Stacks Successfully Activates PoX-5, Laying the Foundation for Bitcoin Staking

New York, New York, July 30th, 2026, Chainwire

Stacks today activated the PoX-5 hardfork at Bitcoin block 960,230, successfully establishing the protocol foundation for Bitcoin Staking. The network upgrade completed without interruption, with core contributors verifying the activation following post-upgrade checks. Signers, node operators, and major exchange partners, including Binance, completed their migrations ahead of activation. The network is now operating under the new PoX-5 consensus rules, with ecosystem contributors continuing their planned rollout. PoX-5 is the first of the Satoshi Upgrades, a series of protocol releases that Stacks core contributors will detail in the coming weeks.

Block production continued consistently throughout the upgrade, with signers successfully moving over to the new consensus rules without interruption. Staking pool operators are completing their migrations now and expect stakers to be able to restake well ahead of the upcoming cycle, with no staking rewards lost in the transition.

With PoX-5 now live, the protocol foundation for Bitcoin Staking is in place, enabling Bitcoin holders to earn self-custodial BTC yield through Bitcoin Bonds while preserving existing rewards for STX-only stakers. The upgrade also simplifies the staking experience by removing cooldown cycles and streamlining pooled participation, creating the infrastructure for the next phase of Bitcoin-native finance.