Maximum Supply
The upper bound on asset issuance under a cryptocurrency's current protocol rules.
Maximum supply is the greatest number of units the current issuance rules permit. It differs from circulating supply, total issued supply, liquid supply, and the amount users can actually recover.
A cap can be enforced by consensus code, a smart contract, issuer authority, or a destroyed minting capability. Users must inspect whether administrators or governance can change it.
A fixed maximum does not guarantee scarcity value, fair distribution, demand, liquidity, or low inflation in the circulating float. Protocol communities can also coordinate rule changes, although doing so may cause a fork.
Related terms
Explore connected entries beyond the alphabetical index.
Circulating Supply
→The estimated number of coins or tokens currently available to the market, excluding locked or unissued supply.
Block Reward
→The subsidy and transaction fees a proof-of-work block is permitted to assign to its miner.
Halving
→A scheduled reduction in block subsidy that cuts new coin issuance, often by half, at predetermined block heights.
Inflation
→A sustained rise in the general price level, reducing a currency's purchasing power over time.