# Bitcoin (BTC) Mining Difficulty Is Projected to Rise 6.44% Around Oct. 29 By Simon Yoon Canonical URL: https://www.tokenpost.com/news/technology/37419 Published: 2026-10-22T03:47:13.000Z Updated: 2026-10-22T03:47:13.000Z Section: Technology > If the estimate holds, it would be the month’s second increase after a 5.92% rise Oct. 16, bringing difficulty to about 149.6 trillion. Bitcoin (BTC) mining difficulty is projected to rise 6.44% around Oct. 29, a move that would increase the computing work miners need to find blocks and mark the month’s second increase. A network snapshot showed 1,249 blocks remaining in the current cycle. If the estimate holds, difficulty would rise from 140.58 trillion to about 149.6 trillion. The estimate can shift as blocks are mined, so the final adjustment may differ from the current projection. The [Oct. 16 adjustment]() raised difficulty 5.92% to 140.58 trillion at block 971,712. An earlier adjustment on Oct. 3 lowered difficulty 0.03% to about 132.72 trillion. If the projected increase occurs, it would follow the October decline and the subsequent rise on Oct. 16. Bitcoin recalculates difficulty after every 2,016 blocks, a cycle that takes roughly two weeks at the target pace of one block every 10 minutes. The protocol adjusts for how quickly blocks were produced during the cycle: faster production leads to higher difficulty, while slower production leads to lower difficulty. A difficulty increase means miners need more computing work to find a block. It does not change Bitcoin’s block subsidy, which remains 3.125 BTC. The effect on an individual miner’s profitability depends on its equipment, operating costs and share of the network’s computing power. The $83,691 figure was Bitcoin’s Oct. 11 UTC close. Its Oct. 21 UTC close was $84,082, recorded at about 7:59 p.m. ET (23:59 UTC), above that earlier level. Separately, Deribit’s monthly Bitcoin options are scheduled to expire Oct. 30 at 4 a.m. ET (08:00 UTC). The options expiry is a separate calendar event from the projected difficulty adjustment. ## Links in this article - [Oct. 16 adjustment](https://www.tokenpost.com/news/technology/33673)