On Oct. 29, Paul Sztorc’s LayerTwo Labs launched eCash, a hard fork of Bitcoin that creates a separate blockchain and a native token called ECX. The fork occurred at Bitcoin block 973,728, and anyone who controlled the private keys to their BTC at that height automatically received an equivalent amount of ECX, according to the project’s team.

BTC / USD
Source: CoinGecko. Prices are indicative.

How holders can claim and protect their ECX

The distribution is automatic for self‑custodied Bitcoin; users must move ECX before spending BTC to avoid replay attacks, as the two chains share transaction history. LayerTwo Labs advises using a wallet that supports eCash and following the provided process to separate the tokens. Holders whose BTC is stored on centralized exchanges depend on the exchange’s fork support – CoinW has announced plans to distribute ECX, while other platforms have not confirmed a rollout.

eCash’s technical focus: Drivechains and sidechains

eCash’s core innovation is the Drivechain architecture, which lets developers launch independent sidechains without altering the base protocol. Five sidechains launched with the mainnet – BitNames, BitAssets, Thunder, Truthcoin and zSide – and two more (the quantum‑resistant Photon and the decentralized exchange CoinShift) are slated for later release. According to Cointelegraph, the model aims to give developers freedom to experiment with payments, privacy features, digital assets and prediction markets while allowing miners to earn additional fees.

Early market activity and liquidity

ECX is listed on a limited number of venues. NeoxEX opened native ECX deposits, withdrawals and trading pairs (ECX/USDT, ECX/USDC, ECX/BTC) on the launch day. Orca, a Solana‑based DEX, offers a wrapped ECX (wECX) pool that swaps USDC for wECX, providing an alternative route to exposure. CoinMarketCap reported a price of $32.63 and 24‑hour volume of roughly $355,000 as of Nov. 5, while CoinGecko still shows ECX as a preview listing without a price. LayerTwo Labs noted early trades fluctuated between $40 and $50, but independent data is scarce.

What to watch next

The next weeks will reveal whether eCash can attract developers to its sidechains and generate sustainable transaction‑fee revenue, the metrics Sztorc cites as success indicators. Market participants will also monitor the rollout of ECX on additional exchanges and the liquidity of the wrapped token pool on Solana. Finally, regulatory guidance on fork‑derived tokens could affect tax treatment for recipients in various jurisdictions.