Every cryptocurrency on the market today needs to keep growing and evolving. In the case of Bitcoin Cash, some crucial upgrades will be introduced in the next few weeks. These features are designed to make BCH more robust and address some lingering malleability concerns.

The Bitcoin Cash Malleability Fix

For a while now, the Bitcoin Cash network infrastructure has been subject to a malleability problem. Albeit it has been nipped in the bud, for the most part, there are still some minor aspects that need to be addressed to ensure this never poses a problem in the future. Known as “Minimaldata”, this enhancement is the final nail in the coffin of the malleability vector in play today. As a result of this change, Minimaldata will be enforced in script.

To put this into perspective, the change will ensure virtually all BCH transactions are non-malleable moving forward. That includes all of the P2KPH transactions taking place on this altcoin’s network. So far, the community seems to be excited about this new rule being enforced. It has been a problem for Bitcoin Cash for some time now, and it is time to put this vector to bed once and for all. It will also allow for some other network improvements down the line, including Canonical Transaction Ordering. For SPV wallet creators, this could be a major development.

Improving Schnorr Signatures

Most people may not be aware of how BCH already uses Schnorr signatures on its blockchain. Although this functionality is working as expected, there is plenty of room for future improvements. One of those improvements comes in the form of extending these signatures to support OP_Checkmultisig. After a successful test by various developers, it now seems this technology is ready to be deployed on the main blockchain.

For the average user who isn’t too concerned about the technical implications of this change, there are some things to keep in mind as well. By executing this step-up for Schnorr signatures, it would appear as if all signature checking operations on Bitcoin Cash will support Schnorr signatures in the long run. That is a crucial development for this cryptocurrency project, as it will bring more legitimacy to what the BCH developers aim to achieve in the future. All in all, it is a positive change for BCH, even if the end user won’t notice any real difference in everyday use.

Bitcoin ABC 0.20.3

As is usually the case when improvements are made to a network, the software clients will be updated as well. The primary BCH client is Bitcoin ABC, which is now updated to version 0.20.3. Users have until November 15 to upgrade their clients accordingly. There is also a testnet for users and coders to experiment with the new features ahead of their official launch. It may even lead to some new projects being developed on top of BCH, or simply to ensure one’s current project is fully compatible with these new changes when they go live.