Bitcoin halving is a significant event on the Bitcoin network every four years. During this event, the block reward that miners receive for verifying transactions and adding new blocks to the blockchain is reduced by 50%. This means that the rate of new Bitcoin creation slows down, and the total supply of Bitcoin approaches its maximum limit of 21 million.
Bitcoin halving is a programmed event and is built into the Bitcoin protocol to ensure that the inflation rate of Bitcoin remains controlled and predictable. The reduced rate of new Bitcoin creation and the expectation of scarcity can increase the value of Bitcoin , which has historically led to an increase in the asset's price in the months leading up to a halving event.
Despite this, the market can be unpredictable, and the impact of halving Bitcoin's price is not guaranteed. However, the reduced supply of Bitcoin resulting from halving helps to maintain its value and ensure that it remains a finite and scarce asset.
The previous Bitcoin halving occurred on May 11, 2020, at a block height of 630,000. At that time, the block reward for miners was reduced from 12.5 BTC to 6.25 BTC per block. This was the third halving event in Bitcoin's history, following the first halving in November 2012 and the second halving in July 2016. The next Bitcoin halving is expected to occur in march 2024, at which point the block reward will be reduced from 6.25 BTC to 3.125 BTC per block.
After the first Bitcoin halving in November 2012, the price of Bitcoin increased by over 8,000% over the following year. After the second halving in July 2016, the price of Bitcoin increased by around 2,500% over the following 18 months. After the most recent halving event in May 2020, the price of Bitcoin initially experienced a slight drop but quickly recovered and went on to gain over 300% in value over the following year, reaching an all-time high of over $64,000 in April 2021.
