In 50 days, Bitcoin will reach 20 million in circulation

Source: CritpoTendencia Original Title: In 50 days, Bitcoin will reach 20 million in circulation Original Link: In exactly 50 days, the circulating supply of Bitcoin will reach 20 million units. That number, which seemed distant for years, will mark one of the most significant milestones in the network’s monetary history. From that moment on, only 1 million BTC will remain to be mined.

This is not an estimate or an optimistic projection. It is a direct consequence of the mathematical design of the protocol, which since its inception established an absolute and unchangeable limit of 21 million units. That limit does not depend on political decisions, economic cycles, or circumstantial consensus. It is embedded in the code.

Today, more than 95% of the total supply already exists. The final stretch, that remaining million, will be emitted increasingly slowly over the coming decades, as halvings continue to reduce the block reward. Annual issuance is no longer a significant expansionary force and, over time, will tend toward zero.

This point marks more than just a round number. It signifies a change of phase.

A design based on programmed scarcity

Bitcoin is not only scarce, but its scarcity is predictable. From the very first block, anyone interested could know its emission schedule. Approximately every four years, the network halves the amount of new BTC in circulation, regardless of price, demand, or macroeconomic context.

This design directly contrasts with traditional monetary systems, where supply can be expanded discretionarily according to fiscal or financial needs of the moment. In Bitcoin, there is no room for emergency adjustments; shortcuts do not exist.

Reaching 20 million in circulation, the network’s narrative shifts from creating new units to focusing on distribution, custody, and actual availability. How many BTC exist is a nearly settled question. How many are effectively accessible is the new mystery.

The last million and the new market phase

That remaining million will not arrive soon. In fact, it will take more than a century to complete. Most will be distributed in minimal amounts, with increasingly reduced rewards that will depend more and more on transaction fees to maintain network security.

From a market perspective, reaching the milestone of 20 million introduces a new psychological dimension. Attention is no longer solely on price but also on supply structure. Lost BTC, immobile ones, those held long-term, and those available for exchanges become key variables.

Bitcoin thus enters a stage of monetary maturity. Not because it stops evolving, but because its emission policy is practically exhausted. What remains is not expansion but consolidation.

The message is simple but powerful: there will only be 21 million BTC. And in 50 days, the world will be one step closer to that final limit.