OKX has admitted to testing a new program on the Bitcoin network, resulting in a dramatic increase in transaction fees, which soared to over $50 per transfer.
According to data from mempool.space, the average transaction fee on the Bitcoin network surged to as much as $52 on Friday, necessitating over 5.4 BTC (approximately $400,000) in fees to miners for generating a single block. This abnormal spike in fees appears to be linked to the activities of the crypto exchange OKX.
After widespread speculation, OKX’s Chinese account addressed the issue on X, confirming that the exchange was responsible for the recent surge. They explained that the spike was due to testing a “collection program,” which has since been halted.
Despite the confirmation, the exact mechanism by which OKX managed to significantly alter the Bitcoin network fee landscape remains unclear. Web3 analyst @1999_eth suggested that a flawed script might have been deployed by the exchange. Regardless of the specifics, the incident has had a substantial impact on the entire network, with over 330,000 transactions currently stuck as of press time.
Periods of high transaction volume or major events in the crypto market typically lead to Bitcoin network congestion. For example, during Bitcoin’s rally to $20,000 in 2017, the number of unconfirmed transactions in the mempool soared to approximately 180,000, causing delays of several days for users awaiting transaction processing. This recent incident by OKX mirrors those historic congestion issues, underscoring the challenges of maintaining network efficiency during unexpected spikes in activity.
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