Bitcoin’s planned “eCash” hard fork is an experimental proposal led by veteran developer Paul Sztorc (LayerTwo Labs CEO). It is planned to split off into a new chain from the Bitcoin mainnet in August 2026 (at approximately block height 964,000). Note that this proposal is completely different from the existing eCash (XEC, formerly BCHA).

Core mechanisms and technical features

The new chain will nearly fully replicate the Bitcoin Core codebase, use the SHA-256 algorithm, but reset the initial mining difficulty. Its core selling point is the integration of BIP300/BIP301 Drivechains technology. It plans to build seven Layer 2 sidechains to support functions such as private transactions, prediction markets, and DEXs, aiming to achieve scaling and innovation without changing Bitcoin’s base layer.

Distribution plan and key controversy

The fork will air drop eCash tokens to BTC holders on a 1:1 ratio. The biggest controversy is that developers propose manually reallocating a portion (no more than half) of the Patoshi-mode tokens of “Satoshi” that are currently unused (approximately 1.1 million coins) on the new fork chain, intending to transfer them to early investors and the development team to activate the network. Bitcoin mainnet assets are completely unaffected; as long as private keys are not exposed, mainnet BTC is absolutely safe. Sztorc emphasizes that this is only a ledger experiment for a parallel new chain, yet it still faces community criticism as “violating the immutability of property” and as hype marketing.

Industry positioning and risks

Since the plan was announced in April 2026, it has sparked polarized reactions. Supporters see it as real-world testing of Drivechains technology, while opponents (such as Jameson Lopp) believe it is “rage marketing.” For ordinary holders, if they control their own private keys they may receive new assets after the fork, but they need to watch out for replay attacks and fake token scams. Whether exchanges will support it remains to be seen.