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Questions about eCash

The Bitcoin fork, wallet access, replay protection and Drivechains

13Questions
with source references
01

What is eCash (ECX)?

eCash (ECX) is a Bitcoin hard fork associated with Paul Sztorc and LayerTwo Labs It creates a separate blockchain designed to activate Drivechains through BIP300 and BIP301 ECX is the asset of that chain, not an ERC20 or Solana token

About eCash (ECX) →
02

When is mainnet, and at what block will eCash fork?

Mainnet is planned at the next Bitcoin difficulty adjustment, at Bitcoin block 973,728 The calendar date is an estimate because Bitcoin block times vary Check the official announcements for final launch software and parameters

Fork timeline and what to expect →
03

How are Alpha, Beta, and mainnet different?

Each stage is a fresh fork of Bitcoin, not a continuation of the preceding test balance Alphanet forked at block 963,648 and is retired on September 24, 2026 Betanet launched at block 967,680 on September 19 Mainnet is the planned permanent network

Network stages and integration reference →
04

Does owning BTC give me ECX?

The fork copies the Bitcoin ledger: an address with BTC at the mainnet fork block has a matching ECX balance on the new chain Access depends on control of the corresponding keys and suitable software If a custodian holds the keys, its support and crediting policy determine whether you can access ECX A 1:1 balance does not imply equal market value

Accessing ECX after the fork →
05

Does claiming ECX affect my BTC?

The fork itself does not change Bitcoin balances However, transactions spending unsplit pre-fork coins can be valid on both networks Using unverified wallet software or mishandling keys can also put BTC at risk Understand replay protection before attempting to spend either side

Replay protection and coin splitting →
06

What are Drivechains, BIP300, and BIP301?

Drivechains connect a main chain to sidechains with separate rules BIP300 describes hashrate escrows and miner-signalled withdrawals BIP301 describes blind merged mining, through which main-chain miners can be paid to commit to sidechain blocks without validating those sidechains themselves

Drivechains explained →
07

How do I split BTC and ECX safely?

The integration guide describes splitting on the eCash side first using opt-in replay protection, then waiting for sufficient confirmations before treating the BTC and ECX ledgers independently The mainnet marker is nLockTime = 499999998, with at least one non-final input sequence Beta uses a different marker This is not protection on every transaction by default Review the current guide and verified wallet release before proceeding

Read the splitting guide and cautions →
08

Which Bitcoin wallets can access ECX?

eCash reuses Bitcoin address and key formats, but that alone does not establish wallet support Software must connect to the correct eCash network and handle replay protection Consult the official downloads and your wallet provider; do not assume that a Bitcoin wallet, hardware device, or exchange supports ECX

Wallets and official downloads →
09

Which exchanges will support ECX?

Do not treat a community vote or integration documentation as confirmation of a listing Each exchange decides its own listing, crediting, deposit, and withdrawal policies Check the exchange’s own announcements before relying on support

Community exchange requests →
10

How does mining work, and what are the risks?

eCash uses SHA-256d proof of work with a one-time difficulty reset at each fork and subsequent difficulty retargets Early block timing and reorganisations can be unpredictable The integration guide advises deeper confirmations and reorganisation monitoring; it does not promise immunity from majority-hashrate attacks

Official mining documentation →
11

Can developers build their own sidechains?

Developers can build on the open-source sidechain implementations and propose new sidechains Activation is subject to the network’s miner-signalling rules; a proposal is not guaranteed to activate Test-network parameters may differ from mainnet

Sidechain projects and source repositories →
12

Is eCash quantum resistant?

The base chain uses Bitcoin-style keys and signatures Photon is a sidechain project focused on quantum resistance; its existence does not make every ECX transaction or wallet quantum resistant Review its implementation and current status before relying on it

Explore the sidechain projects →
13

Is eCash (ECX) the same project as eCash (XEC)?

No ecash.com describes eCash (ECX), the Bitcoin hard fork associated with Drivechains and the planned 2026 mainnet The eCash project at e.cash uses the ticker XEC The shared name does not mean these are the same asset or network

ECX and XEC explained →
eCash

ECX / a brief explanation

  1. 01Start from Bitcoin’s ledger.
  2. 02Continue on a separate network.
  3. 03Keep new rules on sidechains.

You don’t have to like every experiment.