Mining
‘Worst quarter ever’ for stocks — 5 things to know in Bitcoin this week
Bitcoin (BTC) starts a new week still battling for $20,000 support as the market takes in a week of severe losses. What felt all but impossible just weeks ago is now a reality as $20,000 — the all-time high from 2017 to 2020 — returns to give investors a grim sense of deja vu. Bitcoin dipped as low as $17,600 over the weekend, and tensions are running high ahead of the June 20 Wall Street open. While BTC price losses have statistically been here before — and even lower — concerns are mounting for network stability at current levels, with attention particularly focused on miners. Add to that the consensus that macro markets have likely not bottomed, and it becomes understandable why sentiment around Bitcoin and crypto is at record low levels. Cointelegraph takes a look at some major areas o...
Russia seems to be preparing to mine Bitcoin with flare gas
The Russian government continues to establish links with major players in the cryptocurrency mining industry despite staying skeptical about legalizing cryptocurrency trading and payments. Russia’s state-owned gas giant Gazprom Neft has entered into a partnership with BitRiver, the largest crypto-mining colocation services supplier in Russia providing hosting services for major crypto mining operations. Gazprom will provide BitRiver’s partner data centers with electricity generated from the associated petroleum gas, the companies officially announced on June 16. As part of the collaboration, BitRiver will be developing a digital infrastructure based on the oil fields that Gazprom provides crypto mining services from the flare gas. Gazprom first deputy CEO Vadim Yakovlev emphasiz...
US lawmakers urge EPA to consider the potential benefits of crypto mining
A group of 14 United States senators and House representatives have signed a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency extolling what they believe are the benefits of crypto mining. In a Thursday letter, many U.S. lawmakers including pro-Bitcoin Senator Cynthia Lummis and Representative Tom Emmer addressed EPA administrator Michael Regan, requesting the government agency analyze the potential impact of crypto mining in an effort to balance innovation with environmental concerns. The group of 14 senators and representatives claimed mining could have a “substantial stabilizing effect on energy grids” and cited examples of mining operations using flared gas and renewable energy sources. “Digital assets, and their related mining activities, are essential to the economic future of the Unite...
The crypto industry must do more to promote encryption, says Meltem Demirors
“I like to call myself a future, or aspiring, cult leader,” Meltem Demirors, chief strategy officer of CoinShares — a publicly listed investment firm managing around $5 billion in assets — told Cointelegraph. Demirors, who first entered the Bitcoin (BTC) space in late 2012, further mentioned that it has been “fun to see how big the crypto sector has become,” noting that people from all walks of life are now interested in the cryptocurrency space. As such, Demirors explained that “crypto cults” are bringing people together in a positive manner, especially since it gives people a sense of purpose and belonging. When it comes to regulations — one of the most important topics facing the crypto industry today — Demirors expressed skepticism. “Having been in this industry professiona...
Bitcoin and banking’s differing energy narratives are a matter of perspective
The Carbon Bankroll Report was released on May 17 as a collaboration among the Climate Safe Lending Network, The Outdoor Policy Outfit and Bank FWD. The collaboration made it possible to calculate the emissions generated due to a company’s cash and investments, such as cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities. The report revealed that for several large companies, such as Alphabet, Meta, Microsoft and Salesforce, the cash and investments are their largest source of emissions. The energy consumption of the flagship proof-of-work (PoW) blockchain network, Bitcoin, has been a matter of debate in which the network and its participants, especially miners, are criticized for contributing to an ecosystem that might be worsening climate change. However, recent findings have also brought the...
Here’s how blockchains are helping to advance the global energy grid
The blockchain industry’s impact on the energy sector has been a major source of controversy over the past five years. Governments and environmental protection advocates have routinely expressed concerns about the amount of energy required to keep the Bitcoin network secure. Data shows the network’s energy consumption now rivals the yearly energy consumed by some small countries. Historical Bitcoin network power demand. Source: CCAF While much of the debate has centered around the negative environmental impacts of Bitcoin (BTC) mining, the drive to maximize earnings from mining and integrate blockchain technology with the energy grid has also introduced new developments that have the potential to be beneficial in the long term. Here’s a look at several developments that have arisen out of ...
Bitcoin’s real energy use questioned as Ethereum founder criticizes BTC
The ever-raging debate around Bitcoin’s energy consumption has been re-ignited, with founding member of Ethereum Anthony Donofrio claiming that Bitcoin is using “way too much” energy. According to figures from Digiconomist, Bitcoin (BTC) currently uses 0.82% of the world’s power while Ethereum (ETH) uses 0.34%. Ethereum researcher Justin Drake posted the figures to his 56,000 followers that Donofrio retweeted, stating: If bitcoin is really using nearly 1% of the energy on earth that is way too much for a pet rock. https://t.co/CDL32jk5FF — Texture, PhD (@iamtexture) June 9, 2022 Ethereum proponents are attempting to take shots at Bitcoin while simultaneously promoting Ethereum’s upcoming transition to proof-of-stake, Drake added another tweet moments later that read: “Ethereum post-m...
Bitfinex Bitcoin longs hit a record-high, but does that mean BTC has bottomed?
Bitcoin (BTC) has been unable to close above $32,000 for the past 28 days, frustrating bulls and pushing the Fear and Greed index to bearish levels below 10. Even with June 6’s small boost, the tech-heavy Nasdaq stock market index is down 24% year-to-date. Investors who keep a close eye on regulatory development were possibly scared after New York state made clear its intention to regulate the crypto industry, including Bitcoin mining. On June 2, New York Attorney General Attorney Letitia James issued an investor alert against “risky cryptocurrency investments,” citing the assets’ volatility. According to Cointelegraph, the attorney general is convinced that crypto investments create “more pain than gain” for investors. The New York State Senate approved a pro...
Traders think Bitcoin bottomed, but on-chain metrics point to one more capitulation event
The bull market euphoria that carried prices to new highs throughout 2021 has given way to bear market doldrums for any Bitcoin (BTC) buyer who made a purchase since Jan. 1, 2021. Data from Glassnode shows these buyers “are now underwater” and the market is gearing up for a final capitulation event. Bitcoin net unrealized profit/loss. Source: Glassnode As seen in the graphic above, the NUPL, a metric tha is a measure of the overall unrealized profit and loss of the network as a proportion of the market cap, indicates that “less than 25% of the market cap is held in profit,” which “resembles a market structure equivalent to pre-capitulation phases in previous bear markets.” Based on previous capitulation events, if a similar move were to occur at the current levels, t...
BTC price snaps its longest losing streak in history — 5 things to know in Bitcoin this week
Bitcoin (BTC) starts a new week with some fresh hope for hodlers after halting what has been the longest weekly downtrend in its history. After battling for support throughout the weekend, BTC/USD ultimately found its footing to close out the week at $29,900 — $450 higher than last Sunday. The bullish momentum did not stop there, with the pair climbing through the night into June 6 to reach multi-day highs. The price action provides some long-awaited relief to bulls, but Bitcoin is far from out of the woods at the start of what promises to be an interesting trading week. The culmination will likely be United States inflation data, this itself a yardstick for the macroeconomic forces at world globally. As time goes on, the impact of anti-COVID policies, geopolitical tensions and supply shor...
Weekly Report: New York passes bill limiting Bitcoin mining, El Salvador delays Bitcoin bonds again, Japan limits stablecoin issuance, and more
Here are this week’s most intriguing stories in the cryptocurrency sector: Not yet Bitcoin bonds, El Salvador’s Finance minister says When El Salvador adopted Bitcoin for use as an official tender in September last year, it also set out on several Bitcoin ambitions. Among them; are building a Bitcoin city and establishing Bitcoin bonds worth $1 billion. The bonds, having been postponed earlier in the year, seem set for another delay as Finance Minister Alejandro Zelaya confirmed that the nation would not venture into offering them in the current bear market. Speaking during a recent interview with a local news outlet, the finance minister was queried on the state of the $1 billion bonds that were not issued in mid-March as initially planned. No official date when the ...
Kenyan-based energy company offers bitcoin miners reserve geothermal power
The country’s biggest energy producer is luring bitcoin miners as it seeks to be a trailblazer in the continent’s growing crypto space The company also hopes to capture the attention of top mining firms in Europe and America that could tap the massive reserves within the country Crypto mining has come under harsh criticism for the massive electricity used to generate new coins and verify blockchain transactions. The annual energy consumption in the crypto mining industry is estimated to be nearly 119 Terawatt hours. This, if quantified, exceeds the energy consumption of the Netherlands, with only about 30 other countries having a higher consumption, according to data from the Cambridge Bitcoin Energy Consumption Index (CBECI). KenGen, an energy producer in Kenya, has seen an opportun...
