Stacks Activates PoX-5 Hard Fork, Enabling Bitcoin Staking Protocol

On July 30, 2026, Stacks successfully activated the PoX-5 hard fork at Bitcoin block 960,230, establishing the foundation for Bitcoin Staking. The upgrade completed without interruption, supported by completed migrations from partners like Binance. PoX-5 introduces protocol-level Bitcoin Bonds, enabling self-custodial yield by pairing Layer 1 Bitcoin with Stacks tokens. This marks the first of the upcoming Satoshi Upgrades, starting with a phased rollout of an institutional Genesis Bond.

PoX-5 hard fork activation

• ▪The PoX-5 hard fork transition maintained consistent block production, allowing signers to move to new consensus rules without interruption.
• ▪Stacks activated the PoX-5 hard fork at Bitcoin block 960,230 on July 30, 2026, without network interruption.

Bitcoin Staking protocol foundation

• ▪The PoX-5 upgrade establishes the protocol foundation for Bitcoin Staking, enabling Bitcoin holders to earn self-custodial Bitcoin yield.
• ▪The PoX-5 upgrade removes cooldown cycles and streamlines pooled participation to simplify the staking experience.

Stakeholder migration completion

• ▪Signers, node operators, and major exchange partners, including Binance, completed their migrations ahead of the PoX-5 activation on July 30, 2026.
• ▪Staking pool operators are completing migrations post-activation, expecting stakers to restake ahead of the upcoming cycle with no lost rewards.

Bitcoin Bonds protocol introduction

• ▪PoX-5 introduces Bitcoin Bonds at the protocol level, allowing participants to pair Layer 1 Bitcoin with Stacks tokens to earn yield.
• ▪Stacks-only stakers will preserve their existing rewards under the new PoX-5 consensus rules.

Phased institutional rollout

• ▪Participation in Bitcoin Bonds will begin through a phased rollout starting with an institutional Genesis Bond.
• ▪Broader access to Bitcoin Bonds will expand to selected staking pools as capacity increases.

Satoshi Upgrades roadmap

• ▪PoX-5 is the first of the Satoshi Upgrades, a series of protocol releases that Stacks core contributors will detail in August 2026.
• ▪Stacks founder Muneeb Ali stated that PoX-5 marks the first step in anchoring Bitcoin capital to the Stacks network.