Supply emission curve

A significant amount of research has gone into developing the emission curve to ensure it adheres to three key principles:

• Fairness: The total supply is distributed equitably, avoiding excessive accumulation at the outset.
• Security: The block reward should be maintained for at least 5 to 6 years to secure the network during its early growth phase.
• Sustainability: Supply inflation should decrease rapidly to a sustainable level.

The STILL Protocol features a gradual emission curve, with the block reward decreasing by 10% every three months. This approach replaces the “halving” system used by Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies with a smoother transition. Continuous rewards for miners, rather than abrupt halving events, can help ensure consistent mining activity and enhance network security, as miners are less likely to face sudden income drops.

This emission rate is relatively rapid, with 81% of the maximum circulating supply mined within the first four years (in comparison, Bitcoin has 50% of its supply mined in the same timeframe). Even though STILL was launched fairly and announced several months in advance, the initial hashrate will likely be concentrated among a few large miners. To mitigate excessive supply centralization among these early miners, the block reward during the first three-month period is set at half the standard amount.

With this emission curve, 50% of the supply will be mined after 640 days (1 year and 9 months), and 75% will be mined after 1,233 days (4 years and 2 months).