You may have heard of something called a Bitcoin ‘halving’ occurring this year. In May 2020, Bitcoin went through its third halving, and its reward value dropped from 12.5 to 6.25 BTC per block mined. This essentially means that the reward for mining a block was cut in half yet again.
But how does this work?
In a centralized economy, the central bank is responsible for controlling the supply of money. However, in the case of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, there is no such centralized authority to control its monetary base. This necessitates that Bitcoin as a cryptocurrency must have its own mechanism to ensure a controlled supply.
This is where the concept of Bitcoin halving (or ‘halvening’) comes in. After every 210,000 blocks that are mined, the reward awarded to miners for every block gets halved. As a result, new bitcoins are released into circulation at only half the rate as compared to before that. (This is distinct from a coin burn – a mechanism that other cryptocurrencies apply to manage inflation)
Therefore, this controlled release of bitcoins helps maintain a synthetic form of Bitcoin inflation. This halving would continue till all the bitcoins have entered circulation, and after that, miners would be rewarded with the fee that network users will pay for processing transactions.
Why is Bitcoin Halving Important for Cryptocurrency Investors?
Is there any significance of this phenomenon for cryptocurrency investors? This is easier to understand when we notice the patterns that are set off by a halving event. When a halving occurs, bitcoins’ supply decreases, and the consequent higher demand leads to a rise in Bitcoin prices. And quite clearly, Bitcoin halvings in the past have resulted in a dramatic rise in Bitcoin prices, only to drop later. Let’s have a look.
- The First Halving
In November 2012, the first Bitcoin halving took place, halving the reward for mining from 50 to 25 BTC. The consequent effect on the prices saw a surge of about 8000% in the year that followed.
- The Second Halving
The second such event occurred in July 2016 when the reward was halved from 25 to 12.5 BTC, and as a result, Bitcoin prices surged by nearly 1000%.
- The Third Halving
The events of May 2020 have again led to an all-time high in Bitcoin prices, nearly reaching $20,000 in November 2020.
Therefore, crypto investors can make use of this knowledge in various ways. Understanding the market fluctuations – price rise followed by a drop – is important for anyone who intends to make gains from these market movements. At the same time, it is also important to understand the effects of other global situations, such as the ongoing pandemic, to figure out whether all halvings will necessarily result in similar price movements.
For bitcoin miners, understanding the halving of the mining reward with respect to increasing value is essential. For example, if the third halving was expected to reduce the Bitcoin inflation rate from 3.6% to 1.8%, then these changes are relevant to how the gains would be calculated. The operational costs of mining, such as hardware, electricity, etc., are estimated at $6,851 by Bitcoin.com. This corresponds to a 30% margin because 70% of the block rewards would have to be sold to cover the operational costs. So if the halvings push up the Bitcoin price but not by much, then it is not a great investment for miners (while being great for investors).
For new investors, Bitcoin halving presents a great opportunity to understand the cryptocurrency domain and begin making investments.
Conclusion
Crypto investors, particularly those holding Bitcoins for sufficient duration to make gains, can benefit greatly from such halvings. For a volatile asset, such a pattern that has occurred thrice so far seems fairly consistent.
With the next halving expected in another 4 years, it remains to be seen whether the price-boost pattern is set in stone or simply happens to coincide with other market forces.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How Many Bitcoins Will Ever Be Created?
The source code of Bitcoin stipulates that it must have a restricted and finite quantity. As a result, only 21 million Bitcoins will ever be generated. These Bitcoins are added to the Bitcoin supply at a predetermined rate of one block every ten minutes on average. The supply of Bitcoins will be depleted once miners have unlocked this number of Bitcoins. It's possible, however, that the protocol for Bitcoin will be altered to allow for a higher supply.
Which Cryptocurrency Is Best To Invest In 2021?
Many altcoins are flourishing to invest in. Some cryptocurrencies with great potential are Ether, Ripple, Tron, and more. Investors are trying to diversify their portfolios and are flocking to the leading cryptocurrencies. Many growing businesses are already accepting cryptocurrency as acceptable payment methods.
Is Bitcoin Safe And Legal In India?
In 2020, the Supreme Court of India lifted the RBI’s restrictions on cryptocurrencies. According to the Supreme Court, the existence of Bitcoin or another cryptocurrency is unregulated but not unlawful. The verdict has greatly aided the world of digital money in the country. To put it another way, investing in Bitcoin is perfectly legal, and you may do so through various apps and traders.
How To Make Bitcoin?
Bitcoin mining is not just the process of putting new Bitcoins into circulation, but it is also an essential part of the blockchain ledger's upkeep and development. It is carried out with the assistance of highly advanced computers that answer challenging computational math problems. Miners are rewarded for their efforts as auditors. They are in charge of ensuring that Bitcoin transactions are legitimate. Satoshi Nakamoto, who is the founder of Bitcoin, innovated this standard for keeping Bitcoin users ethical. Miners help to prevent the "double-spending problem" by confirming transactions.
Is Bitcoin Cash A Good Investment?
Bitcoin Cash is a hard fork of Bitcoin formed in 2017 to address Bitcoin's scalability and challenges. Bitcoin Cash seeks to make global transactions faster, cheaper, and more secure. Bitcoin Cash is now accepted by thousands of online and offline businesses all over the world. Studied correctly, Bitcoin Cash may be an investment worthy of consideration.
How To Create Bitcoin Account?
Firstly, Go to the WazirX website and sign up. Then, a verification mail will be sent to you. The link sent via verification mail would be available only for a few seconds so make sure you click on the link sent to you as soon as possible, and it will verify your email address successfully. The next step is to set up security, so select the most suitable option for you. After you have set up the security, you will get a choice to either proceed further with or without completing the KYC procedure. After that, you will be directed to the Funds and Transfer page, where you could start depositing Bitcoins to your wallet. You can also deposit INR and then use it to buy Bitcoin for your WazirX Bitcoin wallet.
Can Bitcoin Be Converted To Real Money?
Crypto exchanges, Bitcoin ATMs, Bitcoin Debit Cards, and Peer Peer Transactions are all options for converting Bitcoin to cash. This can be accomplished by using Bitcoin exchanges such as WazirX. A Bitcoin ATM is a real place where you may purchase and sell Bitcoins with cash, unlike standard ATMs that allow you to withdraw money from your bank account. Many websites provide the option of purchasing Bitcoin in return for a prepaid debit card that works similarly to a standard debit card. Through a peer-to-peer marketplace, you may sell Bitcoin for cash faster and more privately.
How To Invest In Cryptocurrency Stocks?
Cryptocurrency can be purchased in two ways: through mining or exchanges. The process of confirming and adding transactions to the blockchain public ledger is known as cryptocurrency mining. Cryptocurrency exchanges are another option. Exchanges make money by charging transaction fees, but there are alternative platforms where you may communicate directly with other cryptocurrency traders.
How Much Is 1 Bitcoin Worth Today?
Check out the current price of Bitcoin on the WazirX exchange. Bitcoin's value is primarily determined by its supply and demand in the market. Other elements have an impact on its worth. Its intrinsic value can also be calculated by calculating the average marginal cost of producing a Bitcoin at any given time, based on the block reward, electricity price, mining hardware energy efficiency, and mining difficulty.
How Bitcoin Mining Works?
Bitcoin mining is a crucial element of the blockchain ledger's upkeep and development and the act of bringing new Bitcoins into circulation. It's done with the help of cutting-edge computers that solve exceedingly challenging computational arithmetic problems. Auditor miners are rewarded for their work. They're in charge of ensuring that Bitcoin transactions go through smoothly and legitimately. This standard was established by Satoshi Nakamoto, the founder of Bitcoin, to keep Bitcoin users ethical. By confirming transactions, miners assist in avoiding the "double-spending issue."
Disclaimer: Cryptocurrency is not a legal tender and is currently unregulated. Kindly ensure that you undertake sufficient risk assessment when trading cryptocurrencies as they are often subject to high price volatility. The information provided in this section doesn't represent any investment advice or WazirX's official position. WazirX reserves the right in its sole discretion to amend or change this blog post at any time and for any reasons without prior notice.
