January 12, 2026 — The Bitcoin Core development team has welcomed a new trusted key holder, granting main branch commit privileges to a sixth core maintainer. According to reports from ChainCatcher, the developer, known by the pseudonym TheCharlatan (also referred to as sedited), officially joined the team on January 8, 2026. ✨
This marks the first expansion of Bitcoin Core’s trusted key holders since May 2023, highlighting the ongoing growth and evolution of the project. With TheCharlatan’s inclusion, the current roster of core maintainers now consists of:
Marco Falke, Gloria Zhao, Ryan Ofsky, Hennadii Stepanov, Ava Chow, and TheCharlatan 👨💻👩💻
TheCharlatan, a computer science graduate from the University of Zurich 🇨🇭 and originally from South Africa 🇿🇦, focuses on reproducible builds and research into Bitcoin Core’s verification logic—critical areas for ensuring network security and reliability. 🔒
This expansion reflects Bitcoin Core’s commitment to decentralization and rigorous code review, ensuring every change is carefully vetted by a trusted team of experts. 🌐
As Bitcoin continues to grow, additions like TheCharlatan show the project’s dedication to technical excellence while keeping the ecosystem secure and transparent. 💡
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