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Why Fixed Costs Matter for Proof-of-Work–Based Cryptocurrencies

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  • Rodney J. Garratt

    (Monetary and Economic Department, Bank for International Settlements, Basel 4002, Switzerland; Department of Economics, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106)

  • Maarten R. C. van Oordt

    (Department of Finance, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1081HV, Netherlands; Tinbergen Institute, Amsterdam 1082MS, Netherlands)

Abstract

We assess how the cost structure of cryptocurrency mining affects the response of miners to exchange rate fluctuations and the immutability of cryptocurrency ledgers that rely on proof-of-work. We show that the amount of mining power supplied to currencies that rely on specialized hardware, such as Bitcoin, responds less to adverse exchange rate shocks than other currencies respond to such shocks, a fact that is instrumental to avoiding double-spending attacks. The results may change if mining equipment used for one cryptocurrency can be transferred to another. For smaller currencies with low exchange rate correlation, transferability eliminates the protection that fixed costs provide. Our results weaken doomsday predictions for Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies with declining block rewards.

Suggested Citation

  • Rodney J. Garratt & Maarten R. C. van Oordt, 2023. "Why Fixed Costs Matter for Proof-of-Work–Based Cryptocurrencies," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 69(11), pages 6482-6507, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:ormnsc:v:69:y:2023:i:11:p:6482-6507
    DOI: 10.1287/mnsc.2023.4901
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Pavel Ciaian & d'Artis Kancs & Miroslava Rajcaniova, 2021. "Interdependencies between Mining Costs, Mining Rewards and Blockchain Security," Annals of Economics and Finance, Society for AEF, vol. 22(1), pages 25-62, May.
    2. Maarten van Oordt, 2022. "The Emerging Autonomy–Stability Choice for Stablecoins," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 22-015/IV, Tinbergen Institute.
    3. Julien Prat & Benjamin Walter, 2021. "An Equilibrium Model of the Market for Bitcoin Mining," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 129(8), pages 2415-2452.
    4. Rodney Garratt, 2022. "Fabian Schär and Aleksander Berentsen: Bitcoin, Blockchain, and Cryptoassets: A Comprehensive Introduction," Business Economics, Palgrave Macmillan;National Association for Business Economics, vol. 57(1), pages 27-30, January.
    5. Alon Benhaim & Brett Hemenway Falk & Gerry Tsoukalas, 2021. "Scaling Blockchains: Can Committee-Based Consensus Help?," Papers 2110.08673, arXiv.org, revised Dec 2022.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    cryptocurrency; blockchain; exchange rates; double-spending attacks;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G10 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - General (includes Measurement and Data)
    • L11 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Production, Pricing, and Market Structure; Size Distribution of Firms

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