eCash (ECX) launches Bitcoin hard fork with five Drivechain sidechains

eCash (ECX) has launched its mainnet as a separate Bitcoin hard fork, introducing a platform for applications built around Drivechain technology. LayerTwo Labs said the network went live on October 29, 2026, with five sidechains available at launch and two more under development.

The announcement, issued on November 2 and shared with Crypto Breaking News by Wachsman, positions ECX as a way to experiment with payments, privacy and other blockchain applications while Bitcoin continues to operate under its existing rules.

A separate network for Drivechain applications

Developed by LayerTwo Labs, eCash implements the architecture advanced through Bitcoin Improvement Proposals BIP300 and BIP301. The proposals describe mechanisms for connecting a main blockchain with specialized sidechains and for sidechain block production.

Each sidechain can operate with its own rules and functionality. Assets can move between the ECX mainchain and its sidechains under the network’s deposit and withdrawal mechanisms. The project’s Drivechain documentation explains that withdrawals depend on miner signalling and a delay.

ECX operates on a separate network from Bitcoin. Its launch does not activate BIP300 or BIP301 on the BTC network.

Five sidechains at launch

According to the release, the initial mainnet lineup includes BitNames, BitAssets, Thunder, Truthcoin and zSide. Together, these projects target applications ranging from naming and digital assets to faster payments, prediction markets and privacy-focused transactions.

Two additional networks remain in active development. Photon is described as quantum-resistant, while CoinShift is being developed as a decentralized exchange. The company distinguishes these development plans from the five sidechains announced for the mainnet launch.

Paul Sztorc, CEO of LayerTwo Labs and creator of the Drivechain proposals, described the fork as a place to test new ideas while maintaining Bitcoin’s existing protocol.

“eCash provides the competitive testing ground necessary to safely drive financial infrastructure forward without risking the core network,” Sztorc said in the announcement.

Testing before mainnet

The mainnet release followed Alpha and Beta phases involving independent community participants. LayerTwo Labs said Alpha hashrate peaked at 9.44 PH/s across seven independent pools.

The company said the staged rollout gave miners, developers and users an opportunity to identify bugs and test wallets, exchanges and other infrastructure before permanent assets were introduced. Those earlier phases used practice ECX, or pECX, as a rehearsal for the live network.

How ECX balances relate to Bitcoin

The fork copies Bitcoin’s ledger at its snapshot, creating corresponding ECX balances at a ratio of one ECX per BTC held at that point, according to the announcement. The ratio concerns coin balances rather than the market value of either asset.

LayerTwo Labs said self-custody users can use coin-splitting tools in the project’s wallet to separate their BTC and ECX holdings and manage the two assets independently. Details about the network and its software are available through the official eCash website.

About LayerTwo Labs

LayerTwo Labs is a Bitcoin development company founded by Paul Sztorc. Its work focuses on Drivechains and specialized networks for applications such as payments, privacy and prediction markets. eCash (ECX) is the company’s Bitcoin hard fork implementing that architecture.

Based on a press release supplied by Wachsman on behalf of LayerTwo Labs.

This article was originally published as eCash (ECX) launches Bitcoin hard fork with five Drivechain sidechains on Crypto Breaking News – your trusted source for crypto news, Bitcoin news, and blockchain updates.