DMND and Rootstock Labs have integrated Stratum V2 into their merged mining process, aiming to enhance miner control and reduce the intermediary role of mining pools. This update allows miners to process sidechain commitments independently and decide on including merge-mining commitments for the Rootstock (RSK) sidechain. The integration enables miners to claim rewards directly on the Rootstock chain in rBTC, bypassing the need for mining pools to manage rewards. The new system is designed to grant miners direct sidechain revenue rights, potentially altering the dynamics between mining pools and sidechains. Alejandro De La Torre, CEO of DMND, emphasized the importance of miner control over merged mining and the distribution of associated rewards, highlighting the company's goal to further decentralize the Bitcoin ecosystem.