Riot Platforms has announced a proposal to acquire Bitfarms to create “the world’s largest publicly listed bitcoin miner.” This offer includes cash and Riot stock, representing a 24% premium. Despite the initial rejection from Bitfarms’ Board, the proposal will be directly presented to shareholders. Riot asserts that the acquisition will establish a vertically integrated, geographically […]
Bitcoin News
Bitwise Leads the Way as First US Bitcoin ETF to Publicly Disclose Wallet Address
On Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024, Bitwise, a leading digital asset manager, made a groundbreaking announcement as the first U.S. spot bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) to reveal its bitcoin wallet address. Emphasizing its commitment to transparency, Bitwise stated, “proud to walk the walk with BITB,” and affirmed that “onchain transparency is core to Bitcoin’s ethos.”
Bitwise Sets New Standard: Onchain Spot Bitcoin ETF Authentication
Bitwise, the cryptocurrency asset management firm known for its recent introduction of the BITB U.S. spot bitcoin ETF, has become the first ETF to authenticate its BTC reserves. This development comes closely on the heels of Arkham Intelligence, an onchain analytics company, disclosing the onchain BTC holdings of several major players including Blackrock, Bitwise, Fidelity, and Franklin Templeton.
“Today the Bitwise Bitcoin ETF (BITB) becomes the first U.S. bitcoin ETF to publish the bitcoin addresses of its holdings,” Bitwise wrote on the social media platform X. “Now anyone can verify BITB’s holdings and flows directly on the blockchain. Onchain transparency is core to Bitcoin’s ethos. We’re proud to walk the walk with BITB”
The company further added:
Publishing onchain addresses is a first step toward increasing public transparency. As infrastructure evolves, we hope to do more, such as working with firms like [Hoseki App] to provide real-time cryptographic attestations.
Bitwise has joined the growing trend of centralized exchange (cex) platforms that have enhanced their proof-of-reserve (POR) attestations in the past year. The use of POR systems, which have been in place for years but only minimally, surged following the collapse of FTX, prompting exchanges to be more transparent in providing details about their crypto reserves.
As of 4:40 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on Jan. 24, 2024, Bitwise’s wallet, identified as “1CKVs,” owns 11,858.63 BTC, valued at approximately 0.74 million at the prevailing exchange rates. Since its establishment on Jan. 11, 2024, there have been 17 transactions in total within this wallet. Ranking 71st among the top 100 wealthiest bitcoin addresses, the Bitwise wallet has not transferred any satoshis since its creation. It remains to be seen if other spot bitcoin ETFs will adopt a similar approach to address verification.
What do you think about Bitwise disclosing its public bitcoin address associated with the BITB ETF? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below.
Publicly Listed Bitcoin Miners Soar in 2023 — Marathon Leads With 767% Surge
Since the year began, both bitcoin and the broader crypto economy have risen a great deal in value, with bitcoin climbing over 150% since Jan. 1, 2023. Yet, an impressive 11 out of 13 bitcoin mining firms listed on Nasdaq have seen even more substantial triple-digit increases this year. Topping them all, Marathon Digital Holdings experienced a significant 767% rise since the year’s commencement.
13 Nasdaq-Listed Bitcoin Miners Triumph in 2023
Bitcoin mining companies flourished this year, rebounding from a turbulent 2022. All 13 firms listed on Nasdaq, the electronic marketplace for securities swaps, have posted gains. A significant portion of these publicly traded miners outperformed bitcoin (BTC) this year. With the block reward halving event anticipated in approximately 116 days, 2024 is shaping up to be a pivotal year for mining companies and observers alike.
Marathon (Nasdaq: MARA) claimed the leading position this year, rising 767% since the beginning of the year. MARA’s shares traded at .40 at the onset of 2023 and have escalated to .07 per share today. Bitfarms (Nasdaq: BITF) experienced a significant uptick of 705%, escalating from .4267 in January 2023 to a present value of .51 each. Meanwhile, Bit Digital (Nasdaq: BTBT) ascended by 703% this year, and Iris Energy (Nasdaq: IREN) increased by 629%.
Cleanspark (Nasdaq: CLSK) surged 539%, Riot Platforms (Nasdaq: RIOT) leaped 433%, and Terawulf (Nasdaq: WULF) expanded by 332%. Hut8 (Nasdaq: HUT) catapulted by 324% against the U.S. dollar since January, while Argo Blockchain (Nasdaq: ARBK) advanced by 312%. The mining firm Hive (Nasdaq: HIVE) witnessed a 283% uplift, and Greenidge Generation (Nasdaq: GREE), with a 174% increase, was the final mining firm to surpass BTC’s gains.
The other publicly listed mining firms still witnessed gains with Stronghold Digital (Nasdaq: SDIG) rising 117% and Bitdeer (Nasdaq: BTDR) jumping 31%. As 2023 winds down, the surge in bitcoin and mining companies underscores a thriving sector, outpacing broader markets. With Marathon leading at 767% and even the lowest gains still impressive, the industry looks toward 2024’s halving event with anticipation, ready for potential shifts in profitability and further growth in the dynamic landscape of crypto mining.
What do you think about the publicly listed mining firms and their market performances this year? Share your thoughts and opinions about this subject in the comments section below.
Alchemy Publicly Launches Its Blockchain API After Raising $15 Million
n Blockchain firm Alchemy publicly launched its API after securing million in fundingn
CryptScout #BitFeed RSS – Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency News 24/7
Binances CZ Speaks Publicly About Chinas Digital Currency
n Chinas digital currency is going to be blockchain-based, predicts Binance founder CZn
CryptScout #BitFeed RSS – Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency News 24/7
Report Canaan Will Be Listed Publicly in the US in November
The Chinese bitcoin miner manufacturer Canaan is reportedly planning to conduct a U.S. IPO in November 2019.nThe post Report Canaan Will Be Listed Publicly in the US in November appeared first on Bitcoin Magazine.n
CryptScout #BitFeed RSS – Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency News 24/7
Crypto Tidbits: AT&T Accepts Bitcoin, Grayscale Ethereum Trust Launches Publicly, Binance Margin Inbound
Another week, another round of Crypto Tidbits. The past week saw not much happen in the cryptocurrency market. Bitcoin (BTC) traded relatively flat, save for a few bouts of major volatility, and other digital assets followed suit. Some altcoins, however, saw a helluva week. Binance Coin, Chainlink, and Litecoin come to mind first.
The cryptocurrency space has been tumultuous as of late; we’ve seen both positive and negative news. But there’s an underlying theme: the industry is growing at a rapid rate. Over the past seven days, we’ve seen AT&T reveal that it will be accepting Bitcoin payments, Grayscale launch an Ethereum product to the public, and developments arise about Facebook’s incoming digital asset, dubbed “Globalcoin”.
Related Reading: Crypto Tidbits: ‘Spedn’ Bitcoin At Whole Foods, Cryptocurrency Cynic Flips Bullish, And Bakkt Looms
Crypto Tidbits
- Binance Confirms Impending Margin Trading Launch: In a cheeky Twitter post published on Thursday, Binance quietly revealed that it has a margin trading (leverage) user interface ready to be rolled out “soon”. It isn’t clear when the feature will launch, but analysts have stated that this will be a revolution in how the cryptocurrency market operates and trades. This confirmation comes after Binance’s support for margin had been rumored and hinted at for months. Just weeks ago, chief executive Changpeng Zhao told an audience on live streaming app Periscope that his firm had begun to give institutional players/whales an opportunity to play with Binance’s margin offering. And weeks prior to that, outlets like The Block cited insiders who claimed that Binance was looking to get into margin trading.
Dark mode
or Light mode
? #Binance pic.twitter.com/pGSb1np4yp
— Binance (@binance) May 24, 2019
- AT&T Now Accepts Bitcoin Through BitPay: Announced Thursday, AT&T, a Texas-based American technology giant valued at 4 billion, will be accepting Bitcoin payments for its services through the Atlanta-headquartered BitPay. Per a press release, AT&T is now the first “major U.S. mobile carrier” to provide its millions of customers with the ability to purchase services for cryptocurrency. Speaking on the matter, Kevin McDorman, vice president of AT&T Communications’ Finance Business Operations unit drawled:
“We’re always looking for ways to improve and expand our services… We have customers who use cryptocurrency, and we are happy we can offer them a way to pay their bills with the method they prefer.”
As this news broke, many in the crypto community saw this as validation of the return of the Bitcoin bull. Because why would a massive company accept an asset that is “dying” is “already dead”, right?
- Grayscale To Offer Ethereum Trust To Mom & Pop Investors: In a press release obtained by Blockonomi on Thursday, Grayscale revealed it has just received a regulatory stamp of approval from the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) to offer shares in its Ethereum Trust publicly. It was stated that the product allows investors to gain “exposure to the price movement of ETH through a traditional investment vehicle without the challenges of buying, storing, and safekeeping”. Once the product launches in a few weeks, it will trade under “ETHE” on the OTCQX market. In a comment conveyed to Bloomberg, Michael Sonnenshein of Grayscale remarked, “The secondary market really opens up the opportunity for any and all investors.” Grayscale is likely trying to replicate the success of its Bitcoin Trust, which has over 1% of all BTC in circulation under management.
- Novogratz’s Galaxy Digital Makes 123% On Block.one Investment: Mike Novogratz’s Galaxy Digital has liquidated most of its shares in Block.one, the blockchain development startup and fund behind the EOS protocol, for .2 million. The company registers a realized return of 123% on the investment. While the merchant bank will only hold a minimal amount of shares of Block.one, they still will work with the startup in a number of capacities, like through Galaxy’s EOS-centric venture fund, and as a proponent of the blockchain in general. As alluded to earlier, this is one of Galaxy’s biggest successes to date, as 2018 wasn’t all too pretty for the firm. Galaxy lost million In Q4 of 2018, up from the .7 million loss registered in Q3.
- Bitcoin & T-Bills ETF Filed To SEC After VanEck Debacle: After the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) revealed that it would be delaying its verdict on the Bitcoin ETF proposals from VanEck and Bitwise, a similar product was filed. The filing purportedly pertained to a crypto-backed product, named the United States Bitcoin and Treasury Investment Trust. Unlike suggested vehicles from VanEck & Co. or Bitwise & Co., Wilshire’s trust was meant to hold positions in not only BTC but short-term U.S. Treasury bills and American dollars too. Once the filing gets pushed to the U.S. Register, the SEC will have 45 days to make an initial decision to accept, deny, or delay.
- Circle Lays Off Staff, Cites Heavy Regulation And Crypto Market Conditions: On Tuesday, Jeremy Allaire, the co-founder of Circle, revealed that he and his C-suite had decided to eliminate “approximately 30 positions”, a claimed 10% of the entire company. In a three-part tweet thread, Allaire remarked that this move was a result of “new market conditions”, along with an increasingly stringent and heavy-handed regulatory environment in the United States. What makes this weird is that this layoff came “in response to new market conditions”, implying that Circle hasn’t been a beneficiary of the recent cryptocurrency rally, which hoisted BTC from ,200 to ,000.
- Zuckerberg Literally Sat With The Winklevoss Twins To Discuss Facebook’s Cryptocurrency:
Featured Image from Shutterstock
The post Crypto Tidbits: AT&T Accepts Bitcoin, Grayscale Ethereum Trust Launches Publicly, Binance Margin Inbound appeared first on NewsBTC.
Publicly Traded Crypto Exchange Bitcoin Generation Hit by SEC Sanctions
n nn nn An official announcement published on April 29, 2019, has revealed that the United States Securities and Exchange Commission SEC has temporarily suspended the trading of shares in Bitcoin Generation BTGN, a blockchain-based company out of Oklahoma.The company also operates a crypto exchange platform that supports popular cryptocurrencies, and it bills itself as the first publicly traded cryptocurrency exchange.Specifically, the regulator pointed out inaccu
CryptScout #BitFeed RSS – Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency News 24/7
Report Chinese Publicly Listed Construction Company Turned Mining Firm Lost Over $23 Million
n Over 90 percent of the value of a Chinese publicly listed construction company turned to cryptocurrency mining, Huatie, has been lost before the company has been soldn
CryptScout #BitFeed RSS – Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency News 24/7
Chainalysis Report Two Groups Responsible for Most Publicly Reported Hacks
n nn nn Two prominent professional hacking groups are responsible for the majority of publicly reported hacks of cryptocurrency exchanges and other cryptocurrency organizations, concludes a report published by blockchain data analytics firm Chainalysis this week. According to the report, simply called the Crypto Crime Report, the groups generated around billion of hacking revenues for themselves so far.Hacking dwarfs all other forms of crypto crime, and it is d
CryptScout #BitFeed RSS – Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency News 24/7