Seven Bitcoin Mining Pools Back Stratum V2, 75% Hashrate Supports Decentralization
Seven major bitcoin mining pools—Foundry, AntPool, F2Pool, SpiderPool, MARA Pool, Block Inc, and DMND—have joined the Stratum V2 working group, representing nearly 75% of global bitcoin hashrate. Stratum V2 is an open-source protocol that allows individual miners to construct their own block templates, shifting transaction selection decisions from pool operators to miners. Previously under Stratum V1, pool operators controlled block content, a centralization risk. The protocol has existed since 2022 but saw limited adoption until now. This move comes amid financial pressures on miners, with CoinShares estimating 20% unprofitability and hashprice near breakeven. Network hashrate is 998 EH/s, with difficulty expected to rise. The working group sees this as the start of accelerated deployment.
Key facts
- Foundry, AntPool, F2Pool, SpiderPool, MARA Pool join Stratum V2 working group.
- Nearly 75% of global bitcoin hashrate now backs the new protocol.
- Stratum V2 lets individual miners select transactions, not pool operators.
- Protocol existed since 2022 but saw limited adoption until now.
- Move comes amid miner financial stress and rising network difficulty.