Paul Sztorc unveils eCash hard fork with 1:1 BTC split

Paul Sztorc, the architect behind the Drivechain proposals, announced a planned hard fork called eCash for August 2026. The fork will deliver eCash tokens to Bitcoin holders at a one-for-one ratio and will activate BIP300 and BIP301 through a mechanism the project calls CUSF, or core untouched soft fork. The team set a 30-day code freeze before the split.

Sztorc posted on X that holders will receive equal eCash units for their BTC balances; he gave the example that a wallet holding 4.19 BTC would receive 4.19 eCash. The eCash layer-one node is described as a near-copy of Bitcoin Core and will use SHA-256d mining. The project plans to publish an activation client for testing and to run bug-bounty contests over the summer before freezing the client 30 days ahead of the launch.

At the fork the chain will reset mining difficulty to its minimum value. Sztorc said the reset will create chaotic mining conditions until difficulty adjusts and warned developers and node operators to test the release. The project will change seed nodes, the network name and the network magic, and it will continue to merge updates from Bitcoin Core into its codebase. The chain will replay all transactions at the split, and the team plans to release a coin-splitter utility for users and exchanges.

The proposal includes at least seven merged-mined layer-two chains that will run alongside the L1. The projects named by the team include Truthcoin for prediction markets, Coinshift as a decentralized exchange, Bitassets for NFTs and asset instruments, Bitnames for identity, Photon as a quantum-resistant chain and a privacy-focused chain modeled on Zcash. The project website states the merged-mining model and Drivechain design can support large-scale onboarding by allowing independent developers to deploy sidechains.

Reaction in crypto communities was mixed. Some contributors raised concerns that the name “eCash” conflicts with an existing altcoin that originated from a Bitcoin Cash split. Sztorc wrote, “The name ‘eCash’ is generic,” and said the team acquired ecash.com and related domains. Other critics warned that Drivechains could give miners excessive authority; a developer known as Calle argued BIP300 might allow a hash-power majority to misappropriate funds. A sentiment analysis of top replies to the announcement showed a majority of negative responses.

The activation client is available for developers and node operators to test ahead of the summer bug bounties and the 30-day code freeze. Sztorc confirmed he will attend a conference in Las Vegas but said he will not discuss the fork onstage and urged miners and developers to begin testing before the August 2026 split.