Bitcoin’s BIP-110-enforcing branch has stalled after producing only two blocks, leaving it 88 blocks behind the non-enforcing Bitcoin chain. The branch entered mandatory signaling after block 961,632 despite receiving support from only 51 of the previous 2,016 blocks. Because the enforcing branch remains subject to the existing mining difficulty until the adjustment period is completed, significantly greater hashpower support would be needed for it to regain pace. The proposal continues to face opposition from prominent Bitcoin figures concerned about its potential impact on network consensus and neutrality.
BIP-110 Branch Falls Behind
The Bitcoin branch enforcing BIP-110 stalled at block 961,633 on Sunday after producing only two blocks, while the non-enforcing chain advanced to block 961,721.
The difference between the two branches reached 88 blocks, highlighting the substantial disparity in mining support between the competing chains.
According to the BIP-110 monitor, the latest block on the enforcing branch had been mined approximately 12 hours earlier. Ocean records identified a pseudonymous mining group known as Roughnecks as responsible for producing the branch’s first two blocks using Ocean’s Decentralized Alternative Templates for Universal Mining, or DATUM, mining protocol.
Mandatory Signaling Begins
The divergence began after BIP-110 entered its mandatory signaling phase at block 961,632 on Saturday.
During the preceding 2,016-block signaling period, only 51 blocks, representing approximately 2.53% of the total, signaled support for BIP-110.
Under the proposal’s enforcement mechanism, BIP-110 nodes reject blocks that do not signal support through version bit 4, while ordinary Bitcoin nodes continue accepting both signaling and non-signaling blocks.
This difference creates two competing branches, with only the BIP-110-enforcing nodes following the proposal’s additional requirements.
Mining Difficulty Creates Additional Pressure
Mandatory signaling is scheduled to continue through block 963,647 under the BIP-110 proposal.
The enforcing branch must continue mining through the remainder of the current 2,016-block difficulty adjustment period before its mining difficulty can adjust.
With limited hashpower currently supporting the branch, the existing difficulty makes block production substantially slower than on the non-enforcing chain.
The widening block gap therefore illustrates the importance of additional mining support if the enforcing branch is to maintain meaningful progress.
BIP-110 Faces Bitcoin Community Opposition
The proposal has attracted opposition from several prominent figures in the Bitcoin ecosystem.
Strategy Executive Chairman Michael Saylor has said he supports the objectives behind BIP-110 but has criticized its implementation, arguing that the approach could threaten Bitcoin’s neutral rules and consensus.
Blockstream CEO Adam Back has also opposed the proposed consensus-level change, warning that it could damage Bitcoin’s credibility and potentially make certain unspent transaction outputs unspendable.
The disagreement reflects a broader debate over how Bitcoin should handle changes to its consensus rules and whether particular classes of transactions or data should be addressed through changes at the protocol level.
The Broader Consensus Debate
The current split highlights the difficulty of implementing controversial changes across Bitcoin’s decentralized network.
While BIP-110-enforcing nodes follow the proposal’s mandatory signaling requirements, the wider Bitcoin network continues operating under the existing consensus rules. Without sufficient miner participation, the enforcing branch can struggle to keep pace with the main chain.
The growing block difference therefore provides a visible measure of the limited hashpower currently supporting the proposal.
Closing Insights
The BIP-110 branch’s early slowdown demonstrates the practical challenges of attempting to enforce a controversial consensus change without broad mining support. With only a small percentage of miners signaling for the proposal during the preceding signaling period, the enforcing branch faces significant difficulty maintaining its position against the non-enforcing chain. The outcome will depend heavily on whether additional miners adopt BIP-110 as the mandatory signaling period progresses, while the continuing opposition from influential Bitcoin developers and industry figures keeps the debate over Bitcoin’s consensus rules firmly in focus.
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