Parasite Mining Pool Strikes Bitcoin Again, Validating Hybrid Model

A pioneering Bitcoin mining pool, designed to challenge traditional pay-per-share and lottery-style models, has achieved its second block, proving the viability of its approach. On Friday, Parasite Pool mined block 945,601, its second block since launching in April 2025, roughly 48 days after its first block at #938,713 in late February. The block contained 7,398 transactions and 0.002 BTC in fees, with Bitcoin trading at $76,213 at the time. The pool operates on a distinctive hybrid model, where the winning miner receives 1 BTC outright, and the remaining 2.125 BTC plus fees are distributed proportionally among all pool participants based on shares submitted since the previous block. There are no fees to participate in this pool, and payouts are made through the Lightning Network. This model aims to secure Bitcoin by having computers compete to solve a cryptographic puzzle every 10 minutes, with the winner earning the right to add the next block of transactions to the blockchain and collecting a reward. The current reward is 3.125 BTC plus transaction fees, worth about $238,000 at Friday's price. The mining competition is dominated by industrial operators with large-scale facilities, but Parasite targets home miners. Founded by ZK Shark, the creator of Ordinal Maxi Biz, an NFT collection on Bitcoin, Parasite's approach splits the difference between pure solo pools and traditional models. The 1 BTC finder's fee preserves the lottery-style payday, while the proportional distribution of the remainder ensures participants receive satoshis during the stretches between blocks. The second block mined by Parasite carries significant weight, as the pool retained hashrate through the 48-day gap between payouts, and the proportional distribution mechanics have been validated twice. Currently, Parasite's hashrate sits at 52 petahashes per second, down from a peak of 182 PH/s in June 2025. This accounts for roughly 0.005% of Bitcoin's estimated 1-zetahash network hashrate. The success of Parasite Pool, along with recent wins by home miners and small pools, suggests a growing trend in solo and small-pool mining. A third block mined by Parasite within the next two months would further validate its hybrid model, while a six-month drought would indicate the first two blocks were exceptional cases.