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MicroStrategy co-founder Michael Saylor says Bitcoin (BTC) has won the global narrative war, but flags BIP-110 protocol changes as the asset’s greatest remaining threat.
Meanwhile, Bitcoin Conference organizer David Bailey extends an invitation to BIP-110 supporters, invigorating debate that has split the Bitcoin community into opposing camps.
BIP-110 is a proposal to change how new Bitcoin blocks are selected by allowing miners to vote on which valid block to accept, rather than strictly following the longest-chain rule.
In simple terms, it tries to make Bitcoin’s consensus more flexible and resistant to certain mining attacks.
Why the BIP-110 Debate Matters Now
Saylor argues that the BTC price is now driven by institutional capital flows rather than halving cycles.
He describes the four-year cycle as “dead” and emphasized that bank lending and digital credit will shape Bitcoin’s growth going forward.
However, the most provocative line targeted protocol development. The MicroStrategy executive calls “bad ideas driving iatrogenic protocol changes” the single biggest risk to Bitcoin.
“Iatrogenic” is a medical term meaning harm caused by medical examination, treatment, or advice from health professionals.
That warning lands squarely on the BIP-110 controversy. The Bitcoin Improvement Proposal, introduced by developer Dathon Ohm and backed by the Bitcoin Knots team, seeks a temporary one-year soft fork to restrict non-monetary data in Bitcoin transactions.
It targets Ordinals inscriptions, BRC-20 tokens, and large OP_RETURN payloads that critics say bloat the blockchain and burden node operators.
A Community Split in Two
The first block signaling support for BIP-110 was mined by the Ocean pool in March 2026.
Proponents frame it as a necessary defense of Bitcoin’s identity as sound money. They argue that arbitrary data competes unfairly with payments and drives up fees for ordinary users.
Opponents see a different picture entirely. Blockstream CEO Adam Back warned that consensus-level intervention could damage Bitcoin’s credibility as a store of value.
He argued the proposal risks setting a precedent for future transaction censorship.
The activation threshold itself remains contentious. BIP-110 proposes a 55% hash power requirement, far below the traditional 95% consensus standard for Bitcoin upgrades.
Bailey, CEO and Chairman of Nakamoto and founder of BTC Inc., acknowledged his own role in mocking BIP-110 supporters online.
Several BIP-110 supporters dismissed the gesture as a PR move tied to ticket sales rather than genuine bridge-building.
Notwithstanding, the Bitcoin 2026 Conference and a Federal Reserve meeting are both scheduled for late April, creating a dense catalyst window for BTC.
The BIP-110 signaling process remains active, with a potential activation decision approaching later in 2026.
It is a contest over whether Bitcoin should remain a minimal monetary tool or allow broader on-chain experimentation.
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