> !['The Lightning Network' Does Not Exist](https://www.discreetlog.com/content/images/2023/03/lightningnetwork.webp)
>
> The former seems to have found solid product market fit. Expect significant volume, adoption, and usage going forward.
>
> The latter's future remains to be seen. Dependence on Tor, which has had massive reliability issues, and lack of strong privacy guarantees put it at risk.
>
> — ODELL (@ODELL) [October 27, 2022](https://twitter.com/ODELL/status/1585633149815377922?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=discreetlog.com)

**The Basics**

*   Lightning is a protocol that enables cheap and fast native bitcoin transactions.
*   At the core of the protocol is the ability for bitcoin users to create a payment channel with another user.
*   These payment channels enable users to make many bitcoin transactions between each other with only two on-chain bitcoin transactions: the channel open transaction and the channel close transaction.
*   Essentially lightning is a protocol for interoperable batched bitcoin transactions.
*   It is expected that on chain [bitcoin transaction fees will increase](https://www.discreetlog.com/utxos/) with adoption and the ability to easily batch transactions will save users significant money.
*   As these lightning transactions are processed, liquidity flows from one side of a channel to the other side, on chain transactions are signed by both parties but not broadcasted to update this balance.
*   Lightning is designed to be trust minimized, either party in a payment channel can close the channel at any time and their bitcoin will be settled on chain without trusting the other party.

**There is no 'Lightning Network'**

*   Many people refer to the aggregate of all lightning channels as 'The Lightning Network' but this is a false premise.
*   There are many lightning channels between many different users and funds can flow across interconnected channels as long as there is a route through peers.
*   If a lightning transaction requires multiple hops it will flow through multiple interconnected channels, adjusting the balance of all channels along the route, and paying lightning transaction fees that are set by each node on the route.

**Example:** You have a channel with Bob. Bob has a channel with Charlie. You can pay Charlie through your channel with Bob and Bob's channel with User C.

*   As a result, it is not guaranteed that every lightning user can pay every other lightning user, they must have a route of interconnected channels between sender and receiver.

**Lightning in Practice**

*   Lightning has already found product market fit and usage as an interconnected payment protocol between large professional custodians.
*   They are able to easily manage channels and liquidity between each other without trust using this interoperable protocol.
*   Lightning payments between large custodians are fast and easy. End users do not have to run their own node or manage their channels and liquidity. These payments rarely fail due to professional management of custodial nodes.
*   The tradeoff is one inherent to custodians and other trusted third parties. Custodial wallets can steal funds and compromise user privacy.

**Sovereign Lightning**

*   Trusted third parties are [security holes](https://nakamotoinstitute.org/trusted-third-parties/?ref=discreetlog.com).
*   Users must run their own node and manage their own channels in order to use lightning without trusting a third party. This remains the single largest friction point for sovereign lightning usage: the mental burden of actively running a lightning node and associated liquidity management.
*   Bitcoin development prioritizes node accessibility so cost to self host your own node is low but if a node is run at home or office, Tor or a VPN is recommended to mask your IP address: otherwise it is visible to the entire network and represents a privacy risk.
*   This privacy risk is heightened due to the potential for certain governments to go after sovereign lightning users and compel them to shutdown their nodes. If their IP Address is exposed they are easier to target.
*   Fortunately the tools to run and manage nodes continue to get easier but it is important to understand that this will always be a friction point when compared to custodial services.

**The Potential Fracture of Lightning**

*   Any lightning user can choose which users are allowed to open channels with them.
*   One potential is that professional custodians only peer with other professional custodians.
*   We already see nodes like those run by CashApp only have channels open with other regulated counterparties. This could be due to performance goals, liability reduction, or regulatory pressure.

[!['The Lightning Network' Does Not Exist](https://www.discreetlog.com/content/images/2023/03/cashapp-2.webp)](https://mempool.space/lightning/node/02e1221434a21b8ce5818e92c6ec76301824dc87ed94b4628242e4b1f4a6ff445f?ref=discreetlog.com)

*   Fortunately some of their peers are connected to non-regulated parties so payments to and from sovereign lightning users are still successfully processed by CashApp but this may not always be the case going forward.

**Summary**

*   Many people refer to the aggregate of all lightning channels as 'The Lightning Network' but this is a false premise. There is no singular 'Lightning Network' but rather many payment channels between distinct peers, some connected with each other and some not.
*   Lightning as an interoperable payment protocol between professional custodians seems to have found solid product market fit. Expect significant volume, adoption, and usage going forward.
*   Lightning as a robust sovereign payment protocol has yet to be battle tested. Heavy reliance on Tor, which has had massive reliability issues, the friction of active liquidity management, significant on chain fee burden for small amounts, interactivity constraints on mobile, and lack of strong privacy guarantees put it at risk.

* * *

_If you have never used lightning before, use_ [_this guide_](https://werunbtc.com/phoenix?ref=discreetlog.com) _to get started on your phone._

* * *

**_If you found this post helpful support my work with_** [**_bitcoin_**](https://geyser.fund/project/citadel?ref=discreetlog.com)**_._**

!['The Lightning Network' Does Not Exist](https://werunbtc.com/donate.png)


> ![Money Without Trust](https://www.discreetlog.com/content/images/2023/03/rdogs.webp)
>
> Bank run on every crypto bank then bank run on every "real" bank.
>
> — ODELL (@ODELL) [December 14, 2022](https://twitter.com/ODELL/status/1602838429447999491?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=discreetlog.com)

The four main banks of bitcoin and “crypto” are Signature, Prime Trust, Silvergate, and Silicon Valley Bank. Prime Trust does not custody funds themselves but rather maintains deposit accounts at BMO Harris Bank, Cross River, Lexicon Bank, MVB Bank, and Signature Bank. Silvergate and Silicon Valley Bank have already stopped withdrawals. **More banks will go down before the chaos stops. None of them have sufficient reserves to meet withdrawals.**

Bitcoin gives us all the ability to opt out of a system that has massive layers of counterparty risk built in, years of cheap money and broken incentives have layered risk on top of risk throughout the entire global economy. If you thought the FTX bank run was painful to watch, I have bad news for you: every major bank in the world is fractional reserve. **Bitcoin held in self custody is unique in its lack of counterparty risk, as global market chaos unwinds this will become much more obvious.**

The rules of bitcoin are extremely hard to change by design. Anyone can access the network directly without a trusted third party by using their own node. Owning more bitcoin does not give you more control over the network with all participants on equal footing.

> _Bitcoin is:
> \- money that is not controlled by a company or government
> \- money that can be spent or saved without permission
> \- money that is provably scarce and should increase in purchasing power with adoption_

**Bitcoin is money without trust.** Whether you are a nation state, corporation, or an individual, you can use bitcoin to spend or save without permission. Social media will accelerate the already deteriorating trust in our institutions and as this trust continues to crumble the value of trust minimized money will become obvious. **As adoption increases so should the purchasing power of bitcoin.**

> _A quick note on "stablecoins," such as USDC - it is important to remember that they rely on trusted custodians. They have the same risk as funds held directly in bank accounts with additional counterparty risk on top. The trusted custodians can be pressured by gov, exit scam, or caught up in fraud. Funds can and will be frozen at will. **This is a distinctly different trust model than bitcoin, which is a native bearer token that does not rely on any centralized entity or custodian.**_

Most bitcoin exchanges have exposure to these failing banks. Expect more chaos and confusion as this all unwinds. Withdraw any bitcoin to your own wallet ASAP.

Simple Self Custody Guide: [https://werunbtc.com/muun](https://t.co/J61rFmeovE?ref=discreetlog.com)
More Secure Cold Storage Guide: [https://werunbtc.com/coldcard](https://t.co/LMTDzJ86Ec?ref=discreetlog.com)

* * *

_**If you found this post helpful support my work with [bitcoin](https://geyser.fund/project/citadel?ref=discreetlog.com).**_

![Money Without Trust](https://werunbtc.com/donate.png)


![KYC Bitcoin: Individuals are on Lists](https://www.discreetlog.com/content/images/2023/02/binancekycleak.webp)

**_What is KYC/AML?_**

*   The acronym stands for Know Your Customer / Anti Money Laundering.
*   In practice it stands for the surveillance measures companies are often compelled to take against their customers by financial regulators.
*   Methods differ but often include: Passport Scans, Driver License Uploads, Social Security Numbers, Home Address, Phone Number, Face Scans.
*   Bitcoin companies will also store all withdrawal and deposit addresses which can then be used to track bitcoin transactions on the bitcoin block chain.
*   This data is then stored and shared. Regulations often require companies to hold this information for a set number of years but in practice users should assume this data will be held indefinitely. Data is often stored insecurely, which results in frequent [hacks and leaks](https://www.newsweek.com/binance-hack-telegram-kyc-data-extortion-changpeng-zhao-cryptocurrency-bitcoin-1452989?ref=discreetlog.com).
*   KYC/AML data collection puts all honest users at risk of theft, extortion, and persecution while being ineffective at stopping crime. Criminals often use [counterfeit, bought, or stolen](https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2021/10/19/for-200-you-can-trade-crypto-with-a-fake-id/?ref=discreetlog.com) credentials to get around the requirements. Criminals can buy "verified" accounts for as [little as $200](https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2021/10/19/for-200-you-can-trade-crypto-with-a-fake-id/?ref=discreetlog.com). Furthermore, billions of people are excluded from financial services as a result of KYC/AML requirements.

During the early days of bitcoin most services did not require this sensitive user data, but as adoption increased so did the surveillance measures. At this point, **most large bitcoin companies are collecting and storing massive lists of bitcoiners, our sensitive personal information, and our transaction history.**

**Lists of Bitcoiners**

KYC/AML policies are a direct attack on bitcoiners. Lists of bitcoiners and our transaction history will inevitably be used against us.

Once you are on a list with your bitcoin transaction history that record will always exist. Generally speaking, tracking bitcoin is based on probability analysis of ownership change. Surveillance firms use various heuristics to determine if you are sending bitcoin to yourself or if ownership is actually changing hands.  You can obtain better privacy going forward by using collaborative transactions such as coinjoin to break this probability analysis.

Fortunately, you can buy bitcoin without providing intimate personal information. Tools such as [peach](https://peachbitcoin.com/?ref=discreetlog.com), [hodlhodl](https://hodlhodl.com/?ref=discreetlog.com), [robosats](https://learn.robosats.com/?ref=discreetlog.com), [azteco](https://azte.co/?ref=discreetlog.com) and [bisq](https://bisq.network/?ref=discreetlog.com) help; mining is also a solid option: anyone can plug a miner into power and internet and earn bitcoin by mining privately.

You can also earn bitcoin by providing goods and/or services that can be purchased with bitcoin. Long term, circular economies will mitigate this threat: most people will not buy bitcoin - they will earn bitcoin - most people will not sell bitcoin - they will spend bitcoin.

**There is no such thing as KYC or No KYC bitcoin, there are bitcoiners on lists and those that are not on lists.**

* * *

_**If you found this post helpful support my work with [bitcoin](https://geyser.fund/project/citadel?ref=discreetlog.com).**_

![KYC Bitcoin: Individuals are on Lists](https://werunbtc.com/donate.png)


Ashigaru Whirlpool is a ZeroLink coinjoin implementation designed to sever all deterministic links between inputs and outputs, ensuring enhanced bitcoin transaction privacy.

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

*   The Ashigaru Open Source Project has released [Ashigaru Whirlpool](https://ashigaru.rs/news/announcement-whirlpool/), a version of Samourai Wallet’s Whirlpool, allowing users to join Zerolink coinjoins for enhanced Bitcoin transaction privacy.

> "This has been a huge undertaking and effort for the Ashigaru Open Source Project over the last 6 months, having to get familiar and comfortable with the extensive code base across multiple repositories. It is for this reason our development on Ashigaru mobile has been quieter and slower during this period, and for this we hope our users may now understand our justification as to why," was stated in a blog post.

*   Ashigaru Whirlpool retains the core coinjoin cycle design by Samourai’s TDevD, ZeroLeak, and OXT’s LaurentMT, with various protocol enhancements added by the Ashigaru Open Source Project.
*   Alongside the coordinator code, the [project has launched](https://ashigaru.rs/news/release-terminal-v1-0-0/) a desktop client terminal application (available on Linux, macOS, and Windows), forked from [Sparrow Terminal](https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/sparrow-wallet-v1-7-0/).

[![Ashigaru Whirlpool and Terminal v1.0.0 Released](https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/content/images/2025/06/image-6.png)](news/release-terminal-v1-0-0/)

Source: [Ashigaru blog.](https://ashigaru.rs/news/release-terminal-v1-0-0/)

*   Ashigaru Terminal is a non-custodial Whirlpool client that lets users join chosen pools, enhance their transaction anonymity, and retain full control of funds during coinjoin cycles, without needing a personal Dojo server.

![Ashigaru Whirlpool and Terminal v1.0.0 Released](https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/content/images/2025/06/ashigarupool.jpg)

**NOTE:** _The_ [_Ashigaru.rs_](https://ashigaru.rs/) _website is the official home of the Ashigaru Open Source Project. The project does not maintain a presence on social media, and all second-hand information should be verified against the content on the official website._

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

*   **Tor-Only Implementation**: Ashigaru Whirlpool operates exclusively over Tor, preventing clearnet connections to protect against IP address linking and wallet clustering by malicious coordinators.
*   **Tor identity isolation** is built in to prevent coordinators from linking session IDs across coinjoin stages, ensuring user network anonymity.
*   **Enhanced decentralization strategy:** The Tor-only setup eliminates DNS dependency and hides coordinator locations, supporting rapid deployment of new instances.

> "Our coordinator has been further modularized by eliminating the dependency of RPC connections to a local full node. The coordinator can therefore be connected to any Dojo full node over Tor, enabling faster deployment and recovery, minimal hardware resource requirements, and greater jurisdictional flexibility."

*   **Anti-Sybil Measures**: An Anti-Sybil fee, fixed at 5% of pool size, is charged for Tx0 broadcasts to enter pools, with a cap of 20 UTXOs per Tx0 for added Sybil resistance.
*   **Vulnerability Fixes**: RSA keys for Chaumian blinding are not sent to clients, mitigating potential input-output linking risks and building trust as a new development team.
*   **Output Restrictions**: Multisig addresses are barred as mix-to outputs in coinjoin cycles to maintain anonymity and compatibility with post-mix tools like Ashigaru mobile and Sparrow.
*   **Code Improvements**: Numerous under-the-hood fixes and optimizations have been made to Samourai’s forked codebase, including updated dependencies, enhanced performance, and architectural adjustments.
*   **Ashigaru Terminal**: Forked from Sparrow, Ashigaru Terminal defaults to .onion Electrum servers for privacy, with options for private server connections via Tor or clearnet.
    *   Only native SegWit Whirlpool account paths are supported for hot wallets, with mandatory BIP39 passphrases; unsupported wallet types include Legacy, Wrapped SegWit, Taproot, and multisig scripts.
    *   Tx0 fee estimation targets next-block confirmation, advising users to wait for lower rates if block space competition is high.

> "Remote and automatic update of Tor URLs for connecting to both Ashigaru Whirlpool and for transaction broadcast using our “Hanzaki” feature will be coming in a future release," was stated in a blog post.

Quick guide
-----------

*   Check out this [quick overview](https://k3tan.com/ashigaru-whirlpool/) by _k3tan_ to learn how to use the new Ashigaru Terminal:

> "My advice is to take a measured approach to this. This is new software and there may still be bugs. Start small, get comfortable, then level up progressively. Don't expect mixes straight away. It's important to be patient. Randomness of time intervals between mixes plays a role in obfuscating chainalysis. You should find using the interface overall quite responsive," [writes](https://k3tan.com/ashigaru-whirlpool/) k3tan.

*   Ashigaru Terminal is optimized for use with Sparrow Wallet, Ashigaru Mobile, and Samourai Wallet. These wallets support Whirlpool's unique account derivation paths and include spending tools tailored to maintain privacy during transactions from the pool.

[![Ashigaru Whirlpool and Terminal v1.0.0 Released](https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/content/images/2025/06/image-7.png)](https://xcancel.com/_k3tan/status/1937124159588556916)

[**Blog Post (Terminal)**](https://ashigaru.rs/news/release-terminal-v1-0-0/) / [Archive](https://archive.is/7Iv0W)
[**Blog Post (Whirlpool)**](https://ashigaru.rs/news/announcement-whirlpool/) / [Archive](http://archive.today/OIL7T)
[Gitea Repository (.onion link)](http://ashicodepbnpvslzsl2bz7l2pwrjvajgumgac423pp3y2deprbnzz7id.onion/Ashigaru)
[**K3tan's Guide**](https://k3tan.com/ashigaru-whirlpool/) / [Archive](https://archive.is/PZgO9)
[Website](https://ashigaru.rs/)


Cake Wallet is an open-source, privacy-oriented multi-currency wallet available on Android, iOS, macOS, Windows (beta) and Linux.

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

*   This release introduces Payjoin v2 functionality to Bitcoin wallets on Cake, along with several UI/UX improvements and bug fixes.
*   The [Payjoin v2 protocol](https://payjoin.org/) enables asynchronous, serverless coordination between sender and receiver, removing the need to be online simultaneously or maintain a server. This simplifies privacy-focused transactions for regular users.

> "I cannot speak highly enough of how amazing it has been to work with [@bitgould](https://x.com/bitgould) and Jaad from the[@payjoindevkit](https://x.com/payjoindevkit) team, they're doing incredible work. None of this would be possible without them and their tireless efforts. PDK made it so much easier to ship Payjoin v2 than it would have been otherwise, and I can't wait to see other wallets jump in and give back to PDK as they implement it like we did," [said](https://xcancel.com/sethforprivacy/status/1924815548543541711) Seth For Privacy, VP at Cake Wallet.

![Cake Wallet v4.28: Payjoin v2 Support](https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/content/images/2025/05/cakewalletv4040.jpg)

**How to started with Payjoin in Cake Wallet:**

1.  Open the app menu sidebar and click `Privacy`.
2.  Toggle the `Use Payjoin` option.
3.  Now on your receive screen you'll see an option to copy a Payjoin URL

![Cake Wallet v4.28: Payjoin v2 Support](https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/content/images/2025/05/image-9.png)

*   [Bull Bitcoin Wallet v0.4.0](https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/bull-bitcoin-wallet-v0-4-0/) introduced Payjoin v2 support in late December 2024. However, the current implementations are not interoperable at the moment, an issue that should be addressed in the next release of the [Bull Bitcoin Wallet](https://github.com/SatoshiPortal/bullbitcoin-mobile).

[![Cake Wallet v4.28: Payjoin v2 Support](https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/content/images/2025/05/image-11.png)](https://xcancel.com/francispouliot_/status/1924958880804589739)

*   Cake Wallet was [one of the first wallets](https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/cake-wallet-v4-18-0/) to introduce [Silent Payments](https://silentpayments.xyz/) back in May 2024. However, users may encounter sync issues while using this feature at present, which will be resolved in the next release of Cake Wallet.

[![Cake Wallet v4.28: Payjoin v2 Support](https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/content/images/2025/05/image-10.png)](https://xcancel.com/sethforprivacy/status/1924770756828831867)

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

*   [**Payjoin v2**](https://payjoin.org/docs/how-it-works/payjoin-v2-bip-77/) implementation.
*   **Wallet group improvements**: Enhanced management of multiple wallets.
*   **Various bug fixes**: improving overall stability and user experience.
*   Monero (XMR) enhancements.

Learn more about using, implementing, and understanding [BIP 77: Payjoin Version 2](https://github.com/bitcoin/bips/pull/1483) using the `payjoin` crate in Payjoin Dev Kit [here](https://payjoin.org/docs/tutorials/receive-payjoin-v2).

[**Announcement**](https://njump.me/nevent1qqs2k8yn2s8eres7gzcnhkj36easy939jz3nddrm7wv7gkdvg93tjhcpz4mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumt0wd68ytnsw43qyg8uq7ecmfs397lxe48qjwc90jldzzrfyuz3s9nn7vk46s82m6k5my4r5zne)
[**Blog Post**](https://blog.cakewallet.com/bitcoin-privacy-takes-a-leap-forward-cake-wallet-introduces-payjoin-v2/) / [Archive](http://archive.today/RpdxK)
[**GitHub Repo**](https://github.com/cake-tech/cake_wallet/releases/tag/v4.28.0)


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 - Tuesday, May 20th, 2025](https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/content/images/2025/05/image-8.png)](https://mempool.space/)

News
----

*   **Wallet of Satoshi teases a comeback in the US market with a non-custodial product.** According to an [announcement on X](https://xcancel.com/walletofsatoshi/status/1923875750165479768), the widely popular custodial Lightning wallet is preparing to re-enter the United States market with a non-custodial wallet. It is unclear whether the product will be open-source, but the project has clarified that "there will be no KYC on any Wallet of Satoshi, ever!" Wallet of Satoshi [ceased](https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/wallet-of-satoshi-stops-serving-us-customers/) serving customers in the United States in November 2023.

[![Good Morning, Bitcoin - Tuesday, May 20th, 2025](https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/content/images/2025/05/image-5.png)](https://xcancel.com/walletofsatoshi/status/1923875750165479768)

*   **Vulnerability disclosure: Remote crash due to addr message spam in Bitcoin Core versions before v29.** Bitcoin Core developer _Antoine Poinsot_ [disclosed](https://gnusha.org/pi/bitcoindev/EYvwAFPNEfsQ8cVwiK-8v6ovJU43Vy-ylARiDQ_1XBXAgg_ZqWIpB6m51fAIRtI-rfTmMGvGLrOe5Utl5y9uaHySELpya2ojC7yGsXnP90s=@protonmail.com/T/#u#mc3e78110ae4b67757a616e3c7492ce1cc56858c1) an integer overflow bug that crashes a node if spammed with addr messages over an extended period. A fix was released on April 14, 2025, in [Bitcoin Core v29.0.](https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/bitcoin-core-v29-0/) The issue is rated Low severity.
*   **Coinbase Know Your Customer (KYC) data leak.** The U.S. Department of Justice, including its Criminal Division in Washington, is [investigating](https://www.theblock.co/post/354935/doj-launches-criminal-investigation-into-coinbase-cyberattack-bloomberg) a cyberattack on Coinbase. The incident involved cybercriminals attempting to [extort $20 millio](https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/coinbase-discloses-breach-faces-up-to-400-million-in-losses/)n from Coinbase to prevent stolen customer data from being leaked online. Although the data breach affected less than 1% of the exchange's users, Coinbase now faces [at least six lawsuits](https://www.tradingview.com/news/cointelegraph:e50cbbb4d094b:0-coinbase-hit-with-wave-of-lawsuits-over-customer-data-breaches/) following the revelation that some customer support agents were bribed as part of the extortion scheme.
*   **Fold has launched Bitcoin Gift Cards**, [enabling users](https://investor.foldapp.com/news-releases/news-release-details/fold-introduces-most-convenient-way-buy-and-share-bitcoin-new) to purchase bitcoin for personal use or as gifts, redeemable via the Fold app. These cards are currently available on Fold’s [website](https://foldapp.com/bitcoin-gift-card) and are planned to expand to major retailers nationwide later this year.

> "Our mission is to make bitcoin simple and approachable for everyone. The Bitcoin Gift Card brings bitcoin to millions of Americans in a familiar way. Available at the places people already shop, the Bitcoin Gift Card is the best way to gift bitcoin to others," said Will Reeves, Chairman and CEO of Fold.

*   **Corporate treasuries hold nearly 1.1 million BTC**, representing about 5.5% of the total circulating supply (1,082,164 BTC), per [BitcoinTreasuries.net](https://bitcointreasuries.net/entities/tether-holdings) data. Recent purchases include Strategy adding [7,390 BTC](https://btctimes.com/strategy-acquires-7-390-bitcoin-as-class-action-lawsuit-filed/) (total: 576,230 BTC), Metplanet acquiring [1,004 BTC](https://contents.xj-storage.jp/xcontents/33500/b701fd66/1080/4ce0/9206/7989fd6ade07/140120250519557359.pdf) (total: 7,800 BTC), Tether holding over 100,521 BTC, and XXI Capital, led by _Jack Mallers_, starting with 31,500 BTC.
    *   Meanwhile, a group of investors [has filed](https://www.theblock.co/post/354851/strategy-and-co-founder-michael-saylor-faces-class-action-lawsuit-involving-alleged-federal-securities-law-violations) a class action lawsuit against Strategy and its executive _Michael Saylor_. The lawsuit alleges that Strategy made overly optimistic projections using fair value accounting under new FASB rules while downplaying potential losses.
*   **The U.S. Senate voted to advance the GENIUS stablecoin bill** for further debate before a final vote to pass it. Meanwhile, the House is crafting its own stablecoin legislation to establish a regulatory framework for stablecoins and their issuers in the U.S, [reports](https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2025/05/19/senate-advances-stablecoin-bill-clearing-the-way-for-final-passage) _CoinDesk._
*   **French 'crypto' entrepreneurs get priority access to emergency police services.** French Minister of the Interior, _Bruno Retailleau,_ [agreed](https://protos.com/french-government-gives-crypto-entrepreneurs-priority-police-line/) on measures to enhance security for 'crypto' professionals during a meeting on Friday. This follows a [failed kidnapping](https://www.coindesk.com/business/2025/05/15/crypto-exchange-ceos-daughter-grandson-targeted-in-paris-kidnap-attempt) attempt on Tuesday targeting the family of a cryptocurrency exchange CEO, and two other kidnappings earlier this year.
*   **Brussels Court declares tracking-based ads illegal in EU.** The Brussels Court of Appeal [ruled](https://therecord.media/eu-court-rules-tracking-based-ads-illegal) tracking-based online ads illegal in the EU due to an inadequate consent model. Major tech firms like Microsoft, Amazon, Google, and X are affected by the decision, as their consent pop-ups fail to protect privacy in real-time bidding, writes _The Record_.
*   **Telegram shares data on 22,777 users in Q1 2025**, a [significant increase](https://www.404media.co/telegram-gave-authorities-data-on-more-than-20-000-users/) from the 5,826 users' data shared during the same period in 2024. This significant increase follows the arrest of CEO and founder _Pavel Durov_ [last year](https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/telegram-founder-pavel-durov-charged-on-12-criminal-counts-in-france/).
*   **An Australian judge has ruled that Bitcoin is money**, [potentially exempting](https://www.afr.com/wealth/personal-finance/this-court-case-could-make-your-bitcoin-profits-tax-free-20250430-p5lvft) it from capital gains tax in the country. If upheld on appeal, this interim decision could lead to taxpayer refunds worth up to $1 billion, per tax lawyer _Adrian Cartland_.

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

*   [**Bitcoin Safe v1.3.0**](https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/bitcoin-safe-v1-3-0/) a secure and user-friendly Bitcoin savings wallet for beginners and advanced users, introduces an interactive chart, Child Pays For Parent (CPFP) support, testnet4 compatibility, preconfigured testnet demo wallets, various bug fixes, and other improvements.
*   [**BlueWallet v7.1.8**](https://github.com/BlueWallet/BlueWallet/releases) brings numerous bug fixes, dependency updates, and a new search feature for addresses and transactions.
*   [**Aqua Wallet v0.3.0**](https://github.com/AquaWallet/aqua-wallet/releases/tag/v0.3.0) is out, offering beta testing for the reloadable Dolphin card ([in partnership with Visa](https://btctimes.com/aqua-pushes-forward-with-visa-as-moonpay-partners-with-mastercard/)) for spending bitcoin and Liquid BTC. It also includes a new Optical Character Recognition (OCR) text scanner to read text addresses like QR codes, colored numbers on addresses for better readability, a reduced minimum for spending and swapping Liquid Bitcoin to 100 sats, plus other fixes and enhancements.

![Good Morning, Bitcoin - Tuesday, May 20th, 2025](https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/content/images/2025/05/image-7.png)

Source: [Aqua wallet.](https://xcancel.com/AquaBitcoin/status/1923169207346225655/photo/1)

*   The latest firmware updates for [**COLDCARD Mk4 v5.4.3 and Q v1.3.3**](https://xcancel.com/COLDCARDwallet/status/1922658877562360154) are now available, featuring the latest enhancements and bug fixes.
*   [**Nunchuk Android v1.9.68.1**](https://github.com/nunchuk-io/nunchuk-android/releases/tag/android.1.68.1) and [**iOS v1.9.79**](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/nunchuk-bitcoin-wallet/id1563190073) introduce support for custom blockchain explorers, wallet archiving, re-ordering wallets on the home screen via long-press, and an anti-fee sniping setting.
*   [**BDK-cli v1.0.0**](https://github.com/bitcoindevkit/bdk-cli/releases/tag/v1.0.0), a CLI wallet library and REPL tool to demo and test the BDK library, now uses bdk\_wallet 1.0.0 and integrates Kyoto, utilizing the Kyoto protocol for compact block filters. It sets SQLite as the default database and discontinues support for sled.
*   [**publsp**](https://github.com/smallworlnd/publsp) is a new command-line tool designed for Lightning node runners or Lightning Service Providers (LSPs) to advertise liquidity offers over Nostr.

> "LSPs advertise liquidity as addressable Kind 39735 events. Clients just pull and evaluate all those structured events, then NIP-17 DM an LSP of their choice to coordinate a liquidity purchase," [writes](https://njump.me/nevent1qqsrpdcdjyw2yz4fp3aas7mr24e7f6sxe2n3wexjwpu09ev5pgm3z2qpp4mhxue69uhkummn9ekx7mqzypwe8ymf9knyvku79g55ygmz0g5hue5dk99xy7s4jup8v4dev2nly7wfa0j) developer _smallworlnd._

*   [**Lightning Blinder**](https://github.com/supertestnet/lightning_blinder) by _Super Testnet_ is a proof-of-concept privacy tool for the Lightning Network. It enables users to mislead Lightning Service Providers (LSPs) by making it appear as though one wallet is the sender or recipient, masking the original wallet. Explore and try it out [here](https://supertestnet.github.io/lightning_blinder/).

*   [**Mempal v1.5.3**](https://github.com/aeonBTC/Mempal/releases/tag/v1.5.3), a Bitcoin mempool monitoring and notification app for Android, now includes a swipe-down feature to refresh the dashboard, a custom time option for widget auto-update frequency, and a


RoboSats offers a simple and private way for exchanging bitcoin for fiat currencies. It streamlines the peer-to-peer experience and utilizes Lightning hold invoices to minimize custody and trust requirements as deterministically generated avatars help users stick to the best security practices.

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

*   RoboSats v0.7.7-alpha is now available!

> NOTE: "This version of clients is not compatible with older versions of coordinators. Coordinators must upgrade first, make sure you don't upgrade your client while this is marked as pre-release."

*   This version brings a new and improved coordinators view with reviews signed both by the robot and the coordinator, adds market price sources in coordinator profiles, shows a correct warning for canceling non-taken orders after a payment attempt, adds Uzbek sum currency, and includes package library updates for coordinators.

![RoboSats v0.7.7-alpha: New Coordinators View (UPDATED)](https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/content/images/2025/04/image-54.png)

Source: RoboSats.

*   _siggy47_ is writing daily RoboSats activity reviews on stacker.news. Check them out [here](https://stacker.news/search?q=daily+robosats&sort=recent).
*   Stay up-to-date with RoboSats [on Nostr](https://njump.me/nprofile1qqsyx53h3h7ec4fwlspjq0kqec5gv54t7rc48xdtq6q4y94wsw4fnjqsg3jtv).

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

*   New coordinators view (see the picture above).
*   Available coordinator reviews signed by both the robot and the coordinator.
*   Coordinators now display market price sources in their profiles.

![RoboSats v0.7.7-alpha: New Coordinators View (UPDATED)](https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/content/images/2025/04/image-55.png)

Source: RoboSats.

*   Fix for wrong message on cancel button when taking an order. Users are now warned if they try to cancel a non taken order after a payment attempt.
*   Uzbek sum currency now available.
*   For coordinators: library updates.
*   Add docker frontend ([#1861](https://github.com/RoboSats/robosats/pull/1861)).
*   Add order review token ([#1869](https://github.com/RoboSats/robosats/pull/1869)).
*   Add UZS migration ([#1875](https://github.com/RoboSats/robosats/pull/1875)).
*   Fixed tests review ([#1878](https://github.com/RoboSats/robosats/pull/1878)).
*   Nostr pubkey for Robot ([#1887](https://github.com/RoboSats/robosats/pull/1887)).

### New contributors

*   [@hexlorn](https://github.com/hexlorn) made their first contribution in [#1858](https://github.com/RoboSats/robosats/pull/1858).
*   [@umk0m1qk](https://github.com/umk0m1qk) made their first contribution in [#1864](https://github.com/RoboSats/robosats/pull/1864).

![RoboSats v0.7.7-alpha: New Coordinators View (UPDATED)](https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/content/images/2025/04/robosats-v0777.jpg)

**Full Changelog**: [v0.7.6-alpha...v0.7.7-alpha](https://github.com/RoboSats/robosats/compare/v0.7.6-alpha...v0.7.7-alpha)

[**GitHub Repo**](https://github.com/RoboSats/robosats/releases)


Notedeck is a modern, multiplatform Nostr client built with Rust. It provides a feature-rich experience for interacting with the Nostr protocol on both desktop and Android platforms.

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

*   "Today we're launching the beta version of our multiplatform Nostr browser! Think Google Chrome but for Nostr apps. The beta is our big first step toward this vision," [announced](https://njump.me/nevent1qqs2dseuw3d4sqkyt97pzq3vg5ncx6zv2fk6ummejf88ezesa2exkrc8y4zm9) Damus.
*   This version comes with the Dave Nostr AI assistant, support for zaps and the Nostr Wallet Connect (NWC) wallet interface, full-text note search, GIFs and fullscreen images, multiple media uploads, user tagging, relay list and mute list support, along with a number of other improvements."

> "Included in the beta is the Dave, the Nostr AI assistant (its Grok for Nostr). Dave is a new Notedeck browser app that can search and summarize notes from the network. For a full breakdown of everything new, check out our beta launch [video](https://njump.me/nevent1qqs2dseuw3d4sqkyt97pzq3vg5ncx6zv2fk6ummejf88ezesa2exkrcpzemhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumn0wd68ytnzv9hxgq3q8m76awca3y37hkvuneavuw6pjj4525fw90necxmadrvjg0sdy6qsncyhyu)."

[![Damus Notedeck v0.4.0 Beta: Zaps, Dave AI Assistant, Android Improvements](https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/content/images/2025/05/image-3.png)](https://njump.me/nevent1qqswjgzrrcmhn3e98y5xrar5t9tq78sgt09e38783fnxqerucff3ppczyqewrqnkx4zsaweutf739s0cu7et29zrntqs5elw70vlm8zudr3y26au00v)

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

*   Dave Nostr AI assistant app.
*   GIFs.
*   Fulltext note search.
*   Add full screen images, add zoom, and pan.
*   Zaps! NWC/ Wallet UI.
*   Introduce last note per pubkey feed (experimental).
*   Allow multiple media uploads per selection.
*   Major Android improvements (still WIP).
*   Added notedeck app sidebar.
*   User Tagging.
*   Note truncation.
*   Local network note broadcast, broadcast notes to other notedeck notes while you're offline.
*   Mute list support (reading).
*   Relay list support.
*   Ctrl-enter to send notes.
*   Added relay indexing (relay columns soon).
*   Click hashtags to open hashtag timeline.
*   Fixed timelines sometimes not updating (stale feeds).
*   Fixed UI bounciness when loading profile pictures
*   Fixed unselectable post replies.

![Damus Notedeck v0.4.0 Beta: Zaps, Dave AI Assistant, Android Improvements](https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/content/images/2025/05/notedeckv041.jpg)

[**Announcement**](https://njump.me/nevent1qqs2dseuw3d4sqkyt97pzq3vg5ncx6zv2fk6ummejf88ezesa2exkrcpzemhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumn0wd68ytnzv9hxgq3q8m76awca3y37hkvuneavuw6pjj4525fw90necxmadrvjg0sdy6qsncyhyu) / [Archive](https://archive.is/AQNsV#selection-171.0-171.165)
[**GitHub Repo**](https://github.com/damus-io/notedeck/releases)
[Website](https://damus.io/notedeck/)


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)


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

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

News
----

*   **Spiral welcomes _Ben Carman_.** The developer [will work](https://xcancel.com/spiralbtc/status/1914334079387914435) on the LDK server and a new SDK designed to simplify the onboarding process for new self-custodial Bitcoin users.
*   **Spiral renews support for _Dan Gould_ and _Joschisan_.** The organization has renewed support for _Dan Gould_, who is developing the [Payjoin Dev Kit (PDK)](https://payjoindevkit.org/2025/03/18/the-evolution-of-payjoin), and [_Joschisan_](https://xcancel.com/spiralbtc/status/1914363508126515567), a [Fedimint](https://github.com/fedimint/fedimint) developer focused on simplifying federations.
*   **The Bitcoin Dev Kit Foundation announced new corporate members for 2025**, including [AnchorWatch](https://www.anchorwatch.com/), [CleanSpark](https://www.cleanspark.com/), and [Proton Foundation](https://proton.me/foundation). The annual dues from [these corporate members](https://bitcoindevkit.org/blog/_2025q1-new-foundation-members/) fund the small team of open-source developers responsible for maintaining the core BDK libraries and related free and open-source software (FOSS) projects.
*   **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.
*   **Slovenia is considering a 25% capital gains tax on Bitcoin profits for individuals.** The Ministry of Finance [has proposed](https://www.gov.si/novice/2025-04-17-v-javni-obravnavi-zakonska-predloga-s-podrocja-kriptosredstev-in-izvedenih-financnih-instrumentov/) legislation to impose this tax on gains from cryptocurrency transactions, though exchanging one cryptocurrency for another would remain exempt. At present, individual 'crypto' traders in Slovenia are not taxed.
*   **The Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASP) Bill 2025 introduced in Kenya.** The [new legislation](https://bitcoinke.io/2025/04/the-vasp-kenya-license-requirements/) aims to establish a comprehensive legal framework for licensing, regulating, and supervising virtual asset service providers (VASPs), with strict penalties for non-compliant entities.
*   **Circle, BitGo, Coinbase, and Paxos plan to apply for U.S. bank charters or licenses.** According to a [report](https://archive.is/dxbWM) in _The Wall Street Journal_, major crypto companies are planning to apply for U.S. bank charters or licenses. These firms are pursuing limited licenses that would permit them to issue stablecoins, as the U.S. Congress deliberates on legislation mandating licensing for stablecoin issuers.

> "Established banks, like Bank of America, are hoping to amend the current drafts of \[stablecoin\] legislation in such a way that nonbanks are more heavily restricted from issuing stablecoins," people familiar with the matter [told](https://www.theblock.co/post/351402/circle-bitgo-to-apply-for-bank-charters-coinbase-paxos-may-follow-suit-wsj) The Block.

*   **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.
*   **Federal Reserve retracts guidance discouraging banks from engaging in 'crypto.'** The U.S. Federal Reserve [withdrew](https://www.theblock.co/post/351943/federal-reserve-retracts-guidance-discouraging-banks-from-engaging-in-crypto) guidance that discouraged banks from crypto and stablecoin activities, as [announced](https://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/pressreleases/bcreg20250424a.htm) by its Board of Governors on Thursday. This includes rescinding a 2022 supervisory letter requiring prior notification of crypto activities and 2023 stablecoin requirements.

> "As a result, the Board will no longer expect banks to provide notification and will instead monitor banks' crypto-asset activities through the normal supervisory process," reads the FED statement.

*   **Russian government to launch a cryptocurrency exchange.** The country's Ministry of Finance and Central Bank [announced](https://bitcoinmagazine.com/news/russias-finance-ministry-and-central-bank-to-launch-crypto-exchange-for-super-qualified-investors) plans to establish a trading platform for "highly qualified investors" that "will legalize crypto assets and bring crypto operations out of the shadows."
*   **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.
*   **Strategy increases Bitcoin holdings to 538,200 BTC.** In the [latest purchase](https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2025/04/21/strategy-buys-usd555m-of-bitcoin-increases-total-stash-to-538-200-btc), the company has spent more than $555M to buy 6,556 coins through proceeds of two at-the-market stock offering programs.
*   **Metaplanet buys another 145 BTC.** The Tokyo-listed company [has purchased](https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2025/04/24/metaplanet-hits-5-000-btc-mark-amid-strategic-treasury-expansion) an additional 145 BTC for $13.6 million. Their total bitcoin holdings now stand at 5,000 coins, worth around $428.1 million.
*   **Semler Scientific has increased its bitcoin holdings to 3,303 BTC.** The company acquired an additional 111 BTC at an average price of $90,124. The purchase was funded through proceeds from an at-the-market offering and cash reserves, as stated in a [press release](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/semler-scientific-announces-updated-btc--atm-activity-purchased-additional-111-btc-now-holds-3-303-btc-ytd-btc-yield-of-23-5-302438131.html).
*   **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.
*   **Spar supermarket experiments with Bitcoin payments in Zug, Switzerland.** The store [has introduced](https://bitcoinnews.com/adoption/spar-supermarket-switzerland-bitcoin/) a new payment method powered by the Lightning Network. The implementation was facilitated by DFX Swiss, a service that supports seamless conversions between bitcoin and legacy currencies.

[![Block 894207: Important News of the Week](https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/content/images/2025/04/image-36.png)](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7318277304881709057/)

*   **Charles Schwab to launch spot Bitcoin trading by 2026.** The financial investment firm, managing over $10 trillion in assets, [has revealed](https://riabiz.com/a/2025/4/19/rick-wurster-puts-harder-date-on-schwab-spot-bitcoin-launch-after-key-hire-and-400-surge-in-visits-to-its-crypto-site-but-isnt-pulling-down-crypto-red-flags-quite-yet) plans to introduce spot Bitcoin trading for its clients within the next year.
*   **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.
*   **Citrea deployed its Clementine Bridge on the Bitcoin testnet.** The bridge [utilizes](https://www.coindesk.com/tech/2025/04/23/bitcoin-rollup-citrea-deploys-bridge-to-tackle-collateral-bottleneck-of-using-btc-in-defi) the BitVM2 programming language to inherit validity from Bitcoin, allegedly providing "the safest and most trust-minimized way to use BTC in decentralized finance."
*   **UAE-based Islamic bank ruya launches Shari’ah-compliant bitcoin investing.** The bank has become the world’s first Islamic bank to provide direct access to virtual asset investments, including Bitcoin, via its mobile app, [per](https://bitcoinmagazine.com/news/ruya-becomes-first-islamic-bank-to-offer-bitcoin-and-virtual-asset-investments) _Bitcoin Magazine._
*   **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


![Good Morning, Bitcoin - Tuesday, April 22nd, 2025](https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/content/images/2025/04/1gm40.jpg)

_**Good morning** (good night?)!_ The No Bullshit Bitcoin [news feed](https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/rss-feeds/) is now available on [Moody's Dashboard](https://dashboard.clarkmoody.com/)! A huge shoutout to sir [_Clark Moody_](https://njump.me/nevent1qqspy9hy5pxfza4tuhk5zx7zls3t6dd6nppp2v3l9ead53tx0x2a0mgpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs7amnwvaz7tmwdaehgu3wd4hk6q3q5n94rarp3n7dz6edx9cugeshn0kcuxtugwu9nzprkpx7yekw7ygq27sgqj) for integrating our feed.

[![Good Morning, Bitcoin - Tuesday, April 22nd, 2025](https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/content/images/2025/04/a35b533e45a4fa2edbd0818cd6d0402fe007df98ac6c29c9262ff44aefcb6e20.jpg)](https://dashboard.clarkmoody.com/)

Headlines
---------

*   **Spiral welcomes _Ben Carman_.** The developer [will work](https://xcancel.com/spiralbtc/status/1914334079387914435) on the LDK server and a new SDK designed to simplify the onboarding process for new self-custodial Bitcoin users.

[![Good Morning, Bitcoin - Tuesday, April 22nd, 2025](https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/content/images/2025/04/image-35.png)](https://xcancel.com/spiralbtc/status/1914334079387914435)

*   **The Bitcoin Dev Kit Foundation announced new corporate members for 2025**, including [AnchorWatch](https://www.anchorwatch.com/), [CleanSpark](https://www.cleanspark.com/), and [Proton Foundation](https://proton.me/foundation). The annual dues from [these corporate members](https://bitcoindevkit.org/blog/_2025q1-new-foundation-members/) fund the small team of open-source developers responsible for maintaining the core BDK libraries and related free and open-source software (FOSS) projects.
*   **Strategy increases Bitcoin holdings to 538,200 BTC.** In the [latest purchase](https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2025/04/21/strategy-buys-usd555m-of-bitcoin-increases-total-stash-to-538-200-btc), the company has spent more than $555M to buy 6,556 coins through proceeds of two at-the-market stock offering programs.
*   **Spar supermarket experiments with Bitcoin payments in Zug, Switzerland.** The store [has introduced](https://bitcoinnews.com/adoption/spar-supermarket-switzerland-bitcoin/) a new payment method powered by the Lightning Network. The implementation was facilitated by DFX Swiss, a service that supports seamless conversions between bitcoin and legacy currencies.

[![Good Morning, Bitcoin - Tuesday, April 22nd, 2025](https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/content/images/2025/04/image-36.png)](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7318277304881709057/)

*   **The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) wants to contain 'crypto' risks.** A report titled _"_[_Cryptocurrencies and Decentralised Finance: Functions and Financial Stability Implications_](https://www.bis.org/publ/bppdf/bispap156.htm)_"_ calls for expanding research into "how new forms of central bank money, capital controls, and taxation policies can counter the risks of widespread crypto adoption while still fostering technological innovation."
*   **"Global Implications of Scam Centres, Underground Banking, and Illicit Online Marketplaces in Southeast Asia."** According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) [report](https://www.unodc.org/roseap/uploads/documents/Publications/2025/Inflection_Point_2025.pdf), criminal organizations from East and Southeast Asia are swiftly extending their global reach. These groups are moving beyond traditional scams and trafficking, creating sophisticated online networks that include unlicensed cryptocurrency exchanges, encrypted communication platforms, and stablecoins, fueling a massive fraud economy on an industrial scale.
*   **Slovenia is considering a 25% capital gains tax on Bitcoin profits for individuals.** The Ministry of Finance [has proposed](https://www.gov.si/novice/2025-04-17-v-javni-obravnavi-zakonska-predloga-s-podrocja-kriptosredstev-in-izvedenih-financnih-instrumentov/) legislation to impose this tax on gains from cryptocurrency transactions, though exchanging one cryptocurrency for another would remain exempt. At present, individual 'crypto' traders in Slovenia are not taxed.
*   **Circle, BitGo, Coinbase, and Paxos plan to apply for U.S. bank charters or licenses.** According to a [report](https://archive.is/dxbWM) in _The Wall Street Journal_, major crypto companies are planning to apply for U.S. bank charters or licenses. These firms are pursuing limited licenses that would permit them to issue stablecoins, as the U.S. Congress deliberates on legislation mandating licensing for stablecoin issuers.

> "Established banks, like Bank of America, are hoping to amend the current drafts of \[stablecoin\] legislation in such a way that nonbanks are more heavily restricted from issuing stablecoins," people familiar with the matter [told](https://www.theblock.co/post/351402/circle-bitgo-to-apply-for-bank-charters-coinbase-paxos-may-follow-suit-wsj) The Block.

*   **Charles Schwab to launch spot Bitcoin trading by 2026.** The financial investment firm, managing over $10 trillion in assets, [has revealed](https://riabiz.com/a/2025/4/19/rick-wurster-puts-harder-date-on-schwab-spot-bitcoin-launch-after-key-hire-and-400-surge-in-visits-to-its-crypto-site-but-isnt-pulling-down-crypto-red-flags-quite-yet) plans to introduce spot Bitcoin trading for its clients within the next year.

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

*   [**Bitcoin Safe v1.2.3**](https://github.com/andreasgriffin/bitcoin-safe/releases/tag/1.2.3) expands QR SignMessage compatibility for all QR-UR-compatible hardware signers (SpecterDIY, KeyStone, Passport, Jade; already supported COLDCARD Q). It also adds the ability to import wallets via QR, ensuring compatibility with Keystone's latest firmware (2.0.6), alongside other improvements.
*   [**Minibits v0.2.2-beta**](https://github.com/minibits-cash/minibits_wallet/releases), an ecash wallet for Android devices, packages many changes to align the project with the planned iOS app release. New features and improvements include the ability to lock ecash to a receiver's pubkey, faster confirmations of ecash minting and payments thanks to WebSockets, UI-related fixes, and more.
*   [**Zeus v0.11.0-alpha1**](https://github.com/ZeusLN/zeus/releases/tag/v0.11.0-alpha1) introduces Cashu wallets tied to embedded LND wallets. Navigate to Settings > Ecash to enable it. Other wallet types can still sweep funds from Cashu tokens. Zeus Pay now supports Cashu address types in Zaplocker, Cashu, and NWC modes.
*   [**LNDg v1.10.0**](https://github.com/cryptosharks131/lndg/releases/tag/v1.10.0), an advanced web interface designed for analyzing Lightning Network Daemon (LND) data and automating node management tasks, introduces performance improvements, adds a new metrics page for unprofitable and stuck channels, and displays warnings for batch openings. The Profit and Loss Chart has been updated to include on-chain costs. Advanced settings have been added for users who would like their channel database size to be read remotely (the default remains local). Additionally, the AutoFees tool now uses aggregated pubkey metrics for multiple channels with the same peer.
*   [**Nunchuk Desktop v1.9.45**](https://github.com/nunchuk-io/nunchuk-desktop/releases) release brings the latest bug fixes and improvements.
*   [**Blockstream Green iOS v4.1.8**](https://github.com/Blockstream/green_ios/releases) has renamed L-BTC to LBTC, and improves translations of notifications, login time, and background payments.
*   [**Blockstream Green Android v4.1.8**](https://github.com/Blockstream/green_android/releases) has added language preference in App Settings and enables an Android data backup option for disaster recovery. Additionally, it fixes issues with Jade entry point PIN timeout and Trezor passphrase input.
*   [**Torq v2.2.2**](https://github.com/lncapital/torq/releases/tag/v2.2.2), an advanced Lightning node management software designed to handle large nodes with over 1000 channels, fixes bugs that caused channel balance to not be updated in some cases and channel "peer total local balance" not getting updated.
*   [**Stack Wallet v2.1.12**](https://github.com/cypherstack/stack_wallet/releases/tag/build_226), a multicoin wallet by _Cypher Stack_, fixes an issue with Xelis introduced in the latest release for Windows.
*   [**ESP-Miner-NerdQAxePlus v1.0.29.1**](https://github.com/shufps/ESP-Miner-NerdQAxePlus/releases), a forked version from the NerdAxe miner that was modified for use on the [NerdQAxe+](https://github.com/shufps/qaxe), is now available.
*   [**Zark**](https://gitlab.com/1440000bytes/zark) enables sending sats to an npub using [Bark](https://codeberg.org/ark-bitcoin/bark).

![Good Morning, Bitcoin - Tuesday, April 22nd, 2025](https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/content/images/2025/04/image-37.png)

*   [**Erk**](https://blog.second.tech/erk-update/) is a novel variation of the Ark protocol that completely removes the need for user interactivity in rounds, addressing one of Ark's key limitations: the requirement for users to come online before their VTXOs expire.
*   [**Aegis v0.1.1**](https://nostr.band/note1ljdczm267y648fv3jwv2jwn3mu4ae6jyzzpq4v0h8cthf020lyyss9ymde) is now available. It is a Nostr event signer app for iOS devices.
*   [**Nostash**](https://github.com/tyiu/nostash) is a NIP-07 Nostr signing extension for Safari. It is a fork of [Nostore](https://github.com/ursuscamp/nostore) and is maintained by [_Terry Yiu_](https://njump.me/nevent1qqsx028h0k8vfqge897kcapvgplymm8grx8wchhssza4gm4csrj3wggzyqnhnu7e7sk8mmsh7rnteh8cn28e6kfdr83mrw7j0mcullg607vdz7ytpj2)_._ Available on iOS [TestFlight](https://testflight.apple.com/join/8TFMZbMs).
*   [**Amber v3.2.8**](https://github.com/greenart7c3/Amber/releases/tag/v3.2.8), a Nostr event signer for Android, delivers the latest fixes and improvements.
*   [**Nostur v1.20.0**](https://github.com/nostur-com/nostur-ios-public), a Nostr client for iOS, adds


[![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.


Samourai Dojo is an end-to-end bitcoin wallet backing server for powering Samourai Wallet and other light clients.

*   This version introduces the [Soroban](https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/whirlpool-dencetralization-stage-1/) P2P network, enabling Dojo to relay transactions to the Bitcoin network and share others' transactions to break the heuristic linking relaying nodes to transaction creators.

[![Samourai Dojo v1.27.0: Soroban Network, PandoTx, API Key Management](https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/content/images/2025/05/image-13.png)](https://xcancel.com/PavelTheCoder/status/1925673526255665415)

*   Additionally, Dojo admins can now manage API keys in DMT with labels, status, and expiration, ideal for community Dojo providers like [Dojobay](https://dojobay.pw/). New API endpoints, including "/services" exposing Explorer, Soroban, and Indexer, have been added to aid wallet developers.
*   Other maintenance updates include Bitcoin Core, Tor, Fulcrum, Node.js, plus an updated ban-knots script to disconnect inbound Knots nodes.

> "I want to thank all the contributors. This again shows the power of true Free Software. I also want to thank everyone who donated to help Dojo development going. I truly appreciate it," [said](https://xcancel.com/PavelTheCoder/status/1925609421746389035) Still Dojo Coder.

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

*   **Soroban P2P network.** For MyDojo (Docker setup) users, Soroban will be automatically installed as part of their Dojo. This integration allows Dojo to utilize the Soroban P2P network for various upcoming features and applications.
*   **PandoTx.** PandoTx serves as a transaction transport layer. When your wallet sends a transaction to Dojo, it is relayed to a random Soroban node, which then forwards it to the Bitcoin network. It also enables your Soroban node to receive and relay transactions from others to the Bitcoin network and is designed to disrupt the assumption that a node relaying a transaction is closely linked to the person who initiated it.
    *   Pushing transactions through Soroban can be deactivated by setting `NODE_PANDOTX_PUSH=off` in `docker-node.conf`.
    *   Processing incoming transactions from Soroban network can be deactivated by setting `NODE_PANDOTX_PROCESS=off` in `docker-node.conf`.
*   **API key management** has been introduced to address the growing number of people offering their Dojos to the community. Dojo admins can now access a new API management tab in their DMT, where they can create unlimited API keys, assign labels for easy identification, and set expiration dates for each key. This allows admins to avoid sharing their main API key and instead distribute specific keys to selected parties.
*   **New API endpoints.** Several new API endpoints have been added to help API consumers develop features on Dojo more efficiently:
    *   New:
        *   `/latest-block` - returns data about latest block
        *   `/txout/:txid/:index` - returns unspent output data
        *   `/support/services` - returns info about services that Dojo exposes
    *   Updated:
        *   `/tx/:txid` - endpoint has been updated to return raw transaction with parameter `?rawHex=1`
    *   The new `/support/services` endpoint replaces the deprecated `explorer` field in the Dojo pairing payload. Although still present, API consumers should use this endpoint for explorer and other pairing data.

### Other changes

*   Updated ban script to disconnect inbound Knots nodes.
*   Updated Fulcrum to v1.12.0.
*   Regenerate Fulcrum certificate if expired.
*   Check if transaction already exists in pushTx.
*   Bump BTC-RPC Explorer.
*   Bump Tor to v0.4.8.16, bump Snowflake.
*   Updated Bitcoin Core to v29.0.
*   Removed unnecessary middleware.
*   Fixed DB update mechanism, added api\_keys table.
*   Add an option to use blocksdir config for bitcoin blocks directory.
*   Removed deprecated configuration.
*   Updated Node.js dependencies.
*   Reconfigured container dependencies.
*   Fix Snowflake git URL.
*   Fix log path for testnet4.
*   Use prebuilt addrindexrs binaries.
*   Add instructions to migrate blockchain/fulcrum.
*   Added pull policies.

![Samourai Dojo v1.27.0: Soroban Network, PandoTx, API Key Management](https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/content/images/2025/05/image-14.png)

[#FREESAMOURAI](https://freesamourai.com/)

![Samourai Dojo v1.27.0: Soroban Network, PandoTx, API Key Management](https://www.nobsbitcoin.com/content/images/2025/05/dojo-v127.jpg)

Learn how to set up and use your own Bitcoin privacy node with Dojo [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULZoPMCYPfk).

[**Announcement**](https://xcancel.com/PavelTheCoder/status/1925609410757378206) / [Archive](http://archive.today/xT2sG)
[**GitHub Repo**](https://github.com/Dojo-Open-Source-Project/samourai-dojo/releases/tag/v1.27.0)


LND v0.19.0-beta: RBF Cooperative Close, Improved Payment Reliability & More

The Lightning Network Daemon (LND) is a complete implementation of a Lightning Network node developed by Lightning Labs.

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

*   The newest LND release brings upgrades that empower developers with better on-chain management, significantly boost backend scalability for expanding services, and ensure a more seamless and dependable payment experience.

> "We are excited to announce the release of LND v0.19.0 beta! This new release focuses on making LND more secure, scalable, and reliable for powering global bitcoin and stablecoin transactions," was announced in a blog post.

*   Some highlights of this release include a Replace-By-Fee Cooperative Close for flexible channel closure fees, migration of invoices to SQL for faster startups, enhanced payment reliability through improved pathfinding, transaction sweeper improvements, the addition of Testnet4 support for stable testing, among other things.

> "As always, we are grateful for the ongoing support of our external contributors across development, review, and testing. A total of 51 developers contributed to this release. For the complete list of changes included in this release, check out the [full release notes](https://github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/releases/tag/v0.19.0-beta)."

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

*   [**New RBF cooperative close flow**](https://github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/pull/9610)**.** It uses RBF to enable either side to increase their fee rate using their _own_ channel funds. Channel peers must support the `option_simple_close` for this new protocol to work. This new feature can be activated with a new config flag: `--protocol.rbf-coop-close`.
    *   This feature isn't compatible with older LND versions; fee bumping with them uses CPFP. It already works with Eclair v0.12.0 or up, and should work with other implementations as they roll out support for this protocol. The protocol currently does not support Taproot channels and Taproot asset channels.
*   **Support for archiving channel backups** **in a specific folder for future reference.** It comes with a new config option, `disable-backup-archive` (default: `false`), to control whether previous backups are archived.
*   [**Support**](https://github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/pull/8390) **for** [**experimental endorsement**](https://github.com/lightning/blips/pull/27) **signal relay.** Deployed experimentally to assist ongoing channel jamming research, it has _no impact_ on routing.
*   **Initial support for** [**quiescence**](https://github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/pull/8270)**.** This protocol gadget is required for upcoming Dynamic Commitments and Splicing features.
*   **Historical Sync**: Fixed [a race condition](https://github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/pull/9424) blocking initial sync due to syncer's internal state handling.
*   **Max Fee Rate** is [now respected](https://github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/pull/9491) during cooperative close initiation for both parties, not just the remote party.
*   Lots of other [**bug fixes**](https://github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/blob/master/docs/release-notes/release-notes-0.19.0.md#bug-fixes).
*   **Performance Improvements:**
    *   Limit outbound [gossip traffic bandwidth](https://github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/pull/9607) with --gossip.msg-rate-bytes and --gossip.msg-rate-burst. Set burst to the maximum bytes transmittable without rate limiting, and rate to the ongoing permitted rate.

*   Ability to use ZSTD for log rotation.
*   [Remove redundant iteration](https://github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/pull/9496) over a node's persisted channels when updating the graph cache with a new node or node update.

*   **Functional Enhancements:**
    *   [Add pagination](https://github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/pull/8998) for wallet transactions.
    *   [Make](https://github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/pull/9562) `MaxWaitNumBlocksFundingConf` configurable for faster test timeouts, with a default of 2016 blocks for production.
    *   Change sweeper to [attempt sweeps](https://github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/pull/9627) if the budget is partially covered, preventing delays and high fees.
    *   [Validate](https://github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/pull/9603) MPP parameters before payment to avoid path finding loops and timeouts.
*   **Functional Updates:**
    *   Enable [log compression](https://github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/pull/9017) with ZSTD using the logging.file.compressor argument.
    *   [Enhance SCB file](https://github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/pull/8183) with more data for last-resort rescue when a peer is unavailable.
    *   Update channel.backup file at shutdown in LND.
    *   Introduce [chainio subsystem](https://github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/pull/9315) to sync subsystems with the current best block, fixing delays in HTLC sweeping due to block height discrepancies in ChainArbitrator, UtxoSweeper, and TxPublisher. Click [here](https://github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/blob/master/chainio/README.md) to learn more.
    *   Sweeper now uses [configured budget values](https://github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/pull/9274) for HTLCs with `--sweeper.budget.deadlinehtlcratio` and `--sweeper.budget.deadlinehtlc`.
    *   Consider blockbeat dispatcher height [when checking](https://github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/pull/9501) if lnd is synced to chain.
    *   Allocate restricted slots for peers via [\--num-restricted-slots](https://github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/pull/9458).
    *   Added support for bitcoin [testnet4](https://github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/pull/9620).
    *   [Removed](https://github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/pull/9621) x/exp/maps dependency.
    *   Add [\--no-disconnect-on-pong-failure option](https://github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/pull/9801) (default: false) to manage peer disconnection on pong failure or mismatch.
*   **RPC Additions and Updates.** Some RPCs that previously returned an empty response now provide a [short status message](https://github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/pull/7762) to help command line users confirm successful execution or background initiation. The following CLI commands no longer return an empty response ({}):

    *   `lncli wallet releaseoutput` (`WalletKit.ReleaseOutput` RPC)
    *   `lncli wallet accounts import-pubkey` (`WalletKit.ImportPublicKey` RPC)
    *   `lncli wallet labeltx` (`WalletKit.LabelTransaction` RPC)
    *   `lncli sendcustom` (`Lightning.SendCustomMessage` RPC)
    *   `lncli connect` (`Lightning.ConnectPeer` RPC)
    *   `lncli disconnect` (`Lightning.DisconnectPeer` RPC)
    *   `lncli stop` (`Lightning.Stop` RPC)
    *   `lncli deletepayments` (`Lightning.DeleteAllPaymentsResponse` RPC)
    *   `lncli abandonchannel` (`Lightning.AbandonChannel` RPC)
    *   `lncli restorechanbackup` (`Lightning.RestoreChannelBackups` RPC)
    *   `lncli verifychanbackup` (`Lightning.VerifyChanBackup` RPC)

    *   The ForwardInterceptor's MODIFY option now [merges](https://github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/pull/9240) custom range TLVs with existing HTLC records, overwriting conflicting values with API-supplied ones.
    *   [Make](https://github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/pull/9405) ProofMatureDelta in gossip configurable via --gossip.announcement-conf, defaulting to 6.
    *   [Add LockedIn boolean field](https://github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/pull/9602) to lnrpc.HTLC to show if an HTLC is locked in by the remote peer.
    *   [Allow custom lock ID and duration in FundPsbt](https://github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/pull/9724) RPC.
    *   Extend [lnrpc.RPCMiddlewareRequest](https://github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/pull/9739) to include [gRPC metadata](https://grpc.io/docs/guides/metadata) pairs from the initial request's context.Context.
    *   [Updated](https://github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/pull/9772) `PendingSweeps` to return all registered outputs in the RPC response, regardless of future locktime, enabling planning for upcoming sweeps and custom aggregation logic. Added `MaturityHeight` field to `PendingSweep` for absolute locktime value.
    *   [Add BumpForceCloseFee RPC endpoint](https://github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/pull/8843), moving lncli functionality to LND for broader accessibility.
    *   Enhance walletrpc.FundPsbt with an option to [set fees as sat\_per\_kw](https://github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/pull/9013) for greater precision.
    *   [Add a new option in walletrpc.FundPsbt](https://github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/pull/8600) to specify the maximum fee-to-output amounts ratio.
    *   [Sort](https://github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/pull/9337) lnrpc.Invoice.Htlcs by InvoiceHTLC.HtlcIndex in the list invoices RPC response.
    *   Set a [default 60-second timeout](https://github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/pull/9359) for routerrpc.SendPaymentV2 when timeout\_seconds is unset or 0.
    *   Include [custom\_channel\_data for custom channels](https://github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/pull/9504) in lnrpc.ClosedChannels response.
*   **lncli updates and additions:**
    *   Allow [pre-generated macaroon root key](https://github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/pull/9172) in lncli create and lncli createwatchonly for deterministic macaroon generation.
    *   [Add --sat\_per\_kw flag](https://github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/pull/9013) to lncli wallet fundpsbt for precise fee rate specification.
    *   Include [\--max\_fee\_ratio argument](https://github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/pull/8600) in lncli wallet fundpsbt to set maximum fee-to-output amounts ratio.
    *   [Enhance](https://github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/pull/9390) lncli listchannels and lncli closedchannels output with human-readable short channel ID and BOLT02 channel ID; rename chan\_id to scid for accuracy.
    *   Initiate cooperative close flow in [coop close case](https://github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/pull/9491) even with active HTLCs, disabling the channel for new HTLCs and starting the flow when no HTLCs remain.
    *   Introduce macaroon constraint for [IP range-based access restriction](https://github.com/lightningnetwork/lnd/pull/9546), expanding beyond spe


White Paper Studio uses Bitcoin-backed financing to give investors steady returns while enabling indie filmmakers to create original stories free from compromise.

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

![TFTC - How a MicroStrategy CopyCat is Using Bitcoin to Disrupt this $86B Industry | Ali Webb & Carlos Flores](https://www.tftc.io/content/images/2025/08/Ali-Webb-and-Carlos-Flores.jpg)

Carlos and Ali, founders of Forager and White Paper Studio, are using a Bitcoin-backed financing model to solve indie filmmakers’ biggest challenge, access to capital, while protecting creative independence. Inspired by Michael Saylor’s treasury strategy, they allocate a portion of raised funds into Bitcoin, using its growth over multi-year terms to repay investors 5–10% in dollars, attracting capital that wouldn’t normally touch film. This model shields artists from investor influence, supports original storytelling in an industry dominated by safe bets and sequels, and promotes transparency by making treasury and repayment performance public. They see AI as a useful tool for concepting but believe human creativity remains irreplaceable, envisioning a future where fully human-made films become a premium choice, funded by smarter, Bitcoin-enabled capital.

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

_“Putting Bitcoin on our balance sheet… is the one thing that’s actually preserving our hard work in the long run.”_

_“We are in charge of repaying the investor with our Bitcoin strategy and you guys can just focus on the art… They have no say over the creative.”_

_“Our early investors didn’t even care so much about the films… They could just park it here and get a better yield.”_

_“There’s less funds going around for risky original IP… It feels like a race to the bottom.”_

_“There’s no children’s movies these days that actually have real people… It’s all animated stuff.”_

_“There was a cool trend of betting on artists with great vision… That kind of risk-taking doesn’t exist as much anymore.”_

_“It’s a great tool… but it’s not a magic bullet.”_

_“An entirely human production in the future might be like shooting on film now… something authentic and special.”_

Conclusion
----------

White Paper Studio’s Bitcoin-backed funding model could quietly transform independent film financing, offering investors steady returns while freeing creators from the commercial constraints of traditional funding. By combining financial resilience, creative autonomy, and transparency, it challenges Hollywood’s risk-averse culture and supports the revival of bold, original storytelling. In a time of AI disruption and shrinking budgets, it shows how Bitcoin can preserve and empower human creativity, potentially sparking a renewed era of risk-taking and authenticity in cinema.

Timestamps
----------

0:00 - Intro
0:36 - The story of Forager
8:11 - Small world for Marty
10:48 - Whtppr and the indie film capital problem
19:04 - Bitkey & Opportunity Cost
20:43 - Mechanics of the bitcoin fund
27:36 - Defining success for Whtppr
30:25 - Unchained
31:12 - Bringing back what’s been lost
42:12 - Upcoming short films
44:34 - AI content
56:46 - Wrapping

Transcript
----------

(00:00) We took a lot of inspiration from Sailor. Our early investors, they didn't even care so much about the films. They were just kind of like, "Oh, I have mutual funds giving me this. I could just park it here and I get a better yield." It is causing the industry to contract. Putting Bitcoin on our balance sheet for a germ, it is the one thing that's actually preserving our hard work in the long run because we still need great films that are telling human stories that are made by people with people.
(00:26) Film is perhaps one of the riskiest business you can get into as an investor. Carlos and Alli, welcome to the show. Thanks for having me. Thank you, Marty. This is uh I'm I'm happy to be speaking with you guys cuz it's a budding theme on this show.
(00:50) very small theme but a budding one and one that excites me because I think it's a a signal that that Bitcoin is breaking out of the bubbles, the community bubbles that have existed in my 12 years following. It seems that what you guys are doing at Forager really validates Bitcoin being used as a tool by by anybody, not just cipher punks or people that care about sound money, but what you guys are doing at Forager in the world of entertainment.
(01:20) and Carlos, we were just talking before you we hit record that you heard my discussion with Johnny Vance um from Total Twins and Angel Studio and reached out and as I was also telling you I have a friend a very very close friend and we've been talking about this idea quite a bit the intersection of Bitcoin and entertainment in attempt to get better art into the world and let smaller um artists, content creators, whatever you want to define them as uh get their work into the world and actually give them a chance to compete with the the mega studios of the world.
(01:56) So before we jump into the the broader discussion of this intersection, why don't we start with a couple introductions just um how you guys got to where you are, what you're doing at Forager, and um what uh what got you to the to thinking about Bitcoin specifically? Sure.
(02:20) Um, Carl, I can give my intro then I'll let you take it. Um, so I went to film school. I majored in screenwriting and then I found my way to New York. I landed in advertising. So it was not where I expected to be after film school. You know, right out of film school, I'm thinking, okay, I'm going to go and I'm going to work for a studio.
(02:38) I'm going to be on set. I'm going to, you know, live the dream. And I found that being on set and everything that I had imagined about film making, once I did get my feet wet into some live action production for commercials was not super aligned with the way that I uh prefer to to live my life and to structure my life.
(03:06) I'm very routine oriented and I really enjoyed how how the tech side of postp production was evolving and could make so many more things possible than you know just what it is captured on set. Now so much respect for what happens on set. I just was not of that same you know mindset and stamina to be working those kinds of hours.
(03:30) Um, and so I found my way into the post-production side of advertising and um, worked as an EP at a couple of different post houses. And along the way, I met Carlos um, and we decided to start forager together after working together for some time and I was getting ready to move into the freelance world, which he had been occupying for um, his entire career up until that point um, before moving from New York to Portland.
(04:03) So that was what um gave the idea to start Forager as a remote collective of post-prouction artists. Uh we saw at the time that there was a real need to give a platform for individuals in the post space who were not represented by legacy post houses for any number of reasons. You know they enjoyed being freelance. They liked the autonomy, having their own brand, and they just needed that production support which I could bring um to the team and which we've built alongside the producers at Forager along the way.
(04:35) Um and different already different tech was available to us at that time at like Slack and and Frame.io that made it possible to collaborate in real time from anywhere. Um, so we launched Forager with this unique perspective on bringing together the best talent no matter where they were located. Um, so we're pioneers in that sense because it was still um different to say that we didn't have um a a brick and mortar place to go to for clients to go to to supervise.
(05:10) And then that was January 2019, a year later it became the norm during co for everyone to work remotely. So, a little bit ahead of the game there. Um, and we've taken everything we've learned from from building this um this network of great creative and um Charles will, you know, give his intro and how we started building Bitcoin into the picture as well along the way. Yeah. Uh, yeah.
(05:37) Essentially, exactly what Ali said. I think Bitcoin surprisingly entered our radar very early on almost by uh yeah almost by chance uh because uh we started the company 2019. the pandemic hit 2020 and we were down of course as everyone else for for a little bit and at that moment I was uh starting to just research you know what stocks to buy like any like every person back then and I stumbled upon Bitcoin in the at the moment just from like an interview that I saw on YouTube and um and yeah I bought it personally not knowing much just kind of like bought it personally as an opportunity Uh Alli and I are good friends. So I I
(06:23) talked Alli into buying some personally as well. Uh and we were so small and informal. We were like, you know, it why not buy it and put it on forers balance sheet. Uh and this was before uh even a sailor had appeared on uh on X. It was like I think June 2020 when we first bought and we were small. We just bought I think one to begin with.
(06:49) Um and yeah, then uh we we saw the whole strategy thing happening. We were like, "Oh, this is going to be a thing." So we we started buying more. Um still a humble treasury. Uh but um but yeah, of course, we rode the whole thing up to the 60K.
(07:08) Then we felt a little silly when, you know, it it went all the way down in the bare market. Uh but that was kind of like our uh introduction to Bitcoin. like we buy by by buying it almost naively at first not knowing much but then you see this thing going up. We learned what it was. We got orange filled in the process and uh and we thankfully held it for this whole time and it was only in um earlier this year where we were like dealing with some uh liquidity crunches that we were like you know we have built this treasury.
(07:40) we want to maintain it and uh and we thought what if we were to uh leverage that treasury in order to raise some funds so we can uh survive and like you know get through this uh rocky period and so we did that but we also announced to the wor