Bitcoin BIP-110 soft fork fails: only ~2.53% signaling, mainnet rejects blocks at 961,632
Bitcoin BIP-110 soft fork has effectively failed after failing to reach its required signaling threshold.
On block 961,632, the BIP-110 mandatory signaling phase started (Aug 7, per the report). Miner support for the versionbit signaling (version bit 4) was only 2.53% in the prior signaling window—far below the 55% threshold.
As a result, BIP-110-supporting nodes refused to accept mainstream blocks and created/ran a minority chain. By around Taiwan time 10:00 (the report’s reference point), the mainnet had advanced to block 961,659, while the BIP-110 chain was stuck at 961,633, lagging by 26 blocks.
The first key detail: AntPool reportedly mined the first block without the required BIP-110 version signaling. Mainnet accepted it, while BIP-110 nodes treated non-signaled blocks as invalid.
BIP-110’s rules target temporary restrictions on non-financial data storage (including OP_RETURN size limits and certain witness-related limits), with activation planned for block 965,664 for ~52,416 blocks (~one year).
Market reaction appeared muted: despite the split, Bitcoin price hovered near ~$65,000 with no clear volatility.
The report emphasizes that without sustained mining hash power, even strong node rule enforcement cannot maintain a competitive alternative chain; the minority chain’s survival would depend on continued miner participation and on whether exchanges/wallets support it—currently viewed as unlikely.
Neutral
The news is likely neutral for traders because the split did not translate into a clear market repricing. The report highlights that BIP-110 support collapsed at the signaling stage (~2.53% vs a 55% requirement), causing a minority chain to lag by 26 blocks rather than producing a broadly adopted alternative. This resembles past upgrade attempts where insufficient miner signaling prevented a smooth, user-visible transition, limiting downside to the “technical controversy” rather than price fundamentals.
Short-term, the main risk is operational friction: exchanges and wallets must decide whether to track any minority chain, and uncertainty around replay/compatibility can create localized volatility. However, the article notes no meaningful BTC price movement around the event (near $65k), suggesting liquidity and sentiment were resilient.
Long-term, the probability of sustained economic relevance for the BIP-110 chain is low without hash power and ecosystem adoption. If the community treats this as a failed UASF-style attempt, attention may shift back to future upgrades with broader miner buy-in, typically reducing prolonged narrative risk for BTC.