The cryptocurrency market is set to witness significant supply-side events in the coming years with scheduled halvings for Monacoin (MONA) and Ethereum Classic (ETC). These pre-programmed reductions in block rewards are central to the monetary policies of both proof-of-work networks, designed to control inflation and enforce long-term scarcity.
Monacoin, a prominent Japanese "community coin," follows a halving model similar to Bitcoin but on a faster cycle. Its next halving is estimated for December 2026, when the block reward will drop from 6.25 MONA to 3.125 MONA. This event occurs roughly every 1,051,200 blocks, or approximately every three years. The network has a total supply cap of 105.12 million MONA and a block time of 1.5 minutes. Historical halvings occurred in July 2017, September 2020, and around October–December 2023.
Ethereum Classic employs a unique mechanism often called a "fifthening," where block rewards are reduced by 20% approximately every 5 million blocks, or about every 2.5 years. The next reduction is expected between August and October 2026, lowering the reward from 2.048 ETC to 1.6384 ETC per block. ETC has a fixed maximum supply of approximately 210.7 million coins. The most recent reward reduction took place in May–June 2024.
These events are critical for miners, investors, and the overall market dynamics of each asset. For miners, halvings directly impact profitability, potentially pushing out less efficient operations and increasing competition. For the market, reduced new supply issuance can create scarcity, which historically has influenced price cycles, though ultimate price action depends heavily on broader market demand and conditions.
