One coin. Many chains.
Explained.
Merge Mined is a video channel decoding drivechains — how Bitcoin can spawn endless sidechains, each secured by the same proof-of-work, with no new token. Watch the mechanism, not the hype.
The three ideas the whole thing rests on.
Drivechain is a soft fork specified across two Bitcoin Improvement Proposals. Here's the shape of each.
Hashrate Escrow
A new rule lets Bitcoin hold funds in escrow for a sidechain and release them only after a slow, miner-voted withdrawal — no federation, no custodians. Miners are the referees.
Blind Merge Mining
Bitcoin miners commit to sidechain blocks they never have to validate, collecting the sidechain's fees. One proof-of-work secures many chains — the idea the channel is named for.
Two-Way Peg
BTC moves onto a sidechain and back without a new asset. Deposits are instant; withdrawals are deliberately slow and public, so the mainchain can always audit the exit.
