Daily Crypto Briefs 
CASABLANCA, August 7, 2026
Bitcoin was 166 blocks from BIP-110’s mandatory signaling window at about 17:33 UTC on Friday, putting the contested temporary soft fork back on a hard on-chain countdown as BTC traded near $64,585, according to mempool.space and Blockchair.
The chain stood at block 961,466 when Daily Crypto Briefs checked it. BIP-110 names block 961,632 as the start of its mandatory signaling period, but the approach to that height does not mean Bitcoin has activated the proposal or that a chain split has occurred.
BTC was up about 0.3% in 24 hours, with a market value near $1.30 trillion, while Blockchair listed about 641,000 Bitcoin transactions over the prior day. Alternative.me’s Crypto Fear and Greed Index was at 29, or Fear, a reminder that the governance deadline is arriving in an already cautious market.
Bitcoin
BTCThe official BIP-110 specification calls the proposal a “Reduced Data Temporary Softfork.” In its own rationale, the document says the restrictions are meant to correct incentives around arbitrary data storage and refocus Bitcoin on money. The change would apply through consensus rules, not simply through an individual pool’s transaction policy.
What changed since Daily Crypto Briefs covered Foundry’s client vote on BIP-110 in July is the chain clock. The earlier story concerned one pool’s process before the mandatory window. Friday’s check places the network just 166 blocks from the defined start height, making observed signaling rather than pre-window positioning the next verifiable development.
Bitcoin BIP-110 Mandatory Signaling Starts at Block 961,632
BIP-110 sets its mandatory signaling window from blocks 961,632 through 963,647. It specifies that 55% of blocks in that period must signal support, and gives the proposal a maximum activation height of 965,664.
Those are separate conditions. Reaching 961,632 begins the prescribed window; it does not, by itself, change validation rules for all Bitcoin users. Exact calendar timing also remains an estimate because blocks do not arrive on a fixed clock.
The proposal’s deployment section differs from a conventional BIP9 schedule. It has no time-based timeout and uses block heights to force the question into a bounded period. That design is why a small movement in the tip height now carries more news value than broad claims about a fork.
For mining companies, the deadline arrives alongside pressure unrelated to protocol rules. The sector is also weighing a reported $50 billion funding gap in the pivot to AI data centers, but capital spending does not determine the BIP-110 threshold. Blocks and signals do.
BIP-110 Would Temporarily Limit New Bitcoin Data Formats
The specification proposes seven consensus restrictions for new UTXOs after activation. Among them, it would make new output scripts above 34 bytes invalid except eligible OP_RETURN outputs, set limits on certain data pushes and witness items, and restrict specified Taproot and Tapscript behavior.
The document says UTXOs created before activation would be grandfathered. If activated, the new limits would run for 52,416 blocks, roughly one year, before expiring under the proposal’s terms.
That temporary design is central to the dispute. Supporters argue that data limits reduce long-term burdens for node operators and discourage non-payment data use. Critics have pointed to compatibility and future-design trade-offs, including the BIP’s own acknowledgement that limits around Taproot control blocks could constrain some advanced constructions during the period.
The proposal is not a general ban on every kind of data use, and it does not change balances held in existing UTXOs. It would instead alter which newly created transaction outputs nodes running the rules accept as valid. That distinction matters for wallets, exchanges and services assessing any operational response.
Bitcoin Miners and Nodes Face the First Live BIP-110 Test
Mining-pool behavior is the immediate measurable variable, but it is not the whole consensus picture. A pool can signal support or opposition in a block, while nodes ultimately decide which validation rules they run.
Foundry’s July plan gave eligible clients a hashrate-weighted vote on its signal before the window. The company said it would signal No unless Yes votes exceeded 51% of participating voting hashrate, according to the Bitcoin Magazine report. Its aggregate outcome and any new notices will be more relevant now than forecasts made weeks ago.
The current public chain data does not confirm BIP-110 activation, a fork, losses, or any interruption to Bitcoin transfers. Readers should treat claims that the threshold has already been crossed with caution until they can be matched against block-level evidence and the conditions in the specification.
Fear & Greed Index
August 7, 2026The next checks are unusually clear: block 961,632, the signaling pattern that follows, and whether the 55% requirement is met before the maximum activation height. For now, the confirmed development is narrower but consequential: the BIP-110 debate has moved from a projected August event to an on-chain countdown measured in blocks.
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Primary sources and further reading
| Source | Title |
|---|---|
| | Bitcoin BIPs: BIP-110 Reduced Data Temporary Softfork |
| | mempool.space: Bitcoin blocks |
| | Blockchair: Bitcoin blockchain explorer |
| | CoinGecko: Bitcoin price |
| | Alternative.me: Crypto Fear and Greed Index |
Fact-checked by: Daily Crypto Briefs Fact-Check Desk
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Frequently Asked Questions
Has Bitcoin BIP-110 activated?
No. On August 7, Bitcoin had not reached BIP-110's mandatory signaling start at block 961,632. The proposal's activation still depends on the signaling and height conditions in its specification.
What happens at Bitcoin block 961,632?
BIP-110 defines block 961,632 as the start of a mandatory signaling window that runs through block 963,647. The calendar arrival is estimated from block production and can change.
What would BIP-110 change?
The temporary soft fork would restrict several new data-carrying transaction formats at Bitcoin's consensus layer, including specified output scripts, data pushes, witness items and some Taproot constructs.
Would BIP-110 affect existing Bitcoin?
The specification says UTXOs created before activation are grandfathered. The proposed restrictions would apply to new UTXOs created at or after activation and would expire after 52,416 blocks.
What should Bitcoin users watch next?
The practical checks are the observed block height, block-level signaling, mining-pool notices and whether the proposal meets its stated 55% threshold before the maximum activation height.