Twice a year, the Bitcoin Cash (BCH) network hard forks as part of scheduled protocol upgrades. The next BCH hard fork is scheduled for this Thursday, Nov 15, 2018.

Unlike previous BCH hard forks, there is a competing proposal that is not compatible with the published roadmap. Coinbase will monitor the hard fork process and work to minimize customer disruption until the network meets Coinbase security standards.

Coinbase previously announced that we would pause sends and receives on the BCH wallets at Coinbase.com, in our iOS and Android apps, and at Coinbase Pro, Prime, and Custody beginning at 8:00AM PST on Thursday, November 15 (approximately 1 hour before the fork).

Due to recent developments, we have now determined that it will be necessary to also pause all buys, sells, and trading of BCH starting at 8:00AM PST on Thursday on Coinbase.com, in the iOS and Android apps, and on Coinbase Pro and Prime. Accordingly, during the time of the pause, you will not be able to sell or remove your BCH from Coinbase. If you wish to have access to your BCH during the pause, you will need to remove it from the Coinbase platform prior.

Please note that Coinbase has no control over the timing of the fork, and therefore cannot provide specific timing for the items below. We will monitor the fork and communicate with our customers promptly and frequently regarding the status of access to BCH. During the fork, we will take the following steps.

Starting at 8:00AM PST on Thursday, November 15, Coinbase will:

When will Coinbase pause sends and receives of BCH?
We will pause sends and receives and all trading on the BCH wallets at Coinbase.com, in our iOS and Android apps, and at Coinbase Pro, Prime, and Custody beginning at 8:00AM PST on Thursday, November 15 (approximately 1 hour before the fork). Please be sure all BCH sends, receives, and trading are completed prior to that time. During the pause, your BCH will remain safely at Coinbase. As it may take several hours for a transaction to be processed, we recommend initiating any sends, receives or trading no later than 3:00 am PST.

When will Coinbase take a snapshot of BCH balances?
We will take a snapshot of existing BCH balances on the platform immediately after sends, receives, buys, sells, and trading of BCH are paused at 8:00am PST on Thursday, November 15.

How long will trading be paused, and what happens when you turn it back on?
We cannot predict the duration of this process. When the upgrade is complete, we will evaluate the security and viability of the network and take appropriate next steps, including re-enabling sends, receives, and trading. We will update our customers throughout the upgrade process and about the outcome of the fork once the network reaches consensus.

The order book for BCH on Coinbase Pro and Coinbase Prime will be cleared after trading is paused so Coinbase Pro and Prime users will need to submit any new orders after trading is re-enabled.

When will Coinbase re-enable sends and receives of BCH?
We cannot predict the duration of this process. When the upgrade is complete, we will evaluate the security and viability of the network and take appropriate next steps, including re-enabling sends, receives, and trading. We will update our customers throughout the upgrade process and about the outcome of the fork once the network reaches consensus.

Will there be more than one BCH chain?
We cannot predict if there will be one or two viable chains after the fork. We will monitor the network closely, and will communicate with our customers. as to when we will re-enable sends, receives, and trading of BCH.

What will happen if there are two viable chains?
In the event that multiple viable chains persist after the fork, we will strive to ensure that customers have access to their funds on each chain. Coinbase will initially resume customer access to BCH and then Coinbase will work to provide withdrawal access to funds on the second chain at a future date. We anticipate this will take at least a few weeks, but may take longer.

If I leave my funds on Coinbase during the fork, will they be safe?
Funds stored on the Coinbase platform will remain safe throughout the fork. Our primary goal during this fork is to protect customer funds. Customers who leave BCH on Coinbase during the fork will be able to access it after the network has reached sufficient consensus as to the outcome of the fork, and we have determined that the network is secure, at which time we will re-enable sends, receives, and trading of BCH.

What to Expect During the Bitcoin Cash Hard Fork was originally published in The Coinbase Blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

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