BTC difficulty jumps 15% largest increase since 2021, despite price slump
CoinDesk
by James Van StratenFebruary 20, 2026
AI-Generated Deep Dive Summary
Bitcoin’s mining difficulty recently surged by 15%, marking the largest increase since 2021, despite facing a slump in hashprices. This adjustment brought the difficulty to 144.4 trillion (T), up from previous levels, while the hashrate rebounded to 1 zettahash per second (ZH/s) after dropping due to a severe winter storm in the U.S. Although hashprice remains at multi-year lows around $23.9 per PH/s, this significant increase highlights the network’s resilience.
The difficulty adjustment mechanism ensures Bitcoin continues to produce blocks every 10 minutes, regardless of changes in hashrate. Following a 12% decline earlier due to reduced mining activity, the recent surge underscores the network’s ability to recalibrate efficiently. This recovery comes despite hashprice being squeezed, which impacts miner profitability. However, large-scale operations with access to low-cost energy continue to mine aggressively, maintaining high hashrate levels and ensuring network security.
Despite Bitcoin’s price rebounding to around $67,000 after dropping to $60,000 in February, the current environment reflects ongoing challenges for miners. The United Arab Emirates, for instance, is holding onto significant unrealized profits from mining activities, highlighting how well-capitalized entities
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Originally published on CoinDesk on 2/20/2026