After 4:40 PM GMT (11:40 AM ET) on November 15th, the Bitcoin Cash (BCH) blockchain will undergo a hard fork and BitGo will be supporting the ABC chain, which is believed to be the dominant chain.
November 15th, 2018: Review our real-time updates of the hard fork.
We recommend ceasing transaction activity in and out of all Bitcoin Cash wallets two hours prior to the fork, at approximately 2:40 PM GMT (9:40 AM ET) in order to ensure safekeeping of funds.
Understanding the Bitcoin Cash hard fork
Twice a year, the Bitcoin Cash (BCH) blockchain undergoes a hard fork which integrates scheduled protocol upgrades. Optimally, these hard fork upgrades go unnoticed and the BCH blockchain continues on.
This time was different; the community was not able to reach consensus on the direction of BCH and as a result, the BCH blockchain is expected to fork into two separate chains.
The two disagreeing groups are a coalition supporting a prospective chain called Bitcoin ABC (ABC), and a group led by NChain supporting a prospective chain called Bitcoin Satoshi’s Vision (SV). There is possibility for a third chain, in which some network participants continue with the pre-fork Bitcoin Cash rule set.
-
ABC fork introduces non-backwards compatible protocol upgrades including two new operation codes and canonical transaction ordering
-
SV fork will restore more legacy operation codes and increase the maximum block size
Strong early sentiment indicates that ABC will be the more valuable chain with greatest hash support. Believed to be the dominant chain, BitGo custody and wallets will support ABC.
How BitGo will handle the hard fork
BitGo will shut down receiving and sending of transactions from Bitcoin Cash wallets for at least two hours starting at 4:40 PM GMT (11:40 AM ET). API users wanting to transact immediately after the hard fork will need to pass the ‘unsafeSplit’ flag on sending attempts to acknowledge the risk of their transactions being replayed to the Bitcoin SV chain. This requirement will be lifted when BitGo deems it safe. If decoupling of funds on the respective chains will be required, it may remain in place until replay-protection is implemented.
Questions or concerns? Please contact support@bitgo.com
The latest
All News
About BitGo
BitGo is the digital asset infrastructure company, delivering custody, wallets, staking, trading, financing, and settlement services from regulated cold storage. Since our founding in 2013, we have been focused on accelerating the transition of the financial system to a digital asset economy. With a global presence and multiple regulated entities, BitGo serves thousands of institutions, including many of the industry's top brands, exchanges, and platforms, and millions of retail investors worldwide. For more information, visit www.bitgo.com.
©2025 BitGo, Inc. (collectively with its parent, affiliates, and subsidiaries, “BitGo”). All rights reserved. BitGo Trust Company, Inc., BitGo, Inc., and BitGo Prime LLC are separately operated, wholly-owned subsidiaries of BitGo Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation headquartered in Palo Alto, CA. BitGo does not offer legal, tax, or investment advisory services. The statements contained herein are only intended for marketing and informational purposes and should not be interpreted as legal, tax, or investment advice. Please consult your legal,tax,investment, or other professional advisor for questions about your specific circumstances. Digital asset holdings involve a high degree of risk, and digital asset values may fluctuate on any given day. Accordingly, your digital asset holdings may be subject to large swings in value and may even become worthless. The information provided herein is not intended for distribution to, or use by, any person or entity in any jurisdiction or country where such distribution or use would be contrary to law, statute, or regulation. BitGo is not directing this information to any person in any jurisdiction where the publication or availability of the information is prohibited, by reason of that person’s citizenship, residence, or otherwise. The information contained in our press releases, blogs, and presentations should be considered accurate only as of the date of the press release, blog, or presentation. We disclaim any obligation to supplement or update the information in these press releases, blogs, or presentations, except as may be required by law. Product availability and client eligibility will vary by jurisdiction. Services listed may be provided by one of BitGo's affiliated entities.