tags: Bitcoin Magazine Citi to Launch Crypto Custody Service in 2026 as Wall Street Deepens Bitcoin Push Citi is reportedly preparing to roll out a crypto custody service by 2026, joining a growing list of Wall Street institutions expanding into bitcoin and other assets due to a friendlier U.S. regulatory climate. Biswarup Chatterjee, Citi’s global head of partnerships and innovation for its services division, told CNBC the bank has been developing its custody offering for over two years and plans to bring it to market “in the next few quarters.” The service would allow Citi to hold native bitcoin and other crypto on behalf of clients, a significant move for one of the world’s largest custodians of traditional financial assets. “We may have certain solutions that are completely designed and built in-house that are targeted towards certain assets and certain segment of our clients, whereas may we may use a third party, lightweight, nimble solution for other kind of assets,” Chatterjee told CNBC. Earlier this month, Citigroup analysts issued a bullish 12-month outlook for bitcoin, setting a target of $181,000 and revising their year-end forecast to $132,000. They cited strong inflows of around $7.5 billion and rising institutional demand. The analysts said they were more positive on bitcoin than ethereum, noting that bitcoin was capturing most of the new capital entering crypto markets and that a supportive U.S. regulatory backdrop could help sustain momentum into 2026. JUST IN: Wall Street giant Citi bank to launch #Bitcoin and crypto custody services in 2026 — CNBC pic.twitter.com/awPWDITXkx — Bitcoin Magazine (@BitcoinMagazine) October 13, 2025 Banking and holding custody of digital assets Custody — the safekeeping of client assets — is considered one of the most crucial and challenging aspects of institutional crypto adoption. Just today, JPMorgan said they would not directly hold their clients’ crypto. While specialist firms like Anchorage and BitGo have dominated the space, large banks see an opening to offer regulated alternatives backed by decades of experience safeguarding securities. Citi’s crypto embrace comes as Washington has taken steps to provide clearer rules for digital assets through measures such as the GENIUS Act, giving major financial institutions confidence to develop crypto-related products. Citi’s exploration of custody runs parallel to its broader blockchain efforts, including Citi Token Services, which enables real-time cross-border payments using tokenized deposits. The bank is also studying stablecoins — digital tokens typically backed by fiat currency — as tools for global trade and payments in regions with less-developed banking systems. Other banks are advancing similar initiatives As mentioned earlier, JPMorgan recently unveiled plans for a deposit token, while Bank of America is reportedly developing a stablecoin product. This post Citi to Launch Crypto Custody Service in 2026 as Wall Street Deepens Bitcoin Push first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.

content:
[Bitcoin Magazine](https://bitcoinmagazine.com)
![](https://bitcoinmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Citi-to-Launch-Crypto-Custody-Service-in-2026.jpg)
[Citi to Launch Crypto Custody Service in 2026 as Wall Street Deepens Bitcoin Push](https://bitcoinmagazine.com/business/citi-to-launch-crypto-custody-service-in-2026-as-wall-street-deepens-bitcoin-push)

Citi is reportedly preparing to roll out a crypto custody service by 2026, joining a growing list of Wall Street institutions expanding into bitcoin and other assets due to a friendlier U.S. regulatory climate.

Biswarup Chatterjee, Citi’s global head of partnerships and innovation for its services division, [told CNBC](https://www.cnbc.com/2025/10/13/citi-aims-to-launch-crypto-custody-in-2026-exploring-stablecoin.html) the bank has been developing its custody offering for over two years and plans to bring it to market “in the next few quarters.”

The service would allow Citi to hold native bitcoin and other crypto on behalf of clients, a significant move for one of the world’s largest custodians of traditional financial assets.

“We may have certain solutions that are completely designed and built in-house that are targeted towards certain assets and certain segment of our clients, whereas may we may use a third party, lightweight, nimble solution for other kind of assets,” Chatterjee told CNBC.

Earlier this month, Citigroup analysts [issued](https://bitcoinmagazine.com/markets/bitcoin-price-flirts-with-120000-as-citi-gives-strong-bitcoin-price-target) a bullish 12-month outlook for bitcoin, setting a target of $181,000 and revising their year-end forecast to $132,000. They cited strong inflows of around $7.5 billion and rising institutional demand.

The analysts said they were more positive on bitcoin than ethereum, noting that bitcoin was capturing most of the new capital entering crypto markets and that a supportive U.S. regulatory backdrop could help sustain momentum into 2026.

> JUST IN: Wall Street giant Citi bank to launch [#Bitcoin](https://twitter.com/hashtag/Bitcoin?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) and crypto custody services in 2026 — CNBC ![🙌](https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/16.0.1/72x72/1f64c.png) [pic.twitter.com/awPWDITXkx](https://t.co/awPWDITXkx)
>
> — Bitcoin Magazine (@BitcoinMagazine) [October 13, 2025](https://twitter.com/BitcoinMagazine/status/1977805211185127479?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

Banking and holding custody of digital assets
---------------------------------------------

Custody — the safekeeping of client assets — is considered one of the most crucial and challenging aspects of institutional crypto adoption. Just today, JPMorgan [said](https://bitcoinmagazine.com/business/jpmorgan-confirms-clients-will-trade-bitcoin-and-crypto) they would not directly hold their clients’ crypto.

While specialist firms like Anchorage and BitGo have dominated the space, large banks see an opening to offer regulated alternatives backed by decades of experience safeguarding securities.

Citi’s crypto embrace comes as Washington [has taken steps to provide clearer rules](https://bitcoinmagazine.com/news/trump-signs-genius-act-into-law-will-make-america-the-crypto-capital-of-the-world) for digital assets through measures such as the GENIUS Act, giving major financial institutions confidence to develop crypto-related products.

Citi’s exploration of custody runs parallel to its broader blockchain efforts, including _Citi Token Services_, which enables real-time cross-border payments using tokenized deposits.

 The bank is also studying stablecoins — digital tokens typically backed by fiat currency — as tools for global trade and payments in regions with less-developed banking systems.

Other banks are advancing similar initiatives As mentioned earlier, JPMorgan [recently unveiled](https://bitcoinmagazine.com/business/jpmorgan-confirms-clients-will-trade-bitcoin-and-crypto) plans for a deposit token, while Bank of America is reportedly developing a stablecoin product.

This post [Citi to Launch Crypto Custody Service in 2026 as Wall Street Deepens Bitcoin Push](https://bitcoinmagazine.com/business/citi-to-launch-crypto-custody-service-in-2026-as-wall-street-deepens-bitcoin-push)  first appeared on [Bitcoin Magazine](https://bitcoinmagazine.com) and is written by [Micah Zimmerman](https://bitcoinmagazine.com/authors/micahzimmerman).


tags: Bitcoin Magazine Bitcoin Price Surges Back to $116,000 After Bloody Crypto Weekend It’s been a rocky three days for the crypto market… to say the least. But bitcoin holders are faring best, as bitcoin price bounced back sharply to around $116,000 today following a volatile weekend that saw the broader crypto market slump. The bitcoin price fell to the low $100,000s on Friday as U.S. and China trade tensions rattled global markets. President Donald Trump announced new 100% tariffs on Chinese goods after Beijing unveiled sweeping export controls set to begin Nov. 1. But over the weekend, market jitters eased and the bitcoin price gradually rebounded. President Trump walked back some of the fear and posted that ‘it will all be fine’ in reaction to the trade tensions. The recovery comes as both institutional inflows and corporate treasury activity help stabilize sentiment across crypto markets. The latest leg higher was sparked, in part, by Strategy’s announcement that it had purchased an additional 220 BTC for roughly $27.2 million, bringing its total holdings to 640,250 BTC — about 3.1% of Bitcoin’s total supply. The company funded the purchase through proceeds from several at-the-market (ATM) share offerings over the past week. JUST IN: $116,000 #Bitcoin pic.twitter.com/CExFQL01Zw — Bitcoin Magazine (@BitcoinMagazine) October 13, 2025 While Strategy’s accumulation has long been a fixture of bull market narratives, analysts say the timing of this latest buy sent a strong signal of confidence to jittery investors following Friday’s sell-off. Bitcoin price panic to recovery Technical analysts now view a bitcoin price of $105,000 as key short-term support, while $118,000 remains the level to reclaim for bulls to reassert control. The broader bias remains cautious, with oscillators still tilting bearish following the steep drawdown. Beyond short-term price action, the recovery highlights Bitcoin’s growing foothold among corporate treasuries and institutions. Recent data show continued inflows into U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs, with BlackRock’s IBIT ETF surpassing 800,000 BTC in assets under management — valued near $97 billion. That steady institutional accumulation, coupled with corporate entities like Strategy, DDC Enterprise, and others adopting Bitcoin as a treasury reserve, has become a defining feature of this market cycle. With the next Bitcoin halving approaching in April 2026 and macro conditions still volatile, analysts expect more turbulence ahead. But the underlying narrative remains supportive: limited supply, rising institutional demand, and growing legitimacy as a treasury asset. At time-of-writing, bitcoin is trading around $116,050, up roughly 9% from its weekend lows. This post Bitcoin Price Surges Back to $116,000 After Bloody Crypto Weekend first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.

content:
[Bitcoin Magazine](https://bitcoinmagazine.com)
![](https://bitcoinmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Bitcoin-Price-Surges-Back-to-116000-After-Bloody-Crypto-Weekend-.jpg)
[Bitcoin Price Surges Back to $116,000 After Bloody Crypto Weekend](https://bitcoinmagazine.com/markets/bitcoin-price-surges-back-to-116000)

It’s been a rocky three days for the crypto market… to say the least.

But bitcoin holders are faring best, as bitcoin price bounced back sharply to around $116,000 today following a volatile weekend that saw the broader crypto market slump.

The bitcoin price [fell](https://bitcoinmagazine.com/news/bitcoin-price-crashes-to-108000-as-trump-to-impose-100-tariffs-on-china) to the low $100,000s on Friday as U.S. and China [trade tensions](https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/wall-street-takes-back-fridays-losses-trump-softens-tone-china-trade-t-rcna237277) rattled global markets. President Donald Trump announced new 100% tariffs on Chinese goods after Beijing unveiled sweeping export controls set to begin Nov. 1.

But over the weekend, market jitters eased and the bitcoin price gradually rebounded. President Trump walked back some of the fear and [posted](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/10/12/trump-china-trade-tariff-tensions/86661372007/) that ‘it will all be fine’ in reaction to the trade tensions.

The recovery comes as both institutional inflows and corporate treasury activity help stabilize sentiment across crypto markets.

The latest leg higher was sparked, in part, by Strategy’s [announcement](https://bitcoinmagazine.com/markets/bitcoin-price-rebounds-above-114000-as-strategy-buys-220-more-bitcoin) that it had purchased an additional 220 BTC for roughly $27.2 million, bringing its total holdings to 640,250 BTC — about 3.1% of Bitcoin’s total supply.

The company funded the purchase through proceeds from several at-the-market (ATM) share offerings over the past week.

> JUST IN: $116,000 [#Bitcoin](https://twitter.com/hashtag/Bitcoin?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) ![🚀](https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/16.0.1/72x72/1f680.png) [pic.twitter.com/CExFQL01Zw](https://t.co/CExFQL01Zw)
>
> — Bitcoin Magazine (@BitcoinMagazine) [October 13, 2025](https://twitter.com/BitcoinMagazine/status/1977825928811343997?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

While Strategy’s accumulation has long been a fixture of bull market narratives, analysts say the timing of this latest buy sent a strong signal of confidence to jittery investors following Friday’s sell-off.

Bitcoin price panic to recovery
-------------------------------

Technical analysts [now view](https://bitcoinmagazine.com/markets/bitcoin-weekly-close-at-115k-after-fridays-crash-support-at-105k-holds-but-bears-dominate) a bitcoin price of $105,000 as key short-term support, while $118,000 remains the level to reclaim for bulls to reassert control. The broader bias remains cautious, with oscillators still tilting bearish following the steep drawdown.

Beyond short-term price action, the recovery highlights Bitcoin’s growing foothold among corporate treasuries and institutions. Recent data show continued inflows into U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs, with BlackRock’s IBIT ETF [surpassing](https://bitcoinmagazine.com/markets/bitcoin-price-reclaims-122000-as-blackrock-bitcoin-etf-surpasses-800000-btc-aum) 800,000 BTC in assets under management — valued near $97 billion.

That [steady institutional accumulation](https://bitcoinmagazine.com/business/institutions-plan-to-double-bitcoin-and-crypto-exposure-by-2028-state-street-research-finds), coupled with corporate entities like Strategy, DDC Enterprise, and others adopting Bitcoin as a treasury reserve, has become a defining feature of this market cycle.

With the next Bitcoin halving approaching in April 2026 and macro conditions still volatile, analysts expect more turbulence ahead. But the underlying narrative remains supportive: limited supply, rising institutional demand, and growing legitimacy as a treasury asset.

At time-of-writing, bitcoin is trading around $116,050, up roughly 9% from its weekend lows.

This post [Bitcoin Price Surges Back to $116,000 After Bloody Crypto Weekend](https://bitcoinmagazine.com/markets/bitcoin-price-surges-back-to-116000)  first appeared on [Bitcoin Magazine](https://bitcoinmagazine.com) and is written by [Micah Zimmerman](https://bitcoinmagazine.com/authors/micahzimmerman).


tags: Bitcoin Magazine Bitcoin Weekly Close at $115K After Friday’s Crash: Support at $105K Holds, But Bears Dominate Bitcoin Price Weekly Outlook I feel like a broken record saying this, but it bears repeating: Wow, what a difference a week makes! Bitcoin pulled back a little as expected early last week, but then the bears came in with a sucker punch on Friday morning as Trump’s talk of raising tariffs on China sent markets crashing down. Things escalated quickly after liquidity dried up in the afternoon to send bitcoin down to a low of $105,617 on the index price. The price action was a bit chaotic as some leveraged exchanges went as low as $102,000 and even $100,000. After the carnage was done, bitcoin had a nice bounce back up to close the week out at $115,128. The bears are still firmly in control, however, as long as the price remains below $118,350. Key Support and Resistance Levels Now The price dove deep down through all the more recent support levels last Friday, but the $105,000 support level managed to prove itself, propping up the price for the time being. Bulls will now look for this low to hold, but if it is lost, we would look down once again to the $96,000 level for support. Closing below there should certainly put an end to this bull market for the foreseeable future. We can draw a Fibonacci Retracement from the $126,219 high down to the $105,617 low, opening up a wide range of price action. The bulls can start to retake resistance levels above the 0.618 Fibonacci Retracement at $118,350, with new highs expected if bulls can close a couple of days above the 0.786 Fibonacci Retracement at $121,800. Outlook For This Week A big bounce after such a steep sell-off was to be expected, and we got that into the weekly close. So it’s hard to know what to expect going into this week. Oscillators on the daily chart are still biased bearish, but not overly so, so bulls still have a chance to save face here. Over the next few days, bulls will want to avoid closing any days below the 0.236 Fibonacci Retracement at $110,500 as that opens up the $105,000 low once again. On the flip side, bears will look to keep the price below the 0.618 Fibonacci Retracement resistance at $118,350. Getting above here flips bias back to the bulls over the short term, but they have an uphill battle to do it. We have a neutral zone between $112,000 and $118,350, with $115,630 being the divider for bullish and bearish bias within this zone. So we may see bitcoin remain stuck in this zone over the next few days. Market mood: Bearish – After an epic dump on Friday, the bulls have been left stunned. Even the bears didn’t know they could hit that hard. While price made big gains to close the week out well above the low, the bulls still have more work to do to regain control of this price action. The next few weeks Interestingly, the low price last Friday hit the lower trend line of the broadening wedge pattern on the daily chart. It is still possible that price heads all the way back up to the upper trend line of this pattern once again. However, we must still be cognizant of the fact that this broadening wedge pattern could break down as well, forming a long-term top in the market. The bulls do not want to see any daily closes below that lower trend line, as it would signal a breakdown that would likely drop into the low $80,000 range as a minimum. Getting back to the upper trend line of the broadening wedge (around $127,000) would have bulls looking for the bullish breakout of this pattern once again. The bulls will be walking on eggshells over the coming weeks. They don’t want to see any price action close to $105,000 again, and will be hard-pressed to push the price back above $122,000. Terminology Guide: Bulls/Bullish: Buyers or investors expecting the price to go higher. Bears/Bearish: Sellers or investors expecting the price to go lower. Support or support level: A level at which the price should hold for the asset, at least initially. The more touches on support, the weaker it gets and the more likely it is to fail to hold the price. Resistance or resistance level: Opposite of support. The level that is likely to reject the price, at least initially. The more touches at resistance, the weaker it gets and the more likely it is to fail to hold back the price. Fibonacci Retracements and Extensions: Ratios based on what is known as the golden ratio, a universal ratio pertaining to growth and decay cycles in nature. The golden ratio is based on the constants Phi (1.618) and phi (0.618). Broadening Wedge: A chart pattern consisting of an upper trend line acting as resistance and a lower trend line acting as support. These trend lines must diverge away from each other in order to validate the pattern. This pattern is a result of expanding price volatility, typically resulting in higher highs and lower lows. Oscillators: Technical indicators that vary over time, but typically remain within a band between set levels. Thus, they oscillate between a low level (typically representing oversold conditions) and a high level (typically representing overbought conditions). E.G., Relative Strength Index (RSI) and Moving Average Convergence-Divergence (MACD). This post Bitcoin Weekly Close at $115K After Friday’s Crash: Support at $105K Holds, But Bears Dominate first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Ethan Greene - Feral Analysis.

content:
[Bitcoin Magazine](https://bitcoinmagazine.com)
![](https://bitcoinmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/tn-2.webp)
[Bitcoin Weekly Close at $115K After Friday’s Crash: Support at $105K Holds, But Bears Dominate](https://bitcoinmagazine.com/markets/bitcoin-weekly-close-at-115k-after-fridays-crash-support-at-105k-holds-but-bears-dominate)

**Bitcoin Price Weekly Outlook**
--------------------------------

I feel like a broken record saying this, but it bears repeating: Wow, what a difference a week makes! Bitcoin pulled back a little as expected early last week, but then the bears came in with a sucker punch on Friday morning as Trump’s talk of raising tariffs on China sent markets crashing down.

Things escalated quickly after liquidity dried up in the afternoon to send bitcoin down to a low of $105,617 on the index price. The price action was a bit chaotic as some leveraged exchanges went as low as $102,000 and even $100,000. After the carnage was done, bitcoin had a nice bounce back up to close the week out at $115,128. The bears are still firmly in control, however, as long as the price remains below $118,350.![](blob:https://bitcoinmagazine.com/cdee600e-7b42-4a36-8195-7af1c8ac0566 "Bitcoin Weekly Close at $115K After Friday's Crash: Support at $105K Holds, But Bears Dominate 1")

**Key Support and Resistance Levels Now**

The price dove deep down through all the more recent support levels last Friday, but the $105,000 support level managed to prove itself, propping up the price for the time being. Bulls will now look for this low to hold, but if it is lost, we would look down once again to the $96,000 level for support. Closing below there should certainly put an end to this bull market for the foreseeable future.

We can draw a Fibonacci Retracement from the $126,219 high down to the $105,617 low, opening up a wide range of price action. The bulls can start to retake resistance levels above the 0.618 Fibonacci Retracement at $118,350, with new highs expected if bulls can close a couple of days above the 0.786 Fibonacci Retracement at $121,800. ![](blob:https://bitcoinmagazine.com/fb4fc4ba-59dc-4308-94b2-8f6c8857dab2 "Bitcoin Weekly Close at $115K After Friday's Crash: Support at $105K Holds, But Bears Dominate 2")

**Outlook For This Week**

A big bounce after such a steep sell-off was to be expected, and we got that into the weekly close. So it’s hard to know what to expect going into this week. Oscillators on the daily chart are still biased bearish, but not overly so, so bulls still have a chance to save face here. Over the next few days, bulls will want to avoid closing any days below the 0.236 Fibonacci Retracement at $110,500 as that opens up the $105,000 low once again.

On the flip side, bears will look to keep the price below the 0.618 Fibonacci Retracement resistance at $118,350. Getting above here flips bias back to the bulls over the short term, but they have an uphill battle to do it. We have a neutral zone between $112,000 and $118,350, with $115,630 being the divider for bullish and bearish bias within this zone. So we may see bitcoin remain stuck in this zone over the next few days.

**Market mood:** Bearish – After an epic dump on Friday, the bulls have been left stunned. Even the bears didn’t know they could hit that hard. While price made big gains to close the week out well above the low, the bulls still have more work to do to regain control of this price action.![](blob:https://bitcoinmagazine.com/b91eefa9-e8af-4c9a-a24c-e994834fdc6a "Bitcoin Weekly Close at $115K After Friday's Crash: Support at $105K Holds, But Bears Dominate 3")

**The next few weeks
**Interestingly, the low price last Friday hit the lower trend line of the broadening wedge pattern on the daily chart. It is still possible that price heads all the way back up to the upper trend line of this pattern once again. However, we must still be cognizant of the fact that this broadening wedge pattern could break down as well, forming a long-term top in the market.

The bulls do not want to see any daily closes below that lower trend line, as it would signal a breakdown that would likely drop into the low $80,000 range as a minimum. Getting back to the upper trend line of the broadening wedge (around $127,000) would have bulls looking for the bullish breakout of this pattern once again.

The bulls will be walking on eggshells over the coming weeks. They don’t want to see any price action close to $105,000 again, and will be hard-pressed to push the price back above $122,000.

**Terminology Guide:**

**Bulls/Bullish:** Buyers or investors expecting the price to go higher.

**Bears/Bearish:** Sellers or investors expecting the price to go lower.

**Support or support level:** A level at which the price should hold for the asset, at least initially. The more touches on support, the weaker it gets and the more likely it is to fail to hold the price.

**Resistance or resistance level:** Opposite of support.  The level that is likely to reject the price, at least initially. The more touches at resistance, the weaker it gets and the more likely it is to fail to hold back the price.

**Fibonacci Retracements and Extensions:** Ratios based on what is known as the golden ratio, a universal ratio pertaining to growth and decay cycles in nature. The golden ratio is based on the constants Phi (1.618) and phi (0.618).

**Broadening Wedge:** A chart pattern consisting of an upper trend line acting as resistance and a lower trend line acting as support. These trend lines must diverge away from each other in order to validate the pattern. This pattern is a result of expanding price volatility, typically resulting in higher highs and lower lows.

**Oscillators:** Technical indicators that vary over time, but typically remain within a band between set levels. Thus, they oscillate between a low level (typically representing oversold conditions) and a high level (typically representing overbought conditions). E.G., Relative Strength Index (RSI) and Moving Average Convergence-Divergence (MACD).

This post [Bitcoin Weekly Close at $115K After Friday’s Crash: Support at $105K Holds, But Bears Dominate](https://bitcoinmagazine.com/markets/bitcoin-weekly-close-at-115k-after-fridays-crash-support-at-105k-holds-but-bears-dominate) first appeared on [Bitcoin Magazine](https://bitcoinmagazine.com) and is written by [Ethan Greene - Feral Analysis](#molongui-disabled-link).


tags: The upgrade to version 30 brings both improvements and controversy with the increase of the OP_RETURN limit from 80 to 100,000 bytes. The post Bitcoin Core v30 is here: the OP_RETURN issue splits the community appeared first on Atlas21.

content:
**_The upgrade to version 30 brings both improvements and controversy with the increase of the OP\_RETURN limit from 80 to 100,000 bytes._**
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Bitcoin community finds itself divided after the official launch of the **Bitcoin Core v30** update. The release, which introduces changes to node architecture, performance, and security, has sparked mixed reactions among developers, miners, and users.

### **Key updates**

The Bitcoin Core development team has implemented several new features designed to enhance the user experience on the network. One notable addition is **optional encrypted node-to-node connections**, aimed at ensuring greater privacy for users.

The [official announcement](https://bitcoincore.org/en/releases/30.0/) on October 12 also clarified that with the release of this new major version, **all versions prior to 27.x have reached End of Life** and will no longer receive security or maintenance updates.

One of the main changes is the **reduction of default transaction fees**. Nodes can relay transactions with fees as low as **0.1 sat/vB**, while miners will be able to include them in the next block with a minimum fee of **0.001 sat/vB**.

The most hotly debated change concerns the **expansion of the OP\_RETURN limit**, which has increased from around 80 bytes to **100,000 bytes**. This adjustment allows for much larger amounts of **non-financial data** to be stored within Bitcoin transactions.

Although the update also includes bug fixes and performance improvements, it is the OP\_RETURN limit increase that has captured most of the attention and divided the community.

### **Reactions**

**Alex Bergeron**, Ecosystem Lead at Ark Labs, [expressed](https://x.com/bergealex4/status/1976472388104749178) excitement about Bitcoin Core v30 on X, stating his intention to _“use all of the additional OP\_Return space and will use it to make Bitcoin more like Ethereum, except better.”_

**Pavol Rusnak**, co-founder of Satoshi Labs, [said](https://x.com/PavolRusnak/status/1977366567840084219) he chose Bitcoin Core v30 for its _“great development team, peer reviewed code, sane engineering decisions_.”

Critics of the update argue that this change violates Bitcoin’s core principles as a peer-to-peer electronic cash system. Concerns include the potential growth of the blockchain’s size, higher operational costs for nodes, and legal risks.

Last week, **Nick Szabo**, a well-known cypherpunk, recommended on X:

> As a (hopefully) temporary measure, run Knots. I strongly recommend not upgrading to Core v30.[https://t.co/d9HFi7T59H](https://t.co/d9HFi7T59H)
>
> — Nick Szabo (@NickSzabo4) [October 8, 2025](https://twitter.com/NickSzabo4/status/1975805206031179831?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

Earlier in October, Szabo [had already raised concerns](https://atlas21.com/bitcoin-core-v30-incoming-nick-szabo-breaks-silence-after-five-years/) about the legal implications of increasing the OP\_RETURN limit. According to him, node operators risk hosting “_illegal data_” for which they could be held criminally liable.

In recent months, in response to Bitcoin Core’s decisions, a significant number of node operators have adopted the alternative implementation **Bitcoin Knots**, which allows for strict data size limits to be applied. [Data](https://bitcoin.clarkmoody.com/dashboard/) from **Clark Moody Bitcoin** shows that there are currently **nearly 5,000** active Knots nodes, representing about **20%** of all nodes.

The post [Bitcoin Core v30 is here: the OP\_RETURN issue splits the community](https://atlas21.com/bitcoin-core-v30-is-here-the-op_return-issue-splits-the-community/) appeared first on [Atlas21](https://atlas21.com).


tags: Aleks Svetski reveals AI’s funding loop to Big Tech and envisions Bitcoin, Nostr, and AI powering a new wave of real-world Bitcoin startups.

content:
Key Takeaways
-------------

![TFTC - Bitcoin OG Reveals: Where AI's Billions Are Really Coming From | Aleks Svetski](https://www.tftc.io/content/images/2025/10/Aleks-Svetski.jpg)

Alex Shetski frames AI as an overhyped but useful tool with broken unit economics; each new user adds inference cost, funded by a “circular” VC pipeline that routes money back to Amazon, Google, and Nvidia. LLM progress has plateaued, pushing the market toward an oligopoly while open-source lags at scale. He argues the real opportunity is a new six-layer internet stack that adds native payments (Bitcoin) and identity/social graph (Nostr) to the web, with AI as an effort multiplier: small teams can now ship global, low-fee, payment-embedded products fast. Reflecting digital burnout and content “slop,” his startup Satlantis is pivoting from social feeds to a Bitcoin-native events app, solving real meet-space problems (global payouts, low fees, portable identity, discovery via social graph) instead of competing for attention.

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

“AI isn’t a second coming of God, it’s a tool, like the tractor or the PC.”

“Every new AI user actually costs you.”

“The money going to startups ends up back with the same LPs, Amazon, Google, Nvidia.”

“Bitcoin dying would be catastrophic for civilization. Nostr dying wouldn’t matter much.”

“We’re not a Bitcoin company. We’re an events company that happens to use Bitcoin and Nostr.”

“The next 20 years will be a renaissance in consumer apps.”

“We don’t need another social app. We need tools that get people off their screens.”

Conclusion
----------

The episode marks a pragmatic turn: skip AI grandiosity and Web2 clone wars, and instead build real products on an open stack where Bitcoin handles global payments, Nostr provides portable identity, and AI multiplies effort. As users tire of algorithmic outrage and infinite content, the winning apps will re-humanize tech, creating markets that didn’t exist (like Bitcoin-native events) and channeling digital networks into physical community, sovereignty, and durable value.

Timestamps
----------

0:00 - Intro
0:37 - Musings on AI
6:20 - The AI business model
14:33 - Broad application on AI
20:52 - Bitkey & Obscura
22:36 - Importance of Nostr, Satlantis
34:16 - Carving a new market
43:15 - Crowdhealth & Unchained
45:03 - The Cold Start Problem
53:13 - New layers in the design space
59:00 - Improvments to meetups
1:04:00 - Everything app
1:07:14 - Unplugging and passing the torch
1:19:54 - Head down and build

Transcript
----------

(00:00) that a lot of the money was actually coming through Amazon or Google or Nvidia or something like that. That was sort of like either the LPS or behind the LPS. It was kind of like the wrong kind of circular economy. It was like laundering money. But the concept of general intelligence is just infinite.
(00:18) Now we're at a new stage and now you have small startups again can now do payments at scale with Bitcoin. Hopefully do a social graph at scale with something like Nostra and can build faster, better, quicker and go to market faster, better, quicker with AI tools. The cost of Bitcoin dying and failing is catastrophic. \[Music\] Stand at the precipice. Gold running to 4,000.
(00:43) Bitcoin cooling off after hitting a new all-time high. The debasement trade is on. AI is taking over the world. Or is it? Sitting down with Alex Gretzky to solve all the world's problems again. It's been a while, dude. Yeah, we we solved the world problems like what was it a year ago, 18 months ago. Now we got new problems to deal with. So here we are again.
(01:07) Yeah, a lot has changed and we were just riffing on AI. Is it hype, overhype? Is there something there? Is the way it's being applied, the way it will ultimately be applied um in terms of bringing the most utility and productivity to the world. Where are we in the cycle as somebody who has been toying around with it for quite a long time now? Yeah, I think I don't think my opinion's changed since we we finished up and open sourced the spiritual stuff.
(01:38) Um, my opinion remains that it's a tool. Uh, it's very much like the tractor or uh, you know, the the PC, the laptop, whatever. It's um I think where I've always diverged with a lot of the overhype um or hype in general is that it's some sort of you know second coming of God or um some sort of sentient being that's going to take over the world and all this sort of stuff.
(02:02) I've always felt like that was, you know, the nerd's wet dream, you know, and like overblown uh kind of like esqueologgical um desire to see the circuits take over the world and to prove all the um the religious people wrong, that you know, God can be created in the in the circuit.
(02:29) So, I've always felt like there was a there was a strange um sort of desire for that that was completely logical. And we we might have discussed this last time. It's been so long, but um I know I've rifted with someone about the fact that intelligence or the the concept of general intelligence is just infinite. And what we have with the breakthrough with LLMs has been specialized intelligence around the reproduction of patterns um linguistically first and now uh in applications like video but by no means um is this anywhere near a general intelligence nor is it anywhere near
(03:02) sentience which is you know further down the track. So there was um I shared a tweet with you now from um from Devon Ericson and a couple other people who sort of like pointing at this which is hey this is a a great tool uh it can be used effectively. Um although as with all tools it's quite hard to be used effectively. Most people just use it poorly and they just get slop.
(03:27) And as we're seeing the whole world is sort of or the whole online world is just being filled with more and more and more slop. Um, but if used effectively, um, you can create quite cool things with it. Um, I know, for example, I'm I'm a father now to a newborn and, uh, the little guy was, um, was sneezing the other day and the first thing we did was we just asked Chip, hey, you know, what should we do? Should we get like some saline solution or anything like that? What like what do we do? And we got some good feedback.
(03:58) So, so for like for that kind of stuff, it's a super breakthrough. Um, also for things like the video that you guys did for um for the opportunity cost calculator or the opportunity cost app, like that was \[ \_\_ \] brilliant, man. Um, so so for that stuff fundamentally it's it's great.
(04:17) But does that mean that this is um going to end all the jobs and replace all the human beings and give us some sort of sentient being? \[ \_\_ \] no. like that is just and I think people have sort of slowly come to that conclusion themselves instinctively cuz you know you had GPT3 GPT4 and people like oh yeah by the time we get to GPT5 this thing's going to be like \[ \_\_ \] god and GPT6 it's going to be running the world and here we are GPT5 is not really any different than four um you know we we sort of had that jump between three and four but since then you know
(04:48) everything's kind of tapered off um and all of the different models are kind of you know the same the big guys whether it's Grock GPT Gemini they all sort of like function the same so I feel like we've hit a ceiling there um so yeah that's my that's sort of my thoughts off the cuff yeah the I completely agree cuz it's funny making these videos it's people and we've had a bunch of people come to us like how are you doing this like it like what what is the secret sauce it's like there is no secret sauce like it actually does take hard work like the amount of iterations you have to run through with the
(05:27) generations because you understand that the LLM are actually not smart and do not they're not intelligent. You have to literally handhold them and format things in a certain way. You have to bring the context of a cinematographer and a director and understand how to prompt that. Like it's not easy.
(05:47) We have a bunch of people in our circle saying a we're going to go do this and it's we're going to create similar memes and short films, whatever you want to call them. And it's like, all right, good luck. Cuz it takes us like a week. The last one we just did took 55 hours of work from storyboarding, scripting, and then iterating on generations.
(06:10) And it is simply just a tool that allows us and enables us to do things that would have cost us tens of thousands of dollars and now they cost $5,000. um in labor and minimal cost of credits right now, which they're good. I mean, you pulled up another tweet from from Zoomer. It's like, how sustainable, yes, is the business model for these large language models with how much they're charging customers right now? I think we're probably in a very uh unique and anomalous point in the cost curve for the end customer right now where they're just essentially
(06:46) um trying to subsidize this with loss leading by making tokens super cheap when that we know that the power that uh the cost of the power it takes to actually produce the outputs is far exceeds and hacking the hardware as well far exceeds the what they're charging us. This is this is such a good point.
(07:08) So, actually I um around around the time when we were sort of trying to commercialize Spirit Satoshi 2 years ago now, um this hit me like a ton of bricks as a business owner because we had spent all of this time um training and building and refining and fine-tuning this the the spiritual associ we had finally got to a good enough model that we thought we could charge for it.
(07:36) And when we went to uh some Bitcoin companies to kind of sell it as a assistant, but an assistant that actually understands Bitcoin, um they were only willing to pay like 20 bucks a month or something or maybe 50 bucks a month for it. And when we did the


tags: Indian authorities have launched an investigation into high-net-worth traders suspected of evading cryptocurrency taxes through Binance. The post India: over 400 traders investigated for tax evasion through Binance appeared first on Atlas21.

content:
**_Indian authorities have launched an investigation into high-net-worth traders suspected of evading cryptocurrency taxes through Binance._**
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**India**’s tax authorities have opened a wide-reaching probe into **more than 400** wealthy individuals suspected of avoiding taxes on crypto transactions conducted through **Binance**. [According](https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/markets/cryptocurrency/binance-wallets-decryptedtaxman-moves-in-on-evaders/articleshow/124469585.cms?from=mdr) to _The Economic Times_, the inquiry focuses on traders who operated on the platform between 2022 and 2025.

The **Central Board of Direct Taxes** has issued an internal notice to local tax departments across several cities, requesting a detailed report on actions taken by October 17. The investigation covers the fiscal years from 2022–23 to 2024–25, during which the traders in question allegedly bypassed tax regulations.

The probe goes beyond standard exchange activity, also examining peer-to-peer transactions facilitated by the platform in India and settled through domestic bank accounts, Google Pay, or cash.

### **Government policy**

India’s tax system for cryptocurrencies is among the most burdensome in the world. Market participants face a **1%** tax deducted at source on every transaction, coupled with a **30%** tax on profits. For top-income taxpayers, the effective tax rate can reach **42.7%** when including surcharges and the **4%** cess, an additional levy used to fund targeted programs such as education and healthcare.

The government’s stance toward digital assets remains focused on strict control and taxation. Union Minister **Piyush Goyal** recently [reiterated](https://atlas21.com/india-prepares-to-launch-its-cbdc/) the administration’s intention to intensify efforts on developing a **CBDC**, while maintaining high tax rates on cryptocurrencies.

The post [India: over 400 traders investigated for tax evasion through Binance](https://atlas21.com/india-over-400-traders-investigated-for-tax-evasion-through-binance/) appeared first on [Atlas21](https://atlas21.com).


tags: How democracies and Big Tech are transforming privacy from a fundamental right to a luxury for the few. The post The global erosion of privacy: when security becomes surveillance appeared first on Atlas21.

content:
**_How democracies and Big Tech are transforming privacy from a fundamental right to a luxury for the few._**
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In recent years, it seems that Western democracies are converging toward a common model: introducing mass surveillance systems and mandatory identification, justifying themselves with apparently noble objectives: the **protection of minors**, the **fight against terrorism**, **national security**. Yet, behind these legitimate motivations, lies a transformation of the relationship between citizen and State, where privacy is becoming a privilege of the past rather than a fundamental right.

From the repeated attempts to approve European Chat Control to British identity verifications, from the Swiss e-ID to Australian and Canadian laws, a disturbing pattern emerges: controversial legislations are approved with narrow margins or imposed from above, while citizens find themselves increasingly unable to navigate without leaving traces of their identity.

### **Chat Control**

The European regulatory proposal known as “Chat Control” perhaps represents the most ambitious attempt to normalize mass surveillance in Western democracies. Officially presented as “Regulation to Prevent and Combat Child Sexual Abuse” in May 2022, the legislation aims to impose mandatory scanning of private communications to identify child pornographic material.

Service providers like **WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram** and other messaging services would have to implement automated content scanning systems, including conversations protected by end-to-end encryption. In practice, every message, file, photo or video sent would be analyzed by algorithms before reaching the recipient.

The proposal has faced a tortuous legislative path. After being blocked in December 2024 by a “blocking minority” of European governments, it returned forcefully to the agenda in July 2025 under the Danish presidency of the EU Council.

To allow content scanning, end-to-end encryption would have to be compromised through what technicians call “client-side scanning” – essentially, a **backdoor** installed directly on people’s devices. Signal [has declared](https://www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-privacy-security/chat-control-is-like-a-malware-on-your-device-signal-slams-the-eu-proposal-to-scan-your-private-chats) that the system would function as “malware installed on users’ devices”. As denounced in several parliamentary questions, this approach would undermine Article 7 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, which guarantees respect for private life and communications.

Organizations for digital rights, such as the **Electronic Frontier Foundation** (EFF) and the **Chaos Computer Club** (CCC), [have expressed](https://cyberscoop.com/potential-eu-law-sparks-global-concerns-encryption-privacy/) warnings against client-side scanning, defining it as an “invasive” technology and inherently “susceptible to errors”. Moreover, automatic detection systems produce a high rate of false positives, putting innocent citizens at risk of false accusations.

The most disturbing aspect is represented by the exemptions provided for European politicians, who would enjoy special protections under the rules of “professional secrecy”.

Telegram has already threatened to exit the European market rather than compromise the encryption of its users. Signal has declared that it simply cannot implement backdoors while maintaining its security promises.

Currently, [according](https://fightchatcontrol.eu/) to the **Fight Chat Control** portal, 12 member states support the proposal, 9 declare themselves opposed and 6 have not yet taken a position. The vote, initially scheduled for October 14, 2025, was postponed after the twenty-seven States did not reach an agreement on the Danish presidency’s proposal. The dossier now returns to technical tables and could be resubmitted or reformulated.

### **United Kingdom: the Online Safety Act and the explosion of VPNs**

On July 25, 2025, the **Online Safety Act** came into force in the **United Kingdom**, legislation that imposes age verification to access adult content and potentially harmful materials, requiring the upload of identity documents, bank checks or facial scans. Officially designed to protect minors from inappropriate content, the act requires platforms and websites to verify that users are at least 18 years old through “robust” methods.

However, the definition of content subject to verification rapidly extended beyond adult sites initially targeted by the law. **Discord** and **Reddit** began requiring facial scans from British users. Even seemingly innocent services have been involved, creating a situation where browsing freely requires providing personal identifying data to countless private companies.

Verification methods include uploading photo identity documents, biometric facial scans, or the use of third-party age verification services. In all cases, a database is created that links the individual’s real identity to their online behaviors.

The reaction of British citizens was immediate. **Proton VPN** [registered](https://www.legal.io/articles/5708192/UK-s-Online-Safety-Act-Triggers-VPN-Surge-Amid-Age-Verification-Backlash) an increase in subscriptions exceeding **1,400%** in the hours immediately following the law’s entry into force. Google searches for “VPN” in the United Kingdom skyrocketed by **2,450%.** Other providers reported similar increases.

The government’s response was eloquent. Government officials declared they are _“watching very carefully”_ the use of VPNs. Proposals emerged to extend age verification requirements to VPN services themselves.

The French precedent is emblematic. In June 2025, a similar law (SREN – Sécurité et Régulation de l’Espace Numérique) came into force in **France**, causing the temporary blocking of access to numerous adult sites that preferred to withdraw from the French market rather than implement invasive verification systems; after a precautionary suspension decided in mid-June by the Administrative Court of Paris, the Council of State [annulle](https://www.conseil-etat.fr/en/news/pornographic-websites-the-order-requiring-user-age-verification-is-maintained2)[d](https://www.conseil-etat.fr/en/news/pornographic-websites-the-order-requiring-user-age-verification-is-maintained2) [it](https://www.conseil-etat.fr/en/news/pornographic-websites-the-order-requiring-user-age-verification-is-maintained2), confirming the age verification obligation for the sites concerned.

Simultaneously, the British government [announced](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g54g6vgpdo) the introduction of a mandatory digital identity system by the end of the legislature. The system, initially designed to combat illegal work, requires the use of smartphones and could gradually extend to other public services.

### **Switzerland: digital identity arriving**

On September 28, 2025, **Switzerland** approved the federal law on electronic identity (e-ID): 50.4% favorable votes against 49.6% opposed, with a turnout of 49.55%. The result marks a turning point for a country traditionally attentive to privacy and individual freedoms.

The law creates an optional digital identification system managed entirely by the State, with which citizens will be able to authenticate themselves to authorities and private companies. Possible applications include requesting the digital driver’s license, age verification for purchases subject to restrictions, access to online public services, and identification to private platforms that choose to integrate with the system.

In 2021, Swiss citizens rejected a similar proposal with **over 64%** opposing votes, mainly due to concerns related to data management by private companies. The new model, completely state-run, was presented as a response to those concerns.

Opponents [raised concerns](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/sep/28/swiss-voters-back-electronic-identity-cards-in-close-vote) that go beyond data protection. Those who do not own a smartphone or are not familiar with digital technology risk being progressively excluded from essential services. If electronic identity becomes the standard method to access public services, those who refuse or cannot adopt it become second-class citizens.

### **Australia and Canada**

Australia [became](https://ondato.com/blog/australia-social-media-ban/) the first country in the world to completely ban access to social media (including YouTube) for minors under 16. The law, approved in November 2024 and in force since December 2025, will force platforms to implement age verification systems that could require identity documents or biometric scans for all users. The government [plans](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jul/23/new-rules-will-radically-change-the-way-we-use-the-internet-in-australia-and-not-just-social-media) to proceed with implementation, extending the requirements also to search engines.

In parallel, the Canadian government [is debating](https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/government-border-bill-split-1.7652639) legislation that would grant broad powers to law enforcement, including legal access to electronic communications. **Bill C-2**, called **Strong Borders Act**, is a bill presented in June 2025 that extensively reforms border security, immigration, organized crime repression and anti-money laundering, also introducing new investigative powers in the digital sphere. The proposal raises serious privacy concerns because it lowers the thresholds for obtaining information from online providers, allowing in various cases **requests without judicial warrant** based on simple “reasonable suspicion”. Faced with criticism, the government has signaled the intention to resubmit a revised text that removes some of the more controversial clauses.

### **Google and the war on alternative app stores**

While gover


tags: The P2P Bitcoin trading platform is now available on Android with native Tor support. The post Bisq Easy: the decentralized exchange arrives on Android appeared first on Atlas21.

content:
**_The P2P Bitcoin trading platform is now available on Android with native Tor support._**
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Bisq**, one of the best-known peer-to-peer Bitcoin exchanges, has officially launched its mobile application for **Android** devices. **Bisq Easy** is now available for download both as a direct **APK file** and via the **Google Play Store**.

The app preserves the project’s original philosophy: private **peer-to-peer** transactions without the need for **KYC** (Know Your Customer) or any registration that could compromise user anonymity.

![bisq](https://i0.wp.com/atlas21.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/G2_MsrgaQAAV-Gy.jpeg?resize=1024%2C532&ssl=1)

One of Bisq Easy’s key features is the ability to run a **P2P node directly from the Android device**. The app automatically connects to the **Tor** network, ensuring privacy and secure communications. This implementation replicates the desktop experience: the smartphone becomes a node on the Bisq network, communicating through the integrated Tor network with full encryption.

Attention has also been given to **resource optimization**: when the app runs in the background, network connectivity generally remains active for a variable period depending on system usage and available resources. If the connection is interrupted, the system is designed to automatically reconnect within a few seconds as soon as the user reopens the app.

In addition, the development team is working on **Bisq Connect**, a companion app that will act as a “remote control” for a Bisq desktop node or one hosted on a VPS. This solution will allow users to manage their main node via a secure Tor connection and will be available for both Android and iOS.

The developers encourage users to try the app and share feedback to further improve the service.

The post [Bisq Easy: the decentralized exchange arrives on Android](https://atlas21.com/bisq-easy-the-decentralized-exchange-arrives-on-android/) appeared first on [Atlas21](https://atlas21.com).


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☞ 著作権侵害通知を装うメールでマルウェアを配布 | ScanNetSecurity https://s.netsecurity.ne.jp/article/2025/10/14/53788.html


tags: Chaos or Tyranny? Freedom tech fixes this.

content:
![Chaos, Order, and Freedom](https://www.discreetlog.com/content/images/2023/10/flowchart.png)

**Humanity's Natural State Is Chaos**
Without order there is chaos. Humans competing with each other for scarce resources naturally leads to conflict until one group achieves significant power and instates a "monopoly on violence."

**Power Brings Stability**
Power has always been the key means to achieve stability in societies. Centralized power can be incredibly effective in addressing issues such as crime, poverty, and social unrest efficiently. Unfortunately this power is often abused and corrupted.

**Centralized Power Breeds Tyranny**
Centralized power often leads to tyrannical rule. When a select few individuals hold control over a society, they tend to become corrupted. Centralized power structures often lack accountability and transparency, and rely too heavily on trust.

**Distributed Power Cultivates Freedom**
New technology that empowers individuals provide us the ability to rebuild societies from the bottom up. Strong individuals that can defend and provide for themselves will help build strong local communities on a similar foundation. The result is power being distributed throughout society rather than held by a select few.

**In the short term, relying on trust and centralized power is an easy answer to mitigating chaos, but freedom tech tools provide us the ability to build on top of much stronger distributed foundations that provide stability while also cultivating individual freedom.**

**The solution starts with us. Empower yourself. Empower others. A grassroots freedom tech movement scaling one person at a time.**

* * *

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

![Chaos, Order, and Freedom](https://werunbtc.com/donate.png)


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Alive and kicking


Bisq Easy on Mobile

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tags: How Activist NGOs Have Unintentionally STALLED Progress TOWARDS Ending Gas Flaring

tags: The World Bank set an ambitious goal: eliminate nearly all gas flaring by 2030. Flaring, the burning of excess natural gas during oil extraction, is a major environmental problem, releasing millions of tons of CO2e (CO2 equivalents) in the form of methane and other toxic pollutants into the atmosphere annually. The problem is, flaring only burns 91.1% of the methane, so the other 8.9% goes unburnt directly into the atmosphere. This contributes to climate change significantly because methane is 84 times more warming over a 20 year period than CO2. In regions like the Middle East, flaring has been shown to cause more harm than previously thought, with recent studies revealing higher levels of toxic gases like benzene and sulfur dioxide (source: World Bank Global Gas Flaring Tracker, 2023). Despite the urgency, progress to end flaring has been slow. While there are many factors at play, but one of the most significant barrier is also the most overlooked: environmental NGOs themselves, specifically a small handful of the more ideologically-driven activist environmental NGOs. These organizations, while well-intentioned, have consistently criticized and undermined almost all efforts from outside commercial organizations to collaborate with oil and gas companies to reduce flaring. In this article, we’ll examine how this tendency to label such initiatives as “greenwashing,” their failure to offer viable alternatives, and their creation of an environment of fear have disincentivized other industries from partnering with oil companies to address this critical issue. The result? Flaring continues unabated and the environment, that these NGOs exist to be faithful stewards to, suffers. False positives: The harmful side-effect of calling something “greenwash” that’s not One counter-productive tendency of these NGOs has been their eagerness to label any and all collaboration with oil and gas companies as “greenwashing.” This term, which refers to superficial or misleading environmental claims, has become a catch-all critique for any effort to reduce flaring. These environmental NGO critiques are often reactive rather than analytical. For instance, when General Electric (GE) and Baker Hughes developed technologies to capture and utilize stranded gas, environmental groups like Sierra Club and Greenpeace accused them of “enabling continued fossil fuel extraction” without acknowledging the tangible emissions reductions these technologies achieved (source: Sierra Club Statement, 2020; Greenpeace International, 2020). By focusing on ideological purity rather than measurable outcomes, these NGOs have created a chilling effect, discouraging companies from pursuing innovative solutions to flaring. Incredibly, these criticisms have continued even when direct, measurable, and significant reduction of methane emissions has been the result. For example, when Crusoe Energy, a Bitcoin mining company, partnered with oil producers to convert flared gas into electricity, Jesse Simons, Deputy Director of Sierra Club’s Beyond Dirty Fuels Campaign, dismissed the initiative as “propping up the fossil fuel industry” (source: Sierra Club Press Release, 2022). Similarly, John Noël, Senior Climate Campaigner at Greenpeace USA, criticized ExxonMobil’s pilot project with Crusoe in the Permian Basin, calling it a “distraction from the urgent need to phase out fossil fuels entirely” (source: Greenpeace USA Statement, 2021). Criticism Without Solutions Another issue is the tendency of these NGOs to criticize without offering alternatives. For example, when BP partnered with Climeworks, a carbon capture company, to explore using captured methane for industrial purposes, and when Shell worked with Enerflex, a gas processing company to reduce flaring at their oilfields, Carroll Muffett, President of the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), accused both companies of using flaring reduction as a “public relations tool” (source: CIEL Press Release, 2021). Similarly, Friends of the Earth criticized waste-to-energy startup Ener-Core for “perpetuating the fossil fuel economy” without proposing a practical alternative for addressing stranded gas (source: Friends of the Earth Report, 2019). While it is an absolutely legitimate function of an environmental NGO to help the public understand when genuine greenwash is at play, the universal tendency across NGOs to label all collaborations with oil companies to end flaring as “greenwash” suggests strongly that there is neither analysis nor discrimination at play here on the part of these environmental NGOs, rather guilty verdict by virtue of the fact one would deign to partner with an oil company. Well, if outside organizations cannot partner with oil companies to deal with methane emissions, oil companies will continue with their own solution: flaring. The environment deserves better service than that. This pattern of criticism without constructive solutions is not only unhelpful but counterproductive. Flaring is a complex problem that requires immediate action. The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that oil will still account for 22% of global energy demand in 2050, even in a net-zero scenario (source: IEA Net Zero by 2050 Report, 2021). Given this reality, the choice is not between oil production and no oil production—it is between flaring/venting and utilizing the gas in a way that reduces emissions. By dismissing efforts to address flaring without offering viable alternatives, these NGOs have effectively pushed the industry toward the most environmentally harmful option: continued flaring. How an Environment of Fear Disincentivizes Collaboration Perhaps the most counterproductive consequence of these NGOs’ actions is the environment of fear they have created. Companies that might otherwise partner with oil and gas producers to reduce flaring are often deterred by the risk of reputational damage. For example, renewable energy developers like NextEra Energy and Ørsted have considered using stranded gas for power generation but faced backlash from groups like 350.org and Oil Change International. These organizations accused NextEra of “betraying its renewable energy mission” and Ørsted of “legitimizing the fossil fuel industry” (source: 350.org Press Release, 2021; Oil Change International Report, 2021). This environment of fear has stifled innovation and collaboration. Waste-to-energy startups, renewable energy developers, and even technology giants like GE and Baker Hughes have been reluctant to engage with oil and gas companies, fearing the wrath of activist NGOs. The result is a missed opportunity to reduce emissions and accelerate the transition to a cleaner energy future. Bitcoin Mining: A Pragmatic Exception In this context, Bitcoin mining has emerged as a rare exception. Companies like Crusoe Energy and Upstream Data have been willing to partner with oil producers to convert flared gas into electricity, reducing emissions and generating economic value. These initiatives have been praised by the World Economic Forum for their tangible impact on flaring reduction, even as they face criticism from some NGOs. Crusoe’s projects in North Dakota and Wyoming have reduced flaring by over 90% at partnered sites (source: Crusoe Energy Case Studies, 2023). Similarly, Upstream Data’s operations in Canada have prevented millions of tons of CO2-equivalent emissions annually (source: Upstream Data Reports, 2022). Bitcoin mining’s success in addressing flaring highlights the importance of focusing on outcomes over ideology. NGOs like Sierra Club and Greenpeace were highly criticized of these partnerships at their inception, but have not acknowledged the measurable emissions reductions they ended up achieving. Analysis before ideology For us to have any hope of working collaboratively to end flaring, it’s critical for enviromental NGOs to step up and stop crying “greenwash” without analysis, as has been their tendency, to the detriment of the environment and collaborative action. The fight against flaring is too important to be derailed by ideological purity, and there is a phrase in the environmental movement that they would do well to remember “the perfect is the enemy of the good”. While the intentions of activist NGOs are good, good intentions divorsed from nuanced thinking can and has been counterproductive to the very environmental progress they only exist to create. Their reactive criticism, lack of viable alternatives, and creation of an environment of fear have hindered progress on this critical issue. To truly address flaring, we need a new approach—one that prioritizes measurable outcomes and encourages collaboration. These critiques, while well-intentioned, are misguided. By discouraging collaboration with oil companies, these NGOs inadvertently push the industry to deal with methane emissions in the most environmentally harmful way: flaring or venting. Continued inaction is simply not an option. It’s time for environmental organizations to stop criticicing every imperfect effort to move forward, and get their own house in order. In practical terms, this means: Properly evaluating whether collaborations are greenwash, or whether they can make a measurable difference Learning to work alongside commercial operations to better understand their motivations and strategies before simply criticizing them Taking time to do their own research, including engaging with experts in the domain (something that has been conspicuous by its absent in NGOs criticisms of Bitcoin mining and other industries) Take responsibility for the fact that they have the power to aid environmental progress, but equally the power to hinder progress through criticizing they may not fully understand and which may in fact be a solution, or part of the solution. Free themselves from the trap of overzealously declaring “greenwashing” even when it’s a false positive, and focus on what really matters: working collaboratively to reduce emissions and protecting the environment.

content:
The World Bank set an ambitious goal: eliminate nearly [all gas flaring by 2030](https://www.worldbank.org/en/programs/zero-routine-flaring-by-2030). Flaring, the burning of excess natural gas during oil extraction, is a [major environmental problem](https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-63051458), releasing millions of tons of CO2e (CO2 equivalents) in the form of methane and other toxic pollutants into the atmosphere annually. The problem is, flaring only burns 91.1% of the methane, so the other 8.9% goes unburnt directly into the atmosphere. This contributes to climate change significantly because methane is [84 times more warming](https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/speech/methane-action-tackling-warming-planet) over a 20 year period than CO2.

![](https://batcoinz.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Screen-Shot-2025-01-28-at-9.59.33-AM-1024x679.png)

In regions like the Middle East, flaring has been shown to cause more harm than previously thought, with recent studies revealing [higher levels of toxic gases](https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-67522413) like benzene and sulfur dioxide (source: _World Bank Global Gas Flaring Tracker, 2023_). Despite the urgency, progress to end flaring has been slow. While there are many factors at play, but one of the most significant barrier is also the most overlooked: environmental NGOs themselves, specifically a small handful of the more ideologically-driven activist environmental NGOs.

These organizations, while well-intentioned, have consistently criticized and undermined almost all efforts from outside commercial organizations to collaborate with oil and gas companies to reduce flaring. In this article, we’ll examine how this tendency to label such initiatives as “greenwashing,” their failure to offer viable alternatives, and their creation of an environment of fear have disincentivized other industries from partnering with oil companies to address this critical issue.

The result? Flaring continues unabated and the environment, that these NGOs exist to be faithful stewards to, suffers.

* * *

### False positives: **The harmful side-effect of calling something “greenwash” that’s not**

One counter-productive tendency of these NGOs has been their eagerness to label any and all collaboration with oil and gas companies as “greenwashing.” This term, which refers to superficial or misleading environmental claims, has become a catch-all critique for any effort to reduce flaring.

These environmental NGO critiques are often reactive rather than analytical. For instance, when General Electric (GE) and Baker Hughes developed technologies to capture and utilize stranded gas, environmental groups like Sierra Club and Greenpeace accused them of “enabling continued fossil fuel extraction” without acknowledging the tangible emissions reductions these technologies achieved (source: _Sierra Club Statement, 2020_; _Greenpeace International, 2020_). By focusing on ideological purity rather than measurable outcomes, these NGOs have created a chilling effect, discouraging companies from pursuing innovative solutions to flaring.

Incredibly, these criticisms have continued even when direct, measurable, and significant reduction of methane emissions has been the result. For example, when Crusoe Energy, a Bitcoin mining company, partnered with oil producers to convert flared gas into electricity, Jesse Simons, Deputy Director of Sierra Club’s Beyond Dirty Fuels Campaign, dismissed the initiative as “propping up the fossil fuel industry” (source: _Sierra Club Press Release, 2022_). Similarly, John Noël, Senior Climate Campaigner at Greenpeace USA, criticized ExxonMobil’s pilot project with Crusoe in the Permian Basin, calling it a “distraction from the urgent need to phase out fossil fuels entirely” (source: _Greenpeace USA Statement, 2021_).

* * *

### **Criticism Without Solutions**

Another issue is the tendency of these NGOs to criticize without offering alternatives. For example, when BP partnered with Climeworks, a carbon capture company, to explore using captured methane for industrial purposes, and when Shell worked with Enerflex, a gas processing company to reduce flaring at their oilfields, Carroll Muffett, President of the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), accused both companies of using flaring reduction as a “public relations tool” (source: _CIEL Press Release, 2021_). Similarly, Friends of the Earth criticized waste-to-energy startup Ener-Core for “perpetuating the fossil fuel economy” without proposing a practical alternative for addressing stranded gas (source: _Friends of the Earth Report, 2019_).

While it is an absolutely legitimate function of an environmental NGO to help the public understand when genuine greenwash is at play, the universal tendency across NGOs to label all collaborations with oil companies to end flaring as “greenwash” suggests strongly that there is neither analysis nor discrimination at play here on the part of these environmental NGOs, rather guilty verdict by virtue of the fact one would deign to partner with an oil company. Well, if outside organizations cannot partner with oil companies to deal with methane emissions, oil companies will continue with their own solution: flaring. The environment deserves better service than that.

This pattern of criticism without constructive solutions is not only unhelpful but counterproductive. Flaring is a complex problem that requires immediate action. The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that oil will still account for 22% of global energy demand in 2050, even in a net-zero scenario (source: _IEA Net Zero by 2050 Report, 2021_). Given this reality, the choice is not between oil production and no oil production—it is between flaring/venting and utilizing the gas in a way that reduces emissions. By dismissing efforts to address flaring without offering viable alternatives, these NGOs have effectively pushed the industry toward the most environmentally harmful option: continued flaring.

* * *

### **How an Environment of Fear Disincentivizes Collaboration**

Perhaps the most counterproductive consequence of these NGOs’ actions is the environment of fear they have created. Companies that might otherwise partner with oil and gas producers to reduce flaring are often deterred by the risk of reputational damage. For example, renewable energy developers like NextEra Energy and Ørsted have considered using stranded gas for power generation but faced backlash from groups like 350.org and Oil Change International. These organizations accused NextEra of “betraying its renewable energy mission” and Ørsted of “legitimizing the fossil fuel industry” (source: _350.org Press Release, 2021_; _Oil Change International Report, 2021_).

This environment of fear has stifled innovation and collaboration. Waste-to-energy startups, renewable energy developers, and even technology giants like GE and Baker Hughes have been reluctant to engage with oil and gas companies, fearing the wrath of activist NGOs. The result is a missed opportunity to reduce emissions and accelerate the transition to a cleaner energy future.

* * *

### **Bitcoin Mining: A Pragmatic Exception**

In this context, Bitcoin mining has emerged as a rare exception. Companies like Crusoe Energy and Upstream Data have been willing to partner with oil producers to convert flared gas into electricity, reducing emissions and generating economic value. These initiatives have been [praised by the World Economic Forum](https://www.weforum.org/videos/this-start-up-catches-waste-methane-to-power-data-centres/) for their tangible impact on flaring reduction, even as they face criticism from some NGOs. Crusoe’s projects in North Dakota and Wyoming have reduced flaring by over 90% at partnered sites (source: _Crusoe Energy Case Studies, 2023_). Similarly, Upstream Data’s operations in Canada have prevented millions of tons of CO2-equivalent emissions annually (source: _Upstream Data Reports, 2022_).

Bitcoin mining’s success in addressing flaring highlights the importance of focusing on outcomes over ideology. NGOs like Sierra Club and Greenpeace were highly criticized of these partnerships at their inception, but have not acknowledged the measurable emissions reductions they ended up achieving.

* * *

### **Analysis before ideology**

For us to have any hope of working collaboratively to end flaring, it’s critical for enviromental NGOs to step up and stop crying “greenwash” without analysis, as has been their tendency, to the detriment of the environment and collaborative action. The fight against flaring is too important to be derailed by ideological purity, and there is a phrase in the environmental movement that they would do well to remember “the perfect is the enemy of the good”.

While the intentions of activist NGOs are good, good intentions divorsed from nuanced thinking can and has been counterproductive to the very environmental progress they only exist to create. Their reactive criticism, lack of viable alternatives, and creation of an environment of fear have hindered progress on this critical issue. To truly address flaring, we need a new approach—one that prioritizes measurable outcomes and encourages collaboration.

These critiques, while well-intentioned, are misguided. By discouraging collaboration with oil companies, these NGOs inadvertently push the industry to deal with methane emissions in the most environmentally harmful way: flaring or venting.

Continued inaction is simply not an option. It’s time for environmental organizations to stop criticicing every imperfect effort to move forward, and get their own house in order. In practical terms, this means:

1.  Properly evaluating whether collaborations are greenwash, or whether they can make a measurable difference
2.  Learning to work alongside commercial operations to better understand their motivations and strategies before simply criticizing them
3.  Taki


tags: A short note: nunca tinha parado para analisar por essa perspect...

content: nunca tinha parado para analisar por essa perspectiva


tags: Quote by coryklippsten in #BitcoinTwitter

tags:
alt I used to love Bitcoin.

I still do, I just used to love it, too.

content:
I used to love Bitcoin.

I still do, I just used to love it, too.
 - nostr:npub18p63njhaxftx3m8luk2h0umj8p3cmfx09kv9hqhext7gr5ea585qsc0k8k

#BitcoinTwitter
https://bitcointwitter.web.app/images/383.png


O61TCjNh22oKEmE4y11sp7/OqifA3cqq06HtTVUhBtd88lMn4/jbUorH1mLzgWX1?iv=2Xen7vS/qWDkZ3LBNtp89A==


tags: Bitcoin Magazine Trump White House Could Soon Pardon Former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao: FOX People close to Changpeng Zhao, the former CEO of Binance better known as ‘CZ,’ say discussions are intensifying inside the Trump White House over whether to issue a presidential pardon for the embattled crypto executive, according to reporting from Charles Gasparino, a Senior Correspondent at FOX Business. Zhao, once among the most influential figures in the digital asset world, served time following a plea deal with the U.S. Department of Justice in 2023 that included a money-laundering conviction and $4.3 billion in fines for Binance. But according to several sources familiar with the matter, many within Trump’s inner circle now view the case as politically motivated — a hallmark of what they describe as the Biden administration’s broader crackdown on crypto. Zhao remains Binance’s largest individual shareholder, and a pardon could clear the way for his formal return to the exchange, which he founded in 2017 and grew into the world’s largest Bitcoin and crypto trading platform. Speculation of a Trump pardon has been looming for most of this year, but the decision is reportedly coming soon. CZ background Zhao’s 2023 conviction marked one of the most high-profile cases in the government’s campaign against major exchanges. U.S. prosecutors accused Binance of allowing illicit transactions with sanctioned entities and failing to implement proper anti-money-laundering controls. CZ pleaded guilty, stepped down as CEO, and paid a personal fine of $50 million. Zhao served a four-month prison sentence. He was sentenced in April 2024 and released in September 2024, after spending time in a low-security federal prison in California and then a halfway house. Despite this, even critics of Binance have questioned whether the criminal charges were proportionate. Trump’s team reportedly sees Zhao’s situation as an opportunity to demonstrate a “new era” of crypto policy — one that favors innovation over punishment. A decision could come before year’s end, but Trump’s attention is divided between foreign policy flashpoints — including conflicts in Gaza, Ukraine, and renewed trade tensions with China — and that clemency discussions often take longer than expected, according to Gasparino. For now, the crypto world is watching closely. A Trump pardon for CZ would mark not only a personal vindication for Zhao, but also be somewhat of a political statement: Trump signaling that the world’s most powerful government is truly open for Bitcoin business. This post Trump White House Could Soon Pardon Former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao: FOX first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.

content:
[Bitcoin Magazine](https://bitcoinmagazine.com)
![](https://bitcoinmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Trump-White-House-Could-Soon-Pardon-Former-Binance-CEO-Changpeng-Zhao-FOX.jpg)
[Trump White House Could Soon Pardon Former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao: FOX](https://bitcoinmagazine.com/news/trump-white-house-could-soon-pardon-former-binance-ceo-changpeng-zhao-fox)

People close to Changpeng Zhao, the former CEO of Binance better known as ‘CZ,’ say discussions are intensifying inside the Trump White House over whether to issue a presidential pardon for the embattled crypto executive, according to [reporting](https://x.com/CGasparino/status/1976739639684653313) from Charles Gasparino, a Senior Correspondent at FOX Business.

Zhao, once among the most influential figures in the digital asset world, served time following a [plea deal](https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/binance-and-ceo-plead-guilty-federal-charges-4b-resolution) with the U.S. Department of Justice in 2023 that included a money-laundering conviction and $4.3 billion in fines for Binance.

But according to several sources familiar with the matter, many within Trump’s inner circle now view the case as politically motivated — a hallmark of what they describe as the [Biden administration’s broader crackdown on crypto](https://bitcoinmagazine.com/culture/president-bidens-executive-order-on-bitcoin).

Zhao remains Binance’s largest individual shareholder, and a pardon could [clear the way](https://bitcoinmagazine.com/legal/binance-ceo-changpeng-zhao-pleads-guilty-steps-down) for his formal return to the exchange, which he founded in 2017 and grew into the world’s largest Bitcoin and crypto trading platform.

Speculation of a Trump pardon [has been looming](https://crypto.news/trump-family-in-talks-for-binance-stake-amid-push-for-cz-pardon-wsj/) for most of this year, but the decision is reportedly coming soon.

CZ background
-------------

Zhao’s 2023 conviction marked one of the most high-profile cases in the government’s campaign against major exchanges.

U.S. prosecutors accused Binance of allowing illicit transactions with sanctioned entities and failing to implement proper anti-money-laundering controls. CZ [pleaded](https://bitcoinmagazine.com/legal/binance-ceo-changpeng-zhao-pleads-guilty-steps-down) guilty, stepped down as CEO, and paid a personal fine of $50 million.

Zhao served a four-month prison sentence. He was sentenced in April 2024 and released in September 2024, after spending time in a low-security federal prison in California and then a halfway house.

Despite this, even critics of Binance have questioned whether the criminal charges were proportionate. Trump’s team reportedly sees Zhao’s situation as an opportunity to demonstrate a “new era” of crypto policy — one that favors innovation over punishment.

A decision could come before year’s end, but Trump’s attention is divided between foreign policy flashpoints — including conflicts in Gaza, Ukraine, and [renewed trade tensions](https://bitcoinmagazine.com/markets/bitcoin-price-sinks-to-118000) with China — and that clemency discussions often take longer than expected, according to Gasparino.

For now, the crypto world is watching closely. A Trump pardon for CZ would mark not only a personal vindication for Zhao, but also be somewhat of a political statement: Trump signaling that the world’s most powerful government is truly open for Bitcoin business.

This post [Trump White House Could Soon Pardon Former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao: FOX](https://bitcoinmagazine.com/news/trump-white-house-could-soon-pardon-former-binance-ceo-changpeng-zhao-fox) first appeared on [Bitcoin Magazine](https://bitcoinmagazine.com) and is written by [Micah Zimmerman](https://bitcoinmagazine.com/authors/micahzimmerman).


WX6TenzEg9TSJ1Fjfdu0qGCzHm8mVyA1wcZaIXi0JIlB5zSGv8sc7Ju7p4kTdae8?iv=2DNEjyl3C2kavqwOfsFy7w==


text: 灯火

text: 分散は

text: 信じて

text: ビジホ

text: 、仲間

text: 、Calmaの心を

text: 壊れて

text: 、鳥たちの安全

text: 。避難と連絡を最優先

text: を最優先に、

text: 仲間を信じ

text: 守ろう。

text: ではなく

text: に歩みましょう。

text: Calmaの心持ち

text: 強い武器。

text: 。明日へ

text: 分散の意味が現実になる

text: は信じ


1syzJFnHWqT335HYEP5q8lQYxlD+8rcJE9MRaXkSAIg9A+FgM0RaX/FMaBvdqklD?iv=7V0+u0tB8lSIt5S9DFt4IQ==


LY45ABwIggL6p24xiPDlelK1ksuEFNLn98nnt5VyY5HcIWJetJfiTVpYb8X7YmLojtjmyiZtRHX2hUCebmj1Fw==?iv=Ir3HJWg+zs6fg09kWtq6Mw==


RSS-to-Nostr of Nature

about:
RSS-to-Nostr feed of Nature
More RSS-To-Nostr can be found in my following list


> ![Life is Complicated - Bitcoin is Simple](https://www.discreetlog.com/content/images/2023/05/mothers.jpg)
>
> I often hear "bitcoin doesn't interest me, I'm not a finance person."
>
> Ironically, the beauty of sound money is you don't have to be. In the current system you're expected to manage a diversified investment portfolio or pay someone to do it. Bitcoin will make that optional.
>
> — ODELL (@ODELL) [September 16, 2018](https://twitter.com/ODELL/status/1041358813482364928?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=discreetlog.com)

At first glance bitcoin often appears overwhelming to newcomers. It is incredibly easy to get bogged down in the details of how it works or different ways to use it. Enthusiasts, such as myself, often enjoy going down the deep rabbit hole of the potential of bitcoin, possible pitfalls and theoretical scenarios, power user techniques, and the developer ecosystem. If your first touch point with bitcoin is that type of content then it is only natural to be overwhelmed. While it is important that we have a thriving community of bitcoiners dedicated to these complicated tasks - the true beauty of bitcoin lies in its simplicity. Bitcoin is simply better money. It is the best money we have ever had.

**Life is complicated. Life is hard. Life is full of responsibility and surprises.** Bitcoin allows us to focus on our lives while relying on a money that is simple. A money that is not controlled by any individual, company, or government. A money that cannot be easily seized or blocked. A money that cannot be devalued at will by a handful of corrupt bureaucrat who live hundreds of miles from us. A money that can be easily saved and should increase in purchasing power over time without having to learn how to "build a diversified stock portfolio" or hire someone to do it for us.

**Bitcoin enables all of us to focus on our lives - our friends and family - doing what we love with the short time we have on this earth. Time is scarce. Life is complicated. Bitcoin is the most simple aspect of our complicated lives.** If we spend our scarce time working then we should be able to easily save that accrued value for future generations without watching the news or understanding complicated financial markets. Bitcoin makes this possible for anyone.

Yesterday was Mother's Day. Raising a human is complicated. It is hard, it requires immense personal responsibility, it requires critical thinking, but mothers figure it out, because it is worth it. Using and saving bitcoin is simple -  [simply install an app on your phone](https://werunbtc.com/phoenix?ref=discreetlog.com). Every mother can do it. Every person can do it.

**Life is complicated. Life is beautiful. Bitcoin is simple.**

* * *

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

![Life is Complicated - Bitcoin is Simple](https://werunbtc.com/donate.png)


![Big Tech 🤝 Bitcoin Miners: Energy Freedom](https://www.discreetlog.com/content/images/2023/09/mscloud.jpg)

For years American bitcoin miners have argued for more efficient and free energy markets. It benefits everyone if our energy infrastructure is as efficient and robust as possible. Unfortunately, broken incentives have led to increased regulation throughout the sector, incentivizing less efficient energy sources such as solar and wind at the detriment of more efficient alternatives.

The result has been less reliable energy infrastructure for all Americans and increased energy costs across the board. This naturally has a direct impact on bitcoin miners: increased energy costs make them less competitive globally.

Bitcoin mining represents a global energy market that does not require permission to participate. Anyone can plug a mining computer into power and internet to get paid the current dynamic market price for their work in bitcoin. Using cellphone or satellite internet, these mines can be located anywhere in the world, sourcing the cheapest power available.

Absent of regulation, bitcoin mining naturally incentivizes the build out of highly efficient and robust energy infrastructure. Unfortunately that world does not exist and burdensome regulations remain the biggest threat for US based mining businesses. Jurisdictional arbitrage gives miners the option of moving to a friendlier country but that naturally comes with its own costs.

Enter AI. With the rapid development and release of AI tools comes the requirement of running massive datacenters for their models. Major tech companies are scrambling to secure machines, rack space, and cheap energy to run full suites of AI enabled tools and services. **The most valuable and powerful tech companies in America have stumbled into an accidental alliance with bitcoin miners: THE NEED FOR CHEAP AND RELIABLE ENERGY.**

Our government is corrupt. Money talks. These companies will push for energy freedom and it will greatly benefit us all.

* * *

_Microsoft Cloud hiring to "implement global small modular reactor and microreactor" strategy to power data centers:_ [https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/microsoft-cloud-hiring-to-implement-global-small-modular-reactor-and-microreactor-strategy-to-power-data-centers/](https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/microsoft-cloud-hiring-to-implement-global-small-modular-reactor-and-microreactor-strategy-to-power-data-centers/?ref=discreetlog.com)

* * *

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

![Big Tech 🤝 Bitcoin Miners: Energy Freedom](https://werunbtc.com/donate.png)


probe


> !['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)


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