The Long-Term Challenge of Bitcoin's Halving and Security
Bitcoin’s Proof-of-Work (PoW) system depends on miners being rewarded in BTC. However, the block reward is cut in half every four years, reducing payouts and impacting network security over time.
Halving Schedule & Block Rewards
Bitcoin’s block reward will continue to halve approximately every four years:
2024: 3.125 BTC
2028: 1.5625 BTC
2032: 0.78125 BTC
2036: 0.390625 BTC
2040: 0.1953125 BTC
2044: 0.09765625 BTC
2048: 0.048828125 BTC
Impact on Mining Economics
Currently, mining one BTC costs about $90,000, and the total cost to mine a block (3.125 BTC) is around $281,250.
Even if BTC reaches $6 million by 2048, the block reward would be worth around $293,000, which wouldn’t buy the same level of security as it does today due to inflation and rising costs.
By 2056-2060, Bitcoin’s rewards will halve twice more, requiring BTC to hit more than $12M–$24M per coin to exceed 2025 cost-to-mine security-levels due to dollar devaluation. It might have to go much higher if the dollar has collapsed by then.
Centralization and Security Risks
As rewards shrink, mining will likely become centralized, with large operations needing extensive security measures to protect infrastructure. Without changes to Bitcoin’s economic model, this trend could weaken the network’s security and decentralization in the long run.