Bitcoin Chain Splits as Rival Miners Clash Over BIP-110

A significant chain split occurred in Bitcoin at block 961632 on August 8, 2026, as rival miners clashed over the implementation of BIP-110. The split happened shortly after 4 p.m. EDT, with several monitoring sites logging the event.

Mempool.space developer Mononaut noted that the 'race is on' and that the entire network was still mining on the non-signaling chain tip. This led to extremely divergent block templates due to differences in policy and a 40-minute wait between blocks.

The split coincided with a difficulty adjustment, resulting in a 0.99% increase in mining difficulty at block 961632. Antpool mined the block on the main chain, while Roughnecks connected with Ocean Pool on the BIP-110 side.