What to Know

  • A minority Bitcoin chain backed by supporters of BIP-110 has produced only two blocks in roughly eight hours.
  • The main Bitcoin chain advanced by 48 blocks over the same stretch, underscoring the sharp difference in mining support.
  • The fork occurred at block 961,632, when BIP-110 nodes began rejecting blocks that did not signal support for the proposal.
  • The minority chain was at block 961,633 while the main Bitcoin chain had reached block 961,681.
  • BIP-110 seeks to temporarily ban non-financial data such as images and text from Bitcoin transactions for a year.
  • Recent support stood at only 2.53 percent of blocks, far below the 55 percent needed to activate without a split.
  • The forked chain inherited Bitcoin’s mining difficulty but has only a tiny share of hashpower, leaving block production extremely slow.
  • Bitcoin adjusts mining difficulty every 2,016 blocks, meaning the minority chain cannot quickly reduce its difficulty.
  • The BIP-110 situation monitor estimated the minority chain would need 350 days to reach the next difficulty adjustment, compared with 14 days for Bitcoin.
  • Both chains still accept identical transactions, creating replay-style risks for users trying to sell fork coins while also protecting main-chain BTC.

Bitcoin Split Leaves BIP-110 Chain Barely Moving

A controversial Bitcoin split tied to the BIP-110 proposal has left a minority chain effectively stalled after producing only two blocks in roughly eight hours. The breakaway network launched after supporters of the proposal began enforcing rules that rejected non-signaling blocks, but the chain has not attracted enough mining power to maintain anything close to Bitcoin’s normal rhythm.

The fork happened at block 961,632. From that point, computers running BIP-110 software treated blocks without the required signal as invalid, while the broader Bitcoin network continued accepting them. The result was a split between the main Bitcoin chain and a much smaller alternative chain followed by BIP-110 supporters.

The gap quickly became visible. The minority chain stood at block 961,633, while the main Bitcoin chain had advanced to block 961,681. That difference of 48 blocks reflects a functioning Bitcoin network on one side and an almost inactive fork on the other. Because Bitcoin blocks normally bundle transactions into the ledger at roughly ten-minute intervals, a chain that produces only two blocks across roughly eight hours becomes difficult to use for normal settlement.

What BIP-110 Tries to Change

BIP-110, short for Bitcoin Improvement Proposal-110, is designed to temporarily block the storage of non-financial data inside Bitcoin transactions for a year. The targeted data includes items such as images and text. Supporters argue that Bitcoin block space should primarily serve payments and other financial transfers, and that unrelated data can worsen congestion and increase costs for users trying to send money.

Critics see the proposal differently. They argue that Bitcoin users who pay transaction fees are purchasing the right to use block space, and that miners or node operators should not be deciding which paid transactions are legitimate based on content. That disagreement has made BIP-110 one of the more divisive recent debates around Bitcoin’s transaction policy, touching on the network’s neutrality, fee market and cultural identity.

In practice, the market response has been clear so far. Only 2.53 percent of blocks signaled support for BIP-110 over the recent two-week period referenced by the monitor. That was far below the 55 percent threshold needed to activate the proposal without forcing a split. With support at that level, the minority chain began life with a severe disadvantage.

Mining Difficulty Becomes the Central Problem

The immediate reason for the stall is mechanical rather than mysterious. Bitcoin’s mining difficulty is calibrated to keep block production close to its target pace. The network recalculates that difficulty every 2,016 blocks, adjusting to the amount of computing power securing the chain. When a minority chain splits away, it can inherit the same difficulty setting as Bitcoin while losing most of the mining power needed to satisfy that difficulty at a usable speed.

That appears to be exactly what happened here. The BIP-110 chain inherited Bitcoin’s current mining difficulty, but recent signaling showed only a tiny portion of mining support. With only 2.53 percent of blocks previously signaling for the proposal, the forked chain lacks anything close to the hashpower needed to keep up. Blocks therefore arrive at long intervals, and each delay compounds the chain’s usability problem.

The minority chain also cannot simply make mining easier immediately. It has to reach the next difficulty adjustment point, which comes after 2,016 blocks. The monitor placed that adjustment roughly 350 days away for the BIP-110 chain at its current pace, compared with 14 days for the main Bitcoin chain. That estimate illustrates how a chain can become trapped by inherited difficulty when it breaks away without sufficient miners.

For users, developers and miners, the practical effect is stark. A blockchain that confirms transactions only after hours of waiting is not merely inconvenient; it becomes harder to price, harder to exchange and harder to trust for timely settlement. Even if some miners return, the chain would still need sustained support to overcome the slow confirmation environment.

Mining Pools Mark the Split

The first key separation came when AntPool mined the first non-signaling block that the broader Bitcoin network accepted but BIP-110 nodes rejected. A miner using Ocean then produced the alternative block followed by the breakaway chain. AntPool and Ocean are mining pools, where many operators combine computing power and share rewards.

That sequence established the competing histories. One chain continued under Bitcoin’s existing consensus as recognized by the broader network, while the other followed the stricter BIP-110 rule set. However, a fork’s survival depends on more than producing an alternative block. It needs miners willing to keep adding blocks, users willing to transact, and enough economic interest to make the chain more than a brief technical event.

So far, the minority chain has not shown that momentum. With only two blocks mined in roughly eight hours, there is no visible sign of broad mining commitment. Technical traders and network observers are likely to view the stalled chain as evidence that signaling support and actual mining persistence remain the decisive variables in any contentious Bitcoin rule change.

Replay-Style Risk Complicates Fork Coin Trading

The split also creates a major operational risk for anyone attempting to sell coins on the minority chain. Both chains still accept identical transactions. That means a signed transaction designed to move fork coins can potentially be valid on the main Bitcoin chain as well. A buyer could rebroadcast the same transaction on Bitcoin and collect real BTC from the same seller, creating a replay-style threat that users need to understand before moving funds.

This risk is especially important because the BIP-110 chain’s slow block production makes trading more difficult rather than easier. If a seller must wait hours for confirmation on the forked chain, the transaction window becomes awkward and uncertain. At the same time, the possibility that a transaction could be replayed on the main chain raises the stakes for anyone who treats fork coins as safely separable without proper precautions.

Market participants often approach minority fork coins cautiously because the technical details can matter as much as the headline price. Without strong replay protection, a fork can expose users to unintended main-chain transfers. When that issue is combined with slow confirmations and weak mining support, the resulting market can become thin, risky and difficult to navigate.

Activation Deadline Looks Out of Reach

BIP-110 nodes are set to demand that every block signal support during a window running to block 963,647. At the pace seen so far, the minority chain does not appear positioned to get close to that point. The main Bitcoin chain, by contrast, has continued advancing normally, reinforcing the difference between the two networks’ economic weight.

The broader lesson is that controversial Bitcoin changes face a high bar. A proposal may generate intense debate, but without sufficient miner backing and user coordination, a rule-enforcing split can quickly become isolated. The BIP-110 chain’s difficulty problem shows why hashpower is not an abstract metric: it determines whether a chain can produce blocks, confirm transactions and maintain practical relevance.

For now, the main Bitcoin chain remains the venue where activity is continuing at scale, while the BIP-110 minority chain is struggling to move. Unless mining support changes materially, the breakaway network faces slow blocks, a distant difficulty adjustment and limited practical utility. FXCOINZ will continue monitoring the split as traders, miners and node operators assess whether the chain remains active or fades into a stalled fork.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What happened to the BIP-110 Bitcoin fork?

A minority chain created by supporters of BIP-110 split from Bitcoin at block 961,632 and produced only two blocks in roughly eight hours, leaving it effectively stalled while the main Bitcoin chain continued advancing.

Why did the BIP-110 chain stall?

The forked chain inherited Bitcoin’s mining difficulty but has only a tiny share of mining power. Because mining difficulty does not adjust until after 2,016 blocks, the chain is unable to quickly lower the difficulty needed to produce blocks.

How far ahead is the main Bitcoin chain?

The BIP-110 chain was at block 961,633 while the main Bitcoin chain had reached block 961,681, creating a gap of 48 blocks between the two chains.

What is BIP-110 trying to do?

BIP-110 seeks to temporarily ban the storage of non-financial data such as images and text inside Bitcoin transactions for a year. Supporters say this could reduce congestion and costs, while critics say paid block space should remain open to users.

How much mining support did BIP-110 have?

Recent support stood at only 2.53 percent of blocks, well below the 55 percent threshold needed for activation without a split.

What role do mining pools play in this fork?

Mining pools combine computing power from many operators and share rewards. In this split, AntPool mined a non-signaling block accepted by the main network, while a miner using Ocean produced the alternative block followed by the BIP-110 chain.

What is the replay-style risk for users?

Because both chains still accept identical transactions, a transaction signed to move fork coins could also be valid on the main Bitcoin chain. That could allow a buyer to rebroadcast it and take real BTC from the seller.

Can the BIP-110 chain reduce its mining difficulty soon?

Not unless it reaches the next difficulty adjustment point. The monitor estimated that would take about 350 days at the current pace for the BIP-110 chain, compared with 14 days for Bitcoin.

Is the BIP-110 activation deadline still realistic?

The signaling window runs to block 963,647, but the chain’s current pace makes reaching that level appear highly unlikely unless mining support changes significantly.

Photo by DS stories on Pexels