ECX Fork Blasts Past 25,000 Blocks in Record-Breaking 13 Hours

Paul Sztorc's Bitcoin fork, ECX, has made rapid progress in its Alpha stage. In just 13 hours, the network surpassed 25,000 blocks, a blistering pace driven by low initial difficulty and significant mining support. As of August 23rd, 9:00 AM EDT, ECX had already reached a difficulty level of 16.78 million, with miners throwing 3.53 petahash per second (PH/s) at the chain.

ECX's rapid block intervals are reminiscent of Bitcoin's early days in 2009, when its difficulty also started at 1. The network has seen a surge in mining support, with multiple pools contributing to the effort. Ecashpool-alpha currently leads the pack, followed closely by Kikko and L2L Pool.

While ECX has garnered significant attention from miners, it still lacks an established market value due to its unlisted status on cryptocurrency exchanges. The network will need to stabilize difficulty and maintain miner enthusiasm until its third and final phase on October 31st, 2026, when it is expected to reach mainnet.

The contrast between ECX's success and the failed BIP-110 fiasco earlier this month highlights the importance of mining support in a fork's viability. Sztorc's creation has clearly attracted miners willing to put their hashpower behind the chain, but its long-term prospects remain uncertain until it gains a tradable price.