# BIP

> Bitcoin Improvement Proposal. The Bitcoin equivalent of an EIP, used to propose changes to Bitcoin.

Canonical URL: https://fudfomo.co/glossary/bip
Source: What The Block! Dictionary v1.0 (last updated 2026-04-25), browsable at https://wtb.fudfomo.co.

## Definition

A BIP, or Bitcoin Improvement Proposal, is how new ideas for Bitcoin are documented and reviewed. BIPs cover protocol changes, address formats, wallet behaviour, and other community standards.

Major upgrades like SegWit (BIP 141) and Taproot (BIPs 340 to 342) went through this process. The bar for accepting a BIP is high, in keeping with Bitcoin's slow and conservative approach to change.

## Related terms

- [Bitcoin](https://fudfomo.co/glossary/bitcoin): The first cryptocurrency. A digital money you can send anywhere in the world without a bank, secured by a network of computers.
- [Soft Fork](https://fudfomo.co/glossary/soft-fork): A blockchain rule change that is backwards compatible. Old software still works, just with fewer features.
- [Hard Fork](https://fudfomo.co/glossary/hard-fork): A blockchain rule change that is not backwards compatible. Old software cannot follow the new chain.

## See the full catalogue

What The Block! covers more than 2,000 plain-English crypto terms, delivered as embeddable hover-state tooltips for crypto exchanges. https://wtb.fudfomo.co