The amount of mined bitcoins has crossed the 19.8 million mark, leaving less than 1.2 million bitcoins remaining until the total supply is exhausted. The remaining supply will be completely mined by 2140 due to the halving process that occurs roughly every four years. After the supply is exhausted, miners will still receive rewards in the form of transaction fees. Bitcoin is considered a deflationary asset due to its limited supply of 21 million units. The scarcity of bitcoins is believed to increase their value over time. There is a possibility of removing the fixed supply cap through hard forking, but opponents argue that this would fundamentally change Bitcoin. There are believed to be a significant number of lost bitcoins, further decreasing the amount in circulation. "Virgin bitcoins," which have never been used in transactions, are considered rare and are sold at higher prices due to institutional investors' preference for clean transaction histories. The existence and acquisition of virgin bitcoins are debated among experts.



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