Bitcoin BLAKE2b freezes rewards for 45 days after 84% crash

Developers lock new mining rewards for 45 days to address network instability
Update follows recent BTCB2/XBT price plunge and targets miner-driven attacks

On September 21, 2026, Cryptopolitan reported that developers of the minority Bitcoin BLAKE2b fork (BTCB2/XBT) merged a code update freezing new mining rewards for 45 days, starting from block 973440. This extension from the standard 100-block maturity was introduced as an immediate response to recent network instability, following an 84% price drop after the token’s initial surge.

Luke Dashjr led the code change, implemented as Bitcoin Knots pull request [object Object] on GitHub. The update targets “blind hashing” and attacks by dominant mining pools that reportedly threatened the chain’s security. By delaying miners’ access to new coins, the 45-day lockup aims to make short-term, opportunistic mining less attractive and discourage rapid reward selloffs.

This change is expected to make chain attacks costlier and less appealing, encouraging more stable miner participation. According to Cryptopolitan, developers are also considering further updates to extend coinbase maturity to as long as a year and introduce penalties for non-standard blocks.

While the update is intended to reinforce network stability, it may unsettle investors and traders and could fragment miner support, as BTCB2 prices remain sharply declined. Neoxa, one of the few exchanges listing XBT, has endorsed the update and notified miners that the new maturity rules will be enforced with the soft fork.