What Is eCash (XEC)?
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eCash (XEC) is the rebranded version of Bitcoin Cash ABC (BCHA), itself a fork of Bitcoin (BTC) and Bitcoin Cash (BCH). It calls itself a “cryptocurrency that’s designed to be used as electronic cash.” eCash strictly aims to be a means of transaction used to pay for goods and services. The coin was rebranded on July 1, 2021, and has since tried to distinguish itself from its predecessor. The base units of eCash are called “bits” and replace the unwieldy decimal places of Bitcoin Cash ABC. Instead of sending 0.00001000 BTC, you would send 10 bits with eCash. ECash integrates a proof-of-stake (PoS) consensus layer called “Avalanche,” which is not to be mistaken for the blockchain Avalanche (AVAX). Upon rebranding, eCash announced that it would convert all BCHA coins to XEC at a ratio of one to one million.
The cryptocurrency’s developers have set their sights on three main improvements:
* Scaling transaction throughput from 100 transactions per second to more than five million transactions per second
* Improving the payment experience by reducing transaction finality time
* Extending the protocol and establishing fork-free upgrades
Who Are the Founders of eCash?
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eCash (XEC) is led by its lead developer Amaury Sechet, who was the lead developer of Bitcoin Cash (BCH) and forked that blockchain to establish the predecessor of eCash, Bitcoin Cash ABC (BCHA). That fork happened on November 15, 2020. Sechet then decided to rebrand Bitcoin Cash ABC to establish a new brand identity for eCash, explaining that a reduction of decimal places would help with the adoption of the coin:
“No other money has eight decimal places. Why should crypto? Cryptocurrencies with a lower unit price also enjoy higher bull market appreciation. Because the eCash team is incentivized by both tech and price improvement, this improvement was a no-brainer.”
Sechet was highly active in the development of Bitcoin Cash, leading its initial fork away from Bitcoin in August 2017, its continuation after Bitcoin SV (BSV) was forked from it in November 2018, and its most recent fork from Bitcoin Cash in November 2020. Before his involvement in cryptocurrencies, he was a software engineer at Facebook and a lead developer at Stupid D Compiler.
What Makes eCash Unique?
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The developers of eCash (XEC) intend the coin to support Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM)-compatibility and to be interoperable with the decentralized finance (DeFi) sector on Ethereum (ETH). For the coin to become successful, eCash’s developers intend to fulfill five core missions:
* Ensuring anonymous transactions
* Ensuring the immutability of transactions
* Guaranteeing that transactions remain almost free
* Enforcing globally secure transactions with a finality of fewer than three seconds
* Designing the coin’s infrastructure as a public good, funded via its social contract
To achieve this, the developers of eCash have laid out an ambitious roadmap, with plans to have:
* Canonical transaction ordering to enable scalable block processing
* Schnorr Signatures to enable batched signature validation
* Faster block propagation through graphene or other
* UTXO commitment with blockchain pruning and faster initial sync
* Merklix-Meta Tree to enable scalable block processing
* Adaptive block sizes to support market-driven growth to 1TB blocks
These highly ambitious solutions would propel eCash to 50 transactions per user per day for up to 10 billion users.
How Many eCash (XEC) Coins Are There in Circulation?
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There is no tokenomics of eCash (XEC) but it follows many of the same rules already established for Bitcoin (BTC). It shares Bitcoin’s supply and distribution model, meaning that every 210,000 blocks, approximately every four years, miner rewards are cut in half. ECash has the same supply cap as Bitcoin of 2.1 quadrillion satoshis, yet instead of those 2.1 quadrillion SATS being divided by 100 million to yield 21 million BTC, it was divided by 100, yielding 21 trillion XEC. The reason for this is simply that it is easier for users to mentally grasp integers and this decision aligns with the coin’s goal of mass adoption.
How Is the eCash Network Secured?
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In contrast to the Bitcoin Cash ABC (BCHA) network, which is secured using a proof-of-work (PoW) consensus mechanism, the developers of eCash plan to add proof-of-stake (PoS) in order to speed up transactions. What they term “Avalanche post-consensus” would see enhanced security and fork-free upgrades and allow for advanced opcodes thanks to enhanced script capability. The Avalanche layer will be added on top of the existing PoW in order to leverage the benefits of both.
XEC is not an ERC-20 token, it is its own blockchain similar to Bitcoin (BTC).
Where Can You Buy eCash (XEC)?
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eCash (XEC) is available for purchase via Binance, Huobi Global, OKEx, Mandala Exchange and Upbit.
Related Pages:
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Check out Ripple (XRP) — a payment-oriented cryptocurrency
Check out Stellar (XLM) — another cryptocurrency focused on payments
Read our deep dive into the OMG Network
Get the latest crypto news and latest trading insights via the CoinMarketCap blog
What is Blockchain?
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Blockchain is a decentralized and distributed ledger technology that securely records transactions across multiple computers in a verifiable and permanent way. It forms the underlying technology for cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and enables transparency, security, and immutability.
What is Cryptocurrency?
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Cryptocurrency is a digital or virtual form of currency that uses cryptography for security. It operates on decentralized networks, typically based on blockchain technology, and facilitates secure and transparent peer-to-peer transactions.
What is Bitcoin?
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Bitcoin is the first and most well-known cryptocurrency, created in 2009 by an anonymous person or group known as Satoshi Nakamoto. It operates on a decentralized peer-to-peer network and is used for secure, transparent, and censorship-resistant transactions.
What is the difference between Bitcoin and Altcoins?
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Bitcoin is the original and most widely recognized cryptocurrency, while altcoins refer to any other cryptocurrencies besides Bitcoin. Examples of altcoins include Ethereum, Ripple (XRP), Litecoin (LTC), and many others.
What is Staking?
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Staking involves participants locking up a certain amount of cryptocurrency in a wallet to support the operations of a blockchain network. It is commonly associated with proof-of-stake (PoS) and delegated proof-of-stake (DPoS) consensus mechanisms, where participants receive rewards for helping secure the network.
How Can I Stake Cryptocurrency?
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To stake cryptocurrency, you typically need to choose a platform or network that supports staking. Transfer your tokens to a compatible wallet, follow the staking instructions provided by the platform, and lock up the desired amount of cryptocurrency. Once staked, you may start earning rewards.
What Are Staking Rewards and How Are They Calculated?
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Staking rewards are incentives provided to participants who lock up their cryptocurrency to support the network. The amount of rewards varies and is influenced by factors such as the network's inflation rate, the total amount staked, and the specific rules of the staking protocol.
Can I Unstake My Cryptocurrency at Any Time?
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The ability to unstake and withdraw your cryptocurrency depends on the specific staking protocol and network. Some platforms may have lock-up periods or unbonding periods during which your staked tokens are inaccessible. Always check the terms and conditions of the staking service.
What are the Risks of Staking?
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Staking comes with risks, including the potential loss of staked funds if a participant behaves maliciously or fails to fulfill their responsibilities. Market volatility can also impact the value of staked tokens. It's crucial to thoroughly research the staking protocol and understand the associated risks.
Can I Lose Money by Staking?
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While staking is designed to be a rewarding activity, there is a risk of losing money, especially if the value of the staked cryptocurrency decreases or if the staking protocol encounters security issues. It's important to consider both the potential rewards and risks before participating in staking.