Share this article
Bitcoin Gold Initiates Hard Fork Split to Create New Cryptocurrency
A cryptocurrency project seeking to chart a new course for bitcoin has officially launched, though the project is not yet live.
Updated Sep 13, 2021, 7:04 a.m. Published Oct 24, 2017, 1:42 a.m.
Make us preferred on Google
A new cryptocurrency has been created through a hard fork of the bitcoin blockchain.
Completing a process that began in July, the bitcoin gold technical team has taken what it calls a "snapshot" of the bitcoin blockchain so it could be recreated and reconfigured with new rules, ultimately creating bitcoin gold at block 491,407 on the original blockchain.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters
As of now, the process is underway by which the new bitcoin cryptocurrency will be completed and released to existing bitcoin users.
As profiled in our explainer, the project aims to tackle the perceived problem that miners as a group have too much influence over the direction of the bitcoin network. To lessen their control, bitcoin gold replaces bitcoin's current mining algorithm with one that cheaper graphics processing units (GPUs) are able to mine.
The idea stems from the competitive nature of bitcoin mining, which now relies solely on expensive application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs). In part because of this, mining has centralized into the hands of large mining companies, which bitcoin gold supporters feel works against bitcoin's key value proposition: decentralization.
Still, while the hard fork has been initiated, that doesn't mean users can yet claim their funds.
Until they can, bitcoin gold developers will operate the new blockchain in isolation, with the first round of block rewards being set aside for allocation to the development team.
According to group representatives, the new cryptocurrency network is aiming to be open to the public by November 1st.
Saw blade image via Shutterstock
More For You
Pudgy Penguins is building a multi-vertical consumer IP platform — combining phygital products, games, NFTs and PENGU to monetize culture at scale.
What to know:
Pudgy Penguins is emerging as one of the strongest NFT-native brands of this cycle, shifting from speculative “digital luxury goods” into a multi-vertical consumer IP platform. Its strategy is to acquire users through mainstream channels first; toys, retail partnerships and viral media, then onboard them into Web3 through games, NFTs and the PENGU token.
The ecosystem now spans phygital products (> $13M retail sales and >1M units sold), games and experiences (Pudgy Party surpassed 500k downloads in two weeks), and a widely distributed token (airdropped to 6M+ wallets). While the market is currently pricing Pudgy at a premium relative to traditional IP peers, sustained success depends on execution across retail expansion, gaming adoption and deeper token utility.
More For You
Gold in “extreme greed” sentiment as it adds the entire bitcoin market cap in one day
Bullion ripped past $5,500 and sentiment gauges hit “extreme greed,” while bitcoin stayed pinned below $90K — a split that’s getting harder to ignore.
What to know:
- Gold’s surge above $5,500 an ounce has taken on the feel of a crowded trade, with its notional value jumping about $1.6 trillion in a single day.
- Sentiment gauges such as JM Bullion’s Gold Fear & Greed Index are signaling extreme bullishness in precious metals, even as similar crypto indicators remain stuck in fear.
- Bitcoin is lagging despite the “hard assets” narrative, trading like a high-beta risk asset while investors seeking a store of value are favoring physical gold and silver over digital tokens.
Top Stories
