The last Bitcoin will be born in 2140, what will happen after that?

Bitcoin (BTC) is a scarce digital asset with a fixed total supply of 21 million coins, a design that often leads it to be referred to as "digital gold." As of September 2025, approximately 93-94% of Bitcoin has been mined, with about 1.4 million coins remaining to be gradually released over the next century or so. The last Bitcoin is expected to be mined in 2140. What will happen to the Bitcoin network after that? How will the price change?

The endpoint of Bitcoin supply: Year 2140

(Source: Fintech Portal)

Bitcoin is generated through "mining", and the block reward is halved every four years (Halving).

Current block reward: 3.125 BTC (after the 2024 halving)

In the year 2140: block rewards will decrease to 0, and no new Bitcoin will enter the market.

Total supply: Fixed at 21 million coins (the actual available amount is even less, as the number of lost or destroyed Bitcoins is estimated to be in the millions)

Cybersecurity: Can transaction fees support miners?

Optimistic Scenario

The price of Bitcoin is extremely high, and the trading volume is huge.

The transaction fee market is sufficient to support miner operations, maintain high hash power, and prevent 51% attacks.

Pessimistic Scenario

Insufficient transaction fees, miners exit, hash rate decreases

The decrease in network security has led to an increase in potential attack risks.

Impact on Price and Role

Scarcity enhancement: No new supply, Bitcoin becomes a deflationary asset.

Price Potential: If demand remains stable or increases, the economic principle of supply and demand suggests that prices will rise in the long term.

Digital gold positioning: more suitable for large value storage and cross-border settlement

Changes in the Trading Ecosystem

Source of miner income: Only from transaction fees

Transaction costs: may rise to incentivize miners

Micropayments: or more reliance on second-layer solutions like the Lightning Network to achieve low fees and instant transactions.

Long-term Outlook

Even after the last Bitcoin is mined, the network will continue to operate. It will enter a phase of completely fixed supply, with the economic model shifting to a fee-driven one, similar to a gold-based monetary system.

Key Challenge: Ensuring that the transaction fee market is sufficiently active

Potential advantages: zero inflation risk, extremely high scarcity

Conclusion

The birth of the last Bitcoin will not be the end of Bitcoin, but the starting point of its entry into the "pure scarcity era." At that time, network security will rely on transaction fees, and price trends will be more affected by demand and use cases. Regardless of what the future holds, the original design intentions of Bitcoin—anti-inflation and decentralization—will be thoroughly validated at that moment.