Bitcoin holders face unresolved fork risks as new eCash test chain launches ahead of October deadline
An eCash fork, which might create a separate ECX asset for Bitcoin holders, produced Alpha-chain blocks from top 963,648 on Aug. 23. The everlasting fork didn’t occur: the challenge’s present roadmap now locations the 1:1 allocation of everlasting ECX at a Mainnet launch round Bitcoin block 973,728 on Oct. 31.
For holders, miners and exchanges, Aug. 23 grew to become a rehearsal moderately than the everlasting allocation occasion. Bitcoin possession didn’t change, observe pECX is just not everlasting ECX, and public alternate notices didn’t present a common freeze of Bitcoin providers.
What the Alpha chain proved
The eCash Alpha explorer confirmed a block at top 963,648 and the chain advancing by means of a minimum of 963,650. It additionally flagged a stale competing block on the opening top, proof of a younger rehearsal community moderately than a settled manufacturing chain.
Bitcoin’s personal document was separate. Mempool.area resolved Bitcoin block 963,648 to hash 00000000000000000001769d9a327f5b455aa8a2dd407b1b63040d2a9f832d32 and displayed a timestamp of 2026-08-23 01:48:47. Collectively, the 2 information present an Alpha chain working alongside Bitcoin, not a everlasting substitute for it.
What stays earlier than the eCash fork
The revised schedule has three levels: Alpha at roughly 963,648 on Aug. 23, Beta close to 967,680 on Sept. 20 and everlasting Mainnet close to 973,728 on Oct. 31. Alpha and Beta produce observe pECX moderately than the everlasting 1:1 stability copied from Bitcoin.
The challenge says observe items could be burned for actual ECX at Mainnet. Founder Paul Sztorc mentioned 1,000 pECX could possibly be redeemed for 10 ECX. The provided proof doesn’t set up that Alpha transaction historical past or balances robotically carry into Beta or Mainnet, so pECX is just not an early everlasting allocation.
The manufacturing handoff can be unfinished. The challenge’s integration information, final up to date Aug. 11 and marked pre-launch, nonetheless treats 963,648 because the manufacturing fork level and labels key values as drynet4 parameters. It says the ultimate fork hash, software program department or tag and replay scheme will probably be revealed later.
Present coin-splitting steerage makes use of an opt-in nLockTime of 499999999 for ECX transactions, however tells integrators to confirm the ultimate scheme earlier than launch.
Pre-Alpha notices typically saved Bitcoin providers accessible whereas reserving later risk-based adjustments. GMO Coin mentioned coated Bitcoin providers would proceed. Coincheck, SBI VC Commerce and Zaif revealed related continuity plans.
Their remedy of the brand new asset was completely different. GMO mentioned it might not deal with pECX or ECX throughout Alpha and Beta, whereas Coincheck, SBI and Zaif left later ECX crediting, itemizing or dealing with undecided.
The eCash fork’s Aug. 23 Alpha stage was due to this fact low-impact for BTC possession however nonetheless operationally helpful as a check window. For miners, wallets and exchanges, the following manufacturing goal is Oct. 31, and closing software program and replay particulars stay the important thing checkpoint.
