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Binance Halts BTC Withdrawals Due to Bitcoin Network Congestion
- Thomas DeMichele
The cryptocurrency landscape is constantly evolving, with new trends and digital assets impacting the market in various ways. Recently, the rising popularity of memecoins and a surge in BRC-20 transactions led to temporary network congestion on the Bitcoin blockchain, causing Binance, a leading cryptocurrency exchange, to halt Bitcoin withdrawals.
Bitcoin Mempool Overload and Withdrawal Suspension
On May 7th, 2023, the Bitcoin mempool experienced a backlog of over 400,000 transactions awaiting confirmation. As a result, cryptocurrency exchange Binance temporarily suspended Bitcoin withdrawals due to the excessive number of transactions on the network.
The mempool, also known as the transaction “waiting area,” saw a significant increase in volume, causing Binance to halt BTC withdrawals for nearly an hour. The exchange later announced via Twitter that withdrawals had resumed. As seen on “Coin Telegraphs CrytpoQuant source it is indicated that outflows on Binance reached $187 million on May 7th, 2023.
BRC-20 Transactions and Memecoin Influence
This congestion is thought to be caused by a recent surge in BRC-20 transactions, particularly involving memecoins like Pepe $PEPE. The popularity of trading memecoins has pushed Bitcoin transaction fees to their highest level in two years. On May 3rd, 2023, the total fees paid on the Bitcoin blockchain reached $3.5 million, a nearly 400% increase from late April, as reported by Cointelegraph. The BRC-20 token standard, similar to Ethereum’s ERC-20, allows for the creation and transfer of fungible tokens on the Bitcoin blockchain and has recently become a hub for meme tokens.
According to CoinMarketCap, PEPE’s price increased by over 263% in the past week. However, at the time of writing, the memecoin had dropped by over 7%, following a 30% decline on May 6th 2023 as large investors cashed in on Binance’s recent listing. Crypto exchanges MEXC Global, Bitget, Gate.io, and Huobi listed PEPE trading pairs two weeks prior, igniting the token’s hype.
Memecoins, which first appeared with Dogecoin in 2013, have become a significant aspect of the cryptocurrency landscape, generating and destroying wealth in equal measure. Investopedia describes a memecoin as a cryptocurrency “represented with comical or animated memes, supported by enthusiastic online traders and followers.”
In Conclusion
The recent congestion on the Bitcoin network caused by the surge in BRC-20 transactions and the popularity of memecoins like Pepe led to a temporary suspension of Bitcoin withdrawals on the Binance exchange. However, it is worth noting that Binance was able to quickly identify and fix the issue within an hour letting its users know via twitter and demonstrating its commitment to ensuring the stability and security of its platform. As the cryptocurrency market continues to evolve, it is important for exchanges and industry participants to adapt and address emerging challenges to maintain a reliable and secure trading environment for their users.
