In brief:
- MimbleWimble core developer David Burkett has stated that code for the potential upgrade will be ready by March 15th
- On this date, the code will be ready for final review and formal auditing
- Miners will then agree on whether to implement the upgrade or not
- MimbleWimble has been running on the testnet for 3 months
The code to Litecoin’s potential MimbleWimble (MWEB) upgrade will be complete on the 15th of March. On this date, the code to the MWEB protocol will be ready for final review and formal auditing. At the time of writing, MimbleWimble has been running smoothly on the Litecoin testnet for the last three months.
MimbleWimble’s core developer, David Burkett, recently updated on the progress of the project as follows.
I guess I’ll just kick the can a little bit further down the road, and shoot for launching a community testnet sometime after the code is completed this month. There’s still a ton of work left to do before the code review can be submitted, but I remain confident & committed to meeting the March 15th goal.
MimbleWimble Will be an Opt-in Feature if Implemented
Once the MimbleWimble code is reviewed and audited, Litecoin miners will then have the final say as to whether the upgrade will be implemented or not.
According to the team at Litecoin, MimbleWimble will be an opt-in feature for LTC users. It will run on the MW chain separate from the main Litecoin chain. This chain will provide the benefits of improved fungibility and privacy.
No Need to Delist Litecoin if Governments Come Calling
As with all upgrades, Litecoin wallet developers and crypto exchanges will have full discretion as to whether to implement the MimbleWimble or not.
In the future, if governments decide to crack the whip on Litecoin stating it is a privacy coin, the same crypto exchanges and wallets will have the option of no longer supporting the MimbleWimble extension block. This means that delisting Litecoin will not be necessary as the LTC main chain is a separate entity completely.