Bitcoin devs merge 3 new BIPs, and transaction fees could plummet
Summary
Three draft Bitcoin specifications, BIP458–460, propose aggregating transaction signatures to reduce data and fees. In hypothetical examples, half-aggregation cuts transaction size by 7.1% for a ten-input joint payment and 13.6% for consolidating 100 inputs; full aggregation cuts them by 14.2% and 27.3%. Actual savings depend on transaction structure and fees. Adoption would require wallet support and coordination over activation and output formats. Full aggregation also requires a coordinated two-round signing protocol and careful nonce handling, while script-path spends are excluded and eligible inputs can opt out.
