Bitcoin developer Kevin Loewke warned that after a potential network split following the BIP-110 protocol, $BTC holders could face the risk of losing their coins. The problem arises if one attempts to sell coins created by the fork without first splitting their balances.
The expert explained that in the event of a network split, two transaction histories will emerge with identical balances at the moment of the fork. For example, if an investor had 10 $BTC before the split, after the fork they would control 10 coins in each of the resulting chains. However, both networks might recognize the same signed transaction.
A buyer could copy the transaction used to transfer the forked coins and broadcast it to the main Bitcoin network. If the transaction is accepted, the seller would transfer the same amount of genuine $BTC to the buyer's address.
To conduct safe transactions, investors need to "split" their coins, receiving and spending them only on one chain. In the future, wallet providers or exchanges might create tools to address this issue.
BIP-110 (Bitcoin Improvement Proposal 110), also known as the Reduced Data Temporary Softfork, is a proposal to modify the Bitcoin protocol. The fork is intended to temporarily (for one year) restrict the placement of non-financial data on the blockchain to combat spam and reduce the load on network nodes.
Launching BIP-110 requires support from 55% of validating blocks over a specific block period. As of mid-July 2026, support for the proposal is less than 2%, and the activation deadline is in August 2026.
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