Lumia (LUMIA) revolutionizes RWA tokenization with DeFi liquidity, MEV protection, and zk-rollup technology.

Real-world assets (RWAs) are quickly becoming a leading topic within the blockchain ecosystem, with many protocols and chains starting to offer asset tokenization services. However, many of these solutions are based on simply moving a variety of physical and digital assets to a 

 environment without regard for how these tokenized on-chain products will be further utilized. As a result, after companies tokenize their assets on-chain, they realize that the lack of liquidity is hampering the assets' further circulation and adoption.

 project that has taken a much more comprehensive approach to asset tokenization. The platform allows businesses to tokenize various RWAs, including a diverse range of commodities, and provides ways to boost their liquidity and applications within the 

 (DeFi) realm. Based on Polygon's modular 

 (Polygon CDK), Lumia provides a robust, secure, compliant, cost-effective and scalable infrastructure to put RWAs to active use within the world of web3.

Having started its operations under the name of 

 (ORN) as an Ethereum (ETH)-–based app that aggregated liquidity from various 

 (DEX) exchanges, the project rebranded to Lumia in 2023 and expanded its functionality to focus on the RWA niche. As of late 2024, Lumia remains one of the pioneers of liquidity-enhanced RWA use on blockchain.

 (LUMIA) is a Layer 2 blockchain designed for tokenization and use of RWAs in DeFi applications. 

The platform allows businesses to bring a variety of physical and digital assets 

, securely tokenize them and further use the assets for collateral provision, lending and other crypto finance use cases.

The Lumia platform's origins date back to 2020, when Orion Protocol (ORN) was launched on Ethereum. Co-founded by Alexey Koloskov and Kal Ali, Orion offered liquidity aggregation from multiple CEX and DEX platforms. In late 2023, Orion announced its rebranding to Lumia, focusing more specifically on RWAs and their active use through enhanced liquidity provision.

The project also transitioned from Ethereum to its own Layer 2 chain in October 2024, with ORN tokens to be migrated to the new platform's native token, LUMIA, at a 1:1 ratio. As of December 2024, the major crypto exchange platforms have migrated ORN to LUMIA or are in the process of migrating it.

 (ZKP)–based rollup network built using thePolygon CDK, a versatile, open-source blockchain development framework provided by the 

 project. The Lumia platform is highly modular, with different components used for its execution, data availability (DA) and settlement layers.

Chain Abstraction and Account Abstraction

 to offer chain abstraction (CA), and with thirdweb to offer account abstraction (AA) services. Lumia's CA service is designed to provide DeFi users with a single-chain experience by accessing liquidity and opportunities across multiple blockchain networks. Meanwhile, AA allows users to transact across multiple platforms on a single, user-friendly interface. By leveraging 

–based addresses instead of the standard externally-owned account (EOA) addresses, users can seamlessly transact across platforms using a single wallet tied to these smart contracts.

By providing a unified, user-friendly interface, Lumia's AA lets Web 2.0 users enter the world of web3-based DeFi with a minimal learning curve involved. AA’s additional benefits include enhanced security at the smart contract level and gasless, Lumia-sponsored transactions.

Lumia users can also take advantage of intent-based trading, meaning they specify their transaction intents, and orders only execute if a matching deal is found across the entire ecosystem accessible to Lumia. Special liquidity nodes process intent-based orders and offer the best rates they can source for the user’s intent. This helps ensure that Lumia users get the best possible deals.

This advanced trading mechanism is powered by 

, which introduces various unique advantages to enhance the user experience. For instance, it provides robust security against 

 (MEV) attacks, one of the most common exploits in the world of DeFi. It also optimizes price efficiency and minimizes the negative price impact of trades by leveraging its Resolvers to source liquidity across the entire DeFi market.

Built using the Polygon CDK, Lumia is a ZK–based rollup running on a 

 processing engine. Based on a highly modular design, the Polygon CDK allows rollups to easily incorporate different execution, DA and settlement layers and other associated technologies. Lumia, for instance, integrates various execution engines, such as the privacy-focused Privado ID and Miden. Privado ID allows Lumia to securely and privately identify users. Based on zk technology, Privado ID enables individuals and businesses to control their personal data by sharing only the required identity information to DApps without revealing any private or financially sensitive details.

In turn, Miden is also a ZK–based platform that offers private accounts and transaction execution. Operating as a rollup network, Miden is a highly scalable environment for DeFi operators and users who value data confidentiality, an essential consideration for any finance-focused platform.

 with other blockchain environments, achieved by leveraging two modular interoperability layers: AggLayer and Hyperlane.

AggLayer is Lumia's primary interoperability layer. Built into the Polygon CDK, AggLayer offers cross-chain transaction capacity across various Polygon-based Layer 2 rollup networks. It unifies liquidity across the entire ecosystem of AggLayer-connected chains, allowing Lumia to provide deep liquidity for tokenized assets.

Hyperlane, the other interoperability protocol used by Lumia, is a solution designed to help developers easily and efficiently send arbitrary data across chains. It expands Lumia's reach beyond Polygon's ecosystem. Theoretically, it may allow Lumia to access resources and liquidity across the entire ecosystem of chains that have adopted Hyperlane. As of late 2024, there are dozens of such Hyperlane-powered blockchains outside of the Polygon environment.

Lumia provides a streamlined process for RWA tokenization. As the first step, the asset owner needs to provide proof of ownership documentation and undergo any other required due diligence procedures. Following that, a Bailment Agreement is signed between the asset owner and the Lumia Foundation, the legal entity behind the project.

Within the contexts of blockchain technology and RWAs, Bailment Agreements are utilized to entrust physical assets to an authorized custodian, while the actual tokenized representations of these assets are held and used within the blockchain space.

After the parties sign a Bailment Agreement, the asset is appraised by third-party valuators and then tokenized on-chain. The tokenized version of the asset can now be used in DeFi applications accessible via Lumia for typical crypto finance operations, e.g., collateral provision, lending, borrowing, staking, yield management and more.

 protocol, sources liquidity from multiple exchange platforms. (This is the core service from which Lumia started its operations when it was known as Orion Protocol.) It accesses liquidity across the crypto market to provide Lumia-based RWAs with much more than tokenized on-chain representation. Besides access to liquidity, Lumia Stream features MEV protection for all trades conducted on the platform, and 

, which allow tokenized assets to be bridged across blockchain platforms.

Using Lumia Stream, developers can also implement virtual 

, which show optimal trading paths between multiple exchanges. These virtual order books can also transform pricing information from the structure used in 

 (AMM) pools to a format compatible with the standard order book model.

Lumia has several specialized node types, including DNLP (Delta Neutral Liquidity Provisioning) nodes and DAC (Data Availability Committee) nodes. The former are designed for decentralized liquidity provision on the network, while the latter play a key role in data validation.

There are also HyperNodes that can be used either to provide the licenses for the operation rights of virtual Lumia machines or supply the licenses used to delegate to DNLP and DAC node operators. HyperNodes can choose to run a DNLP or DAC node or delegate to these node types and earn ecosystem rewards. 

Lumia first made HyperNode licenses available for purchase in July 2024. The license releases and the associated rollout of HyperNodes will be gradual.

The platform uses a network of zkProvers that are responsible for the generation of validity proofs — cryptographic stamps that certify the validity of transaction blocks. Currently, Lumia utilizes the default zkProver infrastructure provided by the Polygon CDK. However, the project has plans to introduce a custom prover layer in partnership with 

, a provider of low-cost and highly scalable ZK validation services. Per the project's documentation, there will be further announcements on integrating a Gevolut-based zkProver system in Q1 2025.

Lumia's early 2025 plans also include creating a decentralized sequencer network (DCN). Sequencers are critical parts of any rollup system. These nodes organize transactions into blocks for further validation. A typical rollup network uses only one sequencer, an issue often cited as one of the key vulnerabilities of rollups.

Lumia aims to introduce a decentralized network of multiple sequencer nodes tailored to the Lumia platform to optimize its security and performance. The project plans to provide incentives in the form of LUMIA tokens to sequencer service providers in order to build its DCN.

We’ve already mentioned some of the specialized node types on Lumia — DNLP, DAC and HyperNodes. Another crucial node variety on the platform is DA (lightclient) nodes. They play a pivotal role in decentralized data availability by ensuring transaction data is securely stored and easily accessible across the Lumia network. Transaction data on Lumia is distributed and stored across the network of DA nodes to provide validators with easy retrieval when data is required.

Data on the DA node network is stored in a secure, cryptographically protected format. Both the encryption and the distributed storage mode ensure confidentiality and high security for Lumia's transaction data.

DA nodes are incentivized with LUMIA tokens, based on their contributions to the network. Node operators are encouraged to actively participate, as the rewards are determined by both the amount of data processing they handle and their network uptime.

The platform's native cryptocurrency, LUMIA, is used for a wide variety of functions:

The LUMIA token was launched in mid-October 2024, replacing the earlier ORN token, the platform's native crypto. ORN was introduced in July 2020, along with the launch of Orion Protocol. As mentioned above, the platform has announced the migration of ORN to LUMIA at a rate of 1:1. As of December 2024, ORN tokens are still in circulation, but are expected to eventually be migrated to LUMIA completely.

LUMIA is a supply-capped token, with a total and maximum supply of 238,888,888.

 as a Perpetual contract based on USDT. Under the terms of the contract, you can trade LUMIA with up to 12.5x leverage.

Bybit's Innovation Zone offers perpetual trading users access to promising new higher-risk/higher-potential cryptocurrencies selected by the platform's professional team.

As of Dec 19, 2024, the LUMIA token is trading at $1.61, or 36.2% lower than its ATH of $2.49 on Dec 4, 2024, and 72.8% higher than its ATL of $0.9205 on Nov 4, 2024.

Long-term price forecasts for LUMIA are bullish. DigitalCoinPrice 

 at $4.19 in 2025 and $12.06 in 2030, while CoinCodex 

 that the token will trade at $7.50 in 2025 and fall slightly to $6.53 in 2030.

Lumia isn't your ordinary RWA-based blockchain project. While countless new platforms help users tokenize physical world assets, very few offer viable ways of further using the tokenized crypto assets within the DeFi ecosystem. Recognizing the gap, the Lumia project team has decisively taken on the task of making RWAs a highly liquid and actively used form of cryptocurrency.

The project also features a solid infrastructural backbone, supported by the Polygon CDK and its high architectural modularity. Using technologies like Miden, Privado ID, AggLayer and Hyperlane adds to the security and interoperability of the Lumia platform. At the same time, Lumia isn't done yet with sculpting its architecture into a piece of blockchain art — in 2025, the project plans to implement a decentralized sequencer network and partner with Gevolut to provide an efficient zkProver layer.

As Lumia builds up its architecture, tokenizing and 

 will undoubtedly become even more efficient, convenient and secure — and decisively more DeFi-esque.

Advanced

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Lumia (LUMIA): Bridging RWA & DeFi for a New Financial Era

SynFutures is a decentralized platform that lets users list on-chain perpetual futures for any crypto and trade them. Learn about SynFutures and how to trade F on Bybit.

SynFutures is a decentralized marketplace that lets users list on-chain perpetual futures for any cryptocurrency and trade them on the platform. In addition to the wide range of supported assets (such as 

, or RWAs, and NFTs), the project's Oyster 

 (AMM) solution enhances liquidity through the combination of an AMM model and an 

. Powered by the native F token, SynFutures is backed by prominent investors and features a cumulative trading volume of over $230 billion.

In this article, we’ll explore SynFutures, its key features and the mechanics behind the Oyster AMM, as well as the F token and its tokenomics.

 is a decentralized derivatives platform that enables users to trade on-chain 

. Powered by a single-token liquidity model, SynFutures allows free listing of any digital asset on its protocol without any 

 (DAO) proposals or centralized intervention. Doing so fosters on-chain trading of a diverse range of cryptocurrency perpetuals via the platform.

To maximize liquidity, SynFutures employs the Oyster automated market maker

 that provides a customizable set of tools, such as concentrated liquidity and 

. In addition to crypto, the project also enables users to trade perpetual contracts based on 

 platform. As the native coin of the SynFutures ecosystem, the F token is utilized primarily for community governance and 

 boosts, as well as for fee discounts and rewards.

At the time of this writing (Dec 19, 2024), SynFutures boasts a cumulative trading volume of

 and 308,900 total users, of which 22,410 were active within the past seven days. In addition to featuring a 

 (TVL) of over $50 million, the decentralized derivatives platform has processed 15.24 million transactions to date.

SynFutures was founded in 2020 by Rachel Lin and Matthew Liu.Before serving as the CEO and co-founder of the decentralized futures platform, Lin worked at Deutsche Bank, specializing in derivatives. She also co-founded Matrixport, one of Asia's largest digital asset neobanks.

Starting his career as a trader managing Deutsche Bank's Asia rates desk, Matthew Liu's MBA at Northwestern eventually led to him joining the blockchain space. While at Ant Group, he was instrumental in setting up the company's global treasury and later took charge of its financial blockchain business, with a focus on secondary market trading and credit tokenization.

To date, SynFutures has raised $37.4 million in funding from investors in one seed and two early-stage financing rounds. Some of the most notable contributors include Bybit, Pantera Capital, Polychain Capital, Dragonfly Capital, HashKey Capital and Standard Crypto, among others.

SynFutures' ecosystem consists of three flagship solutions:

SynFutures' Oyster AMM: How Does it Work?

One of the most unique components of SynFutures' ecosystem is the 

. It combines the functionality of order books and AMMs to offer users the following key features:

SynFutures' F token serves as the native coin within the project's ecosystem. The main utilities of the digital asset include the following:

F's max supply is capped at 10 billion tokens. Currently, 1.2 billion F are circulating in the market. As of Dec 16, 2024, the native coin 

 a nearly $86.5 million market cap, a fully diluted valuation (FDV) of $720 million and a trading volume of $28.52 million over the past 24 hours. F’s allocation is per the graphic below:

SynFutures’ decentralized derivatives platform enables users to list and trade any digital asset and combine it with other cryptocurrencies to create combinations of perpetual futures pairs. Powered by the F native token and the Oyster AMM, SynFutures fosters enhanced liquidity and user experience and a permissionless listing process for perpetuals.

's user-friendly and intuitive Spot trading platform. 

Intermediate

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SynFutures (F): Exploring the Decentralized Derivatives Platform

Learn about Hypurr Fun, a unique Telegram trading bot and launchpad for Hyperliquid, a high-performance decentralized trading platform and layer 1.

Hyperliquid is a high-performance decentralized trading blockchain that has recently gained a lot of attention. It offers a comprehensive suite of trading features, including perpetual contracts with leverage of up to 50x on major cryptocurrencies like BTC and ETH. Additionally, the upcoming 

 launch is set to further grow the Hyperliquid ecosystem, providing Ethereum-compatible smart contracts to developers.

 is a high-performance Layer 1 blockchain built specifically for decentralized derivatives trading. It combines the best features of 

 (DeFi) with centralized finance (CeFi) user experience. 

Unlike traditional decentralized rivals that often struggle with 

 issues, Hyperliquid delivers a fast, low-slippage trading environment designed to cater to both professional traders and crypto enthusiasts.

By leveraging the HyperBFT algorithm, Hyperliquid can process over 100,000 TPS with minimal latency. This ensures that trades are executed almost instantaneously, providing a seamless trading experience comparable to that of major centralized exchanges (CEXs).

 is the native token of the Hyperliquid blockchain. It powers the ecosystem and provides unique benefits to its holders. HYPE thus serves as the backbone of the platform, enabling trading fee discounts, staking opportunities and governance rights. The token also incorporates a 

 mechanism to maintain price stability, aligning the platform’s growth with token value appreciation.

On Nov 29, 2024, Hyperliquid conducted one of the largest and most generous airdrops in crypto history. The genesis airdrop distributed 31% of the total HYPE supply to over 90,000 early adopters and users of the platform. This airdrop not only rewarded loyal community members, but also set a new standard for fairness and inclusivity.

Token distribution of HYPE is as follows:

Hyperliquid uses an unique and competitive auction mechanism to set the price for newly listed tokens on spot exchanges. Auctions occur every 31 hours, starting at double the price of the last transaction.

The listing auction is a process designed to limit new token listings to just 282 per year. Each auction starts at a high price and decreases linearly until a buyer emerges. This scarcity-driven model has made Hyperliquid’s auctions highly coveted, with prices steadily climbing as teams rush to secure their spot.

Recent auctions highlight this trend: SOVRN paid $262,000 to secure a listing, while MON, rumored to be tied to the Pixelmon team, purchased theirs for nearly double at almost $488,000. Tomorrow’s auction for GOD is expected to start at roughly $1 million, showcasing the parabolic rise in listing costs.

The constantly increasing scarcity of listings underscores the value of securing exposure on Hyperliquid's high-performance trading platform.

 is a unique Telegram trading bot that makes launching and trading meme coins on Hyperliquid effortless. With just a few clicks, users can participate in token launches, track their performance and compete with other traders in exclusive 

 chats. It’s primarily designed for speed, simplicity and security. Hypurr Fun brings the full power of Hyperliquid’s meme coin ecosystem directly to your fingertips.

 offers all the tools a user needs to snipe new launches, manage portfolios and maximize efficiency. 

Users can configure slippage, entry sizes and exit percentages to tailor their trading experience. The bot is always on, ensuring you never miss an opportunity, while its responsive interface and robust security measures provide a seamless, safe experience.

Whether you’re a seasoned trader or new to the game, Hypurr Fun ensures you stay ahead in the competitive meme coin market.

Hypurr Fun has quickly become a launchpad for some of the most exciting projects in the Hyperliquid ecosystem. Among the top launches is HYENA, a fierce predator-themed token with a current market cap of $6.1M. HYENA has gained significant traction as a key player on Hyperliquid, boasting a strong trust factor and consistent progress toward full deployment.

Another standout is BEATS, an AI-driven music creation platform with a $1.52M market cap. BEATS leverages autonomous AI technology to revolutionize music production, showcasing the innovative potential of Hypurr Fun–launched tokens. Lastly, HYRO, the liquid hero, has made its mark with a $865.97K market cap, offering unique creative value to the ecosystem. These 

 the diversity and dynamism of Hypurr Fun’s capabilities and potential.

The HFUN token has emerged as a standout in the Hyperliquid ecosystem. At the time of this writing (Dec 18, 2024), it has a market cap of $230M and a fully diluted valuation of the same amount. HFUN demonstrates Hypurr Fun’s strength: the token has achieved a 285% price increase in the past seven days, far outpacing both the broader crypto market and similar Telegram bot-based projects.

A unique feature of HFUN is its fee-to-buyback mechanism, whereby 100% of fees from trades are used to purchase HFUN tokens, creating consistent upward price pressure. 

Despite its origins as a test for the Hypurr Fun Telegram bot, HFUN has captured the attention of traders, reaching an all-time high of $300.19 on Dec 17, 2024. This growth reflects both the community's enthusiasm for the token and its role in the thriving ecosystem of Hyperliquid.

The Hyperliquid ecosystem is on fire, with its innovative features and exclusive platforms such as Hypurr Fun driving unparalleled momentum. From top launches like HYENA and BEATS to the exceptional performance of HFUN, it’s clear that Hyperliquid is becoming the go-to destination for meme coin enthusiasts and serious traders alike. 

As listing auctions heat up and trading tools evolve, the opportunities within Hyperliquid are only set to grow.

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Hypurr Fun: Hyperliquid's Premier Launchpad and Trading Bot

Sonic Labs has launched its Sonic mainnet, an EVM-compatible Layer-1 blockchain evolved from Fantom, offering 10,000 TPS and sub-second finality.

The S&P 500 fell 2.95% after the Fed cut rates but reduced 2025 cut projections, raising inflation and growth forecasts, which drove up Treasury yields. Coindesk Indices, an index measuring broader cryptocurrency market performance was down by 2.71%, with Bitcoin and Ether dropping by 5.71% and 6.00%, respectively in the past 24 hours.

Today's top performer is USUAL, which surged 38.21% following the partnership announcement between Usual, Ethena, and BUIDL to enhance liquidity, yield, and composability in DeFi.

Usual (USUAL), launched in December 2024, is a multi-chain platform offering USD0, a decentralized stablecoin backed by real-world assets, redistributing financial power to the community. Usual, Ethena, and BUIDL (tokenized by Securitize) have 

 to enhance DeFi by integrating liquidity, yield, and composability. The collaboration allows USDtb and BUIDL as collateral for Usual’s USD0 stablecoin, offering maximized yields and seamless swaps between USD0, USDtb, and sUSDe. Ethena strengthens the initiative with delta-neutral strategies and treasury support, bridging TradFi and DeFi for improved liquidity and profitability.

Check Out the Latest Prices, Charts, and Data of 

, an EVM-compatible Layer-1 blockchain evolved from Fantom, offering 10,000 TPS and sub-second finality. The platform introduces a "Fee Monetization" model that shares up to 90% of network fees with developers. FTM token holders can upgrade to the new S token on a one-to-one basis through a dedicated portal, with free swaps available for the first 90 days. The platform features a decentralized Sonic Gateway for secure Ethereum bridging, with plans for multi-chain expansion. Sonic Labs is distributing 190.5 million S tokens through an airdrop program targeting both users and developers, aiming to drive adoption and innovation on the platform.

Yesterday, BTC Spot ETFs experienced total outflows of $84.3 million, including $35.9 million from GBTC and $48.4 million from non-GBTC funds.

Farm Frens and Everseed, developed by Amihan Entertainment, will 

 their token and airdrop on Ethereum layer-2 network Base in January 2025. Players of Farm Frens and Everseed NFT holders will qualify for the airdrop. The studio plans to unite the games further, blending crypto and AI to create next-gen interactive experiences.

Beginner

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Ethena Labs Forms Partnership with World Liberty Financial to Integrate sUSDe Token and Enhance Liquidity

Crypto

Bitcoin

Curious about the 21 million Bitcoin limit? From price surges to legislative support, here's what happens when all Bitcoins are mined.

 continues gaining traction and popularity for its decentralized nature and potential long-term value growth. More than 19 million bitcoins have been mined, and the next Bitcoin halving is taking place less than a year from now. This leads us to a most perplexing question: What happens when all the bitcoins have been mined?

As of Jun 2023, approximately 19.402 million bitcoins are already in circulation, which means only 1.59 million bitcoins are left for mining.

 An average of 37.5 bitcoins are being mined hourly, which makes 900 BTC mined each day. No bitcoins are truly lost. The assignment of the term “lost” to Bitcoin relates to owners who have 

, which results in their Bitcoin being locked away permanently.

 is used to reduce the number of available bitcoins entering circulation by half every time 210,000 

 have been mined (roughly every four years). This means the last Bitcoin will be mined by the end of 2078. In other words, no more bitcoins will be left to mine.

There is some confusion surrounding the exact date when the total Bitcoin supply will have been mined. If you search Google for the answer, chances are that the date of this event is listed as 2040 instead of 2078. 

The reward for mining started out at 50 BTC per block when Bitcoin was released in 2009. When the first Bitcoin halving took place in Nov 2012, the reward was halved to 25 BTC per block, followed by block rewards of 12.5 BTC in Jul 2016 and the most recent halving (May 2020

lowering the block reward to 6.25 BTC. It’s estimated that the next Bitcoin halving will occur on June 5, 2024, reducing the Bitcoin block reward to 3.125 BTC.

As of Jun 15, 2023, the current block count is 794,416, with 45,584 left to be mined until the next halving at 840,000 blocks.

, determined in 2008 that the total Bitcoin supply cap would always be pegged at 21 million, ensuring a virtual currency without inflation. However, since Bitcoin is intended for transactional use, just like paper currency, too many bitcoins in the market could generate wild BTC price swings.

With that in mind, the inventor stipulated a 21 million Bitcoin limit to control the supply and, thus, future Bitcoin prices and fluctuations.

One way to control the mechanism was to gradually release bitcoins, without overwhelming the market by releasing all 21 million bitcoins. For this reason, Bitcoin’s code was designed to allow only a fixed number of bitcoins to be mined every year until the 21 million limit is reached.

New bitcoins enter circulation whenever a new block is mined and added onto the Bitcoin blockchain. 

 is programmed with a difficult mathematical algorithm that helps keep the entire system stable by maintaining a 10-minute duration for finding new blocks. This difficulty is updated every 2,016 blocks, or roughly every two weeks, as the network itself determines if the activities of miners have increased or decreased. The network then adjusts the Bitcoin mining difficulty to keep each block time to roughly 10 minutes.

Every day, fewer Bitcoin blocks are available to mine as the Bitcoin mining end date gradually approaches. However, it’s essential to understand that not every Bitcoin mined to date is in circulation — which further reduces the total supply of bitcoins in circulation at any given moment. There are many reasons why the existing supply of bitcoins doesn’t correlate to the total number of bitcoins already mined.

One of the main reasons is the method of storing Bitcoin. Since the owner needs to protect their Bitcoin using 

 and passwords, there’s no way to access the stored bitcoins if the owner passes away without giving someone else access to the password. Bitcoin can also be rendered permanently inaccessible due to other errors on the part of its owners. This innovative digital currency is unlike any other assets in that it’s almost impossible to retrieve without the consent of the owner.

According to a recent study by the New York Times, almost 20% of bitcoins are trapped in

, with a total value estimated to be around $140 billion. These bitcoins will likely stay trapped indefinitely, which affects the total supply of bitcoins in circulation.

The next time someone asks you how many bitcoins are in circulation, simply look at the circulating supply. As of this writing, that number is 

, minus any bitcoins trapped in inaccessible wallets.

Even if there were no trapped bitcoins, it’s theoretically impossible to reach the supply limit of 21 million once all the bitcoins have been mined. In reality, the final figure will be very close to Bitcoin’s supply cap because Bitcoin’s supply is never expressed in exact terms. Instead, the code Bitcoin uses rounds off decimal points to the closest integer. As a result, a supply of 6.2589 bitcoins is represented as 6 bitcoins.

Bitcoins are split into smaller units, known as satoshis. One satoshi constitutes one 1/100 millionth of a Bitcoin. Due to these smaller units — and the rounding off of figures — experts suggest the Bitcoin supply cap will be limited to 20,999,999 instead of 21 million.

Incentive to Increase Bitcoin’s Total Supply

Bitcoin mining is popular because there’s a tremendous incentive for miners who can successfully mine the maximum amount of Bitcoin for their gain. Although the incentive is paid in block rewards, besides receiving Bitcoin miners also receive a part of the transaction fees associated with the completion of a block.

After the three previous halvings, miners currently receive 6.25 BTC for confirming a block. Despite the reduction in the mining reward amount, the higher value of each Bitcoin makes up for the halving effect. Transaction fees have also increased as a result of Bitcoin going mainstream. While Bitcoin transaction fees are expected to rise, not all BTC transactions need to be settled on the blockchain. Additional layers, such as 

, provide cheaper, faster ways to transfer Bitcoin, and will likely help with mass adoption as well.

Some experts believe that incentive isn’t an issue — because the transaction fees, which make up only 6% of the existing revenue for miners, will increase substantially, making up for the loss of Bitcoin block rewards. Still, this isn’t a satisfying answer for many stakeholders who are actively engaged in the Bitcoin industry. They still want to know what will happen when all 21 million bitcoins have been mined, and if there’s something they can do about how many bitcoins there will be in the future.

Is It Possible to Change the Bitcoin Supply Cap?

It’s theoretically possible to change the total Bitcoin supply by altering the underlying code. Since Bitcoin itself is software, experts agree that it can be changed. To do so will require developers, stakeholders and the community at large to agree to alter the code. If an agreement were to be reached, the developers would write a code to integrate those changes into the 

In order for everything to work properly, the next step would be to ensure that all nodes on the Bitcoin network either accept the changes — or are forced off of it. However, getting every node to accept the changes is no trivial task, since the Bitcoin platform was primarily designed as a standalone system that requires no changes. At that point, the developers would need to deal with a 

, which is a consensus change that makes a previously invalid behavior valid. In the perfect scenario, all the nodes would be upgraded to accept the proposed changes.

Another scenario would have only some Bitcoin users favoring the existing 21 million BTC limit. In this situation, miners and nodes who didn’t accept the change would continue to operate on the existing Bitcoin platform. These dissidents would likely compete with the new Bitcoin platform to capture market share. This is known as a 

, as it would create another chain that splits the miner base. One such example is 

Impact on Stakeholders: What Happens When All 21 Million Bitcoins Have Been Mined? 

At this time, no one can accurately predict what will happen when all the available bitcoins have been mined.

Several analysts favor using higher transaction fees to compensate for the absence of block rewards. New technologies will likely help to cut the mining cost, eventually resulting in more profit for miners. Another theory suggests that Bitcoin platforms will only be used for large transactions of very high value, offering sufficient revenue to satisfy stakeholders. Still other theories speculate about proof of stake (PoS) and mining cartels.

From a stakeholder’s perspective, the following is a brief overview of what will happen when all of the bitcoins are mined.

Miners are responsible for verifying transactions and adding new blocks to the Bitcoin network. They must solve complex mathematical puzzles, which nowadays require costly ASIC computers with substantial computational power that use a lot of electricity.

To compensate for their effort and cost to secure the network, miners are awarded block rewards and transaction fees.

Currently, most miners and mining firms use the Bitcoin block reward system to offset the cost of mining and still make a profit. But as mining rewards are halved, it’s expected that Bitcoin mining costs will eventually exceed the BTC rewards that miners make, well before the fixed supply is reached.

However, if the price of Bitcoin increases over time, it can sometimes offset a decrease in Bitcoin block rewards. Currently, using a regression model, the average cost of mining a Bitcoin is roughly $17,600, and the most efficient miners using 

 can still mine at breakeven between $7,700 and $10,560, depending on the network difficulty and cost of electricity. All miners from the previous generation of 2016 to 2018 are no longer profitable, and many of the mining rigs between 2019 and 2020 are also no longer profitable.

In the next Bitcoin halving in 2024, these breakeven prices will double if more efficient mining rigs aren’t created or cheaper sources of electricity aren’t found. This could spell trouble for miners if Bitcoin’s price doesn’t increase enough to reach those levels, creating a potential death spiral in which too many miners stop mining as it becomes unprofitable. There just won’t be enough hash power to mine sufficient blocks for the mining difficulty to readjust within two weeks.

The only question is: What happens to transaction processing fees when all the coins are mined? Theoretically, if a miner validates enough transactions, the fees earned can help compensate for missing block rewards. But the transaction fee amount will depend on the state of the network in the future.

If the current limit of 21 million isn’t breached, one of the existing scenarios will need to occur: Higher transaction fees and reduced operational costs should be enough to keep things rolling; or, at the opposite end of the spectrum, miners may form cartels to control the supply and demand of bitcoins, as practiced in oil production and in diamond mining industries.

As Bitcoin mining nears its limit, the value of Bitcoin is expected to rise. Assuming that Bitcoin remains popular, the limited supply and investment value will tempt people to use Bitcoin as an investment commodity that acts as a store of value rather than for transactional use.

The price graph of Bitcoin favors this extrapolation because its value has consistently risen, despite the decrease in reward per block. HODLers and retail investors will hoard bitcoins in their wallets instead of releasing them. These actions will further decrease the supply, and keep Bitcoin’s value high.

In the future, whenever a new crisis emerges, central banks around the world are likely to print more money to combat it, causing a devaluation of the currency. Citizens of that country may choose to use their highly inflationary local currency to 

, a disinflationary digital currency that cannot be controlled, as a store of value, regardless of the supply of Bitcoin, as long as its supply is limited.

A growing number of companies are eager to test the crypto waters. Tesla, Block, Morgan Stanley and many other brands already have long-term plans to adopt crypto. Even 

. If the popularity of cryptocurrencies continues unabated, it’s likely to attract more institutional investors who will be ready to take first-mover advantage.

According to Philip Gradwell, Chief Economist at Chainalysis, institutional investors are treating

. Due to Bitcoin’s mining limit, scarcity and potential price increase, institutional investors will use virtual currency as a hedge against inflation, just as they’ve used precious metals in the past.

Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have proven to be a double-edged sword for governments worldwide. While many countries don’t accept Bitcoin as legal tender, they’re keenly watching its impact on the world’s economy. As of now, El Salvador is the first country to adopt Bitcoin legally, but 

Instead of the take-it-or-leave-it approach, policymakers will probably favor a middle ground, such as approving a 

. Governments will adopt Bitcoin — but they’ll try to regulate every aspect of its operations. Rather than waiting to find an answer to what happens when all the bitcoins have been mined, there’s a strong possibility that individual governments, including that of the U.S., will create their own versions of digital currencies to compete with Bitcoin, known as 

21 Million Bitcoin Limit: What Happens When All the Bitcoins Have Been Mined?

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