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Adam Back Debunks Rumors That Bitcoin Mining Will End in 2026

Adam Back says the rumors about Bitcoin mining ending in 2026 are not true. In his view, the debate is about a separate coin, not the Bitcoin network itself.

By Zenz van der Wielen
• 2 min read
Adam Back Debunks Rumors That Bitcoin Mining Will End in 2026

Key Takeaways

  • Adam Back debunked rumors that Bitcoin mining would stop in August 2026.
  • The confusion came from BIP-110, a temporary soft fork that aims to limit non-financial data on the Bitcoin blockchain.
  • Back says Luke Dashjr is preparing a separate coin with different mining rules, while Bitcoin mining will keep going as usual.

Blockstream CEO Adam Back has pushed back on recent rumors that Bitcoin mining would stop in August 2026. According to Back, this is a misunderstanding tied to a proposal from developer Luke Dashjr, who is preparing a new cryptocurrency with different mining rules, separate from the Bitcoin network itself.

Debate Over BIP-110 and Mining Rules

The controversy started with Bitcoin Improvement Proposal 110 (BIP-110), a temporary soft fork that aims to limit the amount of non-financial data, such as images, stored on the Bitcoin blockchain. This proposal, which expires in August 2026, is only backed by a small group of miners and node operators. Since Bitcoin mining relies on specialized hardware built for a specific puzzle-solving method, changing that method would make existing machines worthless. That led to the idea that Dashjr wanted to shut out the mining industry.

Adam Back stresses that this change does not apply to the existing Bitcoin network, but that Dashjr wants to launch a separate coin with different mining rules. He compares it to Bitcoin Gold, an altcoin that launched in 2017 with mining on graphics cards instead of specialized hardware. Even though Bitcoin Gold got a lot of attention at the time, it could not match Bitcoin’s security or network.

Impact on Miners and Market Developments

Dashjr says the dominance of one manufacturer, Bitmain, in mining hardware production gives too much power to a small group. At the same time, the mining sector is dealing with lower profitability this year. In March, mining difficulty dropped sharply as some miners shifted to AI-related uses. The weak Bitcoin price is also putting pressure on miners’ revenue.

Whether miners will actually move to Dashjr’s new coin is still unclear. Historically, similar Bitcoin forks have faded away quickly without becoming real competitors. The coming weeks leading up to the BIP-110 deadline will show whether this effort has any more traction. For now, the Bitcoin mining process is still moving ahead just as it always has.

Why This Matters for European Crypto Users

For European crypto investors and users, it is important to understand that Bitcoin as a network and mining activity are not affected by these developments. The debate around BIP-110 and the possible fork is happening on the edge of the Bitcoin ecosystem. Still, it could draw attention to the fragmentation inside the community and the challenges around network governance and decentralization, topics that are getting more attention in Europe too.

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