Miners under pressure: Bitcoin difficulty drops, but the real storm is yet to come

Bitcoin mining is going through a turbulent period. While difficulty has dropped in the short term, the expected growth along with high costs and a weaker cryptocurrency price is creating increasingly strong pressure on miners. The result is record BTC sales and a growing number of loss-making players in the market.

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Mining Difficulty Only Temporarily Declining: Further Growth Will Increase Pressure on Miners Again

Current data shows a drop in mining difficulty of approximately 1.1% to a level around 135.5 T. At first glance, this is a relief that slightly improves conditions for miners. The network remains stable, which is confirmed by an average block creation time of around 9.8 minutes. However, this development is rather short-term and does not represent a fundamental trend change.

According to estimates, with the next adjustment in early May 2026, difficulty will increase again, to approximately 137.4 T. Miners will thus face even more challenging conditions at a time when their margins remain under pressure. The combination of rising difficulty and stagnant bitcoin price is worsening the economics of mining and forcing companies to reassess their strategies.

Čtěte dále: Anycoin recenze

Miners Under Stress: Record BTC Sell-Offs and Growing Number of Loss-Making Players

A significant signal of problems is the record sales of bitcoins by mining companies. In the first quarter of 2026, publicly traded companies sold over 32,000 BTC, which is more than for the entire year of 2025. Miners are thus reacting to rising costs, which in some cases exceed the market price of mined bitcoin.

Behind the current pressure is a combination of factors – lower rewards after the halving, more expensive energy, geopolitical tension, and the previous drop in bitcoin price. According to analyses, up to one-fifth of miners may be operating at a loss. The sector is thus entering a phase of consolidation, in which primarily the most efficient players with access to cheaper energy sources and more modern technologies will survive.

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