Bitcoin has reached block 961,632, opening the mandatory signaling window of BIP 110. Yet, miner support remains below 3%, far from the 55% threshold required for activation. What happens nex
Bitcoin has reached block 961,632, opening the mandatory signaling window of BIP 110. Yet, miner support remains below 3%, far from the 55% threshold required for activation. What happens next will depend on the ability of node operators to enforce their own rules.
In Brief
- Mandatory signaling began around 7:35 PM UTC after Bitcoin reached block 961,632.
- Miner support has rarely exceeded 2.5%, against a 55% threshold for activation.
- BIP 110 supporters advocate a UASF, giving node operators a central role.
BIP 110 Enters Mandatory Signaling Phase, Not Activation
Block 961,632 did not activate BIP 110. This proposed temporary soft fork aims to limit the inscription of non-financial data into the Bitcoin blockchain. The block opened the period during which miners must signal their position, while the network split is already among the scenarios monitored by the Bitcoin community.
Your 1st cryptos with BitpandaThis link uses an affiliate program.According to CoinDesk, in their article published on August 8, 2026, signaling began around 7:35 PM UTC. Miner support has rarely surpassed 2.5%, while the project targets a 55% threshold to secure activation.
This gap does not mean the debate is closed. It primarily means that the scenario of quick validation by miners seems very unlikely, while the mechanism chosen by the promoters opens another path.
The term “mandatory” can be misleading. Miners must now display a signal within the designated window, but this step does not yet turn the rule into consensus enforced by the entire network.
The Project Relies on Nodes to Bypass Miners’ Refusal
BIP 110 is based on a User-Activated Soft Fork, or UASF. Operators who update their node can then reject blocks produced by a miner who does not signal the proposal.
In this scheme, the node does not just check that the block complies with the usual rules. It adds a condition specific to BIP 110 and discards blocks that do not meet it, even if the dominant computing power continues to build another chain.
The project aims to temporarily limit the insertion of non-financial data into transactions. The official BIP 110 website presents this restriction as a way to reduce blockchain congestion and refocus network priorities on its monetary use.
This logic explains the resistance of its opponents. The debate on Bitcoin’s neutrality is not only about inscriptions and node operating costs but about the possibility of reserving consensus for certain uses.
However, project supporters cite a precedent: the activation of SegWit in 2017 via BIP-148. CoinDesk recalls that this approach allowed users to support a development while miners had not reached the expected support level.
Four Weeks to Assess the Risk of a Minority Chain
Signaling does not yet produce a winner. If nodes favoring BIP 110 reject the chain mined by the majority, two Bitcoin networks may coexist for a time.
CoinDesk describes a two-speed scenario. On one side, the mainnet would retain most of the computing power and institutional capital. On the other, a minority chain would group nodes that apply BIP 110.
This chain could gain weight if new node operators join it. It might also stop due to a lack of miners and economic support, which would limit the scope of the soft fork.
However, the timeline leaves a short window for both camps. The signaling period must last until block 965,664, which CoinDesk expects in about four weeks. By then, the signaling rate will remain the best indicator of the gap between the project’s ambition and actual mining sector adherence.
In summary, BIP 110 is entering its most sensitive phase with less than 3% miner support, a 55% threshold that seems out of reach at this stage, and a strategy that relies on nodes rather than pools.
The risk is therefore not limited to activation failure: it also concerns the coexistence of different rules on Bitcoin. To put this episode in a broader debate, our analysis of BIP 110 risks remains the most useful read: the actual behavior of nodes and miners will determine which chain retains consensus.