What is the maximum supply of Monero?

The maximum supply of Monero (XMR) is uncapped. Unlike Bitcoin, which has a fixed supply cap of 21 million coins, Monero does not have a predetermined maximum supply limit. Instead, Monero's emission schedule is designed to gradually decrease the rate of new coin issuance over time until it reaches a long-term tail emission phase.

Monero's emission schedule is based on a smooth curve that gradually reduces the block reward (the amount of new coins created with each block) at regular intervals. This emission curve ensures that new coins are issued to incentivize miners to secure the network while maintaining a controlled and predictable rate of inflation.

The decision to have an uncapped maximum supply and a tail emission phase was made to ensure the long-term sustainability, security, and decentralization of the Monero network. By continuously incentivizing miners to validate transactions and secure the network through block rewards, Monero aims to maintain network security and integrity in the absence of transaction fees as the primary source of miner rewards.