We’re getting close to the Bitcoin hard fork and a resulting split of the network.
Bitcoin Gold (BTG) plans to split off the Bitcoin network at block 491407, which is expected to be mined in:
0 day(s), 0 hour(s), 45 minute(s).
Current block number: 491369
(updated once per minute)
Key change of the fork is the switch of the mining algorithm from Bitcoin’s current SHA256D to Equihash (an algorithm currently also used by ZCash / ZEC and a few other projects), with the goal of replacing SHA256D ASIC mining equipment with GPU “home mining”, an attempt to increase decentralization in mining and to “give ordinary users a chance to mine”. Besides the new mining algorithm, BTG will also change the address format, to ensure replay protection and to avoid confusion between transactions on the BTC legacy chain and the new BTG chain. A full overview of changes, participating team members, confirmed supporting services, and more can be found on the official website for BTG: https://btcgpu.org/