According to @BitMEXResearch, a small group of node runners relaxed Bitcoin relay policies while Bitcoin Core later aligned with the observed network conditions, rather than originating those changes itself (source: @BitMEXResearch). The same dynamic enabled full RBF on the network, allowed sub-1 satoshi per vbyte transactions to be relayed, and led to large OP_RETURN data being propagated (source: @BitMEXResearch). @BitMEXResearch emphasizes this as a property of Bitcoin that demonstrates the practical power of individual node runners to influence relay policy, which directly determines what transactions get relayed and at what minimum fee levels (source: @BitMEXResearch).

According to @RhythmicAnalyst, Bitcoin v30 increases OP_RETURN size and would force fewer transactions to fit in each block, slowing BTC throughput (source: @RhythmicAnalyst on X, Oct 26, 2025). According to @RhythmicAnalyst, packing a lesser number of transactions per block could make on-chain processing slower and strain block capacity, which is bearish for transaction efficiency (source: @RhythmicAnalyst on X, Oct 26, 2025). According to @RhythmicAnalyst, v30 could be the worst release for BTC, citing concerns about increased chain “garbage” and its impact on network performance (source: @RhythmicAnalyst on X, Oct 26, 2025).

According to @adam3us, Bitcoin’s OP_RETURN is not an endorsement of storing data on the blockchain and this point is reflected in Bitcoin Core release notes, addressing claims about protocol “intent.” source: Adam Back on X (Oct 19, 2025). OP_RETURN is a provably unspendable output meant for small metadata and is relayed under node standardness policy rather than designed for bulk data storage, which limits its role in non-transactional data use cases. source: Bitcoin Core policy documentation; Bitcoin Wiki OP_RETURN. Most Ordinals inscriptions embed data in Taproot witness, not OP_RETURN, so this clarification targets intent arguments but not the main mechanism behind inscription-driven blockspace demand. source: Ordinals protocol documentation; Bitcoin Optech Newsletter. For trading, monitor BTC average fees, mempool congestion, and miner fee share because relay policy and social norms around non-payment data influence blockspace competition and transaction costs. source: Bitcoin Core policy documentation on standard transactions; mempool.space fee market dashboard.

According to @BitMEXResearch, the recent Bitcoin Core update raised the OP_RETURN relay policy filter limit but did not change the actual OP_RETURN size limit or the Bitcoin blocksize limit, so this is not a blocksize increase (source: @BitMEXResearch). According to @BitMEXResearch, maintaining a strict blocksize cap is presented as the robust long-term defense against spam-like data (e.g., music collections or encrypted documents), whereas relay filters are neither effective nor decentralization-friendly because a small minority of nodes can bypass them and effective filtering creates centralization pressure (source: @BitMEXResearch). According to @BitMEXResearch, the small-block position remains intact with a reasonable blocksize limit designed to protect the network from spam, confirming no structural capacity expansion for BTC introduced by this change, a status important for traders tracking on-chain conditions and decentralization risks (source: @BitMEXResearch).

According to @FarsideUK, Farside Investors posted the term OP_RETURN and linked to a BitMEX Research post on Oct 17, 2025. Source: Farside Investors on X and BitMEX Research on X. OP_RETURN is a Bitcoin script opcode that stores arbitrary data in transactions and makes those outputs provably unspendable, influencing blockspace usage and the UTXO set. Source: Bitcoin.org Developer Guide and Bitcoin Wiki. Higher OP_RETURN usage increases average transaction size and can push fee rates higher, affecting short-term BTC transaction costs and miner fee revenue. Source: Bitcoin Optech Newsletter and Bitcoin.org fee market documentation. For trading, monitor mempool congestion and fee-rate bands to time BTC transfers and evaluate miner revenue sensitivity during periods of elevated OP_RETURN-driven activity. Source: mempool.space metrics and Bitcoin Optech analyses.

According to @BitMEXResearch, removing the OP_RETURN filter is strictly the better choice for your node. Source: @BitMEXResearch. If large OP_RETURNs are used, removal is necessary so Compact Blocks, pre-validation caching, and fee estimation work effectively on the node. Source: @BitMEXResearch. If large OP_RETURN usage remains low, nodes gain only a tiny benefit due to low usage rates, but removal is still preferable. Source: @BitMEXResearch. For BTC market participants, the source highlights fee estimation effectiveness and Compact Blocks performance, both relevant to on-chain fee strategies and confirmation risk management. Source: @BitMEXResearch.

According to @RhythmicAnalyst, discussion around BTC v30 led them to examine OP_RETURN-related changes and potential implications for market behavior, as shared on X on Oct 10, 2025 (source: @RhythmicAnalyst on X, Oct 10, 2025). The post notes a recent rise in privacy coin prices and suggests there could be a connection to BTC v30, while explicitly stating that no direct link is confirmed (source: @RhythmicAnalyst on X, Oct 10, 2025). From a trading perspective, the post highlights OP_RETURN policy and the BTC v30 timeline as watch points for potential sensitivity in privacy-focused assets, framed as a hypothesis rather than a confirmed driver (source: @RhythmicAnalyst on X, Oct 10, 2025).

According to @BitMEXResearch, raising Bitcoin’s OP_RETURN policy limit benefits individual users by making Compact Blocks and pre-block signature validation caching more effective for nodes that run a higher limit (source: BitMEX Research on X, Sep 30, 2025). According to @BitMEXResearch, the pro-filter camp wants users to incur personal costs and operate less effective nodes for the common good of deterring spam, contrasting with a policy consistent with individual sovereignty (source: BitMEX Research on X, Sep 30, 2025). According to @BitMEXResearch, miners selecting transactions to maximize revenue reflects a pro-business, pro-market approach, whereas pro-filter advocates ask miners to sacrifice revenue for the greater good, framing the policy discussion around fee revenue selection rather than a political shift (source: BitMEX Research on X, Sep 30, 2025; BitMEX Research blog: blog.bitmex.com/all-for-one-one-for-all/).

According to @BitMEXResearch, inscriptions and OP_RETURN transactions still account for 40% of Bitcoin transaction count, 10% of fees paid, and 28% of block weight; source: BitMEX Research on X citing OrangeSurfBTC, Sep 30, 2025. For traders, this composition signals notable non-payment demand for blockspace, with the 28% weight share and 10% fee share providing a direct gauge for timing on-chain BTC settlements and fee estimation; source: BitMEX Research on X citing OrangeSurfBTC, Sep 30, 2025.

According to @BitMEXResearch, Bitcoin Core’s attempts to curb full-RBF via policy filters failed and were reversed by the network, indicating client defaults could not override miner and node preferences (source: BitMEX Research on X). According to @BitMEXResearch, efforts to impose a minimum relay fee filter also failed and were subsequently dropped in favor of network behavior, highlighting that fee propagation is dictated by market participants rather than Core settings (source: BitMEX Research on X). According to @BitMEXResearch, attempts to block large OP_RETURN data similarly failed and were rolled back, reinforcing that Bitcoin’s transaction policies are ultimately set by the network’s will, not centralized governance (source: BitMEX Research on X). According to @BitMEXResearch, traders should frame execution risk around mempool-driven dynamics—RBF usage, relay fee preferences, and miner policy signaling—since fee volatility and confirmations follow network incentives, not Core filters (source: BitMEX Research on X).

According to @Excellion, Bitcoin Core is trying to prevent private mempools, has removed OP_RETURN limits, and this is driving thousands of users toward Bitcoin Knots while compact block relay breaks, accelerating a shift to private mempools, source: X/@Excellion on Sep 22, 2025. For traders, increased use of private mempools reduces mempool overlap and can impair BIP152 compact block efficiency, potentially increasing relay bandwidth needs and confirmation latency during volatility, source: BIP152 Compact Block Relay (Bitcoin Core specification). BTC traders should monitor on-chain feerate distributions, compact block reconstruction success on nodes, and client share between Bitcoin Core and Bitcoin Knots as early indicators of fee pressure and settlement delays, source: Bitcoin Core and Bitcoin Knots documentation and network policy references; X/@Excellion.

According to @BitMEXResearch, its new report on The Growth of Bitcoin Merge Mining examines the prevalence of multiple OP_RETURN outputs inside BTC coinbase transactions and frames the debate over whether such data should be considered spam or legitimate merge‑mining metadata (BitMEX Research). According to the Bitcoin Developer Guide, coinbase transactions are constructed by miners, bypass mempool relay policies, and may include arbitrary data, while OP_RETURN outputs are provably unspendable and still count toward block weight (Bitcoin Developer Guide). According to BIP141, Bitcoin’s block weight is capped at 4,000,000 weight units, so additional coinbase data reduces available capacity for fee‑paying transactions and can tighten the BTC fee market during congestion (BIP141). According to Bitcoin Core policy documentation, standardness rules govern relay but not consensus validity, meaning miners can include non‑standard elements in the coinbase without violating consensus rules (Bitcoin Core policy). According to the Bitcoin Wiki’s merged mining overview, merge mining lets miners earn auxiliary‑chain rewards at little additional cost, which can influence the trade‑off between including coinbase data commitments and prioritizing fee‑paying transactions—an incentive dynamic traders should monitor when assessing near‑term BTC on‑chain fee pressure (Bitcoin Wiki: Merged Mining).

According to @BitMEXResearch, increasing Bitcoin’s OP_Return relay limit presents two outcomes: OP_Return usage rises, making it easier to run a node, or usage remains unchanged with no impact. source: @BitMEXResearch on X, Sep 3, 2025 The source frames the potential relay policy change as non-negative for node operability, indicating no adverse effect from their perspective. source: @BitMEXResearch on X, Sep 3, 2025 No timing, implementation details, or additional context were provided beyond these two stated outcomes. source: @BitMEXResearch on X, Sep 3, 2025

According to @moonshot, several significant developments are shaping the crypto market for traders. Polygon (MATIC) is undergoing a major strategic overhaul, with co-founder Sandeep Nailwal taking over as CEO of the Polygon Foundation. The team is pivoting its focus to the AggLayer cross-chain liquidity protocol and retiring its zkEVM network to reclaim a leading position in Web3. In another major development, Elon Musk's X platform will 'soon' offer investment and trading features, as stated by CEO Linda Yaccarino. Given Musk's advocacy for DOGE and Tesla's Bitcoin (BTC) holdings, this move is widely expected to involve significant cryptocurrency integration, potentially driving mainstream adoption. Additionally, Bitcoin Core developers confirmed the upcoming version 30 release will increase the OP_RETURN data limit, which could foster more data-intensive applications on the network. Other notable events include the Ethereum Foundation (ETH) implementing a new treasury policy to ensure long-term sustainability and Ant Group's plan to seek stablecoin licenses in Hong Kong and Singapore, signaling growing institutional interest in the digital asset space.

According to the source, Polygon (MATIC) is undergoing a major strategic overhaul, with co-founder Sandeep Nailwal taking over as CEO of the Polygon Foundation. The team is retiring its zkEVM network to focus on AggLayer, a new cross-chain liquidity protocol aimed at enhancing interoperability. In other key developments, the Ethereum Foundation (ETH) has implemented a new treasury policy, capping annual operational expenses at 15% to ensure long-term sustainability, signaling a focus on critical deliverables for 2025-2026. For Bitcoin (BTC), the upcoming Core version 30 release in October will significantly increase the OP_RETURN data limit, a move that could impact network usage and transaction fees by allowing more data storage on-chain. Additionally, the Plume network has launched its Genesis mainnet to bring Real-World Assets (RWA) to DeFi, and Ant Group plans to apply for stablecoin licenses in Hong Kong and Singapore, indicating major institutional interest in the space.

According to @QCompounding, several significant developments are impacting the crypto market. Polygon co-founder Sandeep Nailwal has become CEO of the Polygon Foundation, pivoting the project's focus to the AggLayer cross-chain liquidity protocol and retiring its zkEVM network, as detailed in a press release. The Ethereum Foundation has implemented a new treasury policy, capping annual operational expenses at 15% to ensure long-term sustainability, according to its blog post. For Bitcoin (BTC), developers confirmed on GitHub that the upcoming version 30 release will increase the OP_RETURN data limit from 80 bytes to nearly 4MB, a move that could foster new on-chain data applications. Separately, the Real-World Asset (RWA) sector is expanding, with Plume network launching its Genesis mainnet and Ant Group reportedly planning to seek stablecoin licenses in Hong Kong and Singapore, highlighting growing institutional interest.

According to Samson Mow's Twitter post, a livestream with Knut Svanholm and Luke DeWolf focused on critical topics for Bitcoin traders, including the technical implications of the OP_RETURN feature and its potential influence on Bitcoin price movements (source: Samson Mow Twitter, May 8, 2025). The discussion highlighted how changes to the OP_RETURN field, which is used for data storage on the Bitcoin blockchain, can impact transaction fees, network congestion, and overall market sentiment. Traders should closely monitor these technical adjustments as they can lead to shifts in trading volumes and price volatility within the cryptocurrency market.

According to Samson Mow, filters are not guaranteed to prevent spam transactions on the Bitcoin network, and it is uncertain whether spammers will consistently use the OP_RETURN function. This highlights that the debate over Bitcoin spam is ideological rather than purely technical, which traders should note as it may impact transaction fees and network reliability in the short term (Source: @Excellion on Twitter, May 6, 2025). Market participants should monitor potential increases in on-chain congestion and related fee volatility, as these factors can affect the timing and cost of Bitcoin trades.