Mining refers to the process responsible for minting new Bitcoin (as well as rewarding "miners"). The reward for mining a [[Bitcoin Anatomy#Block|block]] of transactions is determined by the [[Bitcoin Halving]] schedule, and new Bitcoin are minted every time a block is added to the chain, which is roughly every ten minutes. Currently, 6.25 new Bitcoin are rewarded approximately every ten minutes, which is on average how often a block is mined (adding said block indelibly to the blockchain). The amount of computing power required to mine a block is a function of existing network [[Hashpower|hashpower]], which is used in Bitcoin to recompute the mining [[Difficulty|difficulty]] every 2,016 blocks (roughly every two weeks). Because of averaged moving targets set by the difficulty algorithm, miners compete to solve cryptographic problems while maintaining the integrity of transactions. The rewards paid to miners signal [[Proof of Work]] consensus, finally validating transaction blocks, which is what prevents [[Double-spending|double-spending]] and creates [[Finality|finality]]. >[!note] Mining is uniquely different from [[Staking|staking]] in that its expense lies in the cost of energy use and computational resources (e.g., scarce silicon-based graphics cards and processors). It is for this reason that [[Proof of Stake]] consensus protocols - while not without their own trade-offs - are considered a more eco-friendly solution to the [[Byzantine Generals Problem]].