The fixed supply limit of Bitcoin at 21 million coins is nonsensical, said Eli Ben-Sasson, co-founder and CEO of StarkWare. He called for abandoning the current model in favor of an annual issuance rate of 4%.
Capping the supply of Bitcoin at 21M doesn't make sense. Because over time, keys will be lost. In fact, as time goes to infinity, all keys will be lost.
I strongly support a clear monetary policy with an absolute upper bound on the # of Bitcoins in the future. Say, fix a max…— Eli Ben-Sasson | Starknet.io (@EliBenSasson) July 7, 2026
According to Ben-Sasson, over time, owners lose access to their private keys, meaning a portion of Bitcoin is permanently taken out of circulation. In November, Ledger experts estimated that 4 million BTC have been burned or irretrievably lost.
“If you look at an infinitely long period, eventually all keys will be lost,” he wrote.
As an alternative, the StarkWare CEO suggested maintaining an upper limit on issuance not in absolute terms but through a predetermined annual rate of new coin release. He believes that a 4% inflation rate roughly corresponds to the growth rate of the Earth's population.
Community Reaction
Supporters of Bitcoin reacted mixedly to Ben-Sasson's idea. Opponents reminded that the 21 million BTC supply cap is considered one of Bitcoin's fundamental properties and underpins the concept of "digital gold."
This is probably the first time since I know you that, not only I disagree, but I couldn't disagree more!
A whole lot of Bitcoin narratives were lost already and this is probably the last one that's still keeping it alive.
Soon it will just become yet another dollar— Čudan Svat (@Cudan_Svat) July 7, 2026
“This is a terrible idea. The very fact that you entertain the possibility of changing a protocol built on the principles of limited supply and decentralization is concerning. Once you make one such significant change, others will follow. You are destroying the very idea for which Bitcoin was created,”
Some participants in the discussion pointed out that the asset is divided into 2.1 quadrillion satoshis, so the argument that “there won’t be enough coins for everyone” is a “bad argument.” Ben-Sasson countered that even this number of units will practically decrease due to lost keys.
Other users also noted that abandoning the fixed supply would make Bitcoin resemble many other cryptocurrencies. In response, the StarkWare head stated that the asset would retain its scarcity if inflation rates remain unchanged.
Possible Compromise
Zcash founder Zooko Wilcox suggested considering an alternative—Network Sustainability Mechanism, which is being discussed in the ecosystem of the anonymous coin.
You may be interested in Shielded Labs “Network Sustainability Mechanism,” which attempts to solve these problems while reinforcing the sustainability of the 21M cap. https://t.co/WrYITGq5jy— zooko🛡🦓🦓🦓 ⓩ (@zooko) July 7, 2026
This mechanism maintains a strict limit of 21 million ZEC. Users can voluntarily burn coins, and an equivalent amount will gradually be reintroduced into circulation through rewards to miners over four years. The authors aim to support network security without increasing the maximum supply.
Recall that in June, Strategy founder Michael Saylor presented a five-tier model of the Bitcoin economy, emphasizing that the cryptocurrency should not change at the protocol level.