The user-activated hard fork (UAHF) on the Bitcoin network is looming around the corner. ‘Bitcoin Cash’ (BCC; BCH) is slated to break away as a new fork from the Bitcoin blockchain on August 1 at 9:20PM JST or 12:20PM UTC.
Also read: Fork Watch: JP Powerhouse Coincheck Now Unlikely to Suspend Bitcoin Payments
Major Exchanges Embrace Bitcoin Cash
Multiple bitcoin exchanges have signaled support for ‘Bitcoin Cash.’ This news comes alongside the inevitability that a UAHF event will occur.
Last week, Bitcoin.com detailed many of the exchanges and platforms that will be rejecting Bitcoin Cash (BCC), but now more appear to be settling into the idea that it will exist as a legitimate digital token. At the time of writing, futures of BCC are being traded on Viabtc’s exchange for roughly $390.
Kraken
The large bitcoin exchange Kraken made an announcement yesterday in support of Bitcoin Cash. They said they will be providing users with the ability to trade it on their platform. They pledged to credit clients with an equivalent amount of Bitcoin Cash based on their current holdings of bitcoin.
Although the Bitcoin Cash fork is expected to be minor, it may be successful. Provided that unforeseen circumstances do not make it prohibitively unsafe or difficult for us to do so, Kraken will support Bitcoin Cash…
However, Kraken warned margin traders on their platform to “be very cautious across the fork.” They were told to either greatly reduce their position or cease margin trading altogether to ensure a smooth transition. In the least, they should set stops and not rely on Kraken to function optimally while the fork is in progress.
Bitfinex
The bitcoin exchange platform Bitfinex also announced they would be supporting bitcoin cash. They plan on providing an amount of bitcoin cash tokens equivalent to that of bitcoin in their customer’s wallets.
They said, “A minority of Bitcoin miners will be forking on August 1st, 2017 to create a new chain called Bitcoin Cash. The fork does not impact Bitcoin balances, but it creates a new token. At the time of the fork, all Bitcoin addresses holding a balance will automatically have equivalent balances in Bitcoin Cash.”
The company, however, mentioned they will not be using “BCC” for the bitcoin cash ticker symbol. They said it is already in use on their platform. Instead, they will use “BCH.” The company will distribute BCH tokens with the UTC timestamp of the first forking block, which will occur August 1. Their page contains details on how they plan on ironing out the kinks and managing technical issues.
Hardware Wallet Company’s Support Bitcoin Cash
Besides exchanges, major hardware wallets manufacturers are also supporting Bitcoin Cash. Both Trezor and Ledger have provided details on securing bitcoin cash in their wallets when the fork occurs.
Trezor wallet said they can safely adopt bitcoin cash functionality with their wallets since the currency supports replay attack protection. They said, “Bitcoin Cash has implemented the necessary protection against replay attacks, meaning Trezor can support the currency safely. We will provide an interface, accessible from Trezor Wallet, where you can access and safely claim your Bitcoin Cash coins. You will be prompted by Trezor Wallet once you select ‘Bitcoin Cash’ in the currency selector.”
As a result of the in-built replay attack protection, Ledger will also provide full functionality for bitcoin cash via their wallets. They say users will be able to gain access to bitcoin cash after the fork by using a special tool. They said users could view bitcoin cash currency as “free air-dropped money.”
As a result, all bitcoin holders will be granted a new duplicated Bitcoin Cash balance (literally airdropped free money) if the fork activates — this post and the follow ups will describe how you can best secure this new balance, then decide to trade it, hold it or sell it as you wish.
Both hardware wallet companies wrote details on their page explaining how to respond to the fork and gain access to freshly minted bitcoin cash.
Many Company’s Working With Bitcoin Cash; Protect Your Keys
Several other exchanges and wallet providers are also signaling their support for the hard-forked token. Exchanges include Quoinexchange, Viabtc, Kcoin, Btcbox, Bithumb, Kex, Mercury Cash, Huobi, Quadrigacx, Toubi, Korbit, Bittrex, and Btcpop. Wallet providers who are adopting Bitcoin Cash include, Bitcoin ABC, Bitcoinclassic, Electrum Cash, and btc.com.
The exchange Quoinexchange said, “We have also received many inquiries regarding BCC (Bitcoin Cash) crypto currency. As an exchange, our goal is to provide a fair exchange platform which is highly secure and compliant. As a result of the fork, users that hold BTC in their balances at the time of the fork will be credited equivalent BCC. If your account balance at the time of the fork holds 1 BTC, you will be credited 1 BCC.”
These announcements seem to suggest stronger community backing for the fork token. It does not look like the currency will die immediately in the rip and roar of the fork. The future of the digital asset remains uncertain, for sure.
However, the basic rules of forks still apply to everyone regardless of what happens: keep private keys safe. No matter what coin wins out, every bitcoin user should try to maintain their coins with their own securely held private keys. This ensures that control of both coins remain in the user’s hands.
Will bitcoin cash continue to grow after Aug 1? Will it have more supporters? Let us know in the comments section below.
Images courtesy of Shutterstock, bitfinex.com, and crunchbase.com
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