2024 Halving Paired with Runes Launch
Code: NT-122
Tags: #bitcoin #halving #runes
Language: en
User Moment
The fourth Bitcoin halving coincided with Casey Rodarmor’s Runes protocol debut, giving miners a new token-issuance narrative the same week their block subsidy halved. Community channels buzzed with walkthroughs on how to mint responsibly.
Product Surface
Runes simplified fungible token creation on Bitcoin compared to BRC-20 by focusing on UTXO hygiene. Wallets rushed emergency updates so users could handle rune etchings without bloating their address sets.
Ecosystem Reaction
Transaction fees briefly rivaled block rewards as speculators experimented, cushioning miners from the subsidy drop. Competing inscription standards debated interoperability, and exchanges evaluated listing policies for rune assets.
Execution Lessons
Coordinating client releases ahead of halvings is now table stakes, and any new token primitive must ship tooling that prevents UTXO fragmentation or it will lose legitimacy fast.