Bitcoin : Towards a New Phase of Blockchain Network Congestion?

The Bitcoin network shows signs of strong activity despite a moderate price evolution. A significant rise in small transactions related to data inscriptions pushes the blockchain towards new levels of usage. This dynamic renews the questions around a possible congestion of the Bitcoin network, as users increasingly compete for available space in blocks.

Bitcoin Finds Strong Activity with the Rise of Microtransactions

While speculations around the Bitcoin market increase, the network sees a significant rise in the number of daily transactions, mainly driven by low-value operations. According to data published by CryptoQuant, this category of transactions now occupies a dominant place in the network’s activity.

The rise is mainly explained by the growing use of the Ordinals, Runes protocols, and other data inscription systems on the blockchain. The main figures illustrating this situation are as follows :

• Nearly 80% of daily transactions involve amounts below 0.01 BTC.
• The microtransaction threshold is set at 0.01 BTC.
• In 2023, these small transactions represented about 44% of all trades.
• The share of microtransactions has sharply increased since 2023.
• 2023 marks the start of the acceleration linked to Ordinals, Runes protocols, and data inscriptions.
• The network activity index turned positive for the first time since 2024.

Thus, the Bitcoin network activity index tracked by CryptoQuant shows a notable rebound after a long period of weakness. This evolution takes place while the market shows limited price progression but an increased use of transactional capacity.

The report by Julio Moreno, head of research at CryptoQuant, highlights that the growth of non-financial activities can increase competition for block space. It could also put pressure on fees related to traditional economic transactions.

Data Inscriptions Increase Pressure on the Blockchain

The current congestion remains, however, below the levels seen during previous periods of intense activity on Bitcoin. Episodes related to Ordinals and BRC-20 tokens had already caused significant delays in 2023.

At that time, users were directly adding images, text, and information related to digital assets on the blockchain. Then, the launch of the Runes protocol at the end of 2024 caused a new increase in transaction volumes.

Today, Runes, Ordinals, BRC-20 tokens, and timestamping services generate many low-value operations. These activities largely explain the recent growth of microtransactions on the network.

The OP_RETURN opcode also plays a central role in this evolution. This mechanism allows embedding data in the chain without creating spendable outputs. Its use has reached levels near records in 2026.

This evolution had sparked debates within the Bitcoin community in 2025. The removal of an 80-byte relay limit by Bitcoin Core developers notably triggered criticisms regarding the storage of non-financial data.

The Bitcoin Mempool Reaches a High Level Amid New Demands

The increase in low-value transactions directly influences the network’s operation. Protocols using OP_RETURN can generate many exchanges containing only a few hundred satoshis.

According to CryptoQuant, the opcode can embed up to 100,000 bytes of on-chain data. It has become a tool used by several data-related protocols on Bitcoin.

This increased use helps fill the mempool further, the space where transactions wait for confirmation before being added to a block. The number of unconfirmed transactions has reached about 128,000 units, a level unseen since February 2025.

The current situation thus shows an increasing demand for block space. Future developments will depend on the network’s ability to absorb these varied uses while maintaining efficient processing of traditional transactions.

If this trend continues, Bitcoin could enter a new phase of heightened competition for the available space in blocks, possibly impacting confirmation times and transaction fees. This evolution comes as Bitcoin recently dipped towards 62,000 dollars, adding another element for market participants to watch amidst changing network activity.