The maximum amount of Bitcoin that can ever be generated is 21 million coins, a hard-coded limit set by its creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, to ensure scarcity, much like digital gold. This limit is enforced by the Bitcoin protocol, with new coins released through mining rewards that halve approximately every four years, meaning the last Bitcoin will be mined around the year 2140, after which miners will rely solely on transaction fees for income.
What Will Happen When the Last Bitcoin Is Mined? The last Bitcoin is expected to be mined by the year 2140. After mining has been completed, no new bitcoins will be issued into the market. The miners will then rely on transaction fees to validate transactions and maintain the blockchain.
Bitcoin is held by over 100 million people, yet just 94 wallets control more than 10,000 BTC each. Meanwhile, 80% of crypto users want to spend it on daily purchases, not just hold it.
5 years ago: If you invested $1,000 in Bitcoin in 2020, your investment would be worth $9,689. 10 years ago: If you invested $1,000 in Bitcoin in 2015, your investment would be worth $496,927. 15 years ago: If you invested $1,000 in Bitcoin in 2010, your investment would be worth about $1.62 billion.
If you had purchased $20 in Bitcoin in 2009, you would have bought around 20,000 Bitcoins. Based on today's value, those 20,000 Bitcoin would be valued at nearly $2 Billion.
If you're holding crypto, there's no immediate gain or loss, so the crypto is not taxed. Tax is only incurred when you sell the asset, and you subsequently receive either cash or units of another cryptocurrency: At this point, you have “realized” the gains, and you have a taxable event.
15 years ago: A $1 investment would be worth $1.62 million since Bitcoin is up 162 million percent from August 2010.
In July 2022, Tesla quietly dumped roughly 75% of its Bitcoin holdings, worth about $936 million, during a period of macroeconomic uncertainty and market stress.
As of July 2025, the largest known state holders included:
When Bitcoin was just $900 per coin, Didi Taihuttu sold his 2,500 square-foot house, 3 cars, and all of his belongings and invested everything he had into Bitcoin. Today alongside his wife, 2 kids & full time nanny all travel the world together and live in exotic destinations.
§ 981 – Civil forfeiture for financial crimes. Enables seizure of Bitcoin tied to money laundering, wire fraud, securities fraud, ransomware payments, and unlicensed money transmitting businesses. Allows forfeiture even when individual perpetrators remain unidentified.
When all bitcoin have been mined, miner revenue will depend entirely on transaction fees. The price and purchasing power of bitcoin will adjust to the lack of new supply. The scarcity of Bitcoin will make it more attractive to investors and users.
In Australia, cryptocurrency is taxed between 0-45%. If you hold cryptocurrency for longer than a year before disposing of it, you are eligible for a 50% capital gains discount on your taxes. Selling your crypto at a loss and using crypto tax software like CoinLedger can help you save money on your taxes.
Buying or selling cryptocurrency as an investment
Buying cryptocurrency isn't a taxable event by itself. You can choose to buy and hold cryptocurrency for as long as you'd like without paying taxes on it, even if the value of your position increases.
Bitcoin is traceable because all transactions are recorded on a public blockchain that anyone can view. The IRS can and does track crypto by combining blockchain analysis with user data from crypto exchanges. Centralized exchanges must report user activity directly to the IRS, via Form 1099-DA and 1099-MISC.
In a groundbreaking transaction on May 22, 2010, programmer Laszlo Hanyecz made history by purchasing two Papa John's pizzas for 10,000 Bitcoin, marking the first real-world commercial use of the cryptocurrency.
Does Bitcoin belong in your portfolio? Bitcoin is a risky investment with obvious high volatility, and generally should be considered only if you have a high risk tolerance, are in a strong financial position already and can afford to lose some or all of your investment.
Bitcoin launched in 2009 with a value of US$0. It was largely mined for its tokens (BTC) on the Bitcoin network for miners to obtain their share of the tokens. However, BTC would go on to hit the US$100 mark just four years later. In 2021, BTC hit an all-time high price of US$68,789.63.
Once the last bitcoin is mined, block rewards disappear. Miners will then rely entirely on transaction fees to earn revenue. These fees are paid by users whenever they send Bitcoin, and they'll need to be high enough to keep miners incentivized to secure the network.
Since many belong to custodians and institutions, the number of individuals who actually own 1 BTC is probably well under one million. Owning a single Bitcoin places you among the top 0.1% of all Bitcoin holders, as rare as owning a high-end property in the digital economy.
If you had invested $1,000 in Bitcoin five years ago (around mid-2020), your investment would have grown significantly, potentially worth anywhere from roughly $9,000 to over $14,000 by early 2025, depending on the exact purchase date, as Bitcoin saw massive growth but also volatility, experiencing huge gains through its bull runs and drawdowns, showing strong overall returns for long-term holders despite sharp price swings.