Four Bitcoin mining pools now command more than 70% of the network's computing power, in what one report calls a two-tier market tuned for institutional clients. Foundry Digital, AntPool, ViaBTC, and F2Pool led a June 23, 2026 snapshot, leaving smaller miners to weigh where they point their machines.
Bitcoin mining looks less like an open frontier and more like a tight club. Foundry Digital, AntPool, ViaBTC, and F2Pool together held more than 70% of the network's hashrate in a June 23, 2026 snapshot from miningpoolstats.stream, according to a July 8, 2026 CryptoSlate partner article. The estimated split ran Foundry at 31%, AntPool at 18%, ViaBTC at 13%, and F2Pool at 10%.
Foundry leads a concentrating field
Foundry is US-based and backed by Digital Currency Group, and the coverage describes it as built primarily for large-scale institutional operators and publicly traded mining companies, with strict KYC requirements baked into onboarding. That focus on scale and compliance is what the reporting frames as a two-tier market, where the largest mining pools increasingly optimize for institutional miners.
Because of this, some independent and mid-size operators are described as quietly rethinking their setups. The shift, the coverage argues, is less about any single pool's brand and more about what scale buys a customer.
ViaBTC scrutiny sends miners looking
ViaBTC, which held 13% in the mid-2026 estimates, has faced increasing regulatory scrutiny this year that has particularly affected miners tied to Russia and other CIS countries. The reporting points to account restrictions, sudden KYC demands, and temporary fund freezes as friction that can push even loyal miners to reconsider.
One alternative named in the same coverage is EMCD, which claims more than 30 EH/s of hashrate and advertises fees starting at 1.5% under FPPS, compared with roughly 4% at many comparable pools. EMCD was founded in 2017 and launched its first pool in February 2018.
What the centralization metrics show
D-Central's H1 2026 snapshot, with data as of June 19, 2026, put Bitcoin's Nakamoto coefficient at 3 — meaning only three pools were needed to exceed half of all blocks mined — with Foundry USA at roughly 27% of blocks. A separate 7-day window posted July 16, 2026 by Simple Mining listed Foundry USA at 27.0%, F2Pool and AntPool both at 17.2%, ViaBTC at 9.5%, and SpiderPool at 5.5%.
Source: Bitcoin.com News
Trading involves risk.
Risk Disclaimer
