Bitcoin Cash (BCH) burst back into the market capitalization top 10 rankings on Thursday after a 36% overnight surge compounded 68% growth for the week. The per coin valuation of BCH climbed from $1,068 to $1,462 in under 24 hours leading into Thursday, adding to a notable increase from its weekly low in the $800 range.
The resurgence of what was once a mainstay of the top-10 lineup comes just over a week ahead of Bitcoin Cash’s scheduled bi-annual hard fork on May 15, which will introduce two small, but not insignificant, tweaks to the network.
One sees the removal of Bitcoin Cash’s unconfirmed transaction chain limit, allowing for more micro-transactions to be broadcast without having to wait for a block confirmation.
Blocks are mined every 10 minutes on Bitcoin Cash, and the old unconfirmed chain limit was capped at 50 transactions. This allowed for high-volume applications to make 50 near-instant transactions before requiring confirmation in a block. This cap will be removed entirely in the upcoming hard fork.
The other major change scheduled for May 15 will see the introduction of multiple “OP_RETURN” outputs. Put simply, the Bitcoin Cash blockchain currently allows for the insertion of miscellaneous data into a transaction, such as text, images, and other data types. At present, only one “OP_RETURN” output can be included in a transaction — i.e., one image, text, etc. The upcoming network upgrade will allow for multiple pieces of miscellaneous data to be included in a single transaction.
Both changes feasibly open up Bitcoin Cash to higher volume usage and make it more amenable to current and popular applications such as nonfungible tokens. Businesses and app developers stated they specifically wanted to see the changes introduced to expand the blockchain’s capabilities with nonfungible tokens in particular, as noted in the upgrade’s documentation.
Bitcoin Cash’s market price has been on the rise since the start of the year along with the rest of the cryptocurrency sphere. So too has its overall usage according to on-chain data from Bitinfocharts.
The number of daily Bitcoin Cash transactions rose from 20,000 in December to over 150,000 at the time of publication — a 650% increase. Between February and April, Bitcoin Cash regularly processed more transactions on a daily basis than Bitcoin (BTC), peaking at 414,000 to Bitcoin’s 229,000 on March 21.
However, the same data source shows less growth in the number of transactions coming from unique addresses, which only increased 25% from 40,000 to 50,000 — a figure one-fifth of that seen on Bitcoin.
Information on these pages contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Markets and instruments profiled on this page are for informational purposes only and should not in any way come across as a recommendation to buy or sell in these assets. You should do your own thorough research before making any investment decisions. FXStreet does not in any way guarantee that this information is free from mistakes, errors, or material misstatements. It also does not guarantee that this information is of a timely nature. Investing in Open Markets involves a great deal of risk, including the loss of all or a portion of your investment, as well as emotional distress. All risks, losses and costs associated with investing, including total loss of principal, are your responsibility. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of FXStreet nor its advertisers.
Recommended Content
Editors’ Picks
XRP corrects as traders weigh possibility of SEC appealing Ripple ruling
Ripple (XRP) trades with minor losses on Friday as holders weigh the impact of a likely appeal by the US Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) in the Ripple lawsuit.
Bitcoin Weekly Forecast: $70,000 mark on sight as bulls remain strong
Bitcoin has risen around 3% so far this week, breaking above its range upper limit of $64,700. This gain was supported by increased institutional demand for ETFs, which recorded inflows of more than $612 million this week.
Crypto Today: Bitcoin, Ethereum and XRP steady above major support levels, Worldcoin leads AI token gains
Bitcoin, Ethereum trade above key supports at $65,000 and $2,600, as of Friday. XRP corrects slightly, holding steady above $0.5892. Worldcoin climbs 3% as Polymarket bet shows a 66% chance of OpenAI becoming a “for profit” entity before April.
Top 3 meme coins Dogecoin, Shiba Inu and Pepe: Rally continues
The prices of the top 3 meme coins by market capitalization, Dogecoin, Shiba Inu and Pepe, extend their gains on Friday after a rally on Thursday. The technical outlook for the three coins hints at further gains ahead as they all broke above bullish technical patterns.
Bitcoin Weekly Forecast: $70,000 mark on sight as bulls remain strong
Bitcoin (BTC) has risen around 3% so far this week, breaking above its range upper limit of $64,700.
Five best Forex brokers in 2024
VERIFIED Choosing the best Forex broker in 2024 requires careful consideration of certain essential factors. With the wide array of options available, it is crucial to find a broker that aligns with your trading style, experience level, and financial goals.