Bitcoin BLAKE2b fork proposes 45‑day miner lock‑up

Developers of the Bitcoin BLAKE2b fork (also known as BTCB2, Bitcoin BIP‑110 or XBT) have announced a protocol change that would lock newly mined coins for 45 days before they can be spent. The change is slated for activation at block 973440.

Background on the fork

The minority chain split from Bitcoin on August 8, 2026 at block height 961632. It was created by supporters of BIP‑110 and the Bitcoin Knots client who wanted to limit non‑monetary data on the blockchain. After the split the chain inherited Bitcoin’s difficulty, leading to a rapid mining of eight blocks in the first 22 days before the network stalled.

To revive the network, developers introduced a proof‑of‑work algorithm based on the BLAKE2b hash function, adjusted difficulty and reduced block size. The fork gained brief market attention, reaching $1,799 in early September before falling 84% to a range of $270‑$315.

Recent price movement and miner activity

Despite limited exchange listings—major aggregators such as CoinGecko and CoinMarketCap do not list BTCB2—the token traded on a few small platforms, including Neoxa Exchange where it is listed as XBT. The recent price decline has attracted attention from miners, and developer Luke Dashjr has accused some mining pools of “attacking” the network by exploiting it for profit.

Proposed 45‑day lock‑up

Dashjr opened a pull request (Bitcoin Knots #419) that would extend the waiting period for miners to spend newly minted coins from the current Bitcoin standard of 100 confirmations to a fixed 45‑day lock‑up. The release notes describe the move as a response to “apathetic BLAKE2b incumbents” who are allegedly using “blind hashing instead of mining.”

Neoxa Exchange confirmed it will support the upcoming soft fork, and the network’s tip is currently near block 973228.

Outlook

The proposed change aims to curb speculative mining behavior and give the chain more stability, but the fork remains a niche asset with thin liquidity and limited market visibility.