Crypto Gloss

F2Pool

F2Pool (also known as 鱼池 in Chinese, meaning “Fish Pool”) is one of the world’s oldest and most consistently large Bitcoin mining pools. Founded in 2013 in China by Wang Chun (online alias: Discus Fish) and Moli, F2Pool was one of the first pools to support multiple cryptocurrencies — offering pooled mining for Bitcoin, Litecoin, Zcash, Ethereum Classic, and dozens of other proof-of-work coins from a single platform. It has remained one of the top 5 Bitcoin mining pools by hash rate for most of its existence.

Background

F2Pool launched in May 2013 during Bitcoin’s early infrastructure building period, when mining pools were critical for enabling smaller miners to earn consistent block rewards. The pool’s multi-coin support was innovative: miners could point their hardware at F2Pool and mine multiple coins simultaneously, with automatic payouts in multiple currencies.

During Bitcoin’s early years, Chinese mining pools — including F2Pool, AntPool, and BTC.com — collectively controlled over 50% of global hash rate at various times, raising concerns about hash rate centralization.

Hash Rate and Influence

F2Pool has mined a significant portion of historically notable Bitcoin blocks, including blocks containing milestone transactions. It has been one of the reference pools tracked by blockchain analysts monitoring mining centralization. Its hash rate share has generally ranged from 5–15% of global Bitcoin hash rate, with higher shares during periods of China-dominant mining (pre-2021) and lower shares post-China mining ban as North American pools (Foundry USA, MARA Pool) grew.

Operational Reach

Post China’s 2021 mining ban, F2Pool adapted its model to serve international miners:

  • Operates globally (not jurisdiction-specific despite Chinese founding)
  • Supports hardware from all major ASIC manufacturers
  • PPS+ (Pay Per Share Plus) fee model
  • Separate pool interfaces for Bitcoin and altcoin mining

Related Terms

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