On the verge of the Bitcoin Gold hard fork, users may still be unclear on what steps to take to receive their free Bitcoin Gold two days (less than 57 hours) from now. Here is what we have discovered so far:
Exchanges
The following exchanges will support bitcoin gold tradings:
- HitBTC https://hitbtc.com/
- YoBit http://yobit.net/
HitBTC released to following official statement regarding the upcoming forks:
Bitcoin Gold ("BTG")
"Bitcoin Gold will be born at block 491407 on October 25th [or sooner]. Once that block is reached, the Bitcoin network will split into two: BTC and BTG.
At the moment the first block on Bitcoin Gold is found, you will receive the exact amount of BTG tokens as you hold Bitcoin on your HitBTC account. We guarantee that Bitcoin deposits, withdrawals and trading process won’t be halted or interrupted during the hard fork. Our developers are doing their best to proceed with all technical challenges without any inconveniences. We understand how important it is to keep exchange operations running 24/7, especially during the periods of such major modifications.
BTG trading markets on HitBTC are going to be open on October 25th.
There is a possibility that BTG transactions will be available only a week after the fork. As soon as it happens, we will make BTG deposits and withdrawals available for our users."
SegWit2x ("B2X")
"The SegWit2x hard fork appears to be activated in the middle of November.
As of now, the community hasn’t come to a consensus about the SegWit2x adoption. The clear winner in this hard fork hardly could be identified.
Our team has decided to title the SegWit2x fork tokens B2X. At the moment of the hard fork you will be credited the same amount of B2X as you have BTC on your HitBTC account. We may temporarily suspend BTC deposits and withdrawals due to the lack of strong two-way replay protection in SegWit2x.
Wallets
The following information is taken from the Bitcoin Gold official website:
What is Bitcoin Gold?
"Bitcoin Gold is a fork of the Bitcoin blockchain that will occur on October 25, 2017. At the predetermined block height, Bitcoin Gold miners will begin creating blocks with a new proof-of-work algorithm, and this will cause a bifurcation of the Bitcoin blockchain. The original Bitcoin blockchain will continue on unaltered, but a new branch of the blockchain will split off from the original chain. The new branch is a distinct blockchain with the same transaction history as Bitcoin up until the fork, but then diverges from it. As a result of this process, a new cryptocurrency will be born."
What is the purpose of Bitcoin Gold?
"The purpose of Bitcoin Gold is to make Bitcoin mining decentralized again. Satoshi Nakamoto’s idealistic vision of “one CPU one vote” has been superseded by a reality where the manufacture and distribution of mining equipment has become dominated by a very small number of entities, some of which have engaged in abusive practices against individual miners and the Bitcoin network as a whole. By changing Bitcoin’s proof-of-work algorithm from SHA256 to Equihash, all of the specialized SHA256 mining equipment will be obsolete for mining the Bitcoin Gold blockchain. Thus, Bitcoin Gold will provide an opportunity for countless new people around the world to participate in the mining process with widely-available consumer hardware that is manufactured and distributed by reputable mainstream corporations. A more decentralized, democratic mining infrastructure is more resilient and more in line with Satoshi’s original vision."
What wallet should I keep my BTC in to make sure I will receive BTG?
"Any secure Bitcoin wallet that gives the user exclusive control of the cryptographic private keys is a suitable location to store your coins prior to the October 25 fork. Some wallets may offer you direct access to your BTG, while others may require you to take additional technical steps. Verified wallets that support BTC and BTG side-by-side will be listed on the Bitcoin Gold home page. We will publish guides for retrieving BTG from the most popular wallets, including Bitcoin Core, Electrum, Mycelium, hardware wallets, paper wallets, and more."