On August 8, the Bitcoin network experienced a split at block height #961,632. Within eight hours, the new branch mined two blocks, as reported by the BIP‑110 Situation Monitor.

Source: BIP110 Situation Monitor.

This division was triggered by two blocks being mined at the same height. AntPool mined block #961,632 without signaling support for BIP-110, which was accepted by the main chain, while nodes supporting the proposal rejected it. Instead, they switched to an alternative mined by Roughnecks through the Ocean pool at the same height. Both versions share a common ancestor but differ in their transaction sets.

Looks like we're wildcatting!

Those of you in the oil business know exactly what wildcatting means😻

Tick tock, next block⛏️ pic.twitter.com/r1e7vQrN4V

— Roughnecks (@Roughnecks110) August 8, 2026

By the morning of August 9, the gap had widened to 48 blocks, with the main network reaching #961,687 while the BIP-110 supporters' branch remained at #961,633.

The split is attributed to the difficulty adjustment made at block #961,632, which was set to 127.48 trillion. The branched chain retained this parameter, but a lack of computational power led to a significant increase in block intervals.

The next scheduled adjustment will occur after 2016 blocks, which at the current rate will take about 350 days compared to the 14 days in the mainnet. The rules of BIP-110 will only be solidified if the branch reaches #963,648, with data restrictions activating at #965,664.

Initially, there was little support for the initiative. Two weeks before the soft fork, only 51 out of 2016 blocks, or 2.53%, signaled support, falling short of the required 55%. At the beginning of July, this figure was below 1%.

Bitcoin Price Reaction

The price of Bitcoin did not react significantly to the split. Over the past day, it fell by 0.4%, trading around $64,800 at the time of writing.

Hourly BTC/USDT chart from Binance. Source: TradingView.

The split does not create a separately traded coin. The future pricing of the new tokens hinges on whether exchanges and other services choose to support them.

However, risks remain for holders. Both branches accept the same transactions, meaning that a malicious actor could send a signed transfer of assets from the new network to the main one, potentially stealing real Bitcoins from the seller, as previously warned by developer Kevin Loack.

Community Response

Proponents of the initiative have not acknowledged defeat. Luke Dashjr, Technical Director of Ocean and creator of Bitcoin Knots, called reports of BIP-110's failure false.

“Dishonest participants are spreading lies about the demise of BIP-110. BIP-110 has not failed. Don’t fall for their manipulations,” he stated.

In another post, Dashjr claimed that no counter fork to reject the initiative has emerged, rendering it "undisputed." He labeled AntPool's actions as an "attack on Bitcoin."

The proposal's author, using the pseudonym Dathon Ohm, thanked BIP-110 supporters:

“Courage and integrity define the BIP-110 movement, while our opponents are characterized by fear and weakness.”

Some community members interpreted the events as the beginning of an open confrontation. A participant known as Bruce suggested that the situation has revealed a "corporate takeover of the network, institutional greed, and collusion among miners." He called for a “war to restore Bitcoin's status as sovereign money.”

The mask is completely off.

We now see the true state of Bitcoin: the corporate capture, the institutional greed, and the miner collusion. The enemies of decentralized money have finally shown their faces.

The war to restore Bitcoin as sovereign money has officially begun.…

— ₿ruce ⚡️#BIP-110 (@techexe) August 8, 2026

Opponents viewed the split as a definitive victory. Blockstream co-founder Adam Back, who had warned for six months that supporters of the proposal would simply separate from the network, declared the dispute settled. He urged those whom the proposal "misled" to study public analyses of the situation and return to working within the Bitcoin ecosystem.

More harshly, Nakamoto CEO David Bailey characterized the soft fork as a Civilla attack, stating:

“Officially: BIP-110 has become the most unpopular, incoherent, and insignificant soft fork of all time.”

It is worth noting that Back previously referred to BIP-110 as an attack on the reputation of digital gold and a "Lynch trial."