Bitcoin Magazine Block Inc. Launches Proto Rig: Modular Bitcoin Miner Challenging Bitmain’s Dominance Jack Dorsey’s Block Inc. recently announced the Proto Rig, a modular reinvention of Bitcoin mining hardware not seen since Bitmain’s launch of the S1 ASIC rig in 2013, over 12 years ago. The announcement was made from the facilities of Core Scientific with whom Block has partnered to design, test and develop the Proto line of mining hardware. Dorsey personally attended the event, among a who’s who of the Bitcoin mining industry. Spotted: The boss @jack getting a closer look at Proto Rig. pic.twitter.com/196Sk9KOzn — Proto (@protomining) August 14, 2025 The Proto Rig has the potential to disrupt and challenge Bitmain’s effective monopoly over mining hardware manufacturing, with approximately over 80% of the market, a position it has enjoyed for most of Bitcoin’s history. But the main innovation does not come from more powerful or energy-efficient chips — not yet anyway — rather from making everything else around the chip drastically better, designed to lower repair frequency and maintenance costs. Its modular design supports seamless upgrades and part replacements that can be swapped in seconds. In an interview with The Mining Pod, Perry Hothi, blockchain solutions architect at Block, focused on the mining division since 2022 said the device was more than just competitive with the Bitmain line of mining rigs; “When people hear competitive, they automatically think efficient, right? I always say it’s profitable… If it’s not running, efficiency doesn’t matter.” It changes the focus of the conversation in mining from the specs of ASIC chips toward the amateur design of mining rigs as a whole, which have not yet caught up with best practices developed by the data center industry in its many decades of experience. “When you look at the data center world, they’ve been doing it for 10 times as long [as Bitcoin miners]. There’s a lot of innovations they made that work for us,” Hothi said, implying the Proto Rig was designed to learn from the scaled-up data center industry. Erik Cativo, a Bitcoin product developer and HRF grantee echoed this sentiment on X saying the “Proto Rig looks clean. Reminds me of beautifully designed Swedish telecom hardware.” Proto Rig looks clean. Reminds me of beautifully designed Swedish telecom hardware. pic.twitter.com/4F3fLSPw6Q — Erik (@uxerik_) August 14, 2025 In the interview, Hothi also discussed the vision and complexities of manufacturing the Proto Rig in the United States, expressing the benefits of manufacturing pieces at home, which can improve reliability of supply chains and is also now strongly incentivized by President Trump’s new tariff regime. On the topic Hothi said, “there are certain components that can be built faster in China and brought over, others are better built in America now… Like there’s a not too distant future where every component in [the Proto Rig] will be built right here [in the United States].” He added that today, “the [ASIC] chips are going to be in Taiwan, but even those eventually, we’re looking to make those here.” Regarding the ASIC chip of the Proto Rig, Max Guise Product & ASIC Lead at Proto told Bitcoin Magazine “Our system is vertically integrated end-to-end, including our own chip. At a system level, we can offer different configurations that bring different efficiency depending on the mining operator needs, and our configurations go as low as 14.1 joules per hash efficiency rating.” keeping details about the chip close to the chest and emphasizing the Proto Rig’s customizability and modularity. Modularity In order to provide more reliable hashrate to miners, the Proto Rig is designed in modular pieces starting with the chassis, which measures 39cm by 29cm by 50cm and can host nine boards’ worth of chips, six fans and three modular power units. The Proto Rig can be liquid cooled as well, while the modular fans suggest the hardware is meant to be modded or extended to serve different use cases and approaches, perhaps enterprise miners or the booming home mining industry. The Proto Rig is highly customizable allowing miners to choose exactly how many chips to run, while also having clear hardware and software error signals in case a fan breaks or a power supply is overheating. The Proto Rig manages to squeeze the equivalent of three mining units in the space of two traditional models while being competitive to top-of-the-line industrial miners like the Bitmain Antminer S21 XP or the MicroBT Whatsminer M66S, both running on about 14 joules per terahash. Yet the Proto Rig delivers up to 810 TH per unit in the same space as the competitors, taking into account the real estate costs of industrial mining, which for years have filled out warehouses of units side by side. 14.1 J/TH !! https://t.co/bZtUkwAkEj — jack (@jack) August 14, 2025 The Proto Rig might not just be built for the big miners. There were multiple hints in the event and following commentary that suggest home miners will get some love as well from the Proto hardware team. Jack Dorsey himself tweeted out “A commitment to ALL the players in the mining industry, not just the big guys.” He retweeted a bitcoiner who attended the event and shared his excitement with some photographs. The mysterious tweet has not been followed up with any details but there are rumours that there might be a Bitaxe-style collaboration with Proto which would look to serve the home mining market. When asked about home mining Max Guise told Bitcoin Magazine “Proto is designing products for mining operators of all sizes. Our first product, Rig, is a 12 kilowatt system, which is a higher power requirement than most home miners can handle, so it is best suited for operators who have more infrastructure involved in their operations. That doesn’t rule out the possibility of future products that could be more retail-friendly, but right now it’s not our focus.” StratumV2 On By Default: Huge For Miner Decentralization Brian Stegall, head of design at Proto, announced at the launch event that the “Proto Rigs will support Stratum V2 out of the box,” adding that, “It’s a more efficient protocol that offers native hashrate auditing, which helps detect and reduce issues like miner misconfiguration, unwanted divergence and other fleet-wide issues.” Stratumv2 is a mining pool update to the popular Stratum V1 protocol which dominates adoption among miners, in part because it was one of the first software tools developed to pull hashrate from miners throughout the world, allowing them to act as one miner and share rewards. The old protocol, while well understood by miners has a serious downside, it centralizes the construction of blocks to the mining pool operator, an issue that was recently revealed to be worse than expected, as most mining pools appear to be copying block templates produced by Antpool. The risk threatens a deep layer of the Bitcoin network, potentially exposing transactions to censorship, if this trend is not reversed. StratumV2 was designed to put block template production in the hands of hashrate providers, pushing the process to the edges and thus increasing the diversity of blocks and transactions included, ultimately safeguarding Bitcoin’s censorship-resistance properties. But mining pools have been slow to adopt the protocol, likely because of the software development lift. With the Proto Rig building it into the software stack of the machine, we should expect a much higher rate of adoption as the Block’s mining rigs get rolled out into production. This is a development that the greater Bitcoin community has been working toward for many years. Open Sourcing The Software Going beyond just reinventing mining hardware, Proto has also announced the open source release of its mining management software, Fleet. Brian Stegall broke the news by sharing their experience researching the state of software in the Bitcoin mining industry as, “We chatted with a ton of different people in varying sizes of operations, and we listened to all the complaints… We broke that down into three areas… One, that there’s too many tools. Two, making it simple is important. And automation and AI is the third one.” Fleet consolidates a patchwork of tools used by miners to boot and track their machines as well as identify hardware or software failures. Laughing in playful disbelief Stegall said that “We went to a lot of facilities and there’s a lot of places where they’ll scan the network with BTC.com tools, still. Yeah. Right. And then will flip it into a spreadsheet and upload it.” As an example of how badly a modern software suite is needed, he described some arcane process of big mining. Stegall also made the case that having a better-designed and robust software tool to manage the hardware would help train employees more effectively and let them focus on more important issues rather than struggle with bad user interfaces. On the topic of security Stegall said that the “Proto Fleet comes out of the box with secure boot technology to guarantee that the firmware you’re running comes from Proto. This is an extra measure that prevents supply chain attacks, malware attacks, and theft of Bitcoin rewards.” He added that, “It will also allow you to disable secure boot technology easily if you want to do something of your own.” Finally, the topic of AI was teased out as a modern approach to user experience, though the hints made were somewhat vague: “We wanted to make clean and clear dashboards… If fan3 is broken, we tell you fan3 is broken… We’re providing robust repair guides right in proto-fleet… We want to introduce a modern AI-powered interface… Automated alerts so that you don’t even have to ask the chat interface.” While details on the depth of AI integration into Fleet are still scarce, what Stegall shared does reveal a vision of high-tech modern software helping increase the efficiency of Bitcoin miners as a whole. The software is expected to be open sourced in the near future, though no software has been released to the public yet. Pricing and Delivery Overall, while we have learned much about Block and Proto’s plans to serve and upgrade the Bitcoin mining industry, no details have been shared about the price of the Proto Rigs, on the topic Max Guise told Bitcoin Magazine that “We want to hear from everyone interested in Proto Rig. There are many ways to configure the rig, and pricing and configuration options are handled directly by our Sales team.” The rigs are starting to hit the market, apparently not just to Core Scientific who has a close partnership with Proto, Max Guise told Bitcoin Magazine that the “Proto Rigs are shipping to customers now. As far as availability, we recommend customers to check with our Sales team on exact availability depending on configuration and volume”. All and all, the Proto Rig reveal left a strong impression in the mining industry and greater Bitcoin community: It demonstrated a mastery in industrial design and showed off what top Western talent can bring to a hardware industry that for most of Bitcoin’s history has been dominated by the East. This post Block Inc. Launches Proto Rig: Modular Bitcoin Miner Challenging Bitmain’s Dominance first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Juan Galt.

[Bitcoin Magazine](https://bitcoinmagazine.com)
![](https://bitcoinmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/proto-rig.webp)
[Block Inc. Launches Proto Rig: Modular Bitcoin Miner Challenging Bitmain’s Dominance](https://bitcoinmagazine.com/bitcoin-mining/block-inc-launches-proto-rig-modular-bitcoin-miner-challenging-bitmains-dominance)

[Jack Dorsey’s Block Inc](https://bitcoinmagazine.com/business/jack-dorseys-block-inc-is-reinventing-finance-bitcoin). recently [announced the Proto Rig](https://bitcoinmagazine.com/business/block-launches-modular-bitcoin-miner-and-free-open-source-mining-software), a modular reinvention of Bitcoin mining hardware not seen since Bitmain’s launch of the [S1 ASIC rig in 2013](https://blog.bitmain.com/en/the-story-behind-the-asic-evolution/), over 12 years ago. The announcement was made from the facilities of Core Scientific with whom Block has partnered to design, test and develop the Proto line of mining hardware. Dorsey personally attended the event, among a who’s who of the Bitcoin mining industry.

> ![🔧](https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/16.0.1/72x72/1f527.png) Spotted: The boss [@jack](https://twitter.com/jack?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) getting a closer look at Proto Rig. [pic.twitter.com/196Sk9KOzn](https://t.co/196Sk9KOzn)
>
> — Proto (@protomining) [August 14, 2025](https://twitter.com/protomining/status/1956063239399145910?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

The Proto Rig has the potential to disrupt and challenge Bitmain’s effective monopoly over mining hardware manufacturing, with approximately over 80% of the market, a position it has enjoyed for most of Bitcoin’s history. But the main innovation does not come from more powerful or energy-efficient chips — not yet anyway — rather from making everything else around the chip drastically better, designed to lower repair frequency and maintenance costs. Its modular design supports seamless upgrades and part replacements that can be swapped in seconds.

In an interview with The Mining Pod, Perry Hothi, blockchain solutions architect at Block, focused on the mining division since 2022 said the device was more than just competitive with the Bitmain line of mining rigs; “When people hear competitive, they automatically think efficient, right? I always say it’s profitable… If it’s not running, efficiency doesn’t matter.” It changes the focus of the conversation in mining from the specs of ASIC chips toward the amateur design of mining rigs as a whole, which have not yet caught up with best practices developed by the data center industry in its many decades of experience. “When you look at the data center world, they’ve been doing it for 10 times as long \[as Bitcoin miners\]. There’s a lot of innovations they made that work for us,” Hothi said, implying the Proto Rig was designed to learn from the scaled-up data center industry.

Erik Cativo, a Bitcoin product developer and HRF grantee [echoed this sentiment on X](https://x.com/uxerik_/status/1956003830744613372) saying the “Proto Rig looks clean. Reminds me of beautifully designed Swedish telecom hardware.”

> Proto Rig looks clean. Reminds me of beautifully designed Swedish telecom hardware. [pic.twitter.com/4F3fLSPw6Q](https://t.co/4F3fLSPw6Q)
>
> — Erik (@uxerik\_) [August 14, 2025](https://twitter.com/uxerik_/status/1956003830744613372?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

In the interview, Hothi also discussed the vision and complexities of manufacturing the Proto Rig in the United States, expressing the benefits of manufacturing pieces at home, which can improve reliability of supply chains and is also now strongly incentivized by President Trump’s new tariff regime. On the topic Hothi said, “there are certain components that can be built faster in China and brought over, others are better built in America now… Like there’s a not too distant future where every component in \[the Proto Rig\] will be built right here \[in the United States\].” He added that today, “the \[ASIC\] chips are going to be in Taiwan, but even those eventually, we’re looking to make those here.”

Regarding the ASIC chip of the Proto Rig, Max Guise Product & ASIC Lead at Proto told Bitcoin Magazine “Our system is vertically integrated end-to-end, including our own chip. At a system level, we can offer different configurations that bring different efficiency depending on the mining operator needs, and our configurations go as low as 14.1 joules per hash efficiency rating.” keeping details about the chip close to the chest and emphasizing the Proto Rig’s customizability and modularity.

### Modularity

In order to provide more reliable hashrate to miners, the Proto Rig is designed in modular pieces starting with the chassis, which measures 39cm by 29cm by 50cm and can host nine boards’ worth of chips, six fans and three modular power units. The Proto Rig can be liquid cooled as well, while the modular fans suggest the hardware is meant to be modded or extended to serve different use cases and approaches, perhaps enterprise miners or the booming [home mining industry](https://bitcoinmagazine.com/business/make-bitcoin-mining-decentralized-again). The Proto Rig is highly customizable allowing miners to choose exactly how many chips to run, while also having clear hardware and software error signals in case a fan breaks or a power supply is overheating.

![Block Inc. Launches Proto Rig: Modular Bitcoin Miner Challenging Bitmain's Dominance](https://bitcoinmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/modular.png "Block Inc. Launches Proto Rig: Modular Bitcoin Miner Challenging Bitmain's Dominance 8")

![Block Inc. Launches Proto Rig: Modular Bitcoin Miner Challenging Bitmain's Dominance](https://bitcoinmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/specs1.png "Block Inc. Launches Proto Rig: Modular Bitcoin Miner Challenging Bitmain's Dominance 9")

![Block Inc. Launches Proto Rig: Modular Bitcoin Miner Challenging Bitmain's Dominance](https://bitcoinmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/specs2.png "Block Inc. Launches Proto Rig: Modular Bitcoin Miner Challenging Bitmain's Dominance 10")

The Proto Rig manages to squeeze the equivalent of three mining units in the space of two traditional models while being competitive to top-of-the-line industrial miners like the Bitmain Antminer S21 XP or the MicroBT Whatsminer M66S, both running on about 14 joules per terahash. Yet the Proto Rig delivers up to 810 TH per unit in the same space as the competitors, taking into account the real estate costs of industrial mining, which for years have filled out warehouses of units side by side.

> 14.1 J/TH !! [https://t.co/bZtUkwAkEj](https://t.co/bZtUkwAkEj)
>
> — jack (@jack) [August 14, 2025](https://twitter.com/jack/status/1956006538042093993?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

The Proto Rig might not just be built for the big miners. There were multiple hints in the event and following commentary that suggest home miners will get some love as well from the Proto hardware team. Jack Dorsey himself tweeted out “A commitment to ALL the players in the mining industry, not just the big guys.” He retweeted a bitcoiner who attended the event and shared his excitement with some photographs.

The mysterious tweet has not been followed up with any details but there are rumours that there might be a [Bitaxe](https://bitcoinmagazine.com/business/bitaxe-and-the-open-source-bitcoin-mining-movement)\-style collaboration with Proto which would look to serve the home mining market.

When asked about home mining Max Guise told Bitcoin Magazine “Proto is designing products for mining operators of all sizes. Our first product, Rig, is a 12 kilowatt system, which is a higher power requirement than most home miners can handle, so it is best suited for operators who have more infrastructure involved in their operations. That doesn’t rule out the possibility of future products that could be more retail-friendly, but right now it’s not our focus.”

### StratumV2 On By Default: Huge For Miner Decentralization

[Brian Stegall](https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-stegall/), head of design at Proto, announced at the launch event that the “Proto Rigs will support Stratum V2 out of the box,” adding that, “It’s a more efficient protocol that offers native hashrate auditing, which helps detect and reduce issues like miner misconfiguration, unwanted divergence and other fleet-wide issues.”

[Stratumv2](https://bitcoinmagazine.com/business/stratum-v2-will-save-bitcoin-mining) is a mining pool update to the popular Stratum V1 protocol which dominates adoption among miners, in part because it was one of the first software tools developed to pull hashrate from miners throughout the world, allowing them to act as one miner and share rewards. The old protocol, while well understood by miners has a serious downside, it centralizes the construction of blocks to the mining pool operator, an issue that was recently revealed to be worse than expected, as most mining pools appear to be [copying block templates produced by Antpool](https://b10c.me/observations/12-template-similarity/). The risk threatens a deep layer of the Bitcoin network, potentially exposing transactions to censorship, if this trend is not reversed.

StratumV2 was designed to put block template production in the hands of hashrate providers, pushing the process to the edges and thus increasing the diversity of blocks and transactions included, ultimately safeguarding Bitcoin’s censorship-resistance properties.

But mining pools have been slow to adopt the protocol, likely because of the software development lift. With the Proto Rig building it into the software stack of the machine, we should expect a much higher rate of adoption as the Block’s mining rigs get rolled out into production. This is a development that the greater Bitcoin community has been working toward for many years.

### Open Sourcing The Software

Going beyond just reinventing mining hardware, Proto has also announced the open source release of its mining managemen


Bitcoin Magazine An Excerpt From Bitcoin Circular Economies: The Beginning When people picture a tropical beach with volcanic sands, warm waters and dreamy surfing waves, they are describing El Zonte, in El Salvador. It’s hard to think that this natural paradise was once the battleground of Latin America’s most savage and violent gangs for decades. According to a UNICEF report, the homicide rate in 2015 was 103 per 100,000 inhabitants. The result was thousands of children orphaned and vulnerable to be recruited by the drug cartels, where the only option for a better life seemed to be to migrate to the United States. Chimbera was born in the community of El Zonte, where opportunities were divided by a road which separated the beach from the mountains. “In the past if you were born on the beach, you were a fisherman, like my father and grandfather. If you were born in the mountains, you were a farmer; while women were mainly housewives. The only hope for a better future for young people was to emigrate to the United States or Canada. We learned with sadness that the opportunities were there, the land of freedom where dreams supposedly came true. Paradoxically, these words come from a smiling face. It is very easy to fall in love with Román Martínez’s smile; known as “Chimbera” to his closest friends and family. His contagious joy comes from someone who knows in depth the darkest sides a society can fall into. His smile tells a story of collective overcoming, where a group of people believed that a better future was possible and, without expectations but with tireless determination, transformed a fishing village in one of the poorest and most violent countries in the world into a hub of technological innovation and human development. Something unusual in modern history. Chimbera looks to the sky before continuing to reflect on dreams. “We believe in God and in the law of attraction of different things, but it is fundamental to believe in something that moves you to commit and work every day for that dream. In the beginning, the dream was to help kids have more opportunities in the community, keep them out of delinquency and get them to start dreaming.” The problem, Román highlights, is that many times they tell you “fight for your dreams” but they don’t give you the tools or the knowledge to be able to achieve them. “That’s how our dream began: Jorge meeting with the children on the street, supporting them and inspiring them to dream of a better future. It’s hard not to get emotional with Jorge Valenzuela as he tearfully explains why they decided to create Hope House. “We sought to give these children the opportunities that our friends didn’t have and the reason why many of them are no longer here with us.” Like most of the residents of El Zonte, he too has a story to tell. Some twenty years ago, Jorge made his living from farming. He had a heart for surfing and the waves, but the sad reality around him forced him to keep his feet on the ground. At that time, the job market only offered two options: to become a gang member or to be hired as private security on a property. The sad and violent reality of those years presented a dead end. “There was a lack of employment, educational and personal development opportunities in general. Faced with this, many sought to emigrate and look for them elsewhere,” Jorge explains clearly. During those years, in the mornings, when the sun began to peek over the mountains, Jorge knew what he wanted to do. He would take his board and go down to the black sand beach. There, on his back, with his board stuck in the sand and his eyes on the horizon, Hirvin was waiting for him. Together they learned to read the sea, to feel the direction of the wind. They used to warn strangers about the treacherous currents that dragged the unsuspecting out to sea, and over time they began to pass on their knowledge of the sea and surfing to the youngest members of the community. Patience is the greatest virtue of surfers, for those who know how to wait are the ones who manage to ride the perfect wave. Both spent their afternoons sitting on their boards, looking for the best strategy to get ahead, to help their community. It was there, floating in the sea, where Hirvin and Jorge identified an area with enormous potential. “We took tourism as a main tool, as a window that would connect us with other countries, to whom we could show the beauty of our land and invite them to visit our community”. They were confident that they could generate new jobs in the town. “I was a surf instructor at the time and I felt that this sport would be fundamental for everything that happened later in El Zonte,” says Jorge. No one could have imagined that on that beach, surrounded by humble houses and dirt roads, the world’s first Bitcoin circular economy would emerge. Soon, Jorge and Hirvin’s paths would cross with the person who would change their lives. “For some twist of fate, people like Mike, Melissa, Carlos and Alex decided to move to El Zonte and dedicate their time and effort to help our community,” recalls Jorge. The beach and surfing were their rallying point. “We were kids, I remember they started teaching us English, they put us in contact with the tourists that were arriving, and that cultural exchange was what began to change our minds. This allowed us to dream, something we were not used to in El Zonte. They showed us that, no matter the circumstances, if we have dreams and commit to them, things can change.” Jorge evokes the figure of Mike Peterson and, in a moment, he realizes that his life could have been very different if he had not met him. With Mike’s incorporation into the project, they began to systematize the community work on the beach. The idea was simple: create opportunities and hope for young people. Empower them as leaders and give them the necessary tools so that they do not have to emigrate or get involved in gangs. Fill the “children’s love tank,” as Jorge defines it in his own words. “When we were little they taught us some words in English, they helped us to read and write better, but it was when my daughter, who is 17 today, was born that I understood that we had been children with an empty love tank.” A community where children grew up without parents or older siblings present to give them love, support and an example to follow. “We all have a tank, it can be empty or it can be filled with love and hope. That’s what the kids in our community needed.” Mike wasn’t just a blue-eyed gringo who came to El Zonte and fell in love with its beaches and people. Peterson arrived as a surfer but soon became a dream maker. Discover more in Bitcoin Circular Economies This excerpt is just the beginning. Dive deeper into how Bitcoin is transforming communities worldwide in Bitcoin Circular Economies. The e-book is available now, and the paperback is open for pre-order for only $21 for a limited time. Order your copy here This post An Excerpt From Bitcoin Circular Economies: The Beginning first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Gabriel Kurman.

[Bitcoin Magazine](https://bitcoinmagazine.com)
![](https://bitcoinmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/BCE-1200x628-Article-Header-V2-1.webp)
[An Excerpt From Bitcoin Circular Economies: The Beginning](https://bitcoinmagazine.com/bitcoin-books/an-excerpt-from-bitcoin-circular-economies-the-beginning)

When people picture a tropical beach with volcanic sands, warm waters and dreamy surfing waves, they are describing [El Zonte](https://bitcoinmagazine.com/el-salvador-bitcoin-news/dare-to-dream-a-film-unveiling-the-genesis-of-bitcoin-beach?utm_source=chatgpt.com), in El Salvador. It’s hard to think that this natural paradise was once the battleground of Latin America’s most savage and violent gangs for decades. According to a UNICEF report, the homicide rate in 2015 was 103 per 100,000 inhabitants. The result was thousands of children orphaned and vulnerable to be recruited by the drug cartels, where the only option for a better life seemed to be to migrate to the United States.

Chimbera was born in the community of El Zonte, where opportunities were divided by a road which separated the beach from the mountains. “In the past if you were born on the beach, you were a fisherman, like my father and grandfather. If you were born in the mountains, you were a farmer; while women were mainly housewives. The only hope for a better future for young people was to emigrate to the United States or Canada. We learned with sadness that the opportunities were there, the land of freedom where dreams supposedly came true. Paradoxically, these words come from a smiling face. It is very easy to fall in love with Román Martínez’s smile; known as “Chimbera” to his closest friends and family. His contagious joy comes from someone who knows in depth the darkest sides a society can fall into. His smile tells a story of collective overcoming, where a group of people believed that a better future was possible and, without expectations but with tireless determination, transformed a fishing village in one of the poorest and most violent countries in the world into a hub of technological innovation and human development. Something unusual in modern history.

[![](https://bitcoinmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/BCE-970x250-1.png "An Excerpt From Bitcoin Circular Economies: The Beginning 7")](https://bm.b.tc/4mexI2G)

Chimbera looks to the sky before continuing to reflect on dreams. “We believe in God and in the law of attraction of different things, but it is fundamental to believe in something that moves you to commit and work every day for that dream.  In the beginning, the dream was to help kids have more opportunities in the community, keep them out of delinquency and get them to start dreaming.” The problem, Román highlights, is that many times they tell you “fight for your dreams” but they don’t give you the tools or the knowledge to be able to achieve them. “That’s how our dream began: Jorge meeting with the children on the street, supporting them and inspiring them to dream of a better future.

It’s hard not to get emotional with Jorge Valenzuela as he tearfully explains why they decided to create Hope House. “We sought to give these children the opportunities that our friends didn’t have and the reason why many of them are no longer here with us.” Like most of the residents of El Zonte, he too has a story to tell. Some twenty years ago, Jorge made his living from farming. He had a heart for surfing and the waves, but the sad reality around him forced him to keep his feet on the ground. At that time, the job market only offered two options: to become a gang member or to be hired as private security on a property. The sad and violent reality of those years presented a dead end. “There was a lack of employment, educational and personal development opportunities in general. Faced with this, many sought to emigrate and look for them elsewhere,” Jorge explains clearly.

During those years, in the mornings, when the sun began to peek over the mountains, Jorge knew what he wanted to do. He would take his board and go down to the black sand beach. There, on his back, with his board stuck in the sand and his eyes on the horizon, Hirvin was waiting for him. Together they learned to read the sea, to feel the direction of the wind. They used to warn strangers about the treacherous currents that dragged the unsuspecting out to sea, and over time they began to pass on their knowledge of the sea and surfing to the youngest members of the community. Patience is the greatest virtue of surfers, for those who know how to wait are the ones who manage to ride the perfect wave. Both spent their afternoons sitting on their boards, looking for the best strategy to get ahead, to help their community. It was there, floating in the sea, where Hirvin and Jorge identified an area with enormous potential. “We took tourism as a main tool, as a window that would connect us with other countries, to whom we could show the beauty of our land and invite them to visit our community”. They were confident that they could generate new jobs in the town. “I was a surf instructor at the time and I felt that this sport would be fundamental for everything that happened later in El Zonte,” says Jorge.

No one could have imagined that on that beach, surrounded by humble houses and dirt roads, the world’s first Bitcoin circular economy would emerge. Soon, Jorge and Hirvin’s paths would cross with the person who would change their lives. “For some twist of fate, people like Mike, Melissa, Carlos and Alex decided to move to El Zonte and dedicate their time and effort to help our community,” recalls Jorge. The beach and surfing were their rallying point. “We were kids, I remember they started teaching us English, they put us in contact with the tourists that were arriving, and that cultural exchange was what began to change our minds. This allowed us to dream, something we were not used to in El Zonte. They showed us that, no matter the circumstances, if we have dreams and commit to them, things can change.” Jorge evokes the figure of Mike Peterson and, in a moment, he realizes that his life could have been very different if he had not met him.

With Mike’s incorporation into the project, they began to systematize the community work on the beach. The idea was simple: create opportunities and hope for young people. Empower them as leaders and give them the necessary tools so that they do not have to emigrate or get involved in gangs. Fill the “children’s love tank,” as Jorge defines it in his own words. “When we were little they taught us some words in English, they helped us to read and write better, but it was when my daughter, who is 17 today, was born that I understood that we had been children with an empty love tank.” A community where children grew up without parents or older siblings present to give them love, support and an example to follow. “We all have a tank, it can be empty or it can be filled with love and hope. That’s what the kids in our community needed.”

Mike wasn’t just a blue-eyed gringo who came to El Zonte and fell in love with its beaches and people. Peterson arrived as a surfer but soon became a dream maker.

**[Discover more in _Bitcoin Circular Economies_](https://bm.b.tc/4mexI2G)**
This excerpt is just the beginning. Dive deeper into how Bitcoin is transforming communities worldwide in _Bitcoin Circular Economies_. The e-book is available now, and the paperback is open for pre-order for only **$21 for a limited time**.

![👉](https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/16.0.1/72x72/1f449.png) **[Order your copy here](https://bm.b.tc/4mexI2G)**

This post [An Excerpt From Bitcoin Circular Economies: The Beginning](https://bitcoinmagazine.com/bitcoin-books/an-excerpt-from-bitcoin-circular-economies-the-beginning) first appeared on [Bitcoin Magazine](https://bitcoinmagazine.com) and is written by [Gabriel Kurman](https://bitcoinmagazine.com/authors/janebitcoinmagazine-com).


One of the paradoxes I noticed about us humans over the last 15 years coaching humans – and being coached myself – is that we live in this information age, yet “lack of information” is clearly not our challenge when it comes to changing the world, or changing our world for the better. Imagine you are offered the option of taking one of a series of pills, all of which have zero side effects. The first pill will boost your IQ by up to 23 points , while also combatting brain degeneration by ensuring that as you enter your 50s and beyond your brain will resemble that of a 20-year old. The second pill will lower your stress hormones by 60% and decrease any insomnia symptoms (if you have any) by 31%. The third pill will measurably increase your amount of gamma waves in the brain by 14% – these are the waves associated with higher cognition, information processing, perception, high alertness and attention. The fourth pill is focused on memory, and it will raise your performance on a memory task 10x. The fifth pill will measurably decrease each of the known psychological factors that weaken and ultimately end romantic relationship, or prevent us from finding one in the first place: including cynicism, criticism, attacking, pessimism, discontent and perfectionism. As a bonus, if you have children, it will also improve both your parenting, and improve your parent-child relationship. Which one would you take? Whatever your answer, now imagine that a smart scientist has devised a way where you can take one pill per day that has all five benefits however it does have one side effect, it will increase the amount of joy that you experience throughout the day, irrespective of outside events. So there is a catch. The pill has an initial consultation charge of $200, where a profession instructs you on when and how to administer this pill. Thereafter, the pill is free. And, it will take 20 minutes each day to administer this pill, during which time you will need to sit down in a comfortable position and relax. Would you still take the pill? Yes, the pill is a combination of meditation and a few simple breathing techniques Let’s break it down a little further: even the breathing techniques by themselves (SKY Breathing, from the Art of Living) has been shown to increase all five types of brain waves (2% higher delta waves, right up to 14%+ increase in gamma waves). Delta waves are associated with the deepest levels of relaxation, and are normally only seen in deep restorative and dreamless sleep. Theta waves are associated with learning and memory. Alpha waves are associated with concentration. There is also evidence that alpha waves have the potential to combat both depression and anxiety Beta waves are associated with a heightened state of alertness, logic and critical reasoning Gamma waves, as mentioned above, are associated with information processing, perception, high alertness and attention. Maybe next time you’re thinking of digesting some information, be it news, a book, or a podcast, you could experiment with swapping that out for some implementation time, by learning breathing and meditation techniques, which allow you to implement so much more of what you know. Disclosure: I am a breathing and meditation teacher, so you could say I’m biased. But then the research is objective, and has been reproduced many times. Also, the reason I started teaching these techniques was not random, it was because I noticed from my own direct experience tremendous benefits. Also, it’s something I do as a volunteer not as my profession, so there’s no financial incentive for me to spent time writing about meditation or teaching it. It does of course give me joy and a sense of higher purpose to see other people reproduce the same benefits I experienced. So it is not without reward. If you are interested in knowing more (ie: you’d like this last 5 minutes of reading time to result in implementation, not information) then flick me a note at @dsbatten on Twitter.

![](https://batcoinz.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Screen-Shot-2024-11-19-at-1.54.52-PM-1024x541.png)

One of the paradoxes I noticed about us humans over the last 15 years coaching humans – and being coached myself – is that we live in this information age, yet “lack of information” is clearly not our challenge when it comes to changing the world, or changing our world for the better.

Imagine you are offered the option of taking one of a series of pills, all of which have zero side effects.

The first pill will boost your IQ by up to [23 points](https://www.inc.com/melanie-curtin/want-to-raise-your-iq-by-23-percent-neuroscience-says-to-take-up-this-simple-hab.html) , while also combatting brain degeneration by ensuring that as you enter your 50s and beyond your brain will resemble that of a 20-year old.

The second pill will lower your stress hormones by 60% and decrease any insomnia symptoms (if you have any) by 31%.

The third pill will measurably increase your amount of [gamma waves in the brain](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32669767/#&gid=article-figures&pid=figure-2-uid-1) by 14% – these are the waves associated with higher cognition, information processing, perception, high alertness and attention.

The fourth pill is focused on memory, and it will raise your performance on a [memory task 10x](https://batcoinz.com/?page_id=2856).

The fifth pill will [measurably decrease](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/333155515_Mindfulness_Meditation_is_Associated_with_Decreases_in_Partner_Negative_Affect_in_Daily_Life) each of the known psychological factors that weaken and ultimately end romantic relationship, or prevent us from finding one in the first place: including cynicism, criticism, attacking, pessimism, discontent and perfectionism. As a bonus, if you have children, it will also improve both your parenting, and [improve your parent-child relationship](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/327796281_Parenting-Focused_Mindfulness_Intervention_Reduces_Stress_and_Improves_Parenting_in_Highly_Stressed_Mothers_of_Adolescents).

Which one would you take?

Whatever your answer, now imagine that a smart scientist has devised a way where you can take one pill per day that has all five benefits however it does have one side effect, it will increase the [amount of joy](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02699930143000392?journalCode=pcem20) that you experience throughout the day, irrespective of outside events.

So there is a catch. The pill has an initial consultation charge of $200, where a profession instructs you on when and how to administer this pill. Thereafter, the pill is free. And, it will take 20 minutes each day to administer this pill, during which time you will need to sit down in a comfortable position and relax.

Would you still take the pill?

![](https://batcoinz.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Screen-Shot-2024-11-18-at-11.01.10-AM-1024x574.png)

Yes, the pill is a combination of meditation and a few simple breathing techniques

Let’s break it down a little further: even the breathing techniques by themselves (SKY Breathing, from the Art of Living) has been shown to increase all five types of brain waves (2% higher delta waves, right up to 14%+ increase in gamma waves).

Delta waves are associated with the deepest levels of relaxation, and are normally only seen in [deep restorative and dreamless sleep.](https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/brain-waves)

Theta waves are associated with [learning and memory](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theta_wave).

Alpha waves are associated with concentration. There is also evidence that alpha waves have the potential to combat both [depression and anxiety](https://www.verywellmind.com/what-are-alpha-brain-waves-5113721)

Beta waves are associated with a heightened state of [alertness, logic and critical reasoning](https://m1psychology.com/brain-waves-and-hypnosis/)

Gamma waves, as mentioned above, are associated with information processing, perception, high alertness and attention.

![](https://batcoinz.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Screen-Shot-2024-11-18-at-11.01.49-AM-1.png)

Maybe next time you’re thinking of digesting some information, be it news, a book, or a podcast, you could experiment with swapping that out for some implementation time, by learning breathing and meditation techniques, which allow you to implement so much more of what you know.

**Disclosure:** I am a breathing and meditation teacher, so you could say I’m biased. But then the research is objective, and has been reproduced many times. Also, the reason I started teaching these techniques was not random, it was because I noticed from my own direct experience tremendous benefits. Also, it’s something I do as a volunteer not as my profession, so there’s no financial incentive for me to spent time writing about meditation or teaching it. It does of course give me joy and a sense of higher purpose to see other people reproduce the same benefits I experienced. So it is not without reward. If you are interested in knowing more (ie: you’d like this last 5 minutes of reading time to result in implementation, not information) then flick me a note at @dsbatten on Twitter.


News. Updates. Research. Stats. Everything Important You Need to Know.

News
----

*   **Bitcoin mining centralization in 2025.** According to a [blog post](https://b10c.me/blog/015-bitcoin-mining-centralization/) by _b10c_, Bitcoin mining was at its most decentralized in May 2017, with another favorable period from 2019 to 2022. However, starting in 2023, mining has become increasingly centralized, particularly due to the influence of large pools like Foundry and the use of proxy pooling by entities such as AntPool.

![Block 893376: Important News of the Week](https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/content/images/2025/04/image-21.png)

Source: [b10c's blog.](https://b10c.me/blog/015-bitcoin-mining-centralization/)

*   **OpenSats announces the eleventh wave of Nostr grants.** The [five projects in this wave](https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/opensats-unveils-the-eleventh-wave-of-nostr-grants/) are the mobile live-streaming app [Swae](https://github.com/suhailsaqan/swae), the Nostr-over-ham-radio project [HAMSTR](https://github.com/LibertyFarmer/hamstr), [Vertex](https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/vertex-web-of-trust-as-a-service/)—a Web-of-Trust (WOT) service for Nostr developers, [Nostr Double Ratchet](https://github.com/mmalmi/nostr-double-ratchet) for end-to-end encrypted messaging, and the [Nostr Game Engine](https://ngengine.org/) for building games and applications integrated with the Nostr ecosystem.
*   **New Spiral grantee:** [**_l0rinc_**](https://xcancel.com/spiralbtc/status/1912176891609362505)**.** In February 2024, _l0rinc_ transitioned to full-time work on Bitcoin Core. [His efforts](https://github.com/l0rinc/bitcoin/tree/l0rinc/work?tab=readme-ov-file#bitcoin-core-contributions) focus on performance benchmarking and optimizations, enhancing code quality, conducting code reviews, reducing block download times, optimizing memory usage, and refactoring code.
*   **Project Eleven offers 1 BTC to break Bitcoin's cryptography with a quantum computer.** The quantum computing research organization [has introduced](https://bitcoinmagazine.com/news/project-eleven-to-award-1-btc-to-tackle-bitcoins-quantum-vulnerability) the [Q-Day Prize](https://www.qdayprize.org/), a global challenge that offers 1 BTC to the first team capable of breaking an elliptic curve cryptographic (ECC) key using Shor’s algorithm on a quantum computer. The prize will be awarded to the first team to successfully accomplish this breakthrough by April 5, 2026.
*   **Unchained has launched the Bitcoin Legacy Project.** The initiative [seeks](https://www.unchained.com/blog/introducing-the-bitcoin-legacy-project) to advance the Bitcoin ecosystem through a bitcoin-native [donor-advised fund platform](https://www.unchained.com/blog/bitcoin-donor-advised-funds) (DAF), investments in community hubs, support for education and open-source development, and a commitment to long-term sustainability with transparent annual reporting.
    *   In its first year, the program will provide support to Bitcoin hubs in Nashville, Austin, and Denver.
    *   Support also includes $50,000 to the Bitcoin Policy Institute, a $150,000 commitment at the University of Austin, and up to $250,000 in research grants through the Bitcoin Scholars program.

> "Unchained will **match grants 1:1** made to partner organizations who support Bitcoin Core development when made through the Unchained-powered bitcoin DAF, up to 1 BTC," was stated in a blog post.

*   **Block launched open-source tools for Bitcoin treasury management.** These [include](https://block.xyz/inside/block-releases-open-source-tools-for-bitcoin-treasury-management) a dashboard for managing corporate bitcoin holdings and provides a real-time BTC-to-USD price quote API, released as part of the [Block Open Source initiative](https://github.com/block/bitcoin-treasury). The company’s own instance of the bitcoin holdings dashboard is available [here](https://bitcoin.block.xyz).

[![Block 893376: Important News of the Week](https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/content/images/2025/04/image-14.png)](https://bitcoin.block.xyz/)

Source: block.xyz

*   **Bull Bitcoin expands to Mexico,** [enabling](https://www.bullbitcoin.com/blog/bull-bitcoin-launches-in-mexico) anyone in the country to receive pesos from anywhere in the world straight from a Bitcoin wallet. Additionally, users can now buy Bitcoin with a Mexican bank account.

> _"Bull Bitcoin strongly believes in Bitcoin’s economic potential in Mexico, not only for international remittances and tourism, but also for Mexican individuals and companies to reclaim their financial sovereignty and protect their wealth from inflation and the fragility of traditional financial markets," said Francis Pouliot, Founder and CEO of Bull Bitcoin._

*   **Corporate bitcoin holdings hit a record high in Q1 2025.** According to [Bitwise](https://bitcoinmagazine.com/news/corporate-bitcoin-holdings-hit-record-high-in-q1-2025-as-public-companies-accelerate-accumulation), public companies' adoption of Bitcoin has hit an all-time high. In Q1 2025, these firms collectively hold over 688,000 BTC, marking a 16.11% increase from the previous quarter. This amount represents 3.28% of Bitcoin's fixed 21 million supply.

![Block 893376: Important News of the Week](https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/content/images/2025/04/image-29.png)

Source: [Bitwise.](https://xcancel.com/BitwiseInvest/status/1911843925943337203)

*   **The Bitcoin Bond Company for institutions has launched** with the [aim of acquiring](https://xcancel.com/BitcoinPierre/status/1909229920447840602) $1 trillion in Bitcoin over 21 years. It utilizes secure, transparent, and compliant bond-like products backed by Bitcoin.
*   **The U.S. Senate confirmed Paul Atkins as Chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).** At his confirmation hearing, _Atkins_ [emphasized](https://cryptoslate.com/paul-atkins-confirmed-to-chair-sec-as-gary-genslers-long-term-replacement/) the need for a clear framework for digital assets. He aims to collaborate with the CFTC and Congress to address jurisdiction and rulemaking gaps, aligning with the Trump administration's goal to position the U.S. as a leader in Bitcoin and blockchain finance.
*   **Ethereum developer Virgil Griffith has been released from custody.** _Griffith_, whose sentence [was reduced](https://atlas21.com/former-ethereum-developer-virgil-griffith-released-from-custody/) to 56 months, is now seeking a pardon. He was initially sentenced to 63 months for allegedly violating international sanctions laws by providing technical advice on using cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology to evade sanctions during a presentation titled 'Blockchains for Peace' in North Korea.
*   **No-KYC exchange eXch to close down under money laundering scrutiny.** The privacy-focused cryptocurrency trading platform [said](https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=577207.msg65286839#msg65286839) it will cease operations on May 1. This decision follows allegations that the platform was used by North Korea's Lazarus Group for money laundering. eXch revealed it is the subject of an active "transatlantic operation" aimed at shutting down the platform and prosecuting its team for "money laundering and terrorism."
*   **Blockstream combats ESP32 FUD concerning Jade signers.** The company [stated](https://xcancel.com/Blockstream/status/1912468478025433244) that after reviewing the vulnerability disclosed in early March, Jade was found to be secure. Espressif Systems, the designer of the ESP32, has since [clarified](https://developer.espressif.com/blog/2025/03/esp32-bluetooth-clearing-the-air/?ref=btctimes.com) that the "undocumented commands" do not constitute a "backdoor."

[![Block 893376: Important News of the Week](https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/content/images/2025/04/image-30.png)](https://xcancel.com/Blockstream/status/1912468476200997138)

*   **Bank of America is lobbying for regulations that favor banks over tech firms in stablecoin issuance.** The bank's CEO _Brian Moynihan_ is working with groups such as the American Bankers Association to advance the issuance of a fully reserved, 1:1 backed "Bank of America coin." If successful, this could limit stablecoin efforts by non-banks like Tether, Circle, and others, [reports](https://www.theblock.co/post/350860/stablecoin-turf-wars-bank-of-america-tether-and-circle-battle-to-shape-us-rules) _The Block._
*   **Tether to back OCEAN Pool with its hashrate.** "As a company committed to financial freedom and open access, we see supporting decentralization in Bitcoin mining as essential to the network’s long-term integrity," [said](https://www.theminermag.com/news/2025-04-14/tether-ocean-pool-bitcoin) Tether CEO _Paolo Ardoino_.
*   **Bitdeer to expand its self-mining operations to navigate tariffs.** The Singapore-based mining company is advancing plans to produce machines in the U.S. while reducing its mining hardware sales. This response is in light of increasing uncertainties related to U.S. trade policy, as reported by [_Bloomberg_](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-04-15/crypto-firm-bitdeer-prioritizes-mining-to-weather-tariff-turmoil).
*   **Tether acquires $32M in Bitdeer shares.** The firm [has boosted](https://www.theminermag.com/news/2025-04-17/tether-bitdeer-acquire-bitcoin) its investment in Bitdeer during a wider market sell-off, with purchases in early to mid-April amounting to about $32 million, regulatory filings reveal.
*   **US Bitcoin miner manufacturer Auradine has raised $153 million** in a Series C funding round as it [expands](https://www.theminermag.com/news/2025-04-17/auradine-mara-bitcoin) into AI infrastructure. The round was led by StepStone Group and included participation from Maverick Silicon, Premji Invest, Samsung Catalyst Fund, Qualcomm Ventures, Mayfield, MARA Holdings, GSBackers, and other existing investors. The firm raised to over $300 million since its inception in 2022.
*   **Voltage has partnered with BitGo** to [enable](https://www.voltage.cloud/blog/bitgo-and-voltage-team-up-to-deliver-instant-bitcoin-and-stabl


Good Morning, Bitcoin is your latest news roundup delivering key stories, project updates, new releases, guides, research, and all things related to Bitcoin and freedom tech.

[![Good Morning, Bitcoin - Wednesday, April 23rd, 2025](https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/content/images/2025/04/image-42.png)](https://mempool.space/)

Headlines
---------

*   **Twenty One Capital is set to launch with over 42,000 BTC in its treasury.** This new Bitcoin-native firm, backed by Tether and SoftBank, is [planned to go public](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250423962305/en/Tether-SoftBank-Group-and-Jack-Mallers-Launch-Twenty-One-a-Bitcoin-native-Company-Through-a-Business-Combination-With-Cantor-Equity-Partners) via a SPAC merger with Cantor Equity Partners and will be led by _Jack Mallers_, co-founder and CEO of Strike. According to a [report](http://archive.today/3PoYZ) by the _Financial Times_, the company aims to replicate the model of _Michael Saylor_ with his company, MicroStrategy.
*   **Florida's SB 868 proposes a backdoor into encrypted platforms.** The bill and its House companion have [both passed](https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/04/floridas-anti-encryption-bill-wrecking-ball-privacy-theres-still-time-stop-it) through their respective committees and are headed to a full vote. If enacted, [SB 868](https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2025/868/) would require social media companies to decrypt teens' private messages, ban disappearing messages, allow unrestricted parental access to private messages, and likely eliminate encryption for all minors altogether.
*   **Paul Atkins has officially assumed the role of the 34th Chairman of the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).** This is a return to the agency for Atkins, who previously served as an SEC Commissioner from 2002 to 2008 under the _George W. Bush_ administration. He has [committed](https://www.reuters.com/world/us/paul-atkins-sworn-us-sec-chair-2025-04-21/) to advancing the SEC’s mission of fostering capital formation, safeguarding investors, and ensuring fair and efficient markets.
*   **Solosatoshi.com has sold over 10,000 open-source miners,** adding more than 10 PH of hashpower to the Bitcoin network.

> "Thank you, Bitaxe community. OSMU developers, your brilliance built this. Supporters, your belief drives us. Customers, your trust powers 10,000+ miners and 10PH globally. Together, we’re decentralizing Bitcoin’s future. Last but certainly not least, thank you[@skot9000](https://x.com/skot9000) for not only creating a freedom tool, but instilling the idea into thousands of people, that Bitcoin mining can be for everyone again," [said](https://xcancel.com/SoloSatoshi/status/1912267232006070775) the firm on X.

*   **OCEAN's DATUM has found 100 blocks.** "Over 65% of OCEAN’s miners are using DATUM, and that number is growing every day. This means block template construction is making its way back into the hands of the miners, which is not only the most profitable for miners on OCEAN but also one of the best things for Bitcoin," [stated](https://xcancel.com/ocean_mining/status/1914943267319226620) the mining pool.

![Good Morning, Bitcoin - Wednesday, April 23rd, 2025](https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/content/images/2025/04/image-40.png)

Source: [orangesurf](https://xcancel.com/OrangeSurfBTC/status/1914953456483291175)

*   **Arch Labs has secured $13 million to develop "ArchVM"** and integrate smart-contract functionality with Bitcoin. The funding round, valuing the company at $200 million, was led by Pantera Capital, as [announced](https://chainwire.org/2025/04/22/arch-labs-announces-13m-funding-round-to-launch-a-native-bitcoin-virtual-machine/) on Tuesday.
*   **Tesla still holds nearly $1 billion in bitcoin.** According to the automaker's [latest earnings report](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1318605/000162828025018851/exhbit991.htm), the firm reported digital asset holdings worth $951 million as of March 31.
*   **The European Central Bank is pushing for amendments to the European Union's Markets in Crypto Assets legislation (MiCA)**, just months after its implementation. According to _Politico_'s [report on Tuesday](https://www.politico.eu/article/european-commission-livid-ecb-warn-crypto-apocalypse-donald-trump/), the ECB is concerned that U.S. support for cryptocurrency, particularly stablecoins, could cause economic harm to the 27-nation bloc.
*   **TABConf 2025 is scheduled to take place from October 13-16, 2025.** This prominent technical Bitcoin conference is dedicated to community building, education, and developer support, and it is set to return in October. Get your [tickets here](https://7.tabconf.com/).
*   **Kaduna Lightning Development Bootcamp.** From May 14th to 17th, the Bitcoin Lightning Developer Bootcamp will take place in Kaduna, Nigeria. Thisevent offers four dynamic days of coding, learning, and networking. Organized by Africa Free Routing and supported by Btrust, Tether, and African Bitcoiners, this bootcamp is designed as a gateway for African developers eager to advance their skills in Bitcoin and Lightning development. [Apply here](https://freerouting.africa/kaduna-bootcamp/).

![Good Morning, Bitcoin - Wednesday, April 23rd, 2025](https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/content/images/2025/04/image-41.png)

Source: [African Bitcoiners.](https://bitcoiners.africa/bitcoin-newsletter/22nd-april-2025-bitcoin-is-coming-to-kaduna-%f0%9f%9a%80-126/)

Use the tools
-------------

*   [**Core Lightning (CLN) v25.02.2**](https://github.com/ElementsProject/lightning/releases/tag/v25.02.2) as been released to fix a broken Docker image. The issue was caused by an SQLite version that did not support an advanced query.
*   [**Blitz wallet v0.4.4-beta**](https://github.com/BlitzWallet/BlitzWallet/releases) introduces several updates and improvements, including the prevention of duplicate ecash payments, fixes for background ecash invoice handling, the ability for users to send payments to BOLT12 invoices from their Liquid balance, support for Blink QR codes, a lowered minimum amount for Lightning-to-Liquid payments to 100 sats, the option to initiate a node sync via a swipe gesture on the wallet's home screen, and the introduction of opt-in or opt-out functionality for newly implemented crash analytics via settings.
*   [**Utreexo v0.5.0**](https://github.com/utreexo/utreexo), a hash-based dynamic accumulator, is now available.
*   [**Specter v2.1.1**](https://stacker.news/items/954220) is now available on StartOS. "This update brings compatibility with Bitcoin Core v28 and incorporates several upstream improvements," said developer _Alex71btc._
*   [**ESP-Miner (AxeOS) v2.7.0b1**](https://github.com/bitaxeorg/ESP-Miner/releases/tag/v2.7.0b1) is now available for testing.
*   [**NodeGuard v0.16.1**](https://github.com/Elenpay/NodeGuard/releases), a treasury management solution for Lightning nodes, has been released.
*   The latest **stacker.news** [updates](https://stacker.news/items/953312) include prompts to add a receiving wallet when posting or making comments (for new users), an option to randomize poll choices, improved URL search, and a few other enhancements. A [bug fix for territories](https://stacker.news/items/953648) created after 9/19/24 has been implemented to reward 70% of their revenue to owners instead of 50%.

Other stuff
-----------

*   The April edition of the _256 Foundation_'s newsletter is [now available](https://256foundation.org/newsletters/256Foundation-Newsletter-2504_v2.pdf). It includes the latest mining news, Bitcoin network health updates, project developments, and a tutorial on how to update FutureBit's Apollo 1 to the Apollo 2 software.
*   _Siggy47_ [has posted](https://stacker.news/items/953178) a comprehensive RoboSats guide on stacker.news.
*   Learn how to run your own Nostr relay using Citrine and Cloudflare Tunnels by following [this step-by-step guide](https://yakihonne.com/article/dhalsim@dhalsim.github.io/-dPG4YzeV6cm0A2B2K2yo) by _Dhalism._
*   _Max Guise_ [has written](https://bitkey.build/building-better-bitcoin-self-custody/) a Bitkey roadmap update for April 2025.
*   _PlebLab_ [has uploaded](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2KDq4ohFXA) a video on how to build a Rust wallet with LDK Node by _Ben Carman_.

*   Do you want more? Subscribe and get No Bullshit GM report straight to your mailbox and [No Bullshit Bitcoin on Nostr](https://primal.net/news).
*   Feedback or tips? Drop it [here](https://simplex.chat/contact#/?v=2-7&smp=smp%3A%2F%2FZKe4uxF4Z_aLJJOEsC-Y6hSkXgQS5-oc442JQGkyP8M%3D%40smp17.simplex.im%2F5lAhCXwD4cOTh-mxg4k1Pj__qyFOq9GM%23%2F%3Fv%3D1-3%26dh%3DMCowBQYDK2VuAyEAGTT-YZp6tp3PhHey-nUOBn7Ig8wwdO8jeYCB3RACSmo%253D%26srv%3Dogtwfxyi3h2h5weftjjpjmxclhb5ugufa5rcyrmg7j4xlch7qsr5nuqd.onion).
*   [#FREESAMOURAI](https://freesamourai.com/)

Sign up for No Bullshit Bitcoin
-------------------------------

![Good Morning, Bitcoin - Wednesday, April 23rd, 2025](https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/content/images/2025/04/1gm195.jpg)

No Bullshit Bitcoin Is a Bitcoin News Desk Without Ads, Paywalls, or Clickbait.

 Subscribe .nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o{--animation-duration:0.8s} .nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o \*{opacity:.4;transform:scale(.75);animation:nc-loop-dots-4-anim var(--animation-duration) infinite} .nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o :nth-child(1){transform-origin:4px 12px;animation-delay:-.3s;animation-delay:calc(var(--animation-duration)/-2.666)} .nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o :nth-child(2){transform-origin:12px 12px;animation-delay:-.15s;animation-delay:calc(var(--animation-duration)/-5.333)} .nc-loop-dots-4-24-icon-o :nth-child(3){transform-origin:20px 12px} @keyframes nc-loop-dots-4-anim{0%,100%{opacity:.4;transform:scale(.75)}50%{opacity:1;transform:scale(1)}}

Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup.

No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.


Wasabi Wallet is a free and open-source, privacy-focused Bitcoin wallet for desktop.

[Contribute to keep No Bullshit Bitcoin news going.](https://geyser.fund/project/nobsbitcoin)

*   Wasabi Wallet v2.6.0 "Prometheus" is a major update for the project, focused on resilience and independence from centralized systems.
*   Key features include support for [BIP 158](https://github.com/bitcoin/bips/blob/master/bip-0158.mediawiki) block filters for direct node synchronization, a revamped full node integration for easier setup without third-party reliance, SLIP 39 share backups for flexible wallet recovery (sponsored by Trezor), and a Nostr-based update manager for censorship-resistant updates.
*   Additional improvements include UI bug fixes, a new fallback for transaction broadcasting, updated code signing, stricter JSON serialization, and options to avoid third-party rate providers, alongside various under-the-hood enhancements.

> This new version brings us closer to our ultimate goal: ensuring Wasabi is future-proof," said the developers, while also highlighting the following key areas of focus for the project:

*   Ensuring users can always fully and securely use their client.
*   Making contribution and forks easy through a codebase of the highest quality possible: understandable, maintainable, and improvable.

> "As we achieve our survival goals, expect more cutting-edge improvements in Bitcoin privacy and self-custody. Thank you for the trust you place in us by using Wasabi," was stated in the release notes.

[![Wasabi Wallet v2.6.0: First Version to Sync & Operate Without a Central Server](https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/content/images/2025/05/image-1.png)](https://njump.me/nevent1qqsqqq8urpkd9t44fken7r6wfhjf4n9z9sp8nhy9gq04cgu00fd9ppszyz0rp62qywxdn6ltccegzakaf5gfsysjj3p09fkrsunlceh6065s5ytnjlx)

What's new
----------

*   **Support for Standard BIP 158 Block Filters.** Wasabi now syncs using [BIP 158](https://github.com/bitcoin/bips/blob/master/bip-0158.mediawiki) filters without a backend/indexer, connecting directly to a user's node. This boosts sync speed, resilience, and allows full sovereignty without specific server dependency.
*   **Full Node Integration Rework.** The old integration has been replaced with a simpler, more adaptable system. It’s not tied to a specific Bitcoin node fork, doesn’t need the node on the same machine as Wasabi, and requires no changes to the node’s setup.
    *   "Simply enable the RPC server on your node and point Wasabi to it," said the developers. This ensures all Bitcoin network activities—like retrieving blocks, fee estimations, block filters, and transaction broadcasting—go through your own node, avoiding reliance on third parties.
*   **Create & Recover SLIP 39 Shares.** Users now create and recover wallets with multiple share backups using [SLIP 39](https://github.com/satoshilabs/slips/blob/master/slip-0039.md) standard.

> "Special thanks to Trezor (SatoshiLabs) for sponsoring this amazing feature."

*   **Nostr Update Manager.** This version implements a pioneering system with the Nostr protocol for update information and downloads, replacing reliance on GitHub. This enhances the project's resilience, ensuring updates even if GitHub is unavailable, while still verifying updates with the project's secure certificate.
*   **Updated Avalonia to v11.2.7**, fixes for UI bugs (including restoring Minimize on macOS Sequoia).
*   Added a **configurable third-party fallback for broadcasting transactions** if other methods fail.
*   Replaced Windows Code Signing Certificate with Azure Trusted Signing.
*   Many bug fixes, improved codebase, and enhanced CI pipeline.
*   Added the option to avoid using any third-party Exchange Rate and Fee Rate providers (Wasabi can work without them).
*   Rebuilt all JSON Serialization mechanisms avoiding default .NET converters. Serialization is now stricter.

![Wasabi Wallet v2.6.0: First Version to Sync & Operate Without a Central Server](https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/content/images/2025/05/wasabi260.jpg)

**Full Changelog**: [v2.5.1...v2.6.0](https://github.com/WalletWasabi/WalletWasabi/compare/v2.5.1...v2.6.0)

[**Announcement**](https://njump.me/nevent1qqsp8cvfcz9788lmhad6ckvqg52r9z8fsl9dk3tcx3exjucv5qlc8vgpp4mhxue69uhkummn9ekx7mqzyzfm6rr08n96u3ec3vq6cm8qktqpxy2defxq34hzwyk5lac5qk3uxxetx9p) / [Archive](https://archive.is/V0VR4)
[**GitHub Repo**](https://github.com/WalletWasabi/WalletWasabi/releases/tag/v2.6.0)


Operation British Freedom may be a necessary military endeavor if things continue at this pace.

Marty's Bent
------------

![England Has Gone Mad](https://www.tftc.io/content/images/2025/08/martybent_a_british_police_officer_holding_his_billy_club_with__c09ed852-25f5-4801-b71c-246739dbe046-1.png)

If you're not paying attention to what is currently unfolding in England, you probably should be. The country is devolving into a complete dystopian hellscape as the government attempts to stifle speech as backlash against immigration policy, the handling of Pakistani rape gangs, inflation and an overall material decline in quality of life pushes British citizens to the edge.

Over the last couple of years the government has instituted hate speech laws that have led to British citizens being thrown in cages for speaking their minds. These efforts have escalated this Summer in the form of "Age Verification" requirements across the internet in an attempt to "save the children" from the dangers of being able to access information that is not government approved. In reality, age verification requirements aren't in place to protect the children, they're in place to identify every individual using the internet so that they can be tracked and easily brought to heel if they step out of line.

This is a gross infringement on the inalienable human right to speak your mind anonymously or pseudo-anonymously. There is no way to hold governments to account if you can't speak your mind openly and anonymously. Ideas should be able to stand on their own merit, no matter who is speaking them. Bringing ideas into a conversation anonymously is the best way to ensure that an idea stands on merit and is not accepted because of the individual that is sharing the idea. Conversely, if the idea is so good that people broadly agree with it and that idea happens to be in conflict with the narrative that authorities are spinning the only way they can stifle it and ensure that they get their way is to uncover who is behind the idea and make an example of them by throwing them in a cage. Ultimately, to send a chilling effect that prevents others from spreading the idea.

This is completely anti-human, authoritarian bullshit that should be met with vehement push back. Privacy is a human right and people should be able to anonymously hold their government to account if they so choose.

The British government is doubling down. Yesterday, England's "Children's Commissioner" (holy Orwellian naming!) joined the BBC to put forth the argument that age verification requirements should be levied on VPN providers. For those who are unaware, VPNs allow individuals to use the internet without doxxing their IP addresses to the websites and apps they visit. If you were to force VPNs to collect age verification information it would render their very valuable services moot. Any self-respecting and customer-conscious VPN provider would have to immediately reject any attempts by the UK government to force these verification requirements on them.

These age restriction requirements that the UK government is thrusting on companies is nothing more than lazy bullying tactics that turn companies into forced surveillance companies. honeypots and snitches that do nothing but harm their end users and empower a central government that has gone mad with power as it attempts to silence critics.

VPNs are critical to being able to browse the internet privately, which is an inalienable human right.

I pray that the people of England have the intestinal fortitude to fight back against these heinous encroachments on civil liberties and put their government in place.

### Supply Shock Could Drive Unprecedented Price Discovery

Tuur Demeester laid out a compelling case for why bitcoin faces an unprecedented supply squeeze. He explained how treasury companies like MicroStrategy are accumulating massive positions without any intention to sell, while long-term holders aren't moving their coins despite new all-time highs. The on-chain data he presented shows whales holding steady, with no significant distribution events exceeding 100,000 coins this cycle - a stark contrast to previous bull markets where we'd see 400,000 coin movements.

> "If you have more risk appetite, you can still stay in bitcoin. You go to the treasury companies" - [Tuur Demeester](https://x.com/TuurDemeester?ref=tftc.io)

I found his point about collateralized lending particularly fascinating. As Bitcoin becomes pristine collateral for multi-year structured credit products, these coins effectively disappear from liquid markets. Combine this with ETF flows creating persistent one-way demand and tax-advantaged strategies that discourage selling, and we're witnessing multiple forces simultaneously constraining supply. This isn't your typical four-year cycle anymore.

Check out the [full podcast here](https://youtu.be/bi9iMEetMK4?ref=tftc.io) for more on elongated cycles, gold parity targets and nation-state adoption strategies.

* * *

### Headlines of the Day

Trump Blasts Powell for Destroying Housing Market - via [X](https://x.com/WatcherGuru/status/1957936265489445276?ref=tftc.io)

SEC Chair to Implement Crypto Reforms Quickly - via [X](https://x.com/TFTC21/status/1957905605500563706?ref=tftc.io)

Harvard Economists Wrong by Six Figures - via [X](https://x.com/TFTC21/status/1957904767210119583?ref=tftc.io)

* * *

### Obscura – The World’s Best VPN Built by Bitcoiners

Created by Carl Dong (former Bitcoin Core contributor), unlike other VPNs, it _can’t_ log your activity by design, delivering verifiable privacy you can trust.

[![England Has Gone Mad](https://www.tftc.io/content/images/2025/08/Obsura-3.png)](https://obscura.net/?ref=tftc.io)

[USE CODE TFTC25](https://obscura.net/?ref=tftc.io)

**Outsmarts internet censorship**: works even on the most restrictive Wi-Fi networks where other VPNs fail.
**Pay with bitcoin over Lightning:** better privacy and low fees.
**No email required:** accounts are generated like bitcoin wallets.
**No trade-offs**: browse freely with fast, reliable speeds.

**Exclusive Deal for TFTC Listeners:**
Sign up at [obscura.net](https://obscura.net/?ref=tftc.io) and use code **TFTC25** for **25% off your first 12 months**.

Now available on **macOS, iOS, and WireGuard**, with more platforms coming soon — so your privacy travels with you wherever you go.

* * *

_Ten31, the largest bitcoin-focused investor, has deployed $200M across 30+ companies through three funds. I am a Managing Partner at Ten31 and am very proud of the work we are doing. Learn more at_ [ten31.vc/invest](https://ten31.vc/invest?ref=tftc.io)_._

* * *

**Final thought...**

The relationship between big pharma companies, schools and the federal and state governments is absolutely abhorrent.

* * *

_Download our free browser extension, **Opportunity Cost**:_ [https://www.opportunitycost.app/](https://www.opportunitycost.app/?ref=tftc.io) start thinking in SATS today.

_Get this newsletter sent to your inbox daily:_ [_https://www.tftc.io/bitcoin-brief/_](https://www.tftc.io/bitcoin-brief/)

_Subscribe to our YouTube channels and follow us on Nostr and X:_

 @media screen and (max-width: 480px) { .mobile-padding { padding: 10px 0 !important; } .social-container { width: 100% !important; max-width: 260px !important; } .social-icon { padding: 0 !important; } .social-icon img { height: 32px !important; width: 32px !important; } .icon-cell { padding: 0 4px !important; } } .mj-column-per-33-333333333333336 { width: 25% !important; max-width: 25%; } .moz-text-html .mj-column-per-33-333333333333336 { width: 25% !important; max-width: 25%; } /\* Helps with rendering in various email clients \*/ body { margin: 0 !important; padding: 0 !important; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100% !important; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100% !important; } img { -ms-interpolation-mode: bicubic; } /\* Prevents Gmail from changing the text color in email threads \*/ .im { color: inherit !important; }

[![England Has Gone Mad](https://www.tftc.io/content/images/2025/03/yt.png)](https://youtube.com/@TFTC?feature=shared&ref=tftc.io)

[![England Has Gone Mad](https://www.tftc.io/content/images/2025/03/insta.png)](https://www.instagram.com/tftc.io/?ref=tftc.io)

[![England Has Gone Mad](https://www.tftc.io/content/images/2025/03/twitter.png)](https://twitter.com/TFTC21?ref=tftc.io)

[![England Has Gone Mad](https://www.tftc.io/content/images/2025/03/primall.png)](https://primal.net/tftc?ref=tftc.io)


Trump’s Fed clashes and rising deficits expose a politicized system, while Bitcoin stands as the only independent policy.

Key Takeaways
-------------

![Bitcoin Alpha - Trump & The Fed Just Triggered a Massive Bitcoin Move – 26 Days Left!](https://www.tftc.io/content/images/2025/08/Bitcoin-Alpha-E010.jpg)

Trump’s public theatrics against the Fed, including pressuring Powell, targeting governors, and appointing Stephen Myron, show how monetary policy is now fully political. With U.S. interest costs surpassing $1 trillion and deficits at $2 trillion, the idea of an independent Fed is collapsing into a Treasury-Fed merger resembling a wartime economy. In this environment, Bitcoin stands alone as the only independent monetary policy, immune to political coercion, while institutions like Harvard signal its growing legitimacy by allocating to ETFs. At the same time, private innovation continues, Block’s new modular mining rig challenges the hardware duopoly and shows how Bitcoin infrastructure can advance regardless of state theatrics.

Best Quotes
-----------

“The global monetary system should not be beholden to the whims of theatrics between a sitting president and the Fed chair.”

“Bitcoin is the only truly independent monetary policy in the world right now, governed by math and physics, not politics.”

“Trump’s clearing house at the Fed shows us: meet the new boss, same as the old boss, different context, same consolidation of power.”

“There’s no Bitcoin CEO for the White House to bully. The U.S. government has to pay the market price like everyone else.”

“Harvard’s $100M ETF buy is a seismic signal. In the endowment world, Harvard is the BlackRock of higher education.”

“If Proto’s rigs really last 10 years with modular upgrades, that saves miners 20% on fleet refresh. That’s massive.”

Conclusion
----------

The U.S. is drifting toward empire-style finance, where deficits, consolidation of power, and politicized Fed decisions undermine any pretense of independence. Bitcoin remains the only monetary system resistant to manipulation, offering certainty in contrast to political chaos. Institutional adoption and hardware innovation show that while governments tighten control, Bitcoin continues to grow outside their grasp, positioning itself as the neutral anchor for the future.

Transcript
----------

(00:00) The following is forformational and entertainment purposes only and should not be construed as financial advice. This discussion is a presentation by 1031, the leading institutional investor focused on the Bitcoin ecosystem. 1031 has over 10 years of experience in Bitcoin and has deployed nearly $150 million into the leading opportunities in the space. To learn more, visit 1031.vc.
(00:25) And uh it looks like it's about 3.1 billion. went up a little bit or a lot. Uh, so the 2.7 is now 3.1. I'm not aware of that. Yeah, it just came out. Yeah, I haven't heard that from anybody. Yeah, it just came out. Our about 3.1 as well. 31 3.2. This came from us. Yes. I don't know who does that. You're including the Martin renovation. You just added entire capital. Yeah, you just you just added in a third building is what that is.
(01:02) That's a third building. No, but it's it's a building that's being built. No, it's been it was built five years ago. We finished Martin 5 years ago. It's part of the overall work. It's not new. So, we're going to take a look. We're going to see what's happening. Uh, and it's got a long way.
(01:23) Do you expect any more additional costs? Don't expect them. Uh we're we're ready for them, but we we have a little bit of a reserve that we'll we may use, but no, we don't expect to be finished in 2027. Um I must admit, I saw a bunch of the clips on X and other parts of the internet. Never saw that part of the conversation. Didn't realize he was calling out line items of the renovation to him in person.
(01:48) Yeah. I I uh I gotta say some of the best whatever you think of Trump um and there there's a lot that can be said about Trump, the man has delivered some of the most iconic political moments of certainly this century. And I think that's that's a top fiverr for me without a doubt. It's so entertaining.
(02:12) I mean, I've I said before uh that I would have paid to see like big brother White House or something like when Joe Biden was in the the the White House just to like see what he was doing on a dayto-day basis. But I would probably pay more to see like big brother White House and just watch Trump all day. Brought in Tim Scott as the muscle to be like, "No, no, it's 3.1." Yeah. Right.
(02:37) who by the way doesn't have a hard hat on. Like the hard hats really make the whole thing that they're standing there in these hard hats and Tim Scott's right next to them with no hard hat. What's the what's the wardrobe choices? Like I mean the the theatrics behind it is uh you know it's something to behold. This is the setup for that.
(02:54) Like they're like okay we're going to we're going to put you on TV and just humiliate you in front of TV. So like get ready here here it comes. And we skip the part where he slaps his back at the end and says, "This guy's this guy's about to go lower interest rates." Um, some some really, you know, some some middle school uh hallway bully power games uh going on here.
(03:17) Well, it reminds me of the one there was one where he was in the was it was it the White House lawn where there was a lot of uh I think they were construction workers hanging around the background and uh they were going after Pal again or was that a different was that someone else? Yeah, we got uh I got lamb I think I talked about this I forget if it was here or RHR but I brought it up.
(03:41) We had cold opened with it on RHR and I made the uncou statement of why is uh why is Donald Trump asking construction workers about interest rate policy? It's probably not their core focus and had a bunch of construction workers on the YouTube comments saying, "Hey, I'm in construction and I understand interest rates." But yeah, that was a that was a scene as well.
(04:06) The fact that the fact that we can't even fully remember all the details of all the different times Trump has publicly uh limbasted or tried to humiliate or otherwise uh viciously critique the Fed chair. I think shows uh is a good indication of where we are right now with uh monetary policy in the US and its relationship to uh the rest of the government, the Treasury Department, etc.
(04:26) Yeah, it's a and just the news cycle, right? Because like when was this? This was It feels like forever ago. We put out our artisal alpha, you know, once every few weeks or once every month or we'll just see. But this seems like it was forever ago. I know it was it occurred since the last time we did Bitcoin Alpha. It was like, you know, a few a few days or maybe a week after the last episode of this.
(04:57) And I I remember um being very frustrated because I knew as soon as I saw it like that's the ultimate cold open and we just missed the chance to do it on the last one. So uh here we are back again and uh even though it's a few weeks old I think it's still it stands the test of time. It does and John I think you used the perfect word earlier theatrics.
(05:15) Uh and I think it's an incredible juosition of the world that we operate in and why we operate in this world. Many don't realize the global monetary system should not be beholden to the whims of the theatrics between a sitting president and sitting chairman of the Federal Reserve. That is essentially what we just witnessed was bullying tactics.
(05:39) For those who don't recall, they were there at the construction site as the government was trying to find a roundabout way to fire pal. Um, and I think at one point they were trying to pull the technicality of the Federal Reserve wasting money, taxpayer money with that that renovation they were doing on the reserve building in DC.
(05:58) Uh, theatrics, it's been happening between Powell and Trump since before Trump was even elected. And we're in the middle or tail end of the summer doldrums. I think this is like really the peak summer doldrums, but it ends next week. We've got Jerome Pal and others in Jackson Hole, Wyoming for their annual event.
(06:24) There will be no interest rate policy decisions made this month outside of some very extreme market volatility which doesn't look like it's going to materialize, but it's it's a pretty boring week. I think markets are down, Bitcoin's down, and I think it's just due to the overall uncertainty of the result of the theatrics that we've been seeing play out over the last 16 months.
(06:44) Yeah, I mean it's the theatrics word, you know, to stick with that. Um, I I do think is relevant to just kind of consider, you know, the the nature of where we are with the system. I think it's in some ways like instructive um for, you know, you could say Trump is violating norms and many people have made that um that case both in this in this term and his prior term.
(07:11) um and he's not, you know, respecting the the system and the way it's set up. Um, but I think it's it's interesting and notable that we this pulls back the curtain a little bit on the fact that this is a system where you know I think we have a it's easy to have a view especially coming from say mainstream academia from your college classroom um from working whether it's on Wall Street or corporate America a bunch of different kind of white collar jobs it's it's kind of very easy to imagine that the the men behind the curtain have uh
(07:42) have it all figured out And um you know they have all the dials properly calibrated and um you know they're they're sitting up there on uh you know Mount uh whatever Mount Olympus or Mount Marin Mariner Eckles building as the case may be in this in this situation and you know dispassionately evaluating every all the data flow that they're getting um and just making the the right decision at all the time or as right as possible based on the data they have with no kind


Marty's Bent
------------

![The System is More Levered Than Ever](https://www.tftc.io/content/images/2025/08/image-1.png)

via [StockMarket.News](https://x.com/_Investinq/status/1958554460566806750?ref=tftc.io)

![The System is More Levered Than Ever](https://www.tftc.io/content/images/2025/08/martybent_a_well_dressed_man_driving_past_data_centers_in_the_d_31472b71-a9ee-4b2a-8705-c3c1f0f6ef40.png)

While everyone and their mother is focused on Jackson Hole in anticipation of Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell's speech later this morning I want to draw your attention to the chart above. The financial system is more levered than it has ever been at the same time that the pressure on Jerome Powell and the Fed to lower interest rates and inflation is starting to rear its head again.

If I'm being honest, I'm not sure exactly how to read this. My intuition says that leverage is high because of the stealth stimulus that has been entering the market over the course of the last few years via the Treasury hammering issuance on the short end of the yield curve. Yes, in nominal terms margin debt is at an all time high, but if you look at it in real terms it is still below 2021 levels. Though, it is quickly approaching those levels.

![The System is More Levered Than Ever](https://www.tftc.io/content/images/2025/08/image-2.png)

via [StockMarket.News](https://x.com/_Investinq/status/1958554530322264345?ref=tftc.io)

The question lingering in my mind is whether or not we see a melt up in financial assets and leverage alongside with it, or will gravity come into play at some point in the short to medium-term and force a material correction? When you consider the Trump administration's focus on AI - it has been explicitly identified as a national security issue that necessitates a "win at all costs" response, coupled with the strong desire to keep the Republican majority in the House and the Senate in next year's mid-term elections, the prospect of a melt up scenario seems somewhat likely. One thing is certain, the Trump administration is certainly going to try.

When they do inevitably try, we will see if we are truly moving into new territory because all of the indicators that signal a market top are getting very red and very loud. Just take a look at cyclically-adjusted P/E ratios.

![The System is More Levered Than Ever](https://www.tftc.io/content/images/2025/08/image-3.png)

via Simon White, Bloomberg

Regardless of what ultimately happens, this is fundamentally bullish for bitcoin in the medium to long-term. If we get the melt up scenario, bitcoin will benefit massively as individuals, investors, institutions and idiots alike seek safe haven in hard assets. If gravity comes into play, bitcoin is likely to correct a bit before the dust settles. At which point, many people will be starkly reminded of the insanity of the incumbent financial and monetary systems yet again and a new wave of bitcoin adopters will enter the market. Joining the steadfast hodlers who understand what they own.

Stay vigilant out there, freaks.

### Bitcoin's Energy Consumption is Not Waste

Phil Geiger makes a compelling case on Parker Lewis's Center of Hash that Bitcoin's energy consumption serves a vital purpose - it's the first monetary system to solve the problem of money printing through absolute scarcity. As Phil explains, Bitcoin's 21 million supply cap represents humanity's first truly fixed monetary supply, making it fundamentally different from every other form of money that can be debased. This scarcity only works because it's secured by real-world energy consumption, creating an unbreakable link between the digital and physical realms.

> "Money is the most fundamental form of communication that humans have. You can use money to communicate value across different cultures without even speaking the same language." - [Phil Geiger](https://x.com/phil_geiger?lang=en&ref=tftc.io)

Phil contrasts Bitcoin with other cryptocurrencies, arguing their energy use is wasteful because they don't solve any fundamental problem. Bitcoin's energy consumption directly secures the network against manipulation and enforces the monetary policy that makes it valuable. Parker reinforces this throughout, noting how this direct use of energy for monetary security is unprecedented - unlike gold mining or Federal Reserve operations, Bitcoin creates an explicit, measurable relationship between energy and monetary integrity.

Check out the [full podcast here](https://youtu.be/bi9iMEetMK4?ref=tftc.io) for more on mining pool centralization, fee market dynamics and Bitcoin's self-regulating difficulty adjustment.

* * *

### Headlines of the Day

DOJ Won't Target Decentralized Crypto Developers - via [X](https://x.com/WatcherGuru/status/1958607763249991972?ref=tftc.io)

DOJ Demands Fed Fire Governor Lisa Cook - via [X](https://x.com/WatcherGuru/status/1958595395514237300?ref=tftc.io)

Pennsylvania Introduces Bitcoin Ownership Ban Bill - via [X](https://x.com/TFTC21/status/1958606584567013859?ref=tftc.io)

Buenos Aires Accepts Bitcoin for City Payments - via [X](https://x.com/TFTC21/status/1958571300261437924?ref=tftc.io)

Treasury Proposes Digital IDs for DeFi Transactions - via [X](https://x.com/TFTC21/status/1958563270908170411?ref=tftc.io)

* * *

### Obscura – The World’s Best VPN Built by Bitcoiners

Created by Carl Dong (former Bitcoin Core contributor), unlike other VPNs, it _can’t_ log your activity by design, delivering verifiable privacy you can trust.

[![The System is More Levered Than Ever](https://www.tftc.io/content/images/2025/08/Obsura-3.png)](https://obscura.net/?ref=tftc.io)

[USE CODE TFTC25](https://obscura.net/?ref=tftc.io)

**Outsmarts internet censorship**: works even on the most restrictive Wi-Fi networks where other VPNs fail.
**Pay with bitcoin over Lightning:** better privacy and low fees.
**No email required:** accounts are generated like bitcoin wallets.
**No trade-offs**: browse freely with fast, reliable speeds.

**Exclusive Deal for TFTC Listeners:**
Sign up at [obscura.net](https://obscura.net/?ref=tftc.io) and use code **TFTC25** for **25% off your first 12 months**.

Now available on **macOS, iOS, and WireGuard**, with more platforms coming soon — so your privacy travels with you wherever you go.

* * *

_Ten31, the largest bitcoin-focused investor, has deployed $200M across 30+ companies through three funds. I am a Managing Partner at Ten31 and am very proud of the work we are doing. Learn more at_ [ten31.vc/invest](https://ten31.vc/invest?ref=tftc.io)_._

* * *

**Final thought...**

The hurricane swells are epic on the East Coast right now.

Enjoy your weekend, freaks.

* * *

_Download our free browser extension, **Opportunity Cost**:_ [https://www.opportunitycost.app/](https://www.opportunitycost.app/?ref=tftc.io) start thinking in SATS today.

_Get this newsletter sent to your inbox daily:_ [_https://www.tftc.io/bitcoin-brief/_](https://www.tftc.io/bitcoin-brief/)

_Subscribe to our YouTube channels and follow us on Nostr and X:_

 @media screen and (max-width: 480px) { .mobile-padding { padding: 10px 0 !important; } .social-container { width: 100% !important; max-width: 260px !important; } .social-icon { padding: 0 !important; } .social-icon img { height: 32px !important; width: 32px !important; } .icon-cell { padding: 0 4px !important; } } .mj-column-per-33-333333333333336 { width: 25% !important; max-width: 25%; } .moz-text-html .mj-column-per-33-333333333333336 { width: 25% !important; max-width: 25%; } /\* Helps with rendering in various email clients \*/ body { margin: 0 !important; padding: 0 !important; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100% !important; -ms-text-size-adjust: 100% !important; } img { -ms-interpolation-mode: bicubic; } /\* Prevents Gmail from changing the text color in email threads \*/ .im { color: inherit !important; }

[![The System is More Levered Than Ever](https://www.tftc.io/content/images/2025/03/yt.png)](https://youtube.com/@TFTC?feature=shared&ref=tftc.io)

[![The System is More Levered Than Ever](https://www.tftc.io/content/images/2025/03/insta.png)](https://www.instagram.com/tftc.io/?ref=tftc.io)

[![The System is More Levered Than Ever](https://www.tftc.io/content/images/2025/03/twitter.png)](https://twitter.com/TFTC21?ref=tftc.io)

[![The System is More Levered Than Ever](https://www.tftc.io/content/images/2025/03/primall.png)](https://primal.net/tftc?ref=tftc.io)