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German government transfers another $56M in Bitcoin to exchanges.
German government transfers Bitcoin holdings The German government has continued to transfer its Bitcoin holdings to exchanges, moving over $56 million worth of cryptocurrencies in multiple transactions. Blockchain data shows that addresses associated with the government sent 500 Bitcoin (BTC) to the Bitstamp and Coinbase exchanges (250 BTC each), as well as another 500 BTC to an unmarked address. These actions are related to the seizure of nearly 50,000 Bitcoin in 2013 from the now-defunct piracy site Movie2K. These Bitcoin would be worth about $2.3 billion today. Germany transfers cryptocurrencies worth $390 million Since mid-June, Germany has moved around $390 million worth of cryptocurrencies to various platforms, indicating possible intentions to sell some of its reserves. These activities have contributed to the volatility of the Bitcoin price. Last week, the price fell below $55,000. Despite these transfers, Germany still holds about 40,000 Bitcoin, worth almost $2.2 billion and representing a significant portion of daily trading volume. Further liquidation could pose additional risks to the stability of the Bitcoin cryptocurrency. Payouts to creditors of the Mt. Gox collapse These transactions come as long-awaited payouts to creditors of the 2014 Mt. Gox collapse are set to begin. This could further increase selling pressure in an already bearish (falling) market environment.
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'Asia's MicroStrategy': Metaplanet buys another ¥400 million Bitcoin
Metaplanet buys another ¥400 million in Bitcoin Metaplanet, a Japanese company originally specializing in operating hotels, has announced the purchase of an additional ¥400 million (about $2.5 million) in Bitcoin, continuing its strategy of using Bitcoin as a treasury reserve asset. On July 8, Metaplanet acquired 42,466 Bitcoin, bringing the company's total holdings to about 203 Bitcoin. These were purchased for around ¥2.05 billion (about $12.7 million) at an average price of ¥10 million (about $62,000) per coin. Similarity to MicroStrategy’s strategy Metaplanet's strategy is similar to that of MicroStrategy, a US software company that has accumulated over 200,000 Bitcoin. These holdings are now worth $15 billion, making MicroStrategy the largest corporate holder of Bitcoin. Metaplanet's share price often reflects the performance of the Bitcoin market, thus providing investors with indirect Bitcoin exposure. The company believes this strategy mitigates the risk of yen depreciation. The yen has been heavily depreciated due to the Bank of Japan's continued low interest rates, despite global monetary tightening trends. Consistent Bitcoin purchase as a commitment to the future Although the amounts are relatively small in comparison, Metaplanet's consistent Bitcoin purchase shows a strong commitment, similar to that of "Asia's MicroStrategy." The company aims to profit from future Bitcoin adoption.
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Bitcoin price falls as Mt. Gox begins repayments
Bitcoin price falls below 55,000 USD This week, Bitcoin price fell below $55,000 for the first time since February as the Mt. Gox exchange began distributing owed funds, marking the end of a long wait since the collapse of Mt. Gox in 2014. Repayment to creditors Mt. Gox has announced that it has begun repaying creditors, paying out a total of approximately $9 billion in Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash and fiat currency. This has put significant selling pressure on the market, causing Bitcoin to fall by over 6 percent. Cold Storage Transfer and Concerns On Thursday, Mt. Gox transferred around 47,000 bitcoin worth nearly $2.7 billion from cold storage, raising concerns that creditors might sell those coins. These repayments are an important step toward resolving Mt. Gox's bankruptcy proceedings following the 2014 hack. Forecasts and market stress Analysts are predicting short-term price drops to $50,000 due to selling pressure from Mt. Gox withdrawals. Ongoing German government transfers are adding to market stress, while others argue that withdrawal volumes may have limited impact on the market. Expected volatility Due to the Mt. Gox payouts and the upcoming German government sales for July, significant volatility is expected in the market in the near future, with analysts warning of sharp fluctuations in the coming weeks.
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German government transfers over $75 million in Bitcoin to crypto exchanges.
Bitcoin transfer from the Federal Criminal Police Office The Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) transferred about $75 million in Bitcoin to various exchanges such as Coinbase, Kraken and Bitstamp on July 4. This comes after the movement of around $315 million in Bitcoin since mid-June. In less than a month, this makes a total movement of over $390 million. These funds come from a seizure of almost 50,000 Bitcoin in 2013 from the former operator of the piracy website Movie2K. These Bitcoins are worth an estimated $2.3 billion today. Germany and Bitcoin reserves The ongoing transfers of Bitcoin to exchanges suggest that Germany may be planning to liquidate some of its reserves. This has contributed to a decline in the price of Bitcoin, which has fallen below $58,000 this week. Despite the recent sales, Germany still holds about 40,000 Bitcoin. Comparison with the USA and Mt. Gox Germany's selling is comparable to recent activity by the U.S. government, which is also holding bitcoin from criminal seizures, raising concerns about potential market impacts. These pressures are compounded by the impending repayment to creditors of the 2014 Mt. Gox collapse, which is expected to begin in July. Despite fears of market disruption, some argue that these moves represent only a small fraction of daily bitcoin trading volumes.
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Karate Combat launches at Bitcoin 2024 conference in Nashville.
Karate Combat at the Bitcoin 2024 Conference Karate Combat, a renowned full-contact striking league (a league in which fighters are allowed to strike with full contact intensity), will be showcased at Bitcoin 2024, the largest Bitcoin conference, at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium in Tennessee on July 25. The event promises intense martial arts action as top fighters compete in the so-called Karate Combat Pit (a specially designed fighting area). Main attraction: Influencer Fight Club 3 The main attraction of the event is "Influencer Fight Club 3," which features well-known personalities: Nic "Tungsten Daddy" Carter fights against Coty Kuhn and Eric Velie (also known as Grimace) fights against Harley Hermanson. Professional Fighters and Popularity of Karate Combat In addition to the influencer fights, professional fighters also compete, such as Sam Alvey vs. Antonio Arroyo and Saidyokub Kakhramov vs. Jesús López. Since its inception in 2018, Karate Combat has gained huge popularity. The league has over 5 million followers on social media and generates 100 million organic views per month in over 100 countries. Tickets and information Bitcoin 2024 Pass holders will have free entry to the event, but tickets are limited. General ticket sales will begin soon. For more information, visit the event website.
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Bitcoin Core Announces New Security Disclosure Policy
New security policy for vulnerabilities in Bitcoin Core Bitcoin Core developers have introduced a new security vulnerability reporting policy to improve the reporting and timely resolution of security-critical bugs. This policy aims to strengthen transparency and security in the Bitcoin ecosystem by standardizing the vulnerability reporting and disclosure process. The safety notification process A security advisory involves security researchers or ethical hackers reporting discovered vulnerabilities to the affected organization so that the organization can fix the issues before they are maliciously exploited. This process includes discovering the vulnerability, confidentially reporting it, verifying it, developing a fix, and publicly disclosing it with mitigation advice. Current vulnerabilities and recommendations The latest reports concern various vulnerabilities, including denial-of-service (DoS) vulnerabilities, a remote code execution (RCE) vulnerability in the miniUPnPc library, transaction processing bugs, and network vulnerabilities such as buffer overflow and timestamp overflow. Users are advised to keep their software up to date, although none of these vulnerabilities currently pose a critical risk to the Bitcoin network. Categorization of vulnerabilities The Bitcoin Core policy categorizes vulnerabilities into four severity levels: Low, Medium, High, and Critical. Disclosure timing varies depending on severity to ensure an appropriate response and protect the integrity of the network. Importance of security practices and updates The goal of the new policy is to ensure responsible reporting and rapid community action on vulnerabilities, underscoring the importance of vigilant security practices and regular updates on the Bitcoin network. Ongoing research and future prospects Bitcoin has experienced notable security issues over the years that are being addressed through ongoing research and potential updates. Bitcoin Core's new disclosure policy is a step toward achieving that balance through well-communicated and responsibly managed updates.
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Keeping an eye on Bitcoin script optimization with Lightning Labs' Ryan Gentry
Ryan Gentry of Lightning Labs talks about Bitcoin Scripting Ryan Gentry of Lightning Labs talked about various proposals to improve Bitcoin's scripting capabilities, focusing on Rusty Russell's Great Script Restoration Project. This proposal aims to restore previously disabled opcodes such as OP_CAT to expand the scripting potential of the Bitcoin network. Comparison with other proposals Gentry contrasted this comprehensive approach with more incremental proposals such as Christian Decker's work on channel factories or CTV (CheckTemplateVerify, a method for program template verification). These focus on specific functionality but often encounter political tensions. The Great Script Restoration aims for holistic improvement by providing developers with a versatile toolkit and reducing debates over competing proposals. Challenges and optimism However, reaching consensus for such a comprehensive initiative is challenging due to its complexity. It requires careful project management to ensure progress and not get lost in trivial debates. Despite these hurdles, Gentry is optimistic, noting that there is growing support from previously skeptical developers, which could lead to a unified effort. Ossification of Bitcoin The proposal also aligns with calls to ossify Bitcoin by addressing known issues and improving both security and functionality. This approach balances the need for new functionality with the desire for a stable protocol, potentially making Bitcoin more robust and future-proof. Future prospects Gentry envisions a community uniting behind the Great Script Restoration. This initiative could significantly improve Bitcoin's scripting capabilities and make it more versatile and secure. The key to success lies in structured project management and collaborative efforts that ensure focus and motivation in the community.
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Digital Shovel sues RK Mission Critical for patent infringement on Bitcoin mining containers.
Patent infringement lawsuit against RK Mission Critical LLC Digital Shovel Holdings Inc. has filed a lawsuit against RK Mission Critical LLC, RK Mechanical LLC and RK Industries LLC, accusing them of patent infringement. The core of the dispute is Digital Shovel's V-Shape technology, an innovation that increases the miner density (number of computing units) in crypto mining containers by 30%. Digital Shovel developed this technology in 2018 and secured the corresponding patents in the following years. Background of the lawsuit According to the complaint, Compute North, a customer of RK Mission Critical, sought to license this technology from Digital Shovel in 2019 but was turned down. RK Mission Critical then allegedly produced similar containers, which caused confusion among Digital Shovel employees who believed the containers were its own products. Digital Shovel CEO Scot Johnson claims that RK Mission Critical sold approximately 850 units at over $200,000 each, for total revenue of $170 million. Digital Shovel’s demands Digital Shovel further accuses RK Mission Critical of continuing production despite knowing about the pending patents since 2021 and refusing to negotiate a settlement. The lawsuit seeks damages as well as an injunction (a judge's order) to stop further sales of the patent-infringing products.
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Bitcoin ETFs record largest inflow within a month
Bitcoin Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) in the USA recorded their largest daily inflow in nearly a month on Monday, at $129 million. This increase marks the fifth consecutive day of positive inflows and the highest daily amount since June 7. The majority of Monday's inflow went to Fidelity's Wise Origin Bitcoin Trust, which received $65 million. Bitwise's Bitcoin ETF took in $41 million, and Ark Invest's fund attracted $13 million. Outflows from the largest Bitcoin ETFs In contrast, the two largest Bitcoin ETFs, BlackRock's iShares Trust and Grayscale's fund, saw no inflows. The recent inflows are notable after Bitcoin ETFs struggled with nearly $1 billion in outflows in June, which correlated with Bitcoin's price drop below $20,000. Bullish July for Bitcoin Historically, July has been a bullish month for Bitcoin, with average returns of over 11% over the past decade and positive performance 70% of the time. Analysts suggest that if inflows into spot ETFs continue, the bullish trend could continue, supported by seasonal patterns in investor behavior around tax times. However, Bitcoin could also experience selling pressure from unlocked Mt. Gox coins. Price action will depend on whether bullish seasonality can override the bearish macroeconomic environment.
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