Peter Todd Named Lead Maintainer of MARA's Slipstream Private Mempool
MARA Foundation named Bitcoin Core contributor Peter Todd lead maintainer of Slipstream, the private mempool that sends transactions straight to MARA Pool without Bitcoin's public network.
Why it matters
MARA Pool now runs a direct transaction channel that users and researchers can reach without touching the public network, and that channel is the same one used to move funds out of wallets hit by the Coldcard compromise. The sources give no transaction volume, fee terms or revenue figures for Slipstream, so the commercial size of the service is not established by this evidence.
Where the sources disagree
Who announced Todd's appointment
Announced by the MARA Foundation on Thursday
Bitcoin Magazine
Announced by Todd himself in a post on X
Crypto News (CryptoNews.net)
Bitcoin Magazine says the foundation announced the appointment on Thursday, while Crypto News says Todd announced it himself in a post on X alongside a TABConf talk on private mempools.
What happened in the Coldcard incident and how Slipstream was involved
Exploit in July, over $115 million stolen, Slipstream useful after the theft
Bitcoin Magazine
Funds moved from wallets affected by the Coldcard vulnerability, no amount reported
Bitcoin.com News
Bitcoin Magazine describes a July hack that stole more than $115 million and says Slipstream was useful afterwards, whereas Bitcoin.com News says the private submission model was recently used to move funds from affected wallets and gives no amount.
Key facts
The MARA Foundation named Peter Todd lead maintainer of Slipstream, the organization's private Bitcoin mempool service.
Reported by Bitcoin Magazine
Slipstream lets users send Bitcoin transactions straight to MARA Pool without going through Bitcoin's public peer-to-peer network, and those transactions are not broadcast before confirmation.
Reported by Bitcoin Magazine
Todd will be responsible for developing and running Slipstream.
Reported by Bitcoin Magazine
Hackers exploited Coldcard hardware wallets in July, stealing more than $115 million in user funds.
115,000,000 USDDisputed figureReported by Bitcoin Magazine
Slipstream was used to move funds from wallets affected by the Coldcard vulnerability, and Todd said it was useful during the hack.
Disputed figureReported by Bitcoin Magazine
Slipstream first drew attention in 2024 for publishing large Ordinals inscriptions.
Reported by Bitcoin Magazine
Research projects run on Slipstream include Quantum Safe Bitcoin and Binohash, a method for emulating covenants without a soft fork.
Reported by Bitcoin Magazine
Todd co-authored BIP 125 on replace-by-fee, created OpenTimestamps and launched Libre Relay, a Bitcoin Core fork with looser relay rules, in 2024.
Reported by Bitcoin Magazine
What happened
The MARA Foundation named Bitcoin Core contributor Peter Todd lead maintainer of Slipstream, the mining company's private mempool, which takes transactions straight to MARA Pool without passing through Bitcoin's public peer-to-peer network. Bitcoin Magazine reported the foundation made the announcement on Thursday and that Todd will develop and run the service, while Crypto News reported Todd announced the role himself in a post on X, where he tied it to a talk he plans to give on private mempools at TABConf and said Slipstream was useful during the Coldcard hack. Bitcoin Magazine said the service proved useful after hackers exploited Coldcard hardware wallets in July, taking more than $115 million in user funds, and Bitcoin.com News described Slipstream as the channel recently used to move funds from wallets affected by that vulnerability. Slipstream first drew attention in 2024 for publishing large Ordinals inscriptions and has since carried research including Quantum Safe Bitcoin and Binohash, a method for emulating covenants without a soft fork. Bitcoin Insider noted the appointment puts a contributor to transaction replacement and mempool design work in charge of a private channel, and both aggregators credited other outlets (Bitcoin.com News and Cryptopolitan) rather than reporting independently. The evidence does not say whether the role is full-time, how the announcement was coordinated, or what share of MARA Pool's business the private channel now carries.
How the story developed
- First report
First report by Bitcoin Magazine
Peter Todd Joins MARA to Lead Private Mempool Slipstream
- Official statement
MARA Foundation names Peter Todd lead maintainer of Slipstream
The foundation announced the appointment on Thursday, with Todd to develop and run the private mempool service that feeds MARA Pool.
- Update
Coldcard hardware wallet exploit
Bitcoin Magazine reports hackers exploited Coldcard hardware wallets in July and took more than $115 million in user funds.
- Update
Slipstream publishes large Ordinals inscriptions
The service first drew attention in 2024 for large Ordinals inscriptions, before its later use in research and in moving funds after the Coldcard hack.
- Official statement
Official statement from Bitcoin.com News
Bitcoin Core Dev Peter Todd to Oversee MARA’s Private Mempool Service
- Update
Bitcoin.com News and Bitcoin Insider carry the appointment
Bitcoin.com News reported the appointment independently; Bitcoin Insider attributed the news to Bitcoin.com News and Cryptopolitan.
- Official statement
Todd posts about the role on X
He said he is now lead maintainer of Slipstream, linked it to the private mempool debate, and said the service was useful during the Coldcard hack.
How coverage built up
Independent sources over time, counted the way the consensus panel counts them: a republication of a wire story does not move the line.
- 1 Oct 2026, 18:01 UTC: Bitcoin Magazine — 1 independent source, 1 reports
- 1 Oct 2026, 23:10 UTC: Bitcoin.com News, official — 2 independent sources, 2 reports
- 2 Oct 2026, 00:16 UTC: Bitcoin Insider — 3 independent sources, 3 reports
Affected entities
Original sources
| Publisher | Report | Role | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bitcoin.com News Company, official | Bitcoin Core Dev Peter Todd to Oversee MARA’s Private Mempool Service | Independent | |
| Bitcoin Magazine Crypto media | Peter Todd Joins MARA to Lead Private Mempool Slipstream | Original | |
| Bitcoin Insider Aggregator | Bitcoin Core Developer Peter Todd to Lead MARA’s Private Mempool Service Slipstream | Syndicated | |
| Crypto News (CryptoNews.net) Aggregator | Peter Todd takes lead of MARA's Slipstream as private mempools gain ground | Syndicated |
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