The launch is being carried out by Layertwo Labs, founded and led by long-time Bitcoin developer Paul Sztorc, also known as Truthcoin. The project's goal is not to rewrite Bitcoin itself. Instead, ECX will become a separate network that copies the Bitcoin transaction ledger at specific points in time and issues an equal number of coins in the new chain to most Bitcoin holders. Anyone holding 1 $BTC in a wallet they control at the time of the snapshot will receive 1 ECX in the new network, while the original $BTC will remain exactly where it was.
This distinction is crucial. A hard fork creates a separate version of the blockchain, stemming from a shared historical record. ECX will take Bitcoin's existing ledger as a starting point but will use its own software settings, mining difficulty, nodes, and economic model. Bitcoin users are not required to participate in this process, and their $BTC is not converted, locked, or moved. The fork simply creates a different asset tied to the same wallet addresses at the moment of the snapshot.
ECX will launch in three stages
According to Sztorc, the alpha stage is conceived as a real-world rehearsal. Participants will be able to run the software, mine, trade test coins, test wallets, and look for vulnerabilities in the system. The test coins, called pECX or alpha-ECX, are not permanent.
The beta phase is scheduled for around September 20 at Bitcoin block height 967,680. This stage is expected to focus more on exchanges, wallet providers, miners, and custodians – companies that secure assets for others.
The launch of the permanent mainnet is scheduled for October 31, around Bitcoin block height 973,728. This date coincides with the 18th anniversary of Satoshi's Bitcoin whitepaper publication. Permanent ECX balances will be created at this snapshot moment, and the project expects the first batch of specialized sidechains to become available. The drawn-out deployment process gives developers and infrastructure providers a chance to identify bugs, assess mining conditions, and establish security measures before launching the permanent chain.
Drivechains – the main bet
Sztorc has been promoting the concept of Drivechains for over a decade – a proposed way for Bitcoin to support additional sidechains without rewriting rules for every user. A sidechain is a separate network with various features that can connect to the main blockchain. In practice, users would be able to choose a sidechain for privacy, faster payments, or other features, while leaving the base network relatively conservative.
The proposed technology was presented in BIP 300 and BIP 301 – technical proposals developed by Sztorc in 2017 and 2019. BIP 300 describes a mechanism for moving assets between the main chain and sidechains. BIP 301 describes "blind" merged mining, which would allow miners to collect sidechain fees without running all the software for each one.
These proposals never gained enough support to be implemented into Bitcoin via a soft fork – a backwards-compatible rule change. Bitcoin's last major soft fork, Taproot, was activated in 2021. Ultimately, Layertwo Labs decided that its Drivechain concept stood a better chance of success as a separate hard fork than as another campaign to reach consensus among Bitcoin developers, miners, and node operators.
ECX plans to launch with seven specialized sidechains, including Thunder for high-performance payments, Zside for secure transactions, Bitnames for decentralized identity, Bitassets for token issuance, Photon for quantum-resistant signatures, Truthcoin for prediction markets, and Coinshift for cross-chain trading. The bet is that users will be able to choose the features they need without forcing every Bitcoin user to accept new base-layer rules.
Bitcoin will remain unchanged
The project uses the same SHA-256d mining algorithm as Bitcoin and keeps its base layer close to Bitcoin Core – the dominant Bitcoin software. However, it will use its own network identifier and ports, preventing ECX nodes from accidentally connecting to the Bitcoin network. At launch, the network will reset mining difficulty to its minimum value and then return to regular adjustments, which will likely lead to significant volatility in mining conditions early on.
One unique rule from the start concerns approximately 1.1 million early Bitcoins linked to Satoshi Nakamoto via the "Patoshi pattern" – a method researchers use to identify blocks likely mined early on. About 600,000 ECX will remain tied to these addresses, while roughly 500,000 ECX will be redirected via special transactions to early investors and development funding. Project supporters position this as funding the new network without an Initial Coin Offering (ICO). This step does not affect Satoshi's $BTC on the Bitcoin network in any way.
The project also differs significantly from the recent BIP-110 episode – an attempt at a temporary soft fork aimed at limiting some non-financial blockchain data. BIP-110 proponents failed to gain meaningful support from miners, nodes, and infrastructure, and the resulting minority chain stalled after just a few blocks. ECX is not trying to impose rules on Bitcoin. It's a separate experiment designed to protect the interests of users, miners, and capital, while the Bitcoin network continues to operate as usual.
Self-custody and receiving free coins
For individual holders, the key question is who controls the private keys at the moment of each snapshot. A private key is the secret identifier that proves control over a Bitcoin address. People storing $BTC themselves, meaning in a wallet where they control these keys, should be able to directly access the corresponding ECX coins. Those holding $BTC on exchanges or with other custodians must wait to see if those companies support the fork and distribute the new asset.
Permanent ECX has no established market price since the mainnet is not yet launched. Trading of ECX futures may appear during testing, and even if exchanges list ECX, extremely speculative price formation should be expected. The more important question is whether ecash (ECX) will receive a more favorable reception than the recent BIP-110 debacle. There is an ECX wallet for Apple (Testflight) and Android, and the project's documentation also mentions Bitwindow – an alternative Bitcoin Core interface with built-in Drivechain support.
The real battle will begin after October 31. ECX will need operational sidechains, stable software, exchanges ready to list, and sufficient miner participation to demonstrate that its merged fee model truly works. Bitcoin holders wishing to obtain direct access should track snapshot heights, maintain control of their keys, and follow official guidance. They should also remember that ECX has nothing to do with XEC – a separate cryptocurrency using the same "ecash" name.
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