Top Bitcoin dev is launching a new BTC fork giving holders new eCash, but claiming it may be a real risk

Paul Sztorc, LayerTwo Labs CEO and longtime Bitcoin developer, is planning an August 2026 Bitcoin hard fork called eCash, targeted around Bitcoin block 964,000. His April 24 announcement described a new chain that would copy Bitcoin history, give holders 1 eCash for every 1 BTC at the split, and launch with a Bitcoin-Core-like base layer mined with SHA-256d alongside Drivechain-style sidechains. For ordinary Bitcoin …