There will only ever be 21 million Bitcoins. New supply is created through an energy-intensive process called mining, which currently produces 3.125 every 10 minutes, or about 450 a day, on a global public ledger known as the blockchain. Every four years this rate is cut in half, giving Bitcoin engineered disinflation and ensuring it remains finite, auditable, portable, and divisible.
Scarcity is what underpins value. It is why gold has held its place for centuries. And with Bitcoin being not only truly scarce and finite, but also easily portable and divisible, it solves the long-standing limitations of gold. For this reason, Bitcoin is increasingly referred to as Digital Gold.
This simple imbalance, demand consistently outpacing supply is not speculation, but structural. It is a signal that Bitcoin is being absorbed into mainstream financial infrastructure at a pace that its coded scarcity cannot match.
Over 100 publicly traded companies now hold Bitcoin on their balance sheets, reshaping corporate treasury management.
Nations too are participating: the United States, Bhutan, El Salvador, and the UAE amongst others hold Bitcoin as part of their financial or strategic frameworks. These steps, diverse in form but consistent in direction, show that Bitcoin is no longer on the margins of finance. It is being integrated into the mainstream.
Even modest reallocation into a scarce, liquid, globally transferable asset has the potential to reshape portfolios over time. The scale of the store-of-value market leaves considerable room for growth.
Bitcoin’s volatility, while lower than in its early years, is still significant and may not suit conservative investors. The past year has also seen cyber incidents at global and domestic exchanges, underscoring that operational risk is real. And with thousands of cryptocurrencies in circulation, many of questionable credibility, investors must be wary of scams masquerading as “the next Bitcoin.”
Even mainstream institutions now project that Bitcoin will capture a larger share of global wealth. Standard Chartered estimates Bitcoin could reach 5% of global store-of-value assets by 2028, implying prices above ₹5 crore per Bitcoin. For investors, the prudent way forward is measured participation.
Put simply, the risk of not owning Bitcoin is much greater than owning it.
(The author is Founder and CEO at BitSave)
Disclaimer: Crypto products and NFTs are unregulated and can be highly risky. There may be no regulatory recourse for any loss from such transactions.
