Bitcoin Block Reward

The amount of newly created Bitcoin awarded to miners for successfully adding a new block to the blockchain.

What is Bitcoin Block Reward?

The block reward in Bitcoin is the incentive given to miners for validating transactions and adding a new block to the Bitcoin blockchain. It consists of newly minted Bitcoin, created as part of the protocol’s issuance mechanism. The block reward is the only way new Bitcoins are introduced into circulation, following Bitcoin’s controlled supply schedule.

As of 2025, the current block reward is 3.125 BTC, following the most recent halving event in April 2024. This reward halves approximately every four years (every 210,000 blocks) as part of Bitcoin’s monetary policy to cap the total supply at 21 million BTC. The reward was 50 BTC at Bitcoin’s launch in 2009, reduced to 25 BTC in 2012, 12.5 BTC in 2016, 6.25 BTC in 2020, and 3.125 BTC in 2024.

The block reward incentivizes miners to secure the network through computational work (proof-of-work). Miners also earn transaction fees, which are becoming increasingly significant as the block reward decreases over time. As the reward continues to halve, miners will rely more on transaction fees, potentially impacting network economics and miner participation in the future.