Fractal Bitcoin 7 Months Update: Scaling Bitcoin's Future with Practical Innovation
Executive Summary
Fractal has emerged as Bitcoin's innovation layer and premier scaling solution in record time. In just 7 months since our September 2024 mainnet launch, we've achieved remarkable traction:
18.6 million users holding FB with highly decentralized token distribution
50-60% of Bitcoin's hashrate now merged-mining Fractal (500+ EH/s)
1.8 billion transactions processed averaging 10.7 million per day
147+ projects building on our platform, creating a vibrant ecosystem
Fractal continues to stand at the forefront of Bitcoin innovation, being the innovation layer on Bitcoin. By creating unlimited recursive layers through Bitcoin Core virtualization, we're enabling internet-scale applications while preserving Bitcoin's foundational principles.
Our unique approach is bringing new capabilities to Bitcoin, strengthening miner economics, and fostering an explosion of creativity in the Bitcoin ecosystem.
As Lorenzo, one of our core contributors, often says: "If Bitcoin is the asset for storing value, Fractal Bitcoin is the asset for innovating with value."
Our Vision: Bitcoin's Infinite Innovation Playground
Fractal was conceived to address Bitcoin’s limitations in network utility and scalability. As a $1.64T asset class, Bitcoin has historically served primarily as a store of value. However, during periods of low network activity — and with the protocol constrained to processing only ~1 million transactions per day — it struggles to support internet-scale applications.
Fractal Bitcoin proposes a system of recursive layers built directly on Bitcoin. We’ve implemented Fractal using Bitcoin Core software and scripting language to ensure developer equivalence. Through merged and permissionless mining, Fractal creates alignment at the security layer. We’re also actively developing a decentralized indexer and advancing BRC-20 upgrades on both Bitcoin and Fractal, creating deeper protocol and data-level synergies. If Bitcoin is the asset for storing value, Fractal Bitcoin is the asset for innovating with value.
Fractal Bitcoin represents a fundamental shift in how we think about Bitcoin scaling. Rather than viewing Bitcoin as merely a store of value, we see it as the foundation for a comprehensive system capable of supporting diverse applications at global scale.
Network Growth & Security: Strong Foundation
Unprecedented Mining Support
Fractal has secured remarkable support from the mining community, with 50-60% of Bitcoin's hashrate now merged-mining our network. This represents 500+ EH/s of security - placing us firmly in the Top 10 Daily PoW Rankings according to f2pool.
Major mining pools supporting Fractal include:
Antpool
f2Pool
ViaBTC
Binance Pool
Spiderpool
FairPool
Kryptex
Luxor
Our hybrid "Cadence Mining" approach combines merged mining with permissionless mining, providing miners with additional revenue streams (between a few basis points to 70% more returns per day) without requiring extra hardware or energy expenditure.
As of noon April 8, 2025, Fractal has produced 608,795 blocks and counting without a hitch, with 1/3 merged mined and 2/3 permissionlessly mined.
Technical Performance
30-second block time (20x faster than Bitcoin)
Consistent network uptime comparable to Bitcoin
Full Bitcoin compatibility maintained across updates
User & Transaction Growth: Real-World Adoption
The rapid adoption of Fractal demonstrates strong product-market fit:
18.6 million FB holders with highly decentralized token distribution
1.8+ billion transactions processed since launch
Average of 10.7 million transactions daily
24H on-chain transaction volume exceeding 2.84 million FB
This remarkable traction shows that Fractal is addressing real needs in the Bitcoin ecosystem, providing the scalability and functionality that users and developers require.
Ecosystem Development: Thriving Innovation
Protocol Innovations
Multi-Protocol Support: Built-in compatibility with BRC-20, Ordinals, Runes, and CAT
OP_CAT Integration: Enabled advanced smart contract capabilities, opening new possibilities for DeFi and complex applications
Treasury Time-Locking: Implemented transparent, verifiable 10-year timelocks for community funds
Ecosystem Projects Highlights
Our ecosystem has grown to include 147+ projects across multiple categories:
PizzaSwap: First AMM built using Bitcoin Script, processing over $500K in trading volume in the past 30 days
SatWorld: Immersive gaming environment built on Bitcoin and Fractal
CAT Protocol: Expanding with new swap and liquidity venues
DeTrading: First atomic swap between Bitcoin mainnet and Fractal
Fractal Potato: Community NFT project that attracted 30,000+ whitelist subscribers on UniSat Drops
Goldinals: New asset standard format launched by Nubit
Shell Finance: Launched sUSD, an overcollateralized stablecoin
Wallet, Data & Exchange
UniSat Wallet: Full Fractal support in one of Bitcoin's most popular wallets
OKX Web3 Wallet, Explorer & OS: Comprehensive integration across OKX Web3 products
Multiple Explorer Options: Ensuring blockchain visibility and transparency
Exchange Support: Gate.io Spot, Kucoin Spot, Bybit Perps, and more
Community & Governance: Building Lasting Value
Transparent On-Chain Decisions
Fractal Vote: 80,000+ unique addresses participating in ecosystem decisions
Time-Locked Treasury & Community Grant: 10-year strategic allocation ensuring long-term sustainability for both the Ecosystem Treasury and Community Grant
Retroactive Grants Program: Three successful grant seasons supporting innovative projects building on Fractal
Community Engagement
Fractal has built an active, passionate community through strategic events and initiatives:
UniSat Drops Launch: Driven by strong community momentum, UniSat recently launched Drops, a discovery tool for emerging Bitcoin and Fractal projects. The inaugural campaign by Fractal Potato attracted an impressive 30,000+ whitelist subscribers, demonstrating extraordinary community interest.
Bitcoin Tech Carnival: We hosted a major ecosystem event in Hong Kong that brought together 600+ attendees representing the most influential players in the Bitcoin space. This flagship event positioned Fractal at the center of Bitcoin innovation conversations.
Global Meetups Program: We've organized successful community gatherings in Nashville, Singapore, and Hong Kong, creating opportunities for users, developers, and investors to connect in person and strengthen ecosystem relationships.
Developer Hackathons: Our focused development events in Bangkok and Bangalore resulted in 24 high-quality project submissions, showcasing how developers can build functional projects on Fractal in just one weekend.
Seasonal Celebrations: We've created memorable holiday-themed events featuring original art by renowned artists (including Bluugu, who worked with Pudgy Penguins) and showcased over 40 ecosystem projects, fostering community spirit while educating users about Bitcoin concepts.
Industry Presence: Fractal maintains high visibility at major industry events including the upcoming Consensus Hong Kong, OP_NEXT, and Consensus Toronto. We've also established regular communication channels through podcasts, AMAs, and community spaces to keep our ecosystem informed and engaged.
Strategic Initiatives: Looking Forward
As we continue to build Bitcoin's innovation playground, several strategic initiatives are underway:
PoW Miners Alliance
We're forming a dedicated miners alliance to strengthen our mining ecosystem, enhance network security, and create additional value for miners participating in Fractal.
Institutional Adoption
Discussions are advancing with companies to adopt Bitcoin ecosystem assets such as FB to provide traditional markets exposure to Fractal. Existing investors of Fractal Bitcoin include prominent firms such as Asymmetric Financial, UTXO Management, IDG Capital, Bing Ventures, NGC Metaverse Fund, Amber Labs, Coinsummer, CMS Holdings, and others. We also have an ongoing push for stablecoins on Fractal, including WUSD with WSPN, and others in the works.
Hexa Hybrid Exchange
Fractal (FB) will be integral to the upcoming Hexa hybrid exchange built by UniSat powering trading of assets on Bitcoin and Fractal Bitcoin.
Additional Strategic Initiatives
BIP Integration: Working with developers to test popular BIPs in a market-ready environment
Enterprise Adoption Program: Tailored solutions for businesses leveraging Bitcoin scaling
Regional Developer Hubs: Establishing dedicated centers for Fractal development in key markets
BRC-20 Upgrade: Fractal Bitcoin continues to be the network for upgrades to be implemented on first
Core Contributors
Fractal is led by UniSat and BlockSpaceForce, two teams deeply invested in Bitcoin's growth:
UniSat supports 1M+ MAUs across its suite of tools, is a core maintainer of BRC-20 and contributor to Runes, and built infrastructure like Fractal Explorer, PizzaSwap, CAT DEX, FairPool, and Simple Bridge.
BlockSpaceForce co-created Bitcoin Tech Carnival 2025, built Fractal Vote and Fractal Ecosystem, and invested in Babylon, SatLayer, Alkimiya, Yield Basis, Blockspace Media, Flashnet, Nubit, and more. The team includes alumni from CoinMarketCap, Coinbase, Foundry, VeChain, and Cobo, and continues engaging institutional firms to expand Bitcoin ecosystem awareness.
Thank you for your continued belief in our vision as we build Bitcoin's future together. The achievements of the past seven months are just the beginning of Fractal's journey to transform Bitcoin from a singular blockchain into an infinitely scalable system capable of supporting global adoption.
Let Fractal Grow!
— The Fractal Contributor Team
