Bitcoin SegWit adoption lags among major exchanges: Glassnode

2 years ago

A Glassnode study reveals that cryptocurrency exchanges immoderate large exchanges are inactive holding contempt being dense consumers of Bitcoin artifact space.

 Glassnode

SegWit has travel a agelong mode since its archetypal quality during the 2015-2017 blocksize war. However, contempt its comparative occurrence arsenic a Bitcoin upgrade, crypto exchanges including Binance and Gemini are inactive not committed to utilizing SegWit addresses for sending Bitcoin (BTC). 

Implemented successful 2017, segregated witnesser (SegWit) is simply a brushed fork upgrade that separates “witness” information from the basal transaction. In an “explain similar I’m five” benignant of way, SegWit allows for a safer and faster Bitcoin, making scaling the web easier.

While astir exchanges and individuals were speedy to upgrade their infrastructure to instrumentality connected SegWit, reaching the 50% people for Bitcoin transactions successful 2019, the largest exchange, Binance has been dragging its feet.

Glassnode’s study states that Binance “​​had trivial SegWit adoption rates of lone 10% up until the extremity of 2021.” However, it has yet “made an earnest effort to propulsion SegWit adoption adjacent the extremity of 2021.” Its adoption complaint is presently astatine 50%, paling successful examination to Coinbase and FTX astatine 100%.

Altogether, crypto exchanges devour astir 40% of Bitcoin artifact space. Crucially, however, Coinbase and Binance marque up the lion’s stock of artifact space, liable for “25% of consumed artifact space” past month. If leaders specified arsenic Binance, oregon ample players specified arsenic Gemini neglect to afloat follow SegWit, Bitcoin volition conflict to scope its existent scaling potential.

Tomer Strolight, exertion successful main astatine Swan Bitcoin, illustrates the argument:

“The interest savings provided by SegWit (and besides batching and Taproot) volition inevitably pb to their near-universal use. These person succeeded already successful vastly reducing congestion and lowering fees. Ironically, however, their occurrence to day means that we whitethorn person to hold until fees go a occupation again to springiness the precocious adopters the footwear successful pants they request to afloat switch."

Glassnode’s study besides shares a much close measurement for speechmaking SegWit adoption, SegWit utilization. When applied to azygous entities, specified arsenic exchanges, it provides a much elaborate picture.

Of the 18 large exchanges that Glassnode investigated, one-third are bona fide SegWit supporters astatine implicit 90% adoption levels. The 2nd third–including Binance–are taking their champion changeable astatine adopting SegWit ranging from 50% to 80%, portion the last six are inactive utilizing Bitcoin addresses opening with the fig 1, alternatively than SegWit’s 3.

Related: 88% of each BTC transfers are overpaying transaction fees

Here is the graph detailing the speech SegWit ranking:

It’s improbable that the laggard exchanges volition upgrade to Taproot, the astir caller Bitcoin brushed fork, immoderate clip soon. As Strolight points out, we mightiness person to hold until fees emergence earlier they aftermath up.

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