Bitcoin BIP-110 Fork Stalls After Two Blocks
Bitcoin's BIP-110 fork stalls after just two blocks, highlighting hashpower distribution challenges.
The update
Bitcoin’s BIP-110 fork has effectively stalled after producing only two blocks in approximately eight hours. The breakaway chain, which would temporarily ban storing non-financial data in transactions, inherited Bitcoin’s full mining difficulty with minimal hashpower support (2.53%). This has resulted in extremely slow block times while the main Bitcoin chain continues advancing normally, with the gap between chains now at 88 blocks.
Why it matters
This stalled fork demonstrates the critical importance of hashpower distribution in blockchain network splits. With only a tiny fraction of mining support, the forked chain cannot maintain reasonable block times, exposing potential risks for users who might attempt to interact with both chains simultaneously. The fork also highlights ongoing tensions between those who want to restrict Bitcoin’s use cases and those who advocate for transaction freedom.
What to watch
Will the forked chain gain additional hashpower support before its difficulty adjusts? How will this impact future Bitcoin Improvement Proposals and network governance discussions? Are there any security implications for users transacting on both chains, particularly regarding replay-style risks?
Sources
- coindesk.com — confirming fork details and hashpower support
- cointelegraph.com — confirming block progression and technical details