Author: Tristan Lodenberg

U.S.-listed spot Bitcoin exchange traded funds continued to see capital exit the market, shedding $165.8 million in net outflows on Thursday. The latest redemptions pushed total weekly losses to $403.9 million and brought year to date outflows to approximately $2.7 billion, raising the prospect of a fifth consecutive week of net withdrawals. Trading activity has also cooled. Weekly ETF volume declined by 21%, marking the lowest level since late December and reflecting fading investor participation. Despite cumulative net inflows of $53.9 billion since launch, the recent shift underscores weakening demand for Bitcoin exposure through regulated investment vehicles. BlackRock IBIT Leads…

South Korean financial authorities are facing mounting political pressure after crypto exchange Bithumb mistakenly credited users with bitcoin it did not hold, briefly triggering market disruption and renewed scrutiny of regulatory oversight. During a promotional event on Feb. 6, Bithumb erroneously credited 2,000 BTC to each eligible user instead of 2,000 Korean won (approximately $1.40). In total, 620,000 BTC were reflected in customer accounts despite not existing on the platform’s balance sheet. At current market prices near $67,900 per Bitcoin, the miscredited amount represented roughly $43 billion. Lawmakers criticized the Financial Services Commission (FSC), arguing the regulator failed to identify…

On chain analytics platform Parsec has announced it is winding down operations after five years, citing structural shifts in crypto markets and declining activity across decentralized finance and NFT sectors. Chief Executive Will Sheehan said the company’s strategic focus increasingly diverged from where the industry moved, particularly following the collapse of FTX. He noted that DeFi spot lending and leveraged activity never fully recovered in the same form, while broader on-chain behavior evolved in ways that proved difficult to anticipate. The NFT market has also contracted. Industry data shows total NFT sales reached approximately $5.63 billion in 2025, down 37%…

Bitcoin mining difficulty climbed 14.7% to 144.4 trillion at block height 937,440, marking the largest absolute increase ever recorded on the network. The adjustment follows a sharp rebound in hashrate after widespread weather related power curtailments across the United States temporarily disrupted mining operations. Mining difficulty, a relative measure of how hard it is to produce a new block, automatically adjusts every 2,016 blocks roughly two weeks to maintain an average 10 minute block interval on the Bitcoin network. During the most recent epoch, blocks were mined at an average of 8 minutes and 47 seconds, significantly faster than the…

Tokyo listed firm Metaplanet has moved to address mounting online criticism over its bitcoin acquisition strategy and financial disclosures. CEO Simon Gerovich publicly defended the company’s record, rejecting allegations that it concealed high-cost bitcoin purchases or failed to disclose borrowing details properly. Gerovich stated that all company bitcoin wallet addresses are accessible through a live dashboard available to shareholders, arguing that claims of non transparency are “factually incorrect.” He acknowledged that certain loan details, including lender identities and exact interest rates, were withheld at the request of counterparties for confidentiality reasons. Bitcoin Accumulation Strategy Faces Market Pressure Metaplanet’s strategy centers…

A federal judge in Tennessee has granted a preliminary injunction preventing state officials from enforcing local sports betting laws against Kalshi and its sports related event contracts. In a ruling issued Thursday, U.S. District Judge Aleta A. Trauger concluded that Kalshi is likely to succeed in arguing its contracts qualify as “swaps” under the Commodity Exchange Act. If upheld, that interpretation would place the contracts under exclusive federal oversight and potentially preempt state-level gambling regulations. The injunction blocks individual Tennessee officials from pursuing enforcement under the Tennessee Sports Gaming Act while the litigation proceeds. Commodity Exchange Act at Center of…

Shares of Gemini Space Station remain near record lows, but analysts at Mizuho Financial Group believe much of the recent turbulence may already be priced into the stock. In a recent research note, Mizuho reiterated its “outperform” rating and maintained a $26 price target, even after the departures of Gemini’s chief operating officer, chief financial officer, and chief legal officer. The firm argued that while the leadership exits are negative developments, the steep share decline suggests investors have already absorbed much of the impact. Gemini stock has fallen sharply in recent weeks, trading around $6.02 after losing more than 40%…

Momentum is building in Washington for long-awaited digital asset legislation, with Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse stating that the proposed CLARITY Act now has a 90% chance of passing by the end of April. The bill aims to resolve one of the most pressing issues in the U.S. crypto sector: defining which digital assets qualify as securities and which fall under commodities regulation. The legislation would draw a clearer line between oversight by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Industry leaders argue that this distinction is essential to remove uncertainty that has slowed innovation and…

Monthly transaction volume on the Lightning Network exceeded $1 billion for the first time in November 2025, signaling continued growth in Bitcoin based payments even during a subdued price environment. According to a report from River Financial, Lightning processed an estimated $1.1 billion in volume across approximately 5.2 million transactions during the month. The milestone was reached despite a broader pullback in Bitcoin prices throughout the year. The report attributes much of the adoption to crypto exchanges and an expanding number of merchants integrating Bitcoin payments. While transaction counts remain below the 2023 peak of 6.6 million monthly transfers driven…

Recent weakness in Bitcoin is unlikely to be the result of quantum computing fears, according to veteran developer Matt Corallo, who dismissed the theory as inconsistent with broader market behavior. Speaking on the Unchained podcast, Corallo said that if investors were genuinely concerned about near-term quantum threats to Bitcoin’s cryptography, other major networks such as Ether would likely be outperforming sharply. Instead, Ether has also experienced significant declines in recent months, undermining the argument that capital is rotating away from Bitcoin due to quantum risk. Bitcoin has fallen roughly 46% from its October all time high near $126,000 to trade…