Over the last few years, crypto has managed to run from one narrative to another: NFTs, AI, RWAs, meme coins, new L1s, old L1s, the same cycle over and over again. Against that backdrop, eCash seems to have quietly stayed on its own path.
The project is still building around what the whole cryptocurrency story started with in the first place: digital money people can actually use.
As part of its long-term partnership with eCash, ChangeNOW spoke with Joey King, Senior eCash Developer, about payments, infrastructure and why spendable crypto still matters after all these years.
The main question came up pretty quickly: why does paying with crypto still sound like a promise, when by now it should already feel like a normal habit?
How eCash Keeps Building Without VC Money
Most crypto projects grew through funds, grants and venture money. eCash chose a different route.
The eCash team speaks directly about one of the hardest parts of open-source development: money. Strong ideas matter, but development, infrastructure, research and real people cannot run on enthusiasm forever. VC money brings resources, but it often brings someone else’s priorities with it.
"Rather than relying on venture capital, pre-mines, or recurring fundraising campaigns, a portion of the block reward is allocated to infrastructure and protocol development." - Joey King, Senior eCash Developer
As Joey King explains:
"Building and maintaining complex systems requires more than good ideas; it requires sustainable funding to attract talent, support infrastructure, and continuously improve the technology."
To support that model, eCash uses its Infrastructure Funding Plan. Instead of relying on pre-mines, endless fundraising rounds or hoping donations will be enough, the network builds funding for its own growth directly into the protocol.
"This [model] creates a sustainable funding mechanism that is aligned with the network itself and allows the ecosystem to continue investing in research, engineering, developer tools, and long-term innovation."
Why Crypto Still Does Not Feel Like Cash
Crypto has more technology around it than ever. Paying with crypto still feels harder than it should.
In a regular payment, a person does not check finality, network load or fees. Instead, they tap a button and look for a clear status: sent, paid, received.
The same complexity exists in traditional payments too – it just stays behind the screen.
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Finality. Traditional payments also have many statuses and confirmation points, but users do not see them. Services handle that work in the background.
