Will bitcoin ever reach the 21 million cap?

Before delving into the implications of Bitcoin's 21 million cap, it might be interesting to consider the question of whether it will ever reach that figure. Based on the cryptocurrency's current codebase and mining process, some observers say that Bitcoin may fall just shy of the 21 million figure.

What happens when all 21 million bitcoins are exhausted?

When all 21 million bitcoin are exhausted, miners will need to be incentivized to continue investing the time, energy, and expenses necessary to help confirm transactions. As the network grows, it's expected that the fees users pay them in exchange for their continued proof of work will rise significantly enough to keep mining profitable.

How often are bitcoins released?

On average, these bitcoins are introduced to the Bitcoin supply at a fixed rate of one block every ten minutes. In addition, the number of bitcoins released in each of these aforementioned blocks is reduced by 50% every four years.

When will the last bitcoin be mined?

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 that the Bitcoin network protocol will be changed between now and then.