Seven leading mining pools controlling 75% of BTC hashrate will shift block template decisions to individual miners under Stratum V2.
Seven of the largest Bitcoin mining pools, representing 75% of global BTC hashrate, have agreed to adopt the Stratum V2 protocol. The move aims to decentralize block construction by allowing individual miners to select transactions for new blocks, reducing pool operator control over transaction inclusion.
The shift follows rising concerns over centralized mining power and comes as miners face economic pressure, with an estimated 20% operating unprofitably. Network difficulty and hashrate continue to climb, adding to industry challenges. Stratum V2 is an open-source protocol governing communication between pools and miners.
Pools joining the initiative include Foundry, AntPool, F2Pool, SpiderPool, MARA Pool, Block Inc, and DMND. The adoption marks one of the most significant decentralization efforts in Bitcoin mining in recent years.