In a move that’s already igniting fierce debate across the cryptocurrency world, longtime Bitcoin developer Paul Sztorc announced plans for a new Bitcoin hard fork called eCash, slated for launch in August 2026.
The project, detailed in an April 24 X post, would create a near-identical copy of Bitcoin’s core software while introducing significant upgrades aimed at scalability and functionality.
Holders of Bitcoin at the fork’s snapshot would receive an equal amount of eCash tokens on a 1:1 basis—meaning someone with 4.19 BTC would get the same in the new chain. The fork would use SHA-256 mining, start with a drastically lowered difficulty for easier early participation, and include tools to handle transaction replays.
At its heart is Sztorc’s long-pursued Drivechain technology (BIPs 300 and 301), which would activate several merged-mined Layer 2 networks focused on prediction markets, decentralized exchanges, NFTs, identity systems, and privacy features.
Sztorc, known for his work on LayerTwo Labs and frustration with Bitcoin’s conservative development pace, frames eCash as a “clean reboot” to overcome what he sees as governance gridlock and limited scalability on the main chain. Unlike the 2017 Bitcoin Cash split, which centered on bigger blocks, this effort emphasizes competing L2s and avoids reusing the Bitcoin name.
Satoshi Nakamoto’s BTC haul in play
The most explosive element, however, is the plan to reassign up to half of the roughly 1.1 million BTC attributed to Satoshi Nakamoto’s “Patoshi-pattern” wallets—coins long considered lost or untouched, valued at tens of billions today.
These would go to accredited investors to fund pre-launch development, a step Sztorc acknowledges as controversial but “necessary” to avoid an under-resourced project. Critics have quickly labeled it theft, a dangerous precedent that undermines Bitcoin’s core principle of immutable ownership and “code is law.”
Reactions have been sharply divided. Supporters see potential for real innovation and usability. Detractors, including prominent Bitcoin voices, dismiss it as another doomed fork likely to spark miner wars and community fracture. Adding fuel is the name overlap with an existing smaller project, XEC.
With code freeze planned 30 days before launch, the coming months will test whether this challenge to Bitcoin’s status quo gains traction—or fades into the long list of failed alternatives.
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