The Bitcoin network mining problem has collapsed in January 2026
Bitcoin's (BTC) network mining difficulty, the relative computing challenge to add a new block to the decentralized blockchain ledger, fell slightly to 146.4 trillion on Thursday, with the first difficulty adjustment in 2026.
“The next correction of the Bitcoin problem is estimated to take place on January 22, 2026, 04:08:12 AM UTC, which will increase the Bitcoin mining problem from 146.47 T to 148.20 T,” according to CoinWarz.
Average block times at the time of this writing is 9.88 minutes, slightly below the 10 minute target, which means the next bug fix will increase slightly to better align with the planned block times.
In 2025, mining difficulty reached a new all-time high, with the year-end adjustment slightly increasing the difficulty level. However, even with the small increase, the problem was below the peak of 155.9 trillion recorded in November.
The escalating crisis has increased competition for miners on the network, which in 2025 is presenting even more challenges to the mining industry, which has suffered from macroeconomic, regulatory and financial headwinds.
Related: Bitcoin Mining 2026 Calculation: AI Pillars, Margin Pressure and Struggle for Survival
In the year 2025 was the “hardest margin environment” on record for Bitcoin miners.
With profit margins eroding due to the April 2024 halving, a 50% reduction in the block grant and macroeconomic developments, Bitcoin miners are facing one of the toughest profitable environments on record.
The collapse of the crypto market that began in November has put additional pressure on mining and mining companies.
A critical measure of mining profitability, the miner's hash value, which tracks the expected cost of computing power per unit to mine blocks, has dropped below the November 2025 level.
$40 per petahash per day is the level at which miners must decide whether to turn off their machines or continue mining. In November, this benchmark fell below $35 – a multi-year low.
US President Donald Trump's tariffs have put pressure on bitcoin miners, creating supply chain shortages.
The crypto market crash, fueled by the lightning strike in October, sent BTC prices down more than 30% in November, when BTC hit a low north of $80,000.
Although bitcoin prices have rallied since then, they are still below the peak reached in October above $125,000.
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