eCash Fork Proposal Sparks Debate Over Satoshi’s Dormant Holdings

Paul Sztorc, CEO of LayerTwo Labs, has proposed a new Bitcoin fork called eCash, scheduled for August at block height 964,000. While the fork would generally provide a 1:1 balance transfer for BTC holders, it introduces a controversial deviation regarding the network's creator. The proposal targets the approximately 1.1 million BTC attributed to Satoshi Nakamoto. Instead of a full 1:1 copy of the ledger, the eCash chain would allocate 600,000 coins to Satoshi's addresses and redirect the remaining 500,000 to investors funding the launch. Critics, including Abundant Mines CEO Beau Turner and author Vijay Selvam, view the redistribution as a violation of property rights. They argue that treating dormant coins differently creates a dangerous precedent that could destroy Bitcoin's reputation as 'digital gold' and a durable store of value across generations. The eCash fork is also seen as a strategic pressure tactic to encourage the Bitcoin Core community to adopt 'Drivechains' via BIP300 and BIP301. Sztorc has indicated he would cancel the fork if these proposals are activated before August. While most Bitcoin forks fail to achieve significant market value, this proposal reignites a fundamental conflict over social intervention and the immutability of the ledger, landing in a market already sensitive to discussions regarding quantum-vulnerable coins.