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The original was posted on /r/bitcoin by /u/tallsiii on 2023-08-09 16:21:49+00:00.

I am sometimes asked if the Bitcoin network will eventually abandon the 21m limited number of bitcoins. They reference the fact that in 2140 there will be no more block subsidy.

Answer: transaction processing is a free market. If bitcoiners want their transactions to be processed, then they will have to pay for it. If they don’t pay enough then the mining network will contract until it becomes profitable. If Bitcoin becomes the world’s currency then there will be a lot of transactions and fees will be high.

If some miners choose to break the 21m limit, then they will have forked Bitcoin. They price of what they are mining will dive because they have broken the 21m. They will be mining a shitcoin. Other miners that do not break the 21m limit will continue to mine Bitcoin.