Ocean Mining VP Confirms BIP-110 Miner Signaling Stays Below 1% Ahead of August Deadline
BIP-110 miner signaling remains below 1% as of July 2026, with Ocean Mining’s vice president confirming that network support for the proposed data-limit soft fork has failed to reach critical mass ahead of the mandatory flag day in early August [4][5]. Despite over a year of signaling activity since the first block was mined on March 1, 2026, the proposal to restrict arbitrary data in Bitcoin transactions faces a near-certain failure to activate voluntarily, forcing the network toward a mandatory enforcement window [2][4].
Overview: Key Metrics on BIP-110 Signaling
| Metric | Current Status | Threshold for Activation |
|---|---|---|
| Miner Signaling Rate | 0.34% - 0.8% (July 2026) | 55% (1,109 of 2,016 blocks) [1][4] |
| Hashrate Supporting BIP-110 | ~5 EH/s | ~517 EH/s (55% of 940 EH/s) [4][5] |
| Total Network Hashrate | ~940 EH/s | - [4][5] |
| First Signaling Block | March 1, 2026 (Barefoot Mining via Ocean Pool) | - [2][4] |
| Mandatory Signaling Start | Block 961,632 (~August 7, 2026) | - [3][4] |
| Projected Activation Block | 965,664 (~September 1, 2026) | - [4] |
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- Miner signaling sits between 0.4% and 0.8% of recent blocks, equating to roughly 5 EH/s on a network near 940 EH/s [4].
- The current difficulty period’s signaling rate is confirmed at 0.34%, with analysts stating there is “no conceivable scenario” for network adoption [1].
- Zero signaling blocks were recorded from May 1 through May 20, with activity marginally increasing to a peak of 4 blocks in one day on June 7 [2].
- No major mining pool-including Foundry USA, Antpool, ViaBTC, or F2Pool-has publicly committed to signaling BIP-110 [2].
- Ocean Pool accounts for the majority of signaling blocks, with smaller operators like BIP110 and Roughnecks110 supplying the remainder [4].
- Node adoption for BIP-110-capable software (primarily Bitcoin Knots variants) ranges from an estimated 2% to 8% of listening nodes, though some figures are disputed [5].
BIP-110 Faces Mandatory Flag Day Despite Minimal Miner Support
BIP-110, formally titled the Reduced Data Temporary Softfork, proposes a one-year consensus-level restriction on arbitrary data embedding in Bitcoin transactions [4][5]. The proposal caps most new outputs at 34 bytes, limits OP_RETURN to 83 bytes, and restricts data pushes to 256 bytes through seven new consensus rules [4]. Unlike traditional miner-activated soft forks requiring 95% signaling, BIP-110 uses a modified BIP9 deployment requiring only 55% miner signaling (1,109 of 2,016 blocks per retarget period) [5].
The voluntary lock-in deadline arrives at block 961,542 in the following period, expected in early August [6]. If the 55% threshold is not met naturally, a mandatory signaling window beginning around block 961,632 (projected August 7, 2026) will reject any block that fails to signal version bit 4 [3][5]. After this two-week period, the new rules will start to be enforced, with activation set for block 965,664 near September 1, 2026 [3][4].
Ocean Mining’s vice president confirmed that signaling stays below 1%, reinforcing that the broader network is unlikely to follow the proposal voluntarily [4][6]. According to the BIP 110 signaling monitor, miner signaling has never risen above roughly 1% in any period and sits at zero in the current window [6].
Market Structure Implications and Node Adoption Concerns
The failure of voluntary miner signaling has significant implications for market structure and investor behavior. With no major mining pool backing BIP-110, the proposal’s activation depends entirely on the mandatory flag day, creating uncertainty around chain consensus during the enforcement window [2][6]. Analysts note that the low node adoption-driven almost entirely by Bitcoin Knots, an alternative client to the dominant Bitcoin Core software-suggests limited institutional or retail infrastructure support for the change [6].
Node adoption for BIP-110-capable software ranges from an estimated 2% to 8% of listening nodes, though some figures are disputed [5]. This disparity raises concerns about potential chain splits if enforcing nodes reject blocks that fail to include the BIP-110 flag during the mandatory window [3]. Market participants view the situation as a test of Bitcoin’s coordination mechanisms, with the outcome potentially influencing future soft fork proposals and miner governance dynamics [6].
Risks and Uncertainties Ahead of Activation
A primary downside scenario involves a temporary chain disruption if enforcing nodes reject non-signaling blocks during the mandatory window, potentially causing transaction delays or orphaned blocks [3]. Additionally, the disputed node adoption figures create uncertainty about the actual level of network support, with some estimates suggesting adoption may be even lower than the reported 2% to 8% range [5].
The proposal’s one-year expiration date introduces another uncertainty: if activation occurs in September 2026, the rules will expire automatically around September 2027, potentially creating a regulatory and technical cliff for applications relying on the data limits [4]. Miners need no hardware changes to support BIP-110, but pool policy will ultimately decide whose blocks enforcing nodes accept during the mandatory window [4].
As the August deadline approaches, the network faces a critical juncture where mandatory enforcement will override the lack of voluntary miner support, setting a precedent for future Bitcoin consensus changes [6]. The outcome will determine whether data-limit restrictions become a temporary reality or a failed experiment in Bitcoin’s evolution.
Source List
- https://x.com/gustavojfe/status/2069615901222007251
- https://bgeometrics.com/blog/2026-06-bip110-signaling/
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bcNL1tXjO4
- https://www.simplemining.io/insights/post/bip-110
- https://cryptonews.net/news/bitcoin/33074358/
- https://bingx.com/en/flash-news/post/bitcoin-bip-nears-early-august-lock-in-deadline-as-miner-signaling-stays-below
- https://www.binance.com/en/square/post/07-04-2026-bip-110-was-triggered-7-times-but-miner-support-was-only-0-42-341067502299346
