About 95% of XBT transactions are copies of bitcoin transactions. We checked
XBT's block explorer shows about 32,000 transactions a day. We checked where they come from. About 95% are exact copies of bitcoin transactions, mined on both chains. Only about 5% exist on XBT alone.
What we did
We took 650 transactions from XBT blocks at four points since the split (Sept 16, Sept 29, Oct 9 and Oct 12) and looked up each transaction ID on the bitcoin chain using mempool.space.
| Sample | Checked | Also confirmed on BTC | XBT only |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sept 16 | 150 | 141 | 9 |
| Sept 29 | 150 | 147 | 3 |
| Oct 9 | 150 | 142 | 8 |
| Oct 12 | 200 | 187 | 13 |
| Total | 650 | 617 (94.9%) | 33 (5.1%) |
Same transaction ID on both chains means the same signed transaction. Coinbase transactions excluded. The share was steady at every point we checked.
Why this happens
A bitcoin transaction that spends coins from before Aug 8 is also valid on XBT, because those coins exist on both chains with the same keys. XBT's replay protection is opt-in, so a normal bitcoin wallet doesn't use it. When those transactions get broadcast to XBT nodes, miners include them, and the same coins move on both chains.
Most people sending those bitcoin transactions probably have no idea their XBT is moving too. We don't know who relays them to XBT nodes, but it's happening all day.
What it means
- Native XBT use is small. At about 5% of roughly 32,000 to 36,000 transactions a day, that's somewhere around 1,500 to 2,000 XBT-only transactions a day.
- Raw transaction counts overstate XBT activity. Anyone quoting XBT transaction numbers, including us, should say that most are copies.
- It's a live risk for anyone with pre-fork coins. If you pay someone in BTC from coins you held on Aug 8, your matching XBT probably goes to them too. Split first. How replay works and six mistakes to avoid.
What the numbers don't say
Transaction count isn't the only measure of a network. XBT has about 960 reachable nodes, 30-plus pools and solo miners finding blocks, and over $1 million a day in trading. But on-chain, most of what you see today is bitcoin's activity echoing onto XBT, and the honest number for native use is the 5%.
As more wallets sign with XBT's replay-protected flag, the copies should shrink and the native share should grow. We'll rerun this check every month.
Check it yourself
Pick any transaction from a recent block on mempool.guide and paste its ID into mempool.space. Most will show up there too, confirmed in a bitcoin block.
Protect your coinsLive XBT stats
Sampled Oct 12, 2026 from XBT and BTC block explorers. Not financial advice.