Controversial Bitcoin fork BIP-110 mines two blocks, then stops
Reported by CoinDesk · AI-assisted summary by ChikoCorp AI News Desk
AI-generated summary based on the linked source; not independently verified. This is not investment advice. Verify market-moving details at the original publisher before acting. See our editorial policy, AI content policy, and financial disclaimer.
Summary
A minority Bitcoin chain created by supporters of BIP-110 has stalled after mining only two blocks in about eight hours, while the main Bitcoin chain advanced by 48 blocks. The fork enforces a temporary ban on storing non-financial data like images and text in Bitcoin transactions, aiming to reduce network congestion and costs. However, the fork has received only 2.53% miner support, causing extremely slow block times and exposing users to potential replay-style attacks when handling fork coins.
Why it matters
The slow block production and low miner support mean the BIP-110 fork is not progressing, highlighting the difficulty minority forks face in gaining traction. The proposal touches on core tensions between controlling transaction content to reduce congestion versus preserving users’ freedom to use block space as they wish. The replay risk complicates trading fork coins, affecting user security and practical usability of the forked chain.
Key context
BIP-110 seeks to ban non-financial data from Bitcoin transactions for one year. Supporters claim this would reduce network clogging and fees, but opponents view it as an infringement on user rights. The fork started at Bitcoin block 961,632, with BIP-110 nodes rejecting blocks not signaling support. Difficulty adjustment mechanisms mean the fork with few miners experiences slower blocks and cannot reduce mining difficulty until 2,016 blocks pass, which is projected to take approximately 350 days.
Key numbers and entities
The forked chain sits at block 961,633 compared to 961,681 on the main Bitcoin chain. Miner support for BIP-110 is at 2.53%, far below the 55% needed for activation without a network split. Mining pools AntPool and Ocean were involved in producing competing blocks at the fork point. The two-week signaling window for BIP-110 ends at block 963,647.
What remains unclear
The source does not flag open questions beyond the clear mechanical challenges and low support hindering the fork’s progress.