§ About eCash

What is eCash?

eCash (ECX) is a hard fork of Bitcoin built to bring drivechains to life. It runs as its own blockchain, and ECX is that chain's native coin, not a token on Ethereum or Solana.

The project is associated with Paul Sztorc, co-author of the drivechain proposals, and LayerTwo Labs, which builds its software. Bitcoin hasn't shipped a meaningful upgrade since Taproot in 2021. eCash takes Bitcoin's ledger and adds what Bitcoin won't: opt-in sidechains for privacy, scale and experimentation, with the main chain's rules left alone.

Not to be confused with XEC. The project at e.cash uses the ticker XEC. It is a different coin on a different network. Always check the ticker, ECX, before choosing a wallet, a market or an address.

How the fork works

At the fork block, eCash reads Bitcoin's balances and starts its own chain from there. An address holding 1 BTC gets 1 ECX; 0.01 BTC gets 0.01 ECX. From then on the two ledgers keep separate histories. Equal starting balances say nothing about market price.

Your BTC is untouched. Nothing moves on Bitcoin, and BTC carries on exactly as before.

The eCash node is a fork of Bitcoin Core with a few deliberate changes: drivechain support, its own network identity, and a one-time difficulty reset at the fork. It keeps SHA-256d proof-of-work and Bitcoin's address formats (1…, 3… and bc1…).

The road to mainnet

Each network is a fresh fork of Bitcoin, not a continuation of the last one. Mainnet is set by block height, not by a calendar date.

Alpha · block 963,648First rehearsal, forked on 23 Aug 2026 from its own Bitcoin snapshot. Practice coins only; retired on 24 Sep 2026.
Beta · block 967,680Second rehearsal, live since 19 Sep 2026 on a fresh snapshot, for wallets, exchanges and miners to test against.
Mainnet · block 973,728The permanent network, at Bitcoin's next difficulty adjustment. The day depends on how fast Bitcoin blocks arrive; ecash.com currently estimates 30 Oct 2026.

Drivechains, in short

Drivechains connect a main chain to sidechains that run their own rules. You can move coins onto a sidechain, use what it's built for, and move them back. eCash switches this on for ECX; Bitcoin itself does not change. Two proposals by Paul Sztorc and CryptAxe define it:

  • BIP-300 · Hashrate escrows

    Links the ledgers. Coins for a sidechain are held in escrow on the main chain, and withdrawals come back as bundles that miners approve slowly, over a long voting window: 13,150 approvals within 26,300 blocks.

  • BIP-301 · Blind merged mining

    Produces sidechain blocks. Sidechain block makers pay main-chain miners to commit to their block hashes, and the miners don't have to run or check any sidechain to take part.

A miner-approved peg is not risk-free custody, and fast-withdrawal services are separate deals that don't remove the built-in delay.

The first sidechains

Seven LayerTwo Labs projects, each exploring a different use:

Thunder livePayments at high throughput.
zSide livePrivacy, modelled on Zcash.
BitNames liveDecentralized identity and DNS.
BitAssets liveTokens and NFTs.
Truthcoin livePrediction markets.
Photon in progressQuantum-resistant transactions.
CoinShift in progressA decentralized exchange.

Anyone can propose a new sidechain; whether it activates is up to the network's miner-signalling rules.

Getting your ECX

There's nothing to do before the fork: no pre-claim, no registration, no form. What matters is who holds the keys.

  • Hold your own keys

    BTC in a wallet you control at the snapshot gets a matching ECX balance.

  • BTC on an exchange

    If an exchange holds your BTC, it alone decides whether you get ECX.

  • Community rewards

    Some campaigns, competitions, testing, referrals and ecosystem work can also earn ECX.

After the fork: split before you spend

BTC and ECX share their history up to the fork, so an ordinary transaction can be valid on both chains. That's called replay: send BTC from an unsplit wallet and the same transaction can send your ECX to whoever received the BTC. Replay protection is opt-in, so split your coins on purpose, before moving any BTC.

  • Don't rush

    Wait for the official wallet and splitting guidance.

  • Move your ECX with protection

    Using a verified wallet, send your ECX to an address you control with replay protection switched on. A new address on its own does not split anything.

  • Wait, then check both chains

    Let the transaction confirm, since a reorg can undo a recent split. Then make sure the ECX moved and the BTC is still unspent. After that, each can be used on its own.

Technical detail: mainnet ECX transactions opt in with nLockTime 499999998 and at least one non-final input. Beta uses a different marker. See ecash.com/split for the full guide.

Download an eCash wallet

Official downloads, as listed on ecash.com/download. Get them from there, never from links someone sends you.

Check the release notes and the selected network first: a test network build is not a sign that mainnet is ready. And a wallet that reads Bitcoin keys doesn't automatically support ECX.

Stay safe

  • Your seed phrase is yours alone

    Never type it into a website or unverified software. Anyone who asks for it to “unlock” ECX is running a scam.

  • Never pay to receive ECX

    Don't send BTC or connect a wallet because someone says it's needed to get your ECX.

  • Listings aren't guaranteed

    Each exchange sets its own policy. A vote or an integration doc is not a confirmed listing.

Learn more