Despite a recent decrease in transaction fees, Bitcoin continues to face a significant number of unconfirmed transactions dating back to October 2023, which is hindering the network’s effectiveness.
This backlog highlights the need for the Bitcoin community to develop scaling solutions and raises concerns about whether BTC can keep up with the growing demand.
As Bitcoin adoption has grown in recent years, the network has struggled to meet the demand, resulting in an increasing number of unconfirmed transactions. Data from block explorers reveals that BTC currently has over 200,000 backlogged transactions.
An unconfirmed transaction refers to any transaction submitted to a blockchain network that has not yet been included in a validated block. In Bitcoin, these transactions are stored in the memory pool (mempool) until a miner selects and validates them. Initiators of these transactions can speed up the process by offering higher fees as an incentive for miners.
Backlogged transactions also affect other networks, such as Ethereum, which currently has over 156,000 pending transactions according to Etherscan. However, the challenge is more pronounced in the case of Bitcoin.
Bitcoin’s backlog of unconfirmed transactions tends to increase when transaction fees rise, typically in line with an increase in the token’s price. This was evident during the recent bull rally, which began in September of last year and saw a corresponding rise in unconfirmed transactions.
Naturally, as transaction fees decrease, the number of backlogged transactions should also decrease. However, this has not been the case.
Since the second week of June, transaction fees have remained below $7, a significant drop after reaching a five-year high of over $100 in April. In the past week, fees have ranged between $2 and $3.
Despite the decrease in fees, the backlog of transactions, which dates back to October of the previous year, has not decreased. The network still has over 200,000 unconfirmed transactions.
While the initiators of these transactions can have them confirmed by paying a few extra dollars, it raises doubts about Bitcoin’s ability to handle global demand. If Visa had such a high number of pending transactions for months, global payments would come to a halt, and many businesses would face possible shutdowns. Even SWIFT, which is known for being slow, expensive, and outdated, outperforms Bitcoin in this regard.
If Bitcoin aims to compete with these established legacy solutions, it needs to improve.
One of the arguments put forth by the Bitcoin community is that the token is an asset and a hedge against inflation, rather than a currency. For an asset, speed and efficiency are not the primary concerns for investors. However, this contradicts Satoshi Nakamoto’s whitepaper, which presented Bitcoin as a “purely peer-to-peer version of electronic cash.”
Meanwhile, BTC is currently trading at $61,388, experiencing a slight dip over the past day as it prepares for the weekend. In the last month, it has lost 10% of its value as it grapples with the cyclical post-halving challenges.
Recommended for you:
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– More Bitcoin News
– What is Bitcoin?
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