Bitcoin Core developer Luke Dashjr has raised concerns about the finality of Bitcoin transactions, stating that the widely accepted six-block confirmation rule no longer holds.

According to him, transaction finalization now takes over a week, casting doubt on Bitcoin’s resistance to censorship.

Finality refers to the point where reversing a transaction becomes practically impossible due to the immense computational power required. Traditionally, this threshold was reached once six blocks were added after the original transaction.

Why Bitcoin transactions are taking longer to finalize

Dashjr argues that the traditional standard no longer applies due to the increasing centralization of Bitcoin mining pools. In a Feb. 8 X post, he explained that he attempted to update the six-block confirmation target in Bitcoin Knots, a Bitcoin Core alternative.

However, his calculations indicated that due to Antpool’s significant share of the network hashrate, achieving 95% security now requires over 800 blocks—equivalent to approximately 5.5 days.

Data from the HashRate Index shows that Antpool controls about 16.67% of Bitcoin’s total hash power, trailing Foundry USA at 33.12%. Other major pools include F2Pool (8.87%), MARA Pool (6.06%), and SecPool (5.19%).

However, Dashjr disputes these figures, asserting that several pools, such as Braiins and possibly ViaBTC, act as proxies for Antpool, making its influence far greater. He also noted that many miners unknowingly contribute to potential network reorganizations by operating under centralized pools.

Industry concerns

Industry experts have echoed these concerns, warning that the increasing dominance of a few mining pools exposes Bitcoin to potential censorship and even a 51% attack.

Bob Burnett, CEO of Barefoot Mining, said that if a single entity con

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Author: Oluwapelumi Adejumo