Block Reward
New coins plus fees paid to whoever adds the next valid block, the main incentive securing the chain.
When a miner or validator produces a valid block, the protocol pays them freshly minted coins and the transaction fees inside that block. This reward is why anyone spends money on hardware or stakes capital to secure the network.
On Bitcoin the subsidy halves about every four years. The April 2024 halving cut it from 6.25 to 3.125 BTC per block. Over time the new-coin portion shrinks toward zero, and fees are meant to take over.
Related terms
A batch of transactions bundled together, time-stamped, and cryptographically linked to the block before it.
MinerA participant who spends computing power to solve proof-of-work puzzles and earn the right to add a block.
HalvingThe scheduled event that cuts the reward paid to bitcoin miners in half, tightening new supply.
Transaction FeePaid to the network for processing a transfer, this charge rises and falls with how busy the chain is.