Qtum Hard Fork Announcement, November 27th

A call to action for the community

This is a significant step forward for the platform's functionality and efficiency, not just a routine enhancement.

To prepare for the hard fork, the Qtum team has thoroughly planned and executed a testnet hard fork on October 8, 2023, which served as an essential trial run.

This successful testnet deployment provides a framework for upcoming changes on the mainnet.

Update Required: Qtum Build v24.1

It's important that all network participants promptly upgrade their Qtum build to v24.1 before the network reaches block height 3385122 to ensure smooth operations after the hard fork.

Instructions and Resources for Updating

Qtum has provided detailed instructions and resources on its GitHub page to help community members transition smoothly.

The resources include comprehensive release notes. These instructions equip everyone with the necessary knowledge and tools to make the transition seamless.

What’s new in 24.1?

Please visit Qtum GitHub to view the changes: Releases · qtumproject/qtum (github.com)

Here is a detailed list of the changes that will accompany the 24.1 hard fork:

v24.1 – Hard Fork - Mandatory Update before block 3385122 (3298892 in testnet) – Upgrade to bitcoin core 24.1 - EVM Shanghai - Improvements and Bug fixes.

• Upgrade Qtum core to bitcoin core 24.1 including updates from 24.0.1 and 0.24.1

Main highlights:

• Add sendall, simulaterawtransaction, gettxspendingprevout rpc calls.
• Support multi_a() and sortedmulti_a() in tr() output descriptor .
• Add wallet migration support from legacy to descriptor wallets using migratewallet rpc call.
• Improve headers download security.
• Improve replace-by-fee logic.
• Improve GUI options.
• Implement Shanghai EVM upgrade. Main highlights:

1. Add PUSH0 instruction support.
2. Add Limit and meter initcode support.
3. Deprecate SELFDESTRUCT.

Set chainID to:

81 for mainnet

8889 for testnet

8890 for regtest

Display coinstake prevout when calling getblock with verbosity level 3.

Update nMinimumChainWork, defaultAssumeValid and chainTxData.

Add recent checkpoints.

Testnet fork ETA: October 8, 2023 01:18 UTC

Mainnet fork ETA: November 27, 2023 00:24 UTC

Support for Qtum Core 24.1

Community confidence in this Qtum update is currently above 70%, and the team expects the remaining nodes will update in the days to come.

Many exchanges have posted a notice that signals their support for the hardfork. Here are some examples:

• Binance: Binance Will Support the Qtum (QTUM) Network Upgrade & Hard Fork | Binance Support
• Upbit: https://coinmarketcap.com/community/articles/655d285cfa75bb3f3a6d0285/
• Probit: https://www.probit.com/en-us/hc/1000000546240-ProBit-Global-Supports-Qtum-QTUM-Hardfork
• Gate.io: Gate.io Supports Upcoming Qtum (QTUM) Upgrade
• XT: https://xtsupport.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/25543912914585-XT-COM-Announcement-on-Supporting-Qtum-QTUM-Network-Upgrade-and-Hard-Fork

References and Additional Resources

For more in-depth information, technical details, and instructions regarding the Qtum hard fork, please refer to the following resources:

• Qtum's GitHub page: https://github.com/qtumproject/qtum/releases/tag/v24.1

• Qtum's recent update announcement: https://x.com/qtum/status/1712868320045641863?s=20