Reports suggest that the recent " fork " in the development of Bitcoin 's infrastructure , which has seen Bitcoin XT released , is no cause for concern . The new version increases the block size , the amount of data that can be processed per block , from 4 MB to 8 MB . However , this article argues that the block size would always have needed to be increased , and that the only question was when and how this should be done . Some in the Bitcoin community are concerned that the increase in block size has been increased only to cater to the needs of banks , which can manage Bitcoin more effectively with the increased size . The discussion among enthusiasts is often couched in obscure terms, using words that are just plain scary to those new to the subject. An attraction of the Bitcoin infrastructure is that it acts in a relatively democratic way ; if users do not adopt the increased block size , then it will die . Thus , a new block size will only be established when it is accepted by the majority of the user community ; this competition should not be feared .
Reports suggest that the recent " fork " in the development of Bitcoin 's infrastructure , which has seen Bitcoin XT released , is no cause for concern . The new version increases the block size , the amount of data that can be processed per block , from 4 MB to 8 MB . However , this article argues that the block size would always have needed to be increased , and that the only question was when and how this should be done . Some in the Bitcoin community are concerned that the increase in block size has been increased only to cater to the needs of banks , which can manage Bitcoin more effectively with the increased size . An attraction of the Bitcoin infrastructure is that it acts in a relatively democratic way ; if users do not adopt the increased block size , then it will die . Thus , a new block size will only be established when it is accepted by the majority of the user community ; this competition should not be feared .