Bitcoin holders face unresolved fork risks as the eCash test chain Alpha began producing blocks at height 963,648 on August 23. The permanent allocation of ECX is scheduled for a Mainnet launch around Bitcoin block 973,728 on October 31, according to the project's roadmap.

The Alpha chain runs alongside Bitcoin, creating practice pECX that is not a permanent 1:1 balance. Block explorers recorded a block at height 963,648 and a timestamp of August 23, 2026, while also flagging a competing stale block at the same height, indicating a rehearsal network rather than a settled production chain.

The project outlines three stages: Alpha near block 963,648 on August 23, Beta around 967,680 on September 20, and permanent Mainnet near 973,728 on October 31. Practice units can be burned for real ECX after Mainnet, and founder Paul Sztorc said 1,000 pECX could be redeemed for 10 ECX. The integration guide, last updated August 11, still lists 963,648 as the production fork point and describes parameters as drynet4 until final specifications are published.

GMO Coin said it would not handle pECX or ECX during Alpha and Beta, while Coincheck, SBI VC Trade and Zaif indicated they would maintain Bitcoin services and defer ECX crediting decisions until later.

The final fork hash, software branch and replay scheme remain to be announced, and participants are advised to verify the final plan before the October 31 deadline.