21 million BTC, is it enough?

[JiiBs]

if Bitcoin had an unlimited supply like regular Money, it would lose purchasing power and value over time

You mean "regular currency" not "regular money". Money by definition should be a store of value and fiat currencies are not money. Bitcoin is.

Though the terms here might be a simple to understand, it does come with some contradictions to me as I think the definition of what money entails isn’t limited to that. If that be the case, we wouldn’t be able to spend fiat currencies or use it in exchanges don’t you think…

When we make a purchase, what we are actively doing is exchange of values. Let’s say, an exchange of $200 USD for a Trezor Hardware wallet. We have actively transferred value from USD to a commodity the Trezor hardware wallet. In essence, the USD had value within it and can be stored.

The difference when compared with Bitcoin is that, values stored in Bitcoin has the potential to appreciate while those in the USD is subject to inflation which is deflationary.
That’s why I in someway can go with your context here since, the values in fiat money are not maintained thereby, it looses its power to buy certain commodity, like the Trezor Hardware wallet in the future where, $200 USD would loss its purchasing power.

[Lida93]

Yes I think it's enough
Because each Bitcoin can be divided into 100,000,000 units Satoshis sats. 1BTC= 100,000,000 sats, so this means that there are effectively 2.1 quadrillion Satoshis in total
So even if Bitcoin gets to a very skyhigh price, there will be no need to hold a whole Bitcoin to your self. We can just make transactions and save in tiny fractions. so that's it, if Bitcoin had an unlimited supply like regular Money, it would lose purchasing power and value over time

Do every holder of bitcoin presently own a  whole bitcoin? No. Yet we all are bitcoin hodlers not because we all hold a whole but that we are holding some fractions through accumulations. So a sky-high price.wouldnt make a difference in the way we own or transact.

If value of cryptocurrencies were determined by their unlimited supply we would have gotten a lot altcoins having price value far above bitcoin because there are altcoins with lesser supply than bitcoin. Isn't it so?

[Agbe]

One thing that has made Bitcoin has value this way is the limited supply that it has meaning that Bitcoin will be totally mind to the last tiniest bit one good thing about Bitcoin is that you don't need to own a whole Bitcoin you can start your Bitcoin journey where you are because owning a Bitcoin is not ment only for the rich as you can own Bitcoin in fractions as you builds your Bitcoin one way that people can invest in Bitcoin is through strategic investment plan where a person will invest small amount of money in a project over time

[xzone]

One thing that has made Bitcoin has value this way is the limited supply that it has meaning that Bitcoin will be totally mind to the last tiniest bit one good thing about Bitcoin is that you don't need to own a whole Bitcoin you can start your Bitcoin journey where you are because owning a Bitcoin is not ment only for the rich as you can own Bitcoin in fractions as you builds your Bitcoin one way that people can invest in Bitcoin is through strategic investment plan where a person will invest small amount of money in a project over time

There will undoubtedly be an imbalance in the supply-demand balance in the coming years, which is why I love bitcoins limited value. In the long run, it will always continue to generate income. Just as the world will one day run out of gold reserves, so too will bitcoin. Or, just as a different energy system will be developed 50 years from now, it will maintain its value.
That's why it's something everyone should own, even if it's a small amount. When we're talking about millions of dollars, we absolutely must hold bitcoin to avoid regret

[Hanadawa]

Yes I think it's enough
Because each Bitcoin can be divided into 100,000,000 units Satoshis sats. 1BTC= 100,000,000 sats, so this means that there are effectively 2.1 quadrillion Satoshis in total
So even if Bitcoin gets to a very skyhigh price, there will be no need to hold a whole Bitcoin to your self. We can just make transactions and save in tiny fractions. so that's it, if Bitcoin had an unlimited supply like regular Money, it would lose purchasing power and value over time

Do every holder of bitcoin presently own a  whole bitcoin? No. Yet we all are bitcoin hodlers not because we all hold a whole but that we are holding some fractions through accumulations. So a sky-high price.wouldnt make a difference in the way we own or transact.

I still don't own a single Bitcoin. I'm accumulating Bitcoins bit by bit. I agree that even if the price of Bitcoin continues to rise, Bitcoin still has a Satoshi unit, meaning one Bitcoin is equal to 100,000,000 Satoshi units. If Bitcoin reaches $1 million, perhaps in the future we will use Satoshi units more frequently in transactions.

If value of cryptocurrencies were determined by their unlimited supply we would have gotten a lot altcoins having price value far above bitcoin because there are altcoins with lesser supply than bitcoin. Isn't it so?

What differentiates Bitcoin from altcoins is that Bitcoin is pseudonymous and decentralized, which increases public trust in it. While some altcoins may have a lower total supply than Bitcoin, they don't command the same level of trust. Even Bitcoin hard forks like Bitcoin Cash and Bitcoin Gold (CMIIW), which both have 21 million coins, don't have 10% of Bitcoin's current value.

[Smartprofit]

Yes I think it's enough
Because each Bitcoin can be divided into 100,000,000 units Satoshis sats. 1BTC= 100,000,000 sats, so this means that there are effectively 2.1 quadrillion Satoshis in total
So even if Bitcoin gets to a very skyhigh price, there will be no need to hold a whole Bitcoin to your self. We can just make transactions and save in tiny fractions. so that's it, if Bitcoin had an unlimited supply like regular Money, it would lose purchasing power and value over time

Bitcoin is very expensive now and will become even more expensive over time (if you define its price in fiat currencies). 🤳

I would introduce a fractional value of Bitcoin - 1/100 BTC. I would call this new monetary unit Nakamoto (NKMT). 1 NKMT is accordingly equal to 1/100 BTC. 👾

In my opinion, such a name for a new monetary unit should not cause much controversy in the Bitcoin enthusiast community. After all, everyone knows who Satoshi Nakamoto is. 🧠

As a result, we would get a very coherent system of monetary units associated with Bitcoin. 1 Bitcoin is equal to 100 Nakamoto and 100,000,000 satoshi. 1 Nakamoto is equal to 1 million satoshi. Such a system of monetary units of the Bitcoin ecosystem came to me back in 2017 when I was thinking about this topic.  We all see that people are not pricing assets in Bitcoins now, but using outdated monetary units (fiat currencies) for this. ⚡

Personally, I would like all assets on planet Earth to be priced in Bitcoins (Nakamoto and Satoshi). I think that would be right and good!💥

[YOSHIE]

so that's it, if Bitcoin had an unlimited supply like regular Money, it would lose purchasing power and value over time

Initially Bitcoin was created by Satoshi Nakamoto the main purpose as a digital currency or as an alternative exchange tool that is associated with the internet or common language that we Know that is a decentralized peer-to-peer, of course this creates ease for users in sending money without a third party is the main point.

Because Satoshi has created limits of only 21 pieces of bitcoin and there is another reduction at the same time made as an investment and hedging asset, that's where the price of bitcoin is very expensive, of course if you say, of course you can It happens if the supply is unlimited, but that is the story "if" but the world was sure 21 pieces, it could not be changed anymore, unless Satoshi rose and remodel it again, but whether it might happen, I don't think it would.

[nakamura12]

Yes, I also think it's enough because even if it's not yet the entire bitcoin in circulation and yet there are lots of money using bitcoin so I'd say it is enough. Being a holder of bitcoin didn't even have to be at least 1 bitcoin because you can even see some people discussing theg they don't have 1 bitcoin but they do have some bitcoin which I can say they they prefer not to disclose the exact amount for privacy concerns. If bitcoin can be made to increase the total supply then it can crash or decrease its price or lose its value.

[Ambatman]

I am happy that you figured this out by yourself, and if I am asked, I would say that the 21 million BTC total supply is even too much, the lower it is, the more the law of economics on demand and supply over the price would be enforced. The goal of the 21 million supply was to create scarcity, but till now, the effect has never been felt because you can easily get your Bitcoin today. I wonder where the price would have been if it were difficult to get Bitcoin and everyone held on to their Bitcoin.

That will naturally create more value!

The future scarcity is one of the reasons the price is being pushed.
People are aware that they are getting cheaper because unlike Fiat it can't be printed from thin air.

Lower doesn't mean much.
Bitcoin strength isn't just because it's supply is limited but it's the closest thing we have to true decentralization.

[avikz]

Yes I think it's enough
Because each Bitcoin can be divided into 100,000,000 units Satoshis sats. 1BTC= 100,000,000 sats, so this means that there are effectively 2.1 quadrillion Satoshis in total
So even if Bitcoin gets to a very skyhigh price, there will be no need to hold a whole Bitcoin to your self. We can just make transactions and save in tiny fractions. so that's it, if Bitcoin had an unlimited supply like regular Money, it would lose purchasing power and value over time

I think this is one of the most important and strongest point of Bitcoin. For sure Bitcoins can be spent in smaller units which makes it very useful for a very long time in the future.

However I honestly think that Bitcoin transaction fees should go down. Many people would are go that it's already low, but compared to the mainstream banking industry, the fees is still high expect overseas transaction.

21 million is fine and I don't see any major issue there. But in future when Bitcoins price will go higher, some tech updates would be necessary.

[EarnOnVictor]

I am happy that you figured this out by yourself, and if I am asked, I would say that the 21 million BTC total supply is even too much, the lower it is, the more the law of economics on demand and supply over the price would be enforced. The goal of the 21 million supply was to create scarcity, but till now, the effect has never been felt because you can easily get your Bitcoin today. I wonder where the price would have been if it were difficult to get Bitcoin and everyone held on to their Bitcoin.

That will naturally create more value!

The future scarcity is one of the reasons the price is being pushed.
People are aware that they are getting cheaper because unlike Fiat it can't be printed from thin air.

I strongly disagree with you. There is a difference between scarcity (present or future) and a belief in an asset (value).

For now, Bitcoin is being purchased due to its value and promising future. If it comes to the turn of its scarcity, no one would tell you, it will naturally be known because it will be biting.

Don't you feel scarcity when it happens? It is as simple as that.

[Ambatman]

I strongly disagree with you. There is a difference between scarcity (present or future) and a belief in an asset (value).

For now, Bitcoin is being purchased due to its value and promising future. If it comes to the turn of its scarcity, no one would tell you, it will naturally be known because it will be biting.

Don't you feel scarcity when it happens? It is as simple as that.

uhhh
I don't understand. Can't really comprehend what you talking about.
Scarcity is one of the concept that brings value. So more like scarcity is a subset of value not the other way around.
Like I said before, scarcity is already showing even if more are still being mined.
It's like how we say buy the rumor and sell the news
It's future limit still plays a role in increasing its value today.

[Taskford]

I strongly disagree with you. There is a difference between scarcity (present or future) and a belief in an asset (value).

For now, Bitcoin is being purchased due to its value and promising future. If it comes to the turn of its scarcity, no one would tell you, it will naturally be known because it will be biting.

Don't you feel scarcity when it happens? It is as simple as that.

uhhh
I don't understand. Can't really comprehend what you talking about.
Scarcity is one of the concept that brings value. So more like scarcity is a subset of value not the other way around.
Like I said before, scarcity is already showing even if more are still being mined.
It's like how we say buy the rumor and sell the news
It's future limit still plays a role in increasing its value today.

I guess the simplest explanation with that is more people wanting to buy bitcoin there's possible more pump to happen.

And also if there's more people buying Bitcoin in the world then for sure that fix supply of Bitcoin cannot cope up on world demands. This will contribute for possible huge price growth that will happen on Bitcoin in future.

Scarcity is already showing and we could see it base on the accumulation announce by institution for example MicroStrategy and other more. Demands is rising day by day and with this we can expect there's something good will happen on Bitcoin due to those situations happened.

[SquirrelJulietGarden]

I guess the simplest explanation with that is more people wanting to buy bitcoin there's possible more pump to happen.

And also if there's more people buying Bitcoin in the world then for sure that fix supply of Bitcoin cannot cope up on world demands. This will contribute for possible huge price growth that will happen on Bitcoin in future.

Scarcity is already showing and we could see it base on the accumulation announce by institution for example MicroStrategy and other more. Demands is rising day by day and with this we can expect there's something good will happen on Bitcoin due to those situations happened.

That's true.

The total supply of Bitcoin is very well known, not only now in 2025 but also many years ago since 2009. Scarcity is important but not enough if people don't have other reasons that convince them investing in Bitcoin and actually purchasing it.

Price does not rise by scarcity but by increasing demand and whenever the market is lack of demand of new investors and their new capital inflow, price will be stagnant and even falling.

Altcoins can skyrocket too if their teams can create hype successfully and convince people to join, get high demand from altcoin enthusiasts. However, altcoins are fundamentally bad and they can not maintain demand, consequently trading volume and price plummet with time.

[Iranus]

 unless Satoshi rose and remodel it again, but whether it might happen, I don't think it would.

Bitcoin is designed as open source and runs on a decentralized network controlled and maintained by the community. That means no individual, including its creator (Satoshi), has enough privilege to freely change anything. If he or anyone wants to change the source code, the protocol of bitcoin, they need to get consensus from the community including core developers, full nodes, miners...Therefore, changing the supply is considered an impossible task even if Satoshi stood up and proposed it.

[uchegod-21]

Yes, I also think it's enough because even if it's not yet the entire bitcoin in circulation and yet there are lots of money using bitcoin so I'd say it is enough. Being a holder of bitcoin didn't even have to be at least 1 bitcoin because you can even see some people discussing theg they don't have 1 bitcoin but they do have some bitcoin which I can say they they prefer not to disclose the exact amount for privacy concerns. If bitcoin can be made to increase the total supply then it can crash or decrease its price or lose its value.

We will still get to a point where 1 sat will become very valuable that one wouldn't need to own 1BTC to feel satisfied about owning BTC. Right right, 1BTC is already alot, so we can imagine already what the future will look like. Bitcoin's 21 million supply is perfect for bitcoin to remain a store of value.  Increasing Bitcoin's value so it will reach everyone sounds absurd  ,  it's not going to happen anyway because Satoshi knows better; Bitcoin is decentralized, so it cannot be altered.

[WatChe]

The future scarcity is one of the reasons the price is being pushed.
People are aware that they are getting cheaper because unlike Fiat it can't be printed from thin air.

Lower doesn't mean much.
Bitcoin strength isn't just because it's supply is limited but it's the closest thing we have to true decentralization.

It's good to see dormant Bitcoin wallets moving after years of inactivity, which means we can have less number of lost bitcoins and more in circulation. The demand and supply always govern the price and in case of Bitcoin the demand is already sky high but the supply is not like fiat, so it's natural that price will go higher with time. 

The decentralisation factor is loved and liked by the community but it's not welcomed by big institutes like banks and governments since they want a financial system which they can control and manipulate. 

[Jegileman]

The limited supply will make it even more demanding as the price continues to skyrocket. 1BTC will still be seen as a very significant amount of bitcoin in the future but I’m very optimistic that as time goes on, even holding a very small a amount of Satoshi will be worth it and no one will be on the verge of fighting for 1BTC when those few Satoshi’s are enough for them. The limited supply is one of the reasons it will achieve this big height in the future to come, so just at least hold some bitcoin and not necessarily 1BTC because it’ll never be enough for us all to own 1 each.

[pooya87]

In essence, the USD had value within it and can be stored.
the USD is subject to inflation.

That is contradictory.
A "store of value" is a technical term used to define something that can maintain or increase your purchasing power. Fiat currencies that are all subject to inflation (ie. lose value over time and decrease your purchasing power if you hold them) are NOT store of value, therefore cannot be called money. Fiat is only medium of exchange.

[EarnOnVictor]

I strongly disagree with you. There is a difference between scarcity (present or future) and a belief in an asset (value).

For now, Bitcoin is being purchased due to its value and promising future. If it comes to the turn of its scarcity, no one would tell you, it will naturally be known because it will be biting.

Don't you feel scarcity when it happens? It is as simple as that.

uhhh
I don't understand. Can't really comprehend what you talking about.
Scarcity is one of the concept that brings value. So more like scarcity is a subset of value not the other way around.
Like I said before, scarcity is already showing even if more are still being mined.
It's like how we say buy the rumor and sell the news
It's future limit still plays a role in increasing its value today.

I guess the simplest explanation with that is more people wanting to buy bitcoin there's possible more pump to happen.

You have a good hint on this, and the more and pressing the demand for it, the more the value, which might later be causing the scarcity-induced price hike. It will be insane by then, provided the demand has become bitting at the time, and not what we still see now.

I tell you, if the total supply of Bitcoin is 50 million, the price will stand at the current level, that is what @Ambatman refuses to acknowledge. So, for now, it is not about the scarcity, Bitcoin is still readily available. The natural value attributed for being an asset itself has diven Bitcoin this far.