Bitcoin Developer Proposes eCash Hard Fork, Sparking Controversy Over Satoshi Coin Reassignment

Veteran Bitcoin developer Paul Sztorc has unveiled a plan to create a new version of the Bitcoin blockchain, called eCash, through a hard fork in August 2026. The proposed fork will give existing bitcoin holders equivalent tokens in the new network, but the community is objecting to the plan to reassign coins linked to Bitcoin's mysterious founder, Satoshi Nakamoto. A hard fork is a significant change to a blockchain's protocol, resulting in a new chain that shares the original chain's history up to the point of the split, but then diverges with its own rules and features. Sztorc's eCash hard fork will introduce a new scaling architecture called Drivechains, which allows for the seamless movement of BTC between the main chain and sidechains without altering Bitcoin's base layer. However, the plan to use coins that would have gone to Satoshi Nakamoto's equivalent addresses on the new eCash chain to attract investors has sparked outrage, with some calling it theft. The community is concerned that this move sets a dangerous precedent and could potentially put everyone's BTC holdings at risk.