypto Crashes and Why Bitcoin Will Never Die
Bitcoin's price is always a hot investment topic, if it's stable or volatile, crashing or careering upwards.
The Bitcoin halving is an event that happens every 210,000 blocks mined, which happens approximately every 4 years. The Bitcoin block reward halves and so does the amount of new Bitcoin being created. This event is significant because it helps keep Bitcoin’s inflation in check and reduces its supply over time. This can lead to increases in the price of Bitcoin as demand for it grows.
What is the Bitcoin Halving?
During the creation of Bitcoin, certain ground-rules were set to ensure the dynamic of supply and demand remained sustainable. One of these rules is that every 210,000 blocks the block reward would be halved until the mining reward reaches one satoshi (the smallest unit of Bitcoin – one satoshi equals 0.00000001 Bitcoin).
To fully understand what the Bitcoin Halving is, you need to look at the consensus mechanism of Bitcoin as well as the block reward. The consensus mechanism allows Bitcoin to function without any central authority – which is what makes the network decentralised. Bitcoin miners help secure the network by verifying transactions and including them in blocks. In return for their work, they are rewarded with Bitcoin. The consensus mechanism ensures all nodes on the Bitcoin blockchain are synchronised and in agreement on the transactions of every block. There are different types of consensus mechanisms on different blockchain networks, like proof-of-work, proof-of-stake and delegated proof-of-stake. Bitcoin uses the proof-of-work consensus mechanism.
What is a Bitcoin mining reward?
Under the proof-of-work consensus mechanism, miners compete against each other to validate blocks of transactions by using computational power. The first miner to validate a block is rewarded with Bitcoin. The block reward is the number of Bitcoins that a miner receives for successfully mining a block. This reward is what the miner gets for being the first to solve the mathematical hash puzzle. A hash is a string of numbers that is used to verify the authenticity of a block of transactions.
The primary goal of the Bitcoin Halving is to ensure that the market cap of 21 million Bitcoin in circulation is reached slowly – without suffering excessive price inflation. This works by ensuring sustained value for Bitcoin holders. If the block reward remained high for example at 50, the total supply of 21 million bitcoin would be achieved too quickly and cause Bitcoin to lose its value as supply would crush demand.
The history of Bitcoin halving: When has it happened?
The Bitcoin reward started at 50 BTC per block when the cryptocurrency was first launched, and it is now 12.5 BTC per block. The Bitcoin halving happens every 210,000 blocks and it will continue to happen until the Bitcoin supply is exhausted.
The first Bitcoin halving occurred on November 28, 2012 when the mining reward was cut in half from 50 BTC to 25 BTC. The second Bitcoin halving happened on July 9th, 2016 and reduced the mining reward from 25 BTC to 12.5 BTC.
The most recent Bitcoin halving happened in May of 2020 and reduced the block reward from 12.5 BTC to 6.25 BTC.
The next Bitcoin halving is scheduled for 2024 and will reduce the block reward from 6.25 to 3.125. This event is significant because it reduces the amount of new Bitcoin being created and can lead to increases in the price of Bitcoin as demand for it grows. It is important to note that Bitcoin halvings are not like clockwork and the actual date may vary depending on the speed of the block creation.
| Bitcoin Halving Year | Block Height | Block Reward | Date & Time |
| 2009 | 1 (Genesis Block) | 50 | January 9, 2009 2:54:25 AM GMT |
| 2012 | 210,000 | 25 | November 28, 2012 03:24:38 PM GMT |
| 2016 | 420,000 | 12.5 | July 9, 2016 4:46:13 PM GMT |
| 2020 | 630,000 | 6.25 | May 11, 2020 7:23:43 PM GMT |
Over the past decade, the Bitcoin community has grown exponentially. This growth has pushed the average time for a new block creation well below the initial target of 10 minutes. This in turn has reduced the four-year halving schedule by about 3-4 months.
The block reward is given to a miner who successfully mines a block on Bitcoin’s blockchain. In addition to the reward, the miner also receives the fees associated with each transaction. Although the Bitcoin reward started at 50 Bitcoin, eventually the reward will be negligible, and miners will receive compensation solely from the fees. Until then, miners will receive fees in addition to the block reward.
The Bitcoin halving is a significant event because it helps keep Bitcoin’s inflation in check. By reducing the amount of new Bitcoin being created, it reduces the supply of Bitcoin over time. This can lead to increases in the price of Bitcoin as demand for it grows. The halving also has the potential to impact miners’ revenue and operations, as the reduced block reward will reduce their profit because of the energy required to mine Bitcoin.
What are the effects of Bitcoin halving on mining profitability?
The Bitcoin halving is significant because it cuts in half the number of Bitcoin rewards that miners can receive for verifying transactions. This has major implications for the Bitcoin price and miners’ profitability. The most immediate effect of the halving will be a reduction in the supply of new Bitcoin coming onto the market. This could lead to increased demand for Bitcoin and, as a result, a higher price.It is also worth noting that the Bitcoin halving is not just an event that happens every four years. It is a built-in feature of Bitcoin’s code that occurs automatically about every 210,000 blocks, or roughly every four years.
Bitcoin mining usually involves large clusters of miners working together to share the block rewards generated. The Bitcoin halving is very important to miners because it reduces the rewards generated by half when it occurs. The cost of mining remains the same but the rewards significantly lower. When the halving occurs, a percentage of miners will abandon mining Bitcoin and utilise their rigs for mining other cryptocurrencies.
This reduction in the number of Bitcoin miners does lower the network hashrate (network hashrate is the total combined computational power of all miners on the network) which in turn makes Bitcoin more profitable to mine but not enough to cover the 50% reward loss.
The future of Bitcoin
The Bitcoin halvings have been a success with minimal miner loss. A question industry experts are asking is whether the 2024 halving will lead to an impressive price run-up like the 2020 halving did. Bitcoin halvings have historically been positive for the price of Bitcoin as well as the cryptocurrency market overall. After each halving, there is typically an increase in demand for Bitcoin, which leads to a price increase. The last Bitcoin halving occurred in May 2020 and was followed by a bull run that saw Bitcoin’s price increase by over 400%.
Generally, the lead up to a halving event causes Bitcoin’s price to increase as demand for Bitcoin increases. It’s hard to predict the future of Bitcoin, but with each halving, Bitcoin becomes more scarce and more valuable. If Bitcoin continues on its current trajectory, the 2024 halving could be a very exciting event for Bitcoin investors. If Bitcoin’s past is any indication, the 2024 halving could lead to another Bitcoin bull run.