Seven major mining entities, including AntPool, Foundry, and F2Pool, have joined the Stratum V2 working group. This initiative aims to expedite the transition of Bitcoin miners to a new communication standard.

We’re excited to welcome @AntPoolofficial, @blocks, @f2pool, @FoundryServices, @MARAFoundation_, @SpiderPool_com, and @DMND_Sv2 to the Stratum V2 Working Group.

With founding members @BraiinsMining, @spiral_btc, and the FOSS community, their experience will help accelerate the protocol and… pic.twitter.com/3HB59cxXyN

— Stratum V2 (@StratumV2) May 7, 2026

"Bitcoin mining is inherently a competitive and fragmented process. It’s a race for efficiency, where a millisecond can determine whether a miner wins a block or loses to a competitor," the statement reads.

Joining the project founded in 2022 by Braiins and Spiral are AntPool, F2Pool, Foundry USA, SpiderPool, MARA Foundation, DMND, and Block. Together, these new members control at least 75% of the hashrate of the leading cryptocurrency network.

Source: Hashrate Index.

What is Stratum V2?

Stratum V2 is an updated version of the protocol for communication between pools and individual miners, designed to replace the outdated Stratum V1, which has been in use since 2012.

The new protocol offers:

  • End-to-end encryption;
  • More efficient farm management;
  • Reduced latency;
  • The ability for miners to create block templates independently.

The last point is particularly crucial for the decentralization of the network, as currently, pools primarily control the selection of transactions for blocks.

Developers also claim that transitioning to Stratum V2 could enhance mining profitability by reducing latency and data transmission costs. The project estimates that efficiency gains could reach up to 7.4%.

It’s worth noting that in March, CoinShares analysts concluded that at least 15-20% of Bitcoin mining capacity operates at a loss.