As of November 2025, Bitcoin has officially crossed a historic milestone that every altcoin trader, HODLer, and crypto enthusiast has been watching for years: 95% of all Bitcoin that will ever exist has now been mined. Out of the hard-capped 21 million BTC supply, miners have successfully brought 19.95 million BTC into circulation. That leaves just 1.05 million BTC — roughly 5% — still waiting to be discovered over the next 115+ years.

For anyone deep in the altcoin markets, this isn’t just a fun Bitcoin trivia stat. It’s a seismic shift that directly impacts altcoin prices, mining dynamics, narrative cycles, and long-term portfolio strategy. Let’s break down exactly why this 95% milestone matters right now — and why it could be one of the most bullish setups for both Bitcoin dominance and selective altcoin explosions in the coming decade.

The Math Behind the Scarcity: From 50 BTC to 3.125 BTC Per Block

Bitcoin’s issuance schedule is governed by its famous halving events that occur approximately every four years (every 210,000 blocks). Each halving cuts the block reward in half, dramatically slowing down new supply entering the market.

Here’s the rapid evolution so far:

• 2009–2012: 50 BTC per block
• 2012–2016: 25 BTC per block
• 2016–2020: 12.5 BTC per block
• 2020–2024: 6.25 BTC per block
• 2024–2028: 3.125 BTC per block (current)

At the current 3.125 BTC reward, miners are creating only about 450 BTC per day (roughly 164,250 BTC per year). Compare that to the 900 BTC daily issuance we had just 18 months ago, and you can immediately see why the “sell pressure” from new coins has been slashed in half — literally overnight in crypto time.

The next halving is projected for April 2028, when the reward drops to 1.5625 BTC per block. That will cut daily issuance to ~225 BTC. By the 2032 halving, we’ll be down to ~112 BTC per day. You get the picture: the flow of new Bitcoin is approaching a trickle.

Why 95% Mined is a Bigger Deal Than 90% or 94%

Psychologically and fundamentally, crossing 95% flips a switch.

• 90% mined happened back in late 2022 — most people barely noticed because we were still licking our wounds from the FTX collapse.
• 94% mined in 2024 coincided with the halving and ETF mania, so the narrative was drowned out.
• 95% mined in 2025? This is the first time the remaining supply is now measured in low single-digit millions while daily issuance is under 500 coins and institutional accumulation via spot ETFs is running at thousands of BTC per week.

In other words, the gap between demand (especially institutional) and new supply has never been wider. BlackRock, Fidelity, MicroStrategy, and nation-states aren’t slowing down — but miners are being forced to.

The 2140 Finish Line: Most Remaining Bitcoin Won’t Hit the Market for Generations

The last satoshi is scheduled to be mined around the year 2140. Yes, you read that right — 115 years from now.

Thanks to the exponential decay built into the halving schedule, here’s the brutal reality:

• ~70% of the remaining 1.05M BTC will be mined by 2035
• ~15% more by 2050
• The final ~15% trickles out over the following 90 years

That means the vast majority of Bitcoin that will ever exist is already in someone’s wallet today. The 450 BTC issued daily might sound like a lot until you realize that on-chain data shows hundreds of thousands of BTC are moving into cold storage and ETF custody every single month — never to be seen again on exchanges.

How This Scarcity Bomb Impacts Altcoins: The Two Scenarios Altcoin Traders Need to Watch

Scenario 1: Bitcoin Dominance Crushes Altcoins (Again)

When Bitcoin scarcity narratives take center stage, capital tends to rotate brutally back into BTC. We saw it in 2013, 2017, and 2021. As the “digital gold” story gets louder — especially with 95% mined headlines everywhere — BTC dominance can spike from the current ~58% toward 65–70%+. That usually means pain for mid- and low-cap altcoins while BTC grinds up against fiat.

Scenario 2: The Great Altcoin Rotation of the Late Cycle

History also shows that once Bitcoin puts in a local top after a dominance run, the floodgates open for altcoins. With Bitcoin’s new issuance now so low, miners who once dumped BTC to cover electricity costs are increasingly looking at… merging operations or even pivoting hashing power and capital into altcoin ecosystems that still have robust block rewards (yes, we’re looking at you, Kaspa, Ergo, and a dozen others). Lower BTC sell pressure = higher BTC price = more fiat flowing into the sector = eventual altseason.

Savvy altcoin investors are already positioning for this exact sequence.

Altcoins That Could Benefit Most From Bitcoin’s Supply Shock

1. Layer-1s with Strong Monetary Policy Projects that mimic Bitcoin’s scarcity model (fixed or deflationary supply + halving-like mechanics) tend to ride the narrative wave: Litecoin (already 85%+ mined), Bitcoin Cash, and newer contenders like Kaspa (fair-launched, rapid block times, already >90% of max supply circulating in a few years).
2. Mining-Pivot Plays Publicly traded Bitcoin miners are sitting on massive ASIC fleets that become exponentially less profitable with each halving. Many are already diversifying into AI data centers or altcoin mining. Watch for sudden surges in coins that suddenly get huge hashrate inflows.
3. Bitcoin-Adjacent Narratives Ordinals, Runes, BRC-20, Stacks, Lightning-native tokens — anything that lives on Bitcoin but offers higher beta is primed for explosive moves when BTC liquidity overflows.
4. Ethereum and the “Ultra Sound Money” Crowd ETH’s issuance is already negative on net thanks to EIP-1559 burn. As Bitcoin’s issuance heads toward zero, the “ETH flippening” or at least “ETH catches up in scarcity” narrative could resurface hard.

95% Mined Isn’t the End — It’s the Beginning of True Scarcity Era

For years, critics dismissed Bitcoin’s 21 million cap as theoretical because “most of it isn’t mined yet.” That excuse dies in 2025.

With only 1.05 million BTC left and daily issuance collapsing every four years, we are entering the phase where Bitcoin truly starts behaving like the hardest money ever created — harder than gold, harder than any altcoin can ever hope to be (unless they burn aggressively).

For altcoin investors, this milestone is both a warning and an opportunity. Warning: don’t be the one holding illiquid micro-cap bags when BTC dominance rips to 70%. Opportunity: position in high-conviction altcoins that either complement Bitcoin’s scarcity story or stand to capture the tsunami of capital once Bitcoin takes a breather.

The remaining 5% of Bitcoin will take longer to mine than the first 95%. Let that sink in.

We’re not early to Bitcoin anymore — we’re actually late. But for the right altcoins in this new scarcity-dominated world? The game might be just getting started.

Word count: 1,050+

Start stacking accordingly. 🚀