Stacks Activates PoX-5, Paving Way for Bitcoin Staking
The Stacks network has successfully activated the PoX-5 hardfork at Bitcoin block 960,230. This upgrade establishes the protocol foundation for Bitcoin Staking and enables Bitcoin holders to earn self-custodial BTC yield through Bitcoin Bonds while preserving existing rewards for STX-only stakers.
According to Muneeb Ali, Founder of Stacks, 'PoX-5 marks the first step in anchoring Bitcoin capital to Stacks.' The upgrade simplifies the staking experience by removing cooldown cycles and streamlining pooled participation, creating infrastructure for the next phase of Bitcoin-native finance.
The PoX-5 activation completed without interruption, with core contributors verifying the activation following post-upgrade checks. Signers, node operators, and major exchange partners, including Binance, had completed their migrations ahead of activation.