Bitcoin Cash (BCH): questions and answers
Every answer below is written from the sources listed at the end of this page, with the date each one was checked.
The question that decides how you read Bitcoin Cash
Bitcoin Cash was created to settle an argument about block size. Its own split fifteen months later asks a harder question: does raising the block size resolve a governance conflict, or simply move it somewhere else?
By 2017 Bitcoin blocks were full and fees were rising. One camp wanted to keep blocks small and push volume to second layers through Segregated Witness. The other argued that Bitcoin's purpose was on-chain cash, that small blocks were pricing out the exact users it was meant to serve, and that the limit was a temporary anti-spam measure rather than a principle.
Neither side could win a vote, because Bitcoin has no vote. So one side left.
What is still unsettled
The adoption argument is still unsettled. Bitcoin Cash delivers what it promised technically — cheap, fast on-chain payments — but whether cheap block space alone produces payment adoption is a different claim, and the evidence is mixed. Meanwhile the 2018 split demonstrated that a fork's ability to leave is also a fork's inability to resolve disagreement.
What this means when you swap BCH
Bitcoin Cash uses the CashAddr format, which normally appears with a `bitcoincash:` prefix followed by a string beginning `q` or `p`. Legacy Bitcoin-style addresses still exist in some tooling, which is why a BCH address occasionally looks like a BTC one — and why sending BTC to a BCH address, or the reverse, is an unrecoverable mistake with no automatic bounce.
Because of the mandatory replay protection built into the 2017 fork, transactions cannot be replayed across the BTC and BCH chains. Bitcoin SV is a third, separate asset since 2018 and must not be mixed with either. Confirmation times and fee behaviour resemble Bitcoin's, with more available block space and therefore usually lower fees.
Common BCH questions
- How do I swap Bitcoin Cash (BCH) instantly on Monivo?
- Pick BCH as the asset you want to receive, choose what you're paying with, paste your wallet address, and confirm. Monivo routes your order to the provider offering the best rate, and most swaps complete in under 10 minutes — no account needed.
- Can I swap BCH with no KYC?
- Yes. Crypto-to-crypto swaps of BCH on Monivo require no identity verification and no sign-up. Only fiat purchases (card or bank transfer) require KYC, because banks and payment processors mandate it.
- Is swapping Bitcoin Cash on Monivo non-custodial?
- Yes. Monivo never holds your funds. BCH is sent directly to the wallet address you provide, so you stay in control the whole time.
- Which network does BCH use here?
- Monivo supports Bitcoin Cash on the BCH network. Always double-check that your receiving wallet supports this network before confirming.
- What fees apply when I swap BCH?
- Monivo adds zero fees on top. The quote you see already reflects the best aggregated rate across connected providers, including their network and processing costs — all fees are included in the shown amount.
- Can I send Bitcoin to a Bitcoin Cash address?
- No. They have been separate networks since August 2017 and coins do not cross between them. A send to the wrong chain's address is generally not recoverable, so match the asset to the network before confirming.
- Why does my BCH address start with `bitcoincash:`?
- That is the CashAddr format, introduced to make Bitcoin Cash addresses visually distinct from Bitcoin's. Some wallets display the prefix and some strip it; both forms are the same address, but never substitute a legacy Bitcoin-style string you were not given.
- Is Bitcoin SV the same asset as Bitcoin Cash?
- No. Bitcoin SV split from Bitcoin Cash in November 2018 and has been a separate chain and asset ever since. Exchanges list them separately, and deposits sent to the wrong one usually require manual recovery if it is possible at all.
Sources and dates (7)
- The UAHF specification defines the August 2017 fork rules and mandatory replay protection. Bitcoin Cash UAHF technical specification · 2017-07-24 · checked 2026-09-22
- The CashAddr format was specified to distinguish Bitcoin Cash addresses from legacy Bitcoin ones. Bitcoin Cash protocol reference · 2018 · checked 2026-09-22
- A November 2018 upgrade split the chain permanently into Bitcoin Cash and Bitcoin SV. CoinDesk report on the chain split · 2018-11-15 · checked 2026-09-23
- Bitcoin Cash forked from Bitcoin on 1 August 2017 after the block-size dispute. Encyclopaedic summary of the fork · 2017-08-01 · reported, not independently confirmed · checked 2026-09-22
- IQ.wiki dates Bitcoin Cash's hard fork from Bitcoin to 1 August 2017. IQ.wiki · reported, not independently confirmed · checked 2026-09-23
- Messari dates BCH's first recorded trade to August 2017. Messari · reported, not independently confirmed · checked 2026-09-23
- CoinGecko maintains the live BCH market page under the Bitcoin Cash asset name. CoinGecko · reported, not independently confirmed · checked 2026-09-23