Skip to content
Back to Blog
Ecosystem

New Rootstock Upgrade: Increased decentralization, lower gas fees and faster transactions

Read Time: 1 mins
New Rootstock Upgrade:  Increased decentralization, lower gas fees and faster transactions

The Rootstock community is always working behind the scenes to try and make things even better and this month has been a busy one. A major upgrade combined with the increase of Rootstock’s hash rate to 80% and a new transaction protocol have ushered in big improvements for both users and builders…

Let’s get into it 👇

Rootstock activates Lovell 7.0.0 upgrade, which will boost SECURITY and DECENTRALIZATION

The Lovell upgrade has gone live on mainnet, which brings major benefits when it comes to security and decentralization. How does it do this? In three ways:

  • It strengthens the PowPeg, Rootstock’s native bridge and the most secure Bitcoin bridge, ensuring that changes are verified before taking effect, and guaranteeing that locked funds remain safe and accessible.
  • It also lays the groundwork for increasing the number of PowPeg members (pegnatories) from 9 to 60, making Rootstock one of the most decentralized Bitcoin sidechains.
  • In addition, the Lovell 7.0.0 upgrade improves Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) compatibility, making it even easier to build on Bitcoin.

Not bad, right? 🔒

Gas FEES are going to be 60% LOWER

Thanks to the Bitcoin miners who merge-mine Rootstock, the minimum gas price per transaction has been significantly reduced. In fact, fees are now 60% lower.

What does this mean for the Rootstock community? Users will of course enjoy lower costs to interact with dApps and smart contracts, whilst builders will benefit from reduced expenses in deploying and maintaining smart contracts. Overall, these lower fees will help encourage greater innovation and usage, strengthening Roostock as the go-to place for building on Bitcoin. 🥳

Transactions are going to be EVEN FASTER

In addition, the FASTER protocol, which is coming soon, will enable faster blocks and higher transaction throughput, reducing transaction confirmation times from 30 seconds to just 5.

These updates support Rootstock’s mission to become a more scalable, decentralized, and cost-efficient Bitcoin-based smart contract platform. Since its inception in 2017, the Rootstock network has never stopped evolving.

Join the Rootstock Discord channel here and let us know about your experience!

To get more details on the Lovell 7.0.0 update, click here: RSKIP 435 Network Upgrade: Lovell

Recommended articles

Rootstock x Bitcoin: Merged Mining Insights Report | Q1 2025

Rootstock x Bitcoin: Merged Mining Insights Report | Q1 2025

This report is presented by RootstockLabs, a key contributor to the growth of the Rootstock ecosystem. At Rootstocklabs, we strive to empower the community by offering transparent insights into merged mining dynamics through quarterly hashrate reports dedicated to Rootstock. Our goal is to enhance comprehension with user-friendly visuals such as tables and graphs, ensuring better […]

Ecosystem
Bitcoin Bridging Just Got Faster and Safer on Rootstock

Bitcoin Bridging Just Got Faster and Safer on Rootstock

Rootstock has upgraded its Bitcoin bridging infrastructure with the release of PowPeg App v2.6 and Flyover v2.1.2, making it easier, faster, and safer to move BTC to Rootstock.  These updates strengthen Rootstock’s position as the most secure Bitcoin sidechain and the best place to put your Bitcoin to work in DeFi. Here’s What’s New Fewer […]

Ecosystem
Introducing RSKj Lovell 7.1.0

Introducing RSKj Lovell 7.1.0

We are pleased to announce the release of the latest version of the RSKj client. This version introduces several enhancements, including the experimental Snap Synchronization mode, updates to the Fiat Stable MinGasPrice feature, and improvements to JSON-RPC API compatibility. ⚠️ Although this upgrade is optional, we strongly recommend updating your node to take advantage of […]

Ecosystem