Block subsidy dominates bitcoin miner revenue as fee income dwindles amid halving impact

Bitcoin miner revenue is navigating some choppy waters, with the block subsidy now accounting for almost the entirety of miners' income. On Sept. 13, of the $25.35 million in daily miner revenue, only $398,860 came from transaction fees—a mere 1.6% of total revenue.

This marks a significant change from earlier periods when transaction fees peaked at more than 40% of miner revenue, underscoring the increasing reliance on block subsidies.

With the Bitcoin halving earlier this year reducing the block reward to 3.125 BTC, miners are facing a double squeeze on their income, highlighting the challenges in the current mining ecosystem.

The sharp decline in fee revenue can be largely attributed to the cooling of once-popular trends like Ordinals and Runes. These innovations had briefly promised a renaissance for on-chain activity, driving up transaction fees and miner profitability. As interest in these trends waned, so did the fees, leaving miners to grapple with a new economic reality.

This situation raises critical questions about the long-term sustainability of Bitcoin's security model, as miners play a crucial role in maintaining the network's integrity.

As block subsidies continue to halve approximately every four years, the importance of transaction fees in securing the network will only grow.  Some argue for larger block sizes to accommodate more transactions, while others advocate for Layer 2 solutions that could potentially drive more settlement transactions back to the main chain.

The success of these proposals could significantly impact the future of Bitcoin mining and the overall health of the network. As miners navigate these choppy waters, the resilience and adaptability of the Bitcoin ecosystem will be put to the test.

This is an excerpt from The Block's Data & Insights newsletter. Dig into the numbers making up the industry's most thought-provoking trends.