Major Bitcoin Pools Back Stratum V2 Adoption

Seven major mining entities join Stratum V2 working group to expedite Bitcoin miners' transition.

Seven major mining entities, including AntPool, Foundry, and F2Pool, have joined the Stratum V2 working group. The initiative aims to expedite the transition of Bitcoin miners to a new communication standard.

We’re excited to welcome @AntPoolofficial @blocks @f2pool @FoundryServices @MARAFoundation_  @SpiderPool_com @DMND_Sv2 to the Stratum V2 Working Group.

With founding members @BraiinsMining, @spiral_btc, and FOSS community, their experience will help accelerate the protocol and… pic.twitter.com/3HB59cxXyN

— Stratum V2 (@StratumV2) May 7, 2026

“Bitcoin mining is inherently a competitive and fragmented process. It is a race for efficiency, where a millisecond can determine whether a miner wins a block or loses to a competitor,” the statement reads.

Joining the project, founded in 2022 by Braiins and Spiral, are AntPool, F2Pool, Foundry USA, SpiderPool, MARA Foundation, DMND, and Block. Collectively, the new group members control at least 75% of the first cryptocurrency network’s hashrate.

What is Stratum V2?

Stratum V2 is an updated communication protocol between pools and individual miners, set to replace the outdated Stratum V1, in use since 2012.

The new protocol offers:

• end-to-end encryption;
• more efficient farm management;
• reduced latency;
• the ability for miners to independently create block templates.

The last point is considered particularly important for network decentralization, as currently, pools mainly control the selection of transactions for a block.

Developers also claim that transitioning to Stratum V2 could enhance mining profitability by reducing latency and data transmission costs. The project estimates efficiency gains could reach 7.4%.

In March, CoinShares analysts concluded that at least 15-20% of Bitcoin mining capacity operates at a loss.