Ethereum has become one of the most widely used blockchains, powering a multitude of decentralized applications from DeFi to NFTs and metaverse projects. The native crypto asset Ether (ETH) drives this ecosystem, carrying a market cap in the hundreds of billions. But unlike Bitcoin’s hard cap, many wonder – just how many Ethereum are out there?
This guide delves into details around the Ethereum circulating supply schedule and what ultimately caps its total max supply. We’ll also look at implications for price and scarcity considering Eth’s role as “digital oil” paying for computation and storage. Let’s explore the tokenomics!
A Primer On Ethereum’s Purpose
Ethereum represents a global computing platform enabling “smart contracts” – self-executing code running decentralized apps without downtime. Users pay “gas” fees in ETH to fund execution costs for apps and compensation for miners/stakers who process transactions.
Initially proposed in 2013 by Vitalik Buterin and launched in 2015, Ethereum pioneered both smart contracts and proof-of-stake in blockchain. ETH powers the network as a “utility token” consumed to access Ethereum’s services rather than just a payment method.
How Circulating ETH Supply Gets Determined
Unlike Bitcoin’s hard cap at 21 million BTC, Ethereum’s circulating supply follows a different distribution scheme without an upper bound. Here are the key details:
- No Premine: 72 million ETH sold publicly via 2014 crowd sale before launch in an ethical, decentralized model avoiding skewed holdings.
- Initial Circulating Supply: The Genesis block seeded 72 million ETH at inception in 2015 as tokens sold to crowdsale contributors unlocked.
- Block Rewards: Miners earn 2 ETH per block as a reward for validating transactions to incentivize security, amounting to annual inflation of around ~4.5%.
- Proof-of-Stake Minting: After the Merge to proof-of-stake planned for 2023, validators will earn transaction fees but no block subsidy, lowering net issuance to 0-2% long-term.
- Circulating Supply Growth: Currently, approximately 120,000,000 ETH exist, having grown ~5x from the initial supply in 2015 and increasing slowly.
- Perpetual Supply Increases: Unlike Bitcoin, there is no cap ever designated in Ethereum’s protocol, meaning the circulating supply continues perpetually increasing.
What Factors Impact ETH Scarcity?
Understanding ETH remaining scarce enough for price increases long term despite lack of hard cap relies on two constraints:
Proof-of-Stake Reducing Net Issuance: After the Merge, validator rewards shift fully from minting to fee revenue, meaning less entering circulation.
EIP-1559 Burning Base Fees: This Ethereum Improvement Proposal burns a base fee from transactions adjusting gas markets, taking more ETH out of circulation.
Since Q3 2022 already over 1 million ETH net were burned, offsetting a significant portion of residual annual issuance. If network usage and fees increase faster than minting, ETH trends are deflationary.
How Many Ethereum Total Can Exist?
Unlike Bitcoin at 21 million units, there is no coded cap on the maximum supply algorithmically possible on Ethereum. Theoretically, unlimited ETH could exit. However, in practice constraints emerge:
Economic Incentives: If runaway uncapped supply overly diluted ETH value, miners/stakers would abandon supporting the network.
Competition Among Blockchains: User adoption decreases if better-capped alternatives like Cardano and Solana emerge.
So the practical ceiling relies on ecosystem incentives balancing ETH scarcity against security and utility. Still, best estimates suggest over the long term another ~100 million could circulate assuming proof-of-stake and burning offset most minting.
Impacts On Price And Market Capitalization
Ethereum’s lack of a supply ceiling makes modeling long-range price projections complex, but some insights stand out:
Deflationary Pressures: Burning and lower post-merge issuance likely balance future minting, acting as deflationary.
Unquantifiable Market Dominance: Hard to predict market capitalization or price without a supply cap, even estimating $20-30k per ETH depends on dominance.
Velocity Sink: ETH vested for staking and DeFi collateral decreases velocity, acting like lower supply.
Overall, analysts expect burn/mint equilibrium and heavy network usage to sustain appreciation while preserving blockchain security as scaling matures.
Of course, as a utility token, ETH price depends heavily on Ethereum’s usage dominating global public blockchains. Substantial devaluation remains a risk if adoption falters or competitors grab market share.
Regulatory Risks Around Ethereum’s Status
Like other major cryptocurrencies, uncertainty around how regulators like the SEC view Ethereum’s asset status remains an ongoing question:
- Securities Classification: Were initial ETH sales an unregistered securities offering? Could minting constitute an illegal perpetuity?
- Commodities Jurisdiction: Many argue ETH lacks the hallmarks of traditional securities and instead qualifies as a commodity.
These characterize tail risks for potential restrictive regulation or supply chain disruption long term.
Closing Thoughts on the Economics of ETH
Ethereum’s lack of a cap contrasts with Bitcoin – but despite unlimited supply in theory, various counterbalancing factors around proof-of-stake and burning likely limit future circulating amount to a few hundred million.
Assuming no catastrophic regulatory overhaul or failure to hold market dominance, ETH’s deflationary momentum combined with vested collateral stakes may even produce appreciation rivaling Bitcoin long term.
Of course as with any nascent cryptocurrency, only time will tell whether Ethereum can maintain network security and usefulness beyond its first mover advantage as innumerable hungry competitors like Cardano and Polkdot eye its crown.
Also Read: Ethereum Gas Fee On The Rise As DeFi Gathers Momentum
