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Bitcoin’s 7-day transaction average has dropped to its lowest level since October 2023.
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Some miners are now including near-zero-fee transactions in blocks.
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Bitcoin Core devs argue against censoring non-standard or low-fee transactions.
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The trend has reignited debate over Bitcoin’s decentralization principles.
Bitcoin Transactions Drop Sharply
Bitcoin network activity has hit a significant low, with the 7-day moving average for transactions falling to around 317,000. This marks the lowest level since October 2023, according to The Block's data, despite bitcoin trading near record highs.
On June 1, the total number of transactions mined into blocks dropped to just 256,000.
Miners Accepting Low-Fee Transactions
In a surprising development, some miners are now including transactions with fees below Bitcoin Core’s default relay minimum of 1 sat/vB. One notable case involved a 0.1 sat/vB transaction submitted by Mempool founder Mononaut, which was successfully mined by MARA using its low-fee Slipstream service.
The transaction cost just 11 sats — about one cent — and sat in the mempool for a month before being confirmed.
Developers Defend Bitcoin’s Open Principles
On June 6, 31 Bitcoin Core developers published an open letter discouraging censorship of low-fee or non-standard transactions. They argued that doing so would compromise Bitcoin’s censorship-resistant nature and push users toward private services, undermining decentralization.
Critics like Samson Mow pushed back, accusing developers of enabling spam and weakening the network’s integrity.
