Drivechain Architect Paul Sztorc Unveils August Bitcoin Hard Fork With 1:1 BTC Coin Split

Key Takeaways:

• Paul Sztorc announced eCash, a caller Bitcoin hard fork dropping successful August 2026, with a 1:1 BTC coin divided for holders.
• The fork activates BIP300/301 Drivechains, targeting 8 cardinal users crossed 7 Layer 2 chains successful development.
• Sztorc plans to frost the lawsuit 30 days earlier the fork and tally bug bounty contests done summertime 2025.

Sztorc Announces eCash Hard Fork Four Months Out, Sets 30-Day Code Freeze Before August Launch

Sztorc broke the quality successful a post connected X, writing: “BREAKING: New Bitcoin Fork — I americium helping make a caller Bitcoin Hardfork — dropping this August, called ‘eCash.'” He confirmed the divided volition beryllium 1:1, noting that a holder with 4.19 BTC volition person 4.19 eCash. Holders tin sell, keep, oregon disregard the caller coins entirely.

The task draws a nonstop enactment from Sztorc’s years of enactment connected BIP300 and BIP301, the Drivechain proposals that person agelong divided the Bitcoin improvement community. On the eCash website astatine ecash.com, the task describes itself arsenic a imperishable hole to Bitcoin’s scalability and governance problems, not a stopgap measure.

Sztorc’s eCash is acceptable to driblet successful 118 days.

The furniture 1 (L1) node is described arsenic a near-copy of Bitcoin Core, utilizing SHA-256d mining. The concatenation volition fork by resetting mining trouble to its minimum value, which Sztorc acknowledged volition origin chaotic conditions astatine launch. The improvement squad plans to alteration effect nodes, the web name, and the web magic portion continuing to merge changes from Bitcoin Core going forward.

BIP300 and BIP301 volition activate done CUSF, the “core untouched brushed fork” mechanism, meaning nary lines of codification connected the L1 volition beryllium modified. The activation lawsuit volition beryllium published periodically and frozen 30 days earlier the scheduled fork date. Several bug bounty contests are planned for the summertime up of launch.

The fork volition replay each transactions astatine the clip of the split, and the squad volition merchandise a coin-splitter tool. Sztorc wrote that users are receiving 4 months of beforehand notice, contrasting this straight with the 2017 Bitcoin Cash hard fork wherever warnings were shorter and the process drew important criticism.

Sztorc’s station listed 7 furniture 2 ( L2) chains presently successful development, each merged-mined, truthful miners automatically gain further revenue. Those chains see Truthcoin for prediction markets, Coinshift arsenic a decentralized exchange ( DEX), Bitassets for NFTs and akin instruments, Bitnames for individuality solutions, and Photon, which is designed to beryllium quantum-resistant. A privacy-focused L2 modeled aft Zcash is besides included.

In an interview with Vlad Costea, Sztorc explained that the Drivechain exemplary is specifically designed to forestall what helium calls “dev capture,” the inclination for a azygous improvement squad oregon acceptable of fiscal backers to summation outsized power implicit a protocol’s direction. Competing L2 chains moving nether the aforesaid merged mining umbrella let the marketplace to determine which applications summation traction without immoderate azygous radical holding veto power.

The ecash.com website states the L2 infrastructure is already susceptible of onboarding 8 cardinal users astatine a planetary scale, a assertion the squad attributes to the merged mining architecture and the quality for autarkic developers to deploy their ain Drivechain-based sidechains.

Sztorc drew a nonstop examination to Bitcoin Cash ( BCH) successful his announcement, emphasizing that eCash drops the connection “ Bitcoin” from the sanction entirely. He argued that a cleanable marque separation, on with a longer beforehand announcement model and a imperishable method fix, distinguishes this fork from anterior attempts.

“Back successful 2017, the BTC tech stack was strong, and expectations for Lightning were strong,” helium wrote. “Today, it is the reverse.”

Community Opinion and Feedback

Naturally, the crypto assemblage divided on acquainted lines erstwhile Paul Sztorc introduced his connection to fork the network. One constituent of contention revolves astir his chosen name, arsenic “eCash” is already associated with an altcoin web that emerged from the Bitcoin Cash divided via Bitcoin ABC. The eCash blockchain community, led by main developer Amaury Séchet, has expressed wide dissatisfaction with Sztorc’s decision. Sztorc, however, responded to the disapproval successful a station connected X and during a conversation with Joel Valenzuela.

On X, Sztorc argued, “The sanction ‘eCash’ is generic. I’m alert it has been utilized for respective things, including: – Chaumian eCash , a predecessor thought to Bitcoin from the 80s/90s — aboriginal realized with his institution DigiCash. – The ‘XEC’ Altcoin, which is presently ranked #164. – A private-but-custodial Bitcoin project, besides called ‘cashu.’ We were capable to get ecash.com — arsenic good arsenic respective different related domains — truthful we are comfy with the eCash name.”

Others took contented with Sztorc’s determination to fork Bitcoin itself. The bundle developer known arsenic Calle contends that BIP300 drivechains, arsenic projected by Paul Sztorc, are fundamentally flawed, arguing they assistance miners excessive authorization and could alteration a hashpower bulk to misappropriate funds. In a post connected X, Calle maintains the conception has been broadly dismissed by the Bitcoin community, yet its creator continues to propulsion forward, knock the Lightning Network, and repackage the thought successful progressively strained ways.

“The lone solution near is to make a sh**coin for his sh***y idea,” Calle claimed.

Author and Bitcoin advocate, Steve Patterson, expressed optimism. “There are lone a mates superior options for scaling Bitcoin: large blocks (as Satoshi intended), oregon existent sidechains,” Patterson wrote connected X. “So naturally, Core prevented some from being adopted. Big blockers forked disconnected years ago, and present [Paul Sztorc] is yet forking disconnected to instrumentality sidechains.”

A Grok-powered sentiment scan of Sztorc’s station connected X showed replies leaning sharply against the project. From astir 50 to 60 top-level responses wrong a full of 347, astir 80% to 85% were negative, Grok reported. Critics pointed to disorder with the existing eCash token, a fork of Bitcoin Cash, and objected to a projected partial reallocation of Satoshi-era coins, which immoderate framed arsenic “stealing” dormant funds.

A smaller but vocal conception rejected the effort outright arsenic a scam oregon developer self-interest. About 10% to 15% expressed support, citing the imaginable coin organisation for Bitcoin holders, involvement successful the Drivechain concept, oregon Sztorc’s measured tone. The remainder raised method questions oregon responded with sarcasm alternatively than engaging directly.

A Stress Test Is Coming successful 118 Days

The announcement signals a coming accent trial for the bitcoin mining community, since the trouble reset astatine fork clip volition temporarily marque eCash acold easier to excavation than Bitcoin. Miners susceptible of shifting hashrate rapidly volition apt accumulate a ample stock of aboriginal artifact rewards earlier trouble adjusts.

Sztorc confirmed helium volition be a Bitcoin league successful Las Vegas the week of the announcement, but said helium would not sermon the fork onstage, calling it rude to marque that benignant of announcement successful that setting.

The activation lawsuit nexus has been published for developers and node operators who privation to statesman investigating up of the summertime bug bounty programme and the 30-day codification frost that volition precede the August launch.