Will the CKB's halving send it to the moon?

Traders seem to have overlooked CKB's imminent halving... for now at least

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TLDR;

  • CKB, is a Layer-1 blockchain which, like Bitcoin, uses a halving approach every 4 years.

  • CKB is due to reduce the block reward for mining CKB by 50% on November 19th.

  • The CKB halving will have a number of benefits including reduced inflation, increased security, and increased demand.

  • Halving events tend to increase price action and so it is a good token to watch this week.

Introduction:

CKB, or Common Knowledge Base, is the native crypto currency of the Nervos Network. The Nervos Network is a blockchain project founded by Shen Yifan, Kevin Wang and Daisy Huang in 2018. They wanted to solve three major issues that blockchain technology faces; scalability, security and usability. As such, they created CKB, a layer 1 blockchain platform that is specifically designed to be scalable, secure and user-friendly. CKB is used to pay for transactions on the Nervos Network, as well as having the ability to store data, and execute smart contracts.

The project, like Bitcoin, uses a halving approach designed to control the rate at which new tokens are minted, promoting scarcity and a steady inflation rate over time. This occurs every 4 years, or every 33,600 blocks, with the next adjustment scheduled for November 19th 2023.

This article will deep dive into CKB, explores the upcoming halving, and the implications we believe this will have on the price of CKB.

Common Knowledge Base

CKB is a layer-1 blockchain built on RISC-V that is designed to be modular, flexible, and interoperable. It is secured by proof-of-work consensus and serves as the foundation of the Nervos Network, a modular blockchain ecosystem that aims to achieve high security, decentralization, flexibility, and interoperability.

CKB leverages the proof-of-work consensus algorithm to ensure a secure and permissionless decentralized network.

Interoperability

CKB supports all cryptographic primitives, which means that it can interoperate with all heterogeneous blockchains and anchor all types of sidechains, state channels, and layer-2 networks. CKB also comes with protocol-level account abstraction by default, which enables decentralized applications to boast unmatched user experience.

Tokenomics

CKB leverages a novel tokenomics model that aligns the interests of all Nervos participants and stakeholders. It ensures that miners are paid for providing security in perpetuity, while token holders are protected from inflation.

Modular Architecture

The Nervos Network was designed as a modular blockchain network, which means that it can scale to millions of transactions per second through many diverse layer-2 networks without sacrificing security or decentralization. Unlike monolithic blockchains, which have execution, consensus, and data availability occurring on the same layer, Nervos separates these functions into two different layers:

  • Layer 1: Comprises CKB, a secure and decentralized preservation platform.

  • Layer 2: Made up of different high-throughput networks optimized for scaling.

Background on CKB Halving

CKB mining is used to secure the Nervos Network and distribute tokens as block rewards. A total of 33.6 billion CKB tokens will be created through primary issuance over approximately 84 years to incentivize miners.

Every epoch (approximately four hours), a fixed amount of CKB is introduced. Every 8,760 epochs (approximately four years), this amount is reduced by half. This event, called a halving, permanently reduces mining rewards from primary issuance by 50%. CKB will halve every four years until 2103, when all block rewards from primary issuance will cease.

The CKB halving will cause a sharp decrease in block rewards, reducing the supply of new CKB entering circulation. This reduces inflation and shifts the underlying market equilibrium, forcing a revaluation of fair market value.

A halving is predetermined and cannot be changed, postponed, or delayed. Investors and community members often look forward to a halving as milestones in the project's history.

The CKB halving brings a number of benefits:

  • Reduced inflation: The halving will reduce CKB inflation by 50%, making CKB more scarce and potentially increasing its price.

  • Increased security: The halving will increase CKB network security by making it more difficult for attackers to take control of the network. Miners will need to spend more resources to mine CKB, making mining less profitable for some miners.

  • Increased demand for CKB: The halving is likely to increase demand for CKB as investors buy CKB in anticipation of the halving and the potential increase in price.

Price impact of a halving

Economic theory states that steady demand with decreasing supply results in higher pricing. Bitcoin enthusiasts use the stock-to-flow model to measure the total amount of existing Bitcoin (stock) relative to the amount of Bitcoin produced per year (flow).

The stock-to-flow model predicts that a higher stock-to-flow ratio will result in a higher price of the asset. However, the model remains controversial, especially for gauging short-term market sentiment.

Despite the controversy, some believe the stock-to-flow model suggests that the upcoming CKB halving could lead to positive price action for CKB.

By this thought process, the upcoming halving of CKB should have led to positive price action over the last few days. However, this has not been the case so far…

Despite the imminent halving, which should act as a catalyst, CKB has traded in a relatively tight range against ETH since the start of November.

This implies the market is yet to take notice of the upcoming halving. Should the majors hold steady there is a strong argument that traders could wake up to this event and chase the token higher.

Conclusion

The upcoming CKB halving is a significant event for the Nervos Network and the CKB cryptocurrency. It is expected to have a number of positive implications for CKB, including reduced inflation, increased security, and increased demand.

Based on economic theory and the stock-to-flow model, some believe that the CKB halving could lead to positive price action for CKB in the medium to long term. However, the market has yet to take notice of the upcoming halving, and CKB has traded in a relatively tight range against ETH since the start of November.

If the major cryptocurrencies hold steady, there is a strong argument that traders could wake up to this event and chase CKB higher in the near term.

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