Bitcoin mining difficulty drops by 10%, the second-largest decrease in half a year, with remaining miners earning 9% more per machine.

Bitcoin mining difficulty dropped sharply on Sunday, decreasing by 10.09% from 138.96 trillion to 124.93 trillion, marking the second-largest decline projected for 2026. The total network hash rate fell 23% from its October peak, Hashprice rebounded above $30, and remaining miners saw approximately a 9% increase in earnings per machine.
(Background: Bitcoin mining difficulty "spiked 15%"—the largest increase since China's ban—miners struggling on the profit-loss line)
(Additional context: Collateralized mining machines to pay off debt — Bitcoin difficulty hits new highs, Iris Energy shuts down 60% of its mining rigs, securing $107.8 million in debt guarantees)

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• Behind the Hash Rate Reduction: Falling BTC Price Squeezes Miner Profits
• Hashprice Reaches $30 Milestone
• Next Adjustment: Expected Slight Increase on June 27

Bitcoin mining difficulty experienced a significant drop on Sunday, with a single adjustment of 10.09%, from 138.96 trillion down to 124.93 trillion. This is the 11th largest downward adjustment in Bitcoin network history and the second-largest decrease projected for 2026, following an 11% drop in February.

According to Galaxy Research’s analysis on X platform, this difficulty adjustment occurred at block 953,568, with difficulty decreasing from its peak of 138.96 trillion to 124.93 trillion, about 20% below the November peak.

Behind the Hash Rate Reduction: Falling BTC Price Squeezes Miner Profits

Bitcoin’s price has fallen about 15% in June, Galaxy notes, "compressing miners’ profit margins." The mining difficulty adjustment cycle (epoch), originally scheduled for about 14 days, was extended to 15.6 days due to some hash rate going offline during the period.

According to Blockchain.com data, the total network hash rate is currently 886 exahashes per second (EH/s), down 12% from the beginning of the month and 23% below the October peak. Crypto trader Merlijn Enkelaar estimated on X that remaining miners’ earnings per machine increased by about 9%.

This logic is similar to the difficulty drop in February 2026, when a storm load cut (storm reduction) and a 25% plunge in Bitcoin price caused difficulty to drop over 11%. The largest historical decline was 17% in July 2021, following China’s ban on mining and the mass exodus.

Hashprice Reaches $30 Milestone

The difficulty decrease directly boosted Hashprice, a metric measuring expected revenue per unit of hash power. Data from Hashrate Index shows Hashprice has risen 13% to $33 per petahash per day.

$30 is a key psychological threshold. The Energy Mag pointed out on Saturday that this means more miners are now at breakeven point. Efficient mining rigs can still profit at lower Hashprice levels, but older models with higher electricity costs are more likely to be shut down.

Next Adjustment: Expected Slight Increase on June 27

According to Coinwarz, the next difficulty adjustment is expected around June 27, with a slight increase of 1.69%, bringing difficulty back to approximately 127 trillion.

Reviewing previous reports, Bitcoin mining difficulty once jumped 15% in 2025, the largest increase since China’s ban. The current 10% decrease indicates a wave of "hash rate reallocation," with inefficient machines exiting and remaining capacity enjoying higher unit earnings.

For Taiwanese investors, a difficulty decrease usually means reduced pressure on mining costs, providing short-term support for Bitcoin’s price. However, if BTC prices continue to decline, further hash rate exits could trigger new adjustment cycles in the second half of the year.