Two Bitcoin Forks Target August: BIP-110 and eCash

Two distinct Bitcoin protocol events are scheduled for August 2026. One is BIP-110, a proposed soft fork that requires 55% miner signaling to activate. The other is eCash, a planned hard fork that would create a parallel chain at Bitcoin block 964,000, estimated near Aug. 21 at 15:00 UTC.

BIP-110, authored by Dathon Ohm and titled the Reduced Data Temporary Softfork, would restrict certain ways data can be embedded in transactions. The proposal invalidates new scriptPubKeys larger than 34 bytes, with an exception allowing OP_RETURN outputs up to 83 bytes. It makes data pushes and witness items over 256 bytes invalid, blocks spending undefined witness or Tapleaf versions, and limits some Taproot-related constructs and specific Tapscript opcodes. UTXOs created before activation would be grandfathered. The proposal sets the restriction as temporary, expiring about one year after activation.

The proposal uses a modified BIP9 deployment that sets a 55% miner-signaling threshold. The text specifies a mandatory signaling window expected to begin near block 961,632, roughly Aug. 8. The specification includes mechanics to lock in or reject the rules by predefined heights, with lock-in no later than block 963,648 and rule activation at block 965,664 if the deployment proceeds as written.

Public on-chain miner signaling measured through early July remained well below the 55% threshold. Cumulative signaling through July 2 measured about 0.42% across tracked blocks since May 1. Short-term daily signaling showed higher rates in some periods, and node-level counts vary depending on measurement methods. Those node counts can differ from miner-weighted signaling because they reflect software instances rather than the economic weight of mined blocks.

eCash is led by Paul Sztorc and is planned as a separate chain that does not change Bitcoin’s consensus rules. The project would snapshot Bitcoin balances at block 964,000 and distribute an equivalent balance on the new chain. Developers have discussed a coin-splitter tool to separate the two assets after the snapshot. The eCash design uses Drivechain functionality based on BIP-300 and BIP-301, which describe hashrate escrows and blind merged mining to secure sidechains.

Service providers historically pause deposits and withdrawals around forks, wait for a stable dominant chain, and require replay protection and confirmations before listing a new asset. The BlackRock iShares Bitcoin Trust reported $44.95 billion in net assets as of July 2 and its prospectus states the trust will abandon incidental rights to forked or airdropped assets, which can affect how much of Bitcoin supply moves into any forked token.

Practical steps for holders differ by event. For eCash, retaining private keys in self-custody before the snapshot is the way to preserve the option to claim the new token. For BIP-110, software compatibility matters for users of specialized Taproot constructions or miniscript-based wallets; those users should confirm whether their wallet software will accept transactions under the proposed rules before the mandatory-signaling window.

Observers will track miner signaling levels for BIP-110 through early August, positions taken by major mining pools, and announcements from exchanges and custodians about support policies. For eCash, attention will focus on confirmed replay-protection mechanisms, verified wallet tools, and whether exchanges choose to list the new token.