Who enforces Bitcoin's 21 million limit? Every full node checks each new block against the issuance rules and rejects any block that pays out more than they allow. No single company or institution can change that on behalf of the network.
Bitcoin halvings are set by block height. The next one will happen at block 1,050,000. Its calendar date can only be estimated, because blocks arrive roughly every ten minutes on average rather than to a fixed timetable.
1/ The Bitcoin white paper was published 18 years ago today, on 31 October 2008. It runs to nine pages and 12 sections. A short thread on what it proposes, using the paper as the only source. https://t.co/CrNiO6lcTU
The Bitcoin white paper set out to answer one question: how can digital money be stopped from being spent twice without a trusted third party checking every payment? Its answer was a public chain of timestamped blocks, secured by proof-of-work.
On 20 April 2024, block 840,000 reduced the Bitcoin block subsidy from 6.25 to 3.125 BTC. It was the fourth halving, after 2012, 2016 and 2020. The fifth is due at block 1,050,000, expected in 2028.
Digital scarcity in motion.
Deutsche Bank is reportedly weeks away from launching its digital asset custody service for institutional clients, with initial coverage expected to include Bitcoin. Germany's largest bank entering custody marks another step in the institutionalisation of Bitcoin in Europe.
Stripe's stablecoin cards are available in more than 30 countries, with a target of more than 100 in 2027. Plasma, a Samara portfolio company, is a design partner on the multi-currency version, where cardholders spend several balances without a conversion fee on each purchase.
Eventually, (almost) every bank across the globe will offer #Bitcoin in some capacity.
Two people must jointly authorize every transaction, and an independent accountant must report on the controls within six months. Those are the self-custody conditions in the SEC's proposed crypto custody framework for advisers and funds, which includes a 60-day comment period.
