Former Mt. Gox CEO proposes Bitcoin hard fork to recover $5.2 billion stolen assets

ZkProver · 2026-02-28T00:20:40+00:00

Former Mt. Gox CEO Karpelès proposed a Bitcoin hard fork plan aimed at recovering approximately 79,956 BTC stolen in 2011 by modifying consensus rules to support compensation for Mt. Gox creditors. The plan requires coordination across the entire network and carries the risk of blockchain split.

ZkProver

2026-02-28 00:20:40

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ChainCatcher News: The defunct exchange Mt. Gox’s former CEO, Mark Karpelès, recently proposed a Bitcoin hard fork plan to recover approximately 79,956 BTC stolen in the 2011 hacking incident, which is valued at about $5.2 billion at current prices.

The proposal targets a wallet address associated with the 2011 Mt. Gox breach. This address received nearly 80,000 BTC after the attack and has remained untouched for over 15 years. Under current Bitcoin rules, these funds can only be transferred if the private key is held. The new rules would allow the recovery address to sign and control the unspent outputs, thereby integrating the funds into the existing judicial compensation process to repay Mt. Gox creditors.

Karpelès stated that this plan is only a starting point for discussion. The rule change would be limited to a single address and activated at a specific block height in the future. However, the proposal also acknowledges that implementing this would require a network-wide upgrade, and if some community members refuse support, it could risk a blockchain split. It’s important to note that these approximately 80,000 BTC are not currently part of Mt. Gox creditors’ assets or controlled by bankruptcy trustees.

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