How much is the Alephium (ALPH) currency issued?

Alephium's issuance and supply dynamics are characterized by a fixed total supply, no inflationary issuance, block rewards with halvings, a buyback and burn mechanism, and community-oriented distribution.

Dec 09, 2024 at 01:59 pm

Alephium (ALPH): Issuance and Supply Dynamics

Introduction:

Alephium (ALPH) is a decentralized blockchain platform designed to address limitations faced by traditional blockchain architectures, particularly in terms of scalability, privacy, and security. As such, understanding the issuance and supply dynamics of ALPH is crucial for comprehending its economics and potential impact on the broader blockchain ecosystem.

1. Total Supply:

The total supply of Alephium is capped at 100,000,000 ALPH. This fixed supply ensures the scarcity of the token and helps maintain its long-term value.

2. Initial Distribution:

Upon the launch of the Alephium mainnet in August 2022, the initial distribution of ALPH was conducted through a combination of public token sales and airdrops to early contributors. Approximately 40% of the total supply was allocated to public token sales, while the remaining 60% was distributed to the team, advisors, and early backers.

3. Inflationary Issuance:

Unlike many other proof-of-work (PoW) blockchains, Alephium does not have a mechanism for ongoing inflationary issuance of ALPH. This means that the total supply will remain fixed at 100,000,000 tokens. This approach aims to prevent long-term dilution of the ALPH value and maintain its scarcity.

4. Block Rewards:

To incentivize miners to secure the network and validate transactions, Alephium employs a system of block rewards. Each newly mined block rewards miners with a fixed amount of ALPH. However, the block reward is gradually reduced over time through a mechanism known as block reward halvings.

5. Halving Schedule:

The Alephium block reward halving occurs every 100,000 blocks, which translates to approximately every 14.4 months. At each halving, the block reward is reduced by 50%. This halving mechanism helps control the issuance rate of ALPH and prevents excessive inflation.

6. Remaining Supply:

As of April 2023, approximately 70% of the total ALPH supply has been issued. The remaining 30% will be gradually released through block rewards over the coming years, as dictated by the halving schedule.

7. Buyback and Burn Mechanism:

To further control the supply of ALPH and maintain its value, the Alephium Foundation has implemented a buyback and burn mechanism. Under this mechanism, the Foundation periodically uses a portion of its resources to purchase ALPH tokens from the open market and burn them, permanently removing them from the circulating supply.

8. Distribution to Community:

Alephium is committed to supporting its community and fostering long-term growth. As such, a portion of the ALPH supply will be allocated to community grants, developer incentives, and other initiatives aimed at promoting the growth and adoption of the Alephium ecosystem.