Bitcoin developer Paul Sztorc has announced a new hard fork plan that could create a fundamental change to the network.
This upgrade, called “eCash,” is scheduled to launch in August, and the project aims to create a Layer 1 network as an alternative to Bitcoin, along with seven Layer 2 scaling solutions (Drivechains).
According to information shared by Sztorc, after the hard fork, existing Bitcoin (BTC) holders will be able to exchange their assets for eCash at a 1:1 ratio. It was stated that the new chain’s Layer 1 node software will be largely a copy of the Bitcoin Core client, while continuing to use the SHA-256 algorithm. However, it was also announced that the initial difficulty will be reduced to increase mining participation.
Another notable aspect of the project is the integration of seven Layer 2 solutions aimed at increasing transaction capacity. This structure is planned to support both higher transaction throughput and optional on-chain privacy features.
Sztorc argued that eCash differed from forks like Bitcoin Cash, which emerged in 2017, stating that the project aimed to “solve Bitcoin’s long-standing problems.” However, this approach sparked disagreements within the community.
One particularly controversial proposal was to “manually redistribute” a portion of the approximately 1.1 million BTC believed to belong to Satoshi Nakamoto to early participants. Some Bitcoin supporters strongly opposed this plan, arguing that it would constitute interference with the assets on the original chain.
*This is not investment advice.
