The quest for blockchain scalability continues to challenge developers across the decentralized ecosystem. Among the latest proposals comes a surprising suggestion from Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin: temporarily leveraging the Bitcoin Cash (BCH) blockchain as a data layer to enhance Ethereum’s transaction throughput during the transition to Ethereum 2.0.
While the idea has sparked debate, it highlights the urgency and creativity driving solutions for one of crypto’s most persistent bottlenecks—scalability.
A Temporary Fix for Ethereum’s Throughput Problem
In a recent post on the Ethereum Research Forum, Vitalik Buterin floated the idea of using Bitcoin Cash as an interim data availability layer for Ethereum. This would allow Ethereum to offload some transaction data onto BCH’s blockchain, enabling faster validation and reducing network congestion.
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Buterin emphasized that this is not a long-term solution but rather a stopgap measure—a pragmatic workaround while Ethereum developers continue building and testing Ethereum 2.0. The upgrade, which has been in development for over two years, aims to transition Ethereum from proof-of-work to proof-of-stake and introduce sharding to dramatically improve scalability and efficiency.
According to Buterin, integrating Bitcoin Cash could increase Ethereum’s throughput by up to 4x and significantly reduce transaction fees. What makes the idea technically feasible, he notes, is that Ethereum already contains code capable of verifying Bitcoin Cash block headers—thanks to earlier experiments with cross-chain communication.
Why Bitcoin Cash?
Bitcoin Cash, which forked from Bitcoin in August 2017, is known for its larger block size (currently 32MB compared to Bitcoin’s 1–4MB), allowing more transactions per block and faster processing times. These characteristics make it a potentially useful candidate for handling bulk data at lower cost.
Moreover, Buterin praised the openness of the Bitcoin Cash community, noting their willingness to support external projects by allowing their chain to be used as infrastructure. This collaborative spirit, though rare in the often-competitive crypto space, opens doors for experimental cross-chain integrations.
But there’s another layer: BCH is actively developing new consensus mechanisms like Avalanche, an instant transaction finality protocol designed to prevent double-spending. If adopted, this could further strengthen the reliability of using BCH as a data layer for Ethereum.
Still, the proposal raises eyebrows—not just for its unconventional nature, but for the broader implications of relying on a rival blockchain.
Community Reactions: Skepticism and Surprise
The response to Buterin’s idea has been mixed, ranging from confusion to outright dismissal.
Rick Dudley, founder of blockchain consulting firm Vulcanize and a respected figure in protocol design, expressed disbelief on Twitter:
"I hope I don’t have to read this. Before even engaging with V’s proposal, I can think of five different issues. I don’t take it seriously."
Ethereum UX designer Alex van de Sande suggested the post might have been a joke, reflecting a sentiment shared by many in the community who see the integration of two ideologically divergent chains as impractical.
Critics point out several challenges:
- Security model mismatch: Bitcoin Cash relies on a smaller miner base than Bitcoin or Ethereum, raising concerns about vulnerability to 51% attacks.
- Governance misalignment: The two communities have vastly different philosophies—Ethereum prioritizes programmability and innovation; Bitcoin Cash focuses on peer-to-peer electronic cash.
- Operational complexity: Relying on an external chain introduces dependency risks and coordination overhead.
Despite these concerns, proponents argue that short-term experimentation shouldn’t be ruled out simply because it’s unconventional—especially when real-world scalability pressures mount.
Ethereum 2.0 Remains On Track
Regardless of whether the Bitcoin Cash integration moves forward, the broader roadmap remains unchanged. The Ethereum Foundation confirmed in a recent Reddit AMA that Ethereum 2.0 is still scheduled for launch in Q1 2020, with no delays announced.
Phase 0 of the upgrade will introduce the beacon chain, laying the foundation for proof-of-stake. Future phases will roll out shard chains and execution environments, eventually enabling Ethereum to process thousands of transactions per second.
This timeline underscores why temporary scalability enhancements—like Buterin’s BCH proposal—are being seriously considered. With DeFi applications growing rapidly and network congestion becoming frequent, even marginal improvements can have meaningful user impact.
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Could Cross-Chain Collaboration Be the Future?
While using Bitcoin Cash as a data layer may seem radical today, it reflects a growing trend: cross-chain interoperability. As blockchains evolve, rigid boundaries between ecosystems may give way to hybrid models where chains specialize and cooperate.
Examples already exist:
- Projects like Polkadot and Cosmos enable message passing between heterogeneous chains.
- Layer-2 solutions like rollups use Ethereum as a settlement layer while processing transactions off-chain.
- Bridges allow token transfers between networks like Ethereum, Binance Smart Chain, and Solana.
Buterin’s idea pushes this concept further—using one blockchain not just for assets or messaging, but as infrastructure for another. If successful, it could inspire new forms of collaboration across the decentralized web.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: Is Vitalik Buterin seriously suggesting Ethereum adopt Bitcoin Cash?
A: Not permanently. He proposed it as a short-term scalability hack while Ethereum 2.0 is being developed. It’s experimental and not currently under active implementation.
Q: How would Ethereum use Bitcoin Cash technically?
A: By storing transaction data on BCH’s blockchain and referencing it on Ethereum. Since Ethereum can verify BCH block headers via cryptographic proofs, it could ensure data availability without trusting intermediaries.
Q: Would this make Ethereum dependent on Bitcoin Cash?
A: Only temporarily. The risk is minimal if used as a transitional tool, but long-term reliance would introduce security and governance concerns.
Q: Can Bitcoin Cash handle increased load if used by Ethereum?
A: Currently, BCH has low transaction volume and ample block space. However, sudden demand spikes could strain its network if not managed carefully.
Q: What are the main benefits of this approach?
A: Faster transaction finality, reduced gas fees on Ethereum, and improved scalability—without requiring major changes to either protocol.
Q: Is this idea likely to be implemented?
A: Unlikely in its pure form. However, it may inspire similar concepts using more neutral or purpose-built data layers, such as rollups or decentralized storage networks.
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Final Thoughts
Vitalik Buterin’s proposal to use Bitcoin Cash for Ethereum scalability may never see full implementation—but its value lies in challenging assumptions. In a space defined by rapid innovation, sometimes the most controversial ideas spark the most important conversations.
As Ethereum moves toward 2.0, temporary fixes like this remind us that progress isn’t always linear. It’s messy, iterative, and often born from unexpected places.
Whether through cross-chain experiments, Layer-2 rollups, or sharded architectures, one thing is clear: scalability is no longer optional—it’s essential.
And in that pursuit, even rival blockchains might find common ground.
Core Keywords: Ethereum scalability, Bitcoin Cash, Vitalik Buterin, Ethereum 2.0, blockchain interoperability, data availability layer, throughput improvement, cross-chain integration