What Is Litecoin Halving?

If you’re acquainted with the world of cryptocurrencies, you’ve likely come across the term “halving.” Halving is a critical event for any cryptocurrency. Often, Bitcoin, as the largest and most well-known cryptocurrency, is what pops up in mind. However, Bitcoin isn’t the sole cryptocurrency to experience halving. Others, including the prominent Litecoin, also undergo this process. Indeed, we are nearing a significant event: the Litecoin halving, slated to happen in less than three months.

But what is the significance of Litecoin’s halving? What function does it serve? How will it impact investors, and how does it differ from Bitcoin’s halving? This article aims to demystify these questions and provide a deeper understanding.

What Is Halving?

Before we move on, let’s talk about what “halving” means in the world of digital money, like Bitcoin and Litecoin. Halving is a special event that cuts down the number of new coins made and the reward that miners get for checking transactions by half on the blockchain. Halving usually happens with digital money types that have a limit on how many can be made.

This whole halving thing was set up to control how much digital money is out there and to make it a little rare. When the reward for miners is cut in half, it becomes harder and more expensive for them to make new coins. This means fewer new coins enter the market. Let’s use Bitcoin as an example to understand this better. Bitcoin is set up to have a halving event every four years, or after 210,000 chunks of data (or “blocks”). This cuts down the number of new Bitcoins being made, and if people still want Bitcoins just as much, but there are fewer new ones, it can cause the price to go up.

Bitcoin has had three of these halving events in its history, and each one has caused big ups and downs in the market. The first one was in 2012 when the reward for miners was cut from 50 Bitcoins to 25. The second one happened in 2016, which cut the reward down to 12.5 Bitcoins. The third one cut the reward to 6.25 Bitcoins. The next Bitcoin halving is supposed to happen in 2024.

What Is Litecoin Halving?

Litecoin was crafted from Bitcoin’s original source code. Established in 2011 via a hard fork from the Bitcoin blockchain, Litecoin—often touted as the “silver to Bitcoin’s gold”—aimed to level the mining playing field by mitigating miners’ ability to gain undue advantages. Like Bitcoin, Litecoin employs an open-source blockchain protocol, maintained by individual node operators who keep transaction records current.

As a derivative of Bitcoin, Litecoin shares numerous characteristics with the flagship cryptocurrency, including its Proof-of-Work consensus protocol and the concept of halving. Every four years, or every 840,000 blocks, Litecoin experiences a halving event, which halves the mining rewards. To date, Litecoin has undergone two halving events. When the Genesis Block was mined, the block reward was 50 LTC. The first halving in 2015 reduced the reward to 25 LTC, and the second on August 5, 2019, reduced it further to 12.5 LTC. The upcoming halving event will cut the block rewards to 6.25 LTC.

Importance Of Litecoin Halving

Much like gold and Bitcoin, Litecoin was crafted as a deflationary asset. The intent behind halving is that, over time, new token generation will lessen, rendering the asset increasingly rare. With Litecoin’s increasing scarcity and rising demand, it could serve as a buffer against inflation, potentially enhancing its price. However, it’s vital to note that a price hike isn’t a certainty. Following halving, the price might actually decline.

Litecoin Halving Vs Bitcoin Halving

The basic concept behind Litecoin and Bitcoin halving is the same, except for a few minor differences.

Different Level Of Scarcity

Both Litecoin and Bitcoin operate with different levels of scarcity. Bitcoin’s total supply has been capped at 21,000,000, while Litecoin’s supply cap is far higher at 84,000,000. As a result, Bitcoin is far more scarce than Litecoin. Currently, there are 19,378,643 BTC in existence, with around 1.6 million left to mine. Regarding Litecoin, there are 72,963,513 LTC in circulation, with the total supply capped at 84,000,000.

Not The Same Market Impact

Historically speaking, Litecoin’s halving event also does not have the same market impact as Bitcoin’s. The primary reason for this is the market capitalization of both cryptocurrencies. Currently, Litecoin holds a market capitalization of $6.6 billion. This amount pales in comparison to Bitcoin, which commands a market cap of $520 billion. As a result, the impact of Bitcoin’s halving is far more than that of Litecoin.

Does Litecoin Mining Impact Miners And Network Security?

Since halving immediately halve the rewards of miners it poses a significant challenge to smaller players in the market.. However, all miners must adapt and implement measures to minimize the impact on their operations. They can achieve this by enhancing their mining efficiency and hash power.

Regarding network security, Litecoin halving does not negatively affect it. In fact, halving has a positive impact on the network by ensuring secure and transparent regulation of LTC supply.

In Closing

The Litecoin halving event is worth monitoring for investors. However, it doesn’t have the same market impact as Bitcoin halving. With a reduced supply of LTC, the asset’s price may potentially rise, but there are no guarantees. It’s crucial to remember that cryptocurrencies are highly volatile, and prices can fluctuate significantly. If you’re a Litecoin HODLer, it’s essential to stay updated as the halving date approaches.

Disclaimer: The contents of this blog are strictly for information purposes only. The opinions expressed in this blog do not have any connection to CoinSmart, and they do not aim to provide you with investment advice. It is important that you do your personal research and/or consult an investment advisor to determine what is right for you.