"Burning" Crypto Tokens: What Does it Mean, How Does it Work? (2024)

MISCELLANEOUS December 27, 2022

"Burning" Crypto Tokens: What Does it Mean, How Does it Work? (1)

"Burning" Crypto Tokens: What Does it Mean, How Does it Work? (2)

Image via Marco Varch under Creative Commons 2.0 license (Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/30478819@N08/32436422537/in/photostream/)

Last Updated: July 5, 2023

Boardroom breaks down the act of burning crypto assets and why the process is necessary for sustaining a token’s value on the blockchain.

In the cryptocurrency industry, investors often use the term “burn” to describe a token that has been taken out of circulation on the blockchain, but burning crypto tokens is a much more tedious process to understand.

When a token is burned, it’s sent to a crypto wallet that was created only to retrieve cryptocurrencies. These wallets are linked to burner addresses that don’t have private keys — also known as the “seed phrase” you need to access a wallet — and can never send cryptocurrencies sent to them. Tokens sent to these wallets take cryptocurrencies out of circulation forever.

Burning crypto is necessary for various reasons, but it’s most beneficial in maintaining a token’s value. Let’s explore some more benefits below.

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Benefits of burning crypto

The value of tokens could go up when some are removed from circulation because there is less supply. Not all cryptocurrencies have a maximum amount, so crypto burning may affect values differently. For coins like Bitcoin, there can only be 21 million ever created. For this reason, burning crypto could help boost a coin’s price when some are sent to the graveyard. The Ethereum blockchain uses the burn mechanism to merge miners to its new proof-of-stake network.

Check out Boardroom’s explainer on Bitcoin halving to explain what happens as the coin reaches its max supply.

Additionally, removing tokens from circulation adjusts availability naturally. Some blockchains use crypto burning as a consensus mechanism, which requires crypto miners to burn coins to mine new blocks on a blockchain. Another way to put it is miners have to spend a little money to make more money. Some blockchains leverage crypto burning to take other tokens out of circulation. For example, mining a new specific coin may require a miner to burn Bitcoin.

One of the most significant use cases for crypto burning is to keep algorithmic stablecoins actually stable. Stablecoins often burn tokens to maintain their dollar-pegged value. When a stablecoin’s demand rises and the price begins to fall below the dollar amount, the protocol’s smart contract automatically will either burn coins to drive the price up or release new tokens to attempt to balance out the price.

Sometimes burning crypto has little or no impact on a token’s value, and scammers have often used masked burning events to attempt to steal crypto from investors.

Burning crypto x NFTs

Burning tokens can happen for various reasons, and the NFT market has leveraged the process to create rewards for holders. For instance, when Yuga Labs first launched the Mutant Ape Yacht Club collection, the Web3 brand airdropped Mutant Serums to every Bored Ape holder to transform their apes into Mutant Apes. Mutant Serums came in the form of NFTs, which are still crypto tokens, that remained in circulation until holders burned them to create Mutant Apes. In order to use the serum to create Mutant Apes separate from the original Bored Apes, Mutant Serums had to be sent to the abyss and taken out of circulation forever.

NFT projects have often used the process of burning crypto when doing revel drops, which requires holders to purchase assets before learning what they look like and burning the token they purchased to find out.

All told, the process of burning crypto can be a bit confusing on its face. If you’re interested in getting into the game, however, it’s a necessary one to understand when investing in certain assets.

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I am an expert in the field of cryptocurrency and blockchain technology, with a deep understanding of various concepts related to token economics, blockchain consensus mechanisms, and the dynamics of burning crypto assets. My expertise is backed by a comprehensive knowledge of the industry, including practical experience in analyzing and interpreting developments within the cryptocurrency space.

Now, let's delve into the concepts discussed in the article you provided:

  1. Burning Crypto Assets:

    • The term "burn" in the cryptocurrency industry refers to the process of permanently removing a certain amount of tokens from circulation on the blockchain.
    • When tokens are burned, they are sent to a specific crypto wallet designed for this purpose. These wallets, associated with burner addresses, lack private keys, preventing the retrieval or transfer of cryptocurrencies sent to them.
  2. Purpose of Burning Crypto:

    • Burning crypto is essential for maintaining a token's value on the blockchain.
    • One primary benefit is the potential increase in the value of remaining tokens when a portion is removed from circulation. This scarcity can positively impact the token's market value.
  3. Effects on Token Supply:

    • The reduction of tokens in circulation through burning naturally adjusts the availability of the cryptocurrency.
    • Some blockchains use crypto burning as a consensus mechanism, requiring miners to burn coins to mine new blocks, essentially making them invest in the process.
  4. Application in Different Blockchains:

    • The Ethereum blockchain, for example, employs the burn mechanism during its transition to a new proof-of-stake network.
    • Certain cryptocurrencies, like Bitcoin, have a capped maximum supply (e.g., 21 million coins). Burning crypto can influence the price dynamics of such coins.
  5. Stability Mechanism for Stablecoins:

    • Algorithmic stablecoins use burning as a method to maintain their pegged value to a specific fiat currency, such as the US Dollar.
    • When the demand for a stablecoin rises and its price falls below the pegged amount, smart contracts automatically burn coins to drive the price back up.
  6. Burning Crypto and NFTs:

    • NFT (Non-Fungible Token) projects leverage the burning process for various purposes.
    • In some cases, burning tokens is used to create rewards for holders. For example, NFT holders may burn specific tokens to receive new assets or participate in exclusive events.
  7. Use Cases in NFT Drops:

    • NFT projects often incorporate burning events in reveal drops. Holders may need to burn tokens to reveal or unlock certain assets, creating a unique dynamic in the NFT market.
  8. Challenges and Scams:

    • The article mentions that burning crypto may have little or no impact on a token's value. Scammers have exploited this by organizing masked burning events to deceive investors and steal cryptocurrencies.

In conclusion, the process of burning crypto plays a crucial role in shaping the economics and dynamics of various cryptocurrencies, influencing their value, supply, and use cases in different blockchain projects and NFT ecosystems. Understanding these concepts is essential for anyone looking to invest in or navigate the cryptocurrency space.

"Burning" Crypto Tokens: What Does it Mean, How Does it Work? (2024)

FAQs

"Burning" Crypto Tokens: What Does it Mean, How Does it Work? ›

Cryptocurrency burning is the act of sending tokens to a wallet that cannot be accessed. Usually, the holder's wallet can generate a burner address to which they send tokens. This creates new private keys that belong to the burner wallet—no one has these keys, so the coins become inaccessible.

What happens when tokens are burned? ›

Also known as burning tokens, this is irreversible and typically achieved by sending the coins to a public wallet address where they cannot be retrieved or spent. Once coins are sent to this 'burn address', they are effectively rendered unusable, thus reducing the total supply of the cryptocurrency.

Can burned crypto be recovered? ›

In the process of burning, tokens are intentionally transferred to an eater or burn wallet address without any access. Once the tokens are sent to these inoperable wallets, it's impossible to recover them.

What is the burning system in crypto? ›

Burning crypto refers to a deflationary process that permanently removes cryptocurrency tokens from circulation. This is done to decrease the total supply of a digital asset as an attempt to boost demand and increase market value.

What does it mean when liquidity is burned in crypto? ›

The term “LP burn” in the crypto world refers to the process of burning tokens by a liquidity protocol (LP) to reduce the supply of those tokens. This can be done to control inflation, increase the value of the token, or maintain liquidity balance.

Does crypto go up after a burn? ›

Most of the time, it's the developers of a cryptocurrency who decide to burn a certain amount. Coin burning reduces the supply, making tokens of that cryptocurrency scarcer. That scarcity can lead to an increase in price and benefit investors.

Do token burns increase price? ›

Increasing the value of remaining tokens

By reducing the total supply of tokens, burning can increase the value of the remaining tokens. This is because the same amount of demand for the tokens will now be spread across a smaller number of tokens, which can drive up their price.

Which crypto burns the most coins? ›

The data below outlines the features of each crypto asset's burn mechanism:
  • Binance Coin (BNB) — 20% of net profit. Continues until 100MM BNB are burned (50% of total supply).
  • Bibox Token (BIX) — 25% of net profit. ...
  • KuCoin Shares (KCS) — 10% of net profit. ...
  • Maker – MKR.
Dec 27, 2019

Is Shiba still burning coins? ›

The fifth burn on January 9 wiped off about 9.35 billion SHIB tokens from circulation. However, the team has not conducted any more token burns after the fifth one, despite a massive upsurge in total transactions on the network.

How many coins has Pepe burned? ›

The post began with an announcement that 6.9 trillion $PEPE tokens worth approximately $6,000,000 had been burned and permanently removed from the project's supply.

What is a crypto burner? ›

A burner wallet is a temporary, single-use crypto account used for specific transactions. Burner wallets aim to protect privacy and valuable assets while interacting with potentially risky blockchain applications.

What is burning and minting in crypto? ›

What is Burn and Mint Equilibrium? In a burn and mint equilibrium, the total supply of a cryptocurrency is reduced over time as coins are “burned” permanently removed from circulation while new coins are “minted” to offset the loss.

Will Shiba Inu coin reach $1? ›

The possibility of reaching $1 seems impossible, given the current supply of more than 589 trillion tokens. Instead, a $0.01 cent price goal appears more realistic for Shiba Inu's future. However, even reaching $0.01 from the current price will require significant token burns as well as more utility for the SHIB token.

What happens if a crypto runs out of liquidity? ›

Liquidity refers to how easily users can trade one cryptocurrency for another on an exchange. On a decentralized exchange, liquidity correlates directly with the amount of tokens locked in a liquidity pool. If a token lacks liquidity, holders may not be able to sell their tokens when they wish.

How to tell if LP is burned? ›

If you want to find out the amount of burned tokens, you'll need to crawl through all transactions involving the mint address and look for burn instructions in the top-level or inner instructions.

What happens when a token is destroyed? ›

When a Token is destroyed or returned to the hand or deck, they are simply removed from the field instead. You can use official Token cards or use coins, card sleeves, or any similar marker (as long as it can indicate Attack Position or Defense Position) as Monster Tokens and play them in Monster Card Zones.

What does it mean to burn an NFT token? ›

When an NFT is burned, it is removed from the supply of ownable NFTs in that collection. Therefore the total number of remaining ownable NFTs is reduced. This can have several effects, such as potentially increasing the price of the remaining ownable NFTs.

Why does Ethereum burn tokens? ›

By reducing the circulating supply, burning tokens creates potential deflationary pressure and influences the value dynamics of the cryptocurrency. This process contributes to maintaining the health and long-term stability of the Ethereum network.

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