BCH and BSV Halving: What’s Next for Bitcoin?

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The long-anticipated halving of Bitcoin Cash (BCH) has finally arrived, marking a pivotal moment in the cryptocurrency’s history. On April 8, 2025, at 20:19 UTC, the BCH network reached block height 630,000, mined by Antpool. With this milestone, the block reward was cut in half—from 12.5 BCH to 6.25 BCH—officially kicking off the post-halving era.

At the time of the event, BCH’s network hash rate stood at approximately 3.69 EH/s, with a mining difficulty of 523.62 G. The price hovered above $265, though it had dipped nearly 5% from its 24-hour peak. Just hours later, Bitcoin SV (BSV), a fork of BCH, also underwent its own halving, reducing its block reward from 12.5 to 6.25 BSV.

This dual halving of BCH and BSV has sparked widespread speculation: Will these events influence Bitcoin’s upcoming halving? And more importantly, what do they mean for market dynamics, miner behavior, and long-term value?

The Short-Term Price Reaction: Momentum or Mirage?

As expected, both BCH and BSV saw immediate price surges following their respective halvings. By 10:00 AM UTC, BCH climbed from $251 to a high of $280—an 11.55% increase—leading gains among major cryptocurrencies. BSV followed closely behind, jumping from $184 to nearly $220, marking a substantial 19.5% rise.

👉 See how market sentiment shifts during key crypto events like halvings.

However, the rally raised a critical question: Is this momentum sustainable, or will it fizzle out like previous “sell-the-news” events?

Historical precedent offers mixed signals. Litecoin (LTC), which underwent its halving in August 2024, initially spiked post-event but quickly reversed course, failing to sustain upward momentum amid broader market downturns. As blockchain analyst “Blockchain William” noted, "The market briefly broke past $100 after LTC’s halving, but then plunged sharply—never recovering since."

This pattern suggests that while halvings can trigger short-term excitement, they don’t guarantee lasting bull runs—especially without strong macroeconomic support.

Market data further reveals bearish sentiment around BCH. According to exchange analytics, OKEx reported that over the two days preceding the halving (April 6–7), short positions outnumbered longs. Even when prices began rising on April 8, bearish traders regained dominance by mid-morning. At one point, the number of accounts holding BCH short contracts was 1.5 times higher than those holding longs, signaling deep skepticism.

Still, some experts argue that focusing solely on immediate price action misses the bigger picture.

“We should view halving in two phases,” says K爷, Head of Research at OKEx. “The first is the short-term ‘bubble-blowing’ phase driven by speculation. The second is the long-term ‘brick-laying’ phase where supply constraints gradually tighten.”

In other words, while short-term volatility may dominate headlines, the real impact unfolds over months—or even years—as reduced issuance slowly reshapes supply-demand fundamentals.

Could Miner Exodus Threaten BCH Security?

One of the most immediate concerns following any halving is miner attrition. With block rewards halved, mining profitability drops—potentially prompting miners to switch to more lucrative chains like Bitcoin (BTC).

So, could BCH lose significant hash power?

Data shows that while a temporary decline is likely—typically lasting two weeks to a month—the network remains resilient due to strong institutional backing. The top five BCH mining pools include industry giants such as AntPool, BTC.com, ViaBTC, and BTC.TOP—all of which have historically supported BCH during contentious forks.

Notably, Jiang Zhuoer, founder of BTC.TOP and a prominent BCH advocate, publicly committed 3,500P of personal hash power—roughly equivalent to pre-halving total network capacity—to defend the chain if attacked.

Additionally, the Bitcoin ABC client implements rolling checkpoints, a mechanism that locks in blocks after ten confirmations, making chain reorganizations and double-spend attacks extremely difficult.

These safeguards suggest that despite potential short-term fluctuations in hash rate, BCH’s network security remains robust, backed by both technical features and powerful stakeholders.

How Will Dual Halvings Affect Bitcoin?

With both BCH and BSV halved, attention turns to BTC’s upcoming halving—expected later in 2025. Could these earlier events foreshadow BTC’s trajectory?

From a mining perspective, if half of BCH and BSV’s combined hash power migrates to BTC, Bitcoin’s network could absorb an estimated 3% increase in total computation power. While not unprecedented, this influx adds pressure on BTC miners already operating on thin margins.

More importantly, however, BCH and BSV serve as real-time test cases for how markets react to supply shocks.

“Each halving provides valuable data,” K爷 explains. “When similar events produce similar price patterns, we gain insights into investor psychology and market structure.”

If BCH and BSV fail to sustain post-halving rallies, it might signal weak speculative appetite ahead of BTC’s event—potentially dampening expectations. Conversely, sustained strength could reinforce bullish narratives.

Beyond Price: Can BCH Revive Its Ecosystem?

While price movements grab headlines, true long-term value lies in on-chain activity and ecosystem development.

Critics often compare BCH unfavorably to BSV, noting that despite shared origins and large-block philosophies, BSV consistently outperforms in daily transaction volume.

Some argue that BSV inflates metrics by recording non-financial data (e.g., weather logs) on-chain—a practice dismissed by BCH supporters as “data padding” rather than real utility.

Yet the reality for BCH isn’t much better. The chain hosts few decentralized applications (dApps), raising concerns about stagnation.

A major setback came earlier this year when Jiang Zhuoer’s proposed Infrastructure Funding Plan—which would have directed miner rewards toward developer funding—was abandoned due to community backlash over centralization fears.

Compounding the issue, a controversial update in February forced miners to vote for the plan unless they manually modified code—a move widely criticized as coercive. In response, the community rallied behind BCHN, a new full-node implementation led by former ABC developer freetrader.

👉 Discover how decentralized governance shapes blockchain evolution.

Despite the turmoil, positive developments are emerging:

These milestones suggest that while progress has been rocky, BCH’s ecosystem is slowly maturing toward real-world utility.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is a cryptocurrency halving?
A: A halving is a programmed event that reduces miner rewards by 50%, occurring at regular intervals (e.g., every 210,000 blocks for BTC). It limits supply inflation and often precedes price increases—if demand remains steady or grows.

Q: Does halving guarantee a price increase?
A: Not necessarily. While reduced supply can create upward pressure, external factors like market sentiment, macroeconomic conditions, and adoption rates play larger roles in determining price direction.

Q: Could BCH miners move to Bitcoin after the halving?
A: Yes—some may shift if BTC mining becomes comparatively more profitable. However, loyal mining pools and ideological supporters are likely to maintain core network security.

Q: Is BSV outperforming BCH in real usage?
A: In raw transaction count, yes—but much of BSV’s volume comes from non-financial data storage. True economic activity remains limited on both chains.

Q: How does USDT on BCH impact its value?
A: Integrating a major stablecoin improves liquidity and enables use cases like remittances and DeFi. It also signals growing trust in the network’s stability and scalability.

Q: Can BCH recover its relevance in the crypto ecosystem?
A: With new funding models (like Flipstarter), improved governance (via BCHN), and expanding tooling (e.g., Anyhedge), recovery is possible—but requires sustained developer engagement and user adoption.

Final Outlook

The dual halving of BCH and BSV may not have ignited an explosive bull run—but it has reignited discussions about value creation beyond price speculation.

While short-term traders focus on volatility and sentiment shifts, long-term observers see an opportunity: a chance for BCH to rebuild trust, diversify funding, and deliver practical applications.

As Bitcoin’s own halving approaches later in 2025, all eyes will be watching whether history repeats—or diverges.

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