Bitcoin Accumulation Race, Mining Expansion and Security Risks Shape Crypto Markets

17.05.2025 105 times read 0 Comments

Eric Trump: "The World is Hoarding Bitcoin"

Eric Trump, the second eldest son of US President Donald Trump, stated at a crypto conference in Toronto on May 15 that a global race to accumulate Bitcoin is underway. According to Trump, everyone from wealthy families to sovereign wealth funds is trying to hoard Bitcoin. During a panel discussion at Consensus 2025, Trump, alongside Asher Genoot, CEO of Bitcoin mining company Hut 8, emphasized that Bitcoin adoption is already incredibly high.

Trump described two distinct races in the Bitcoin sector: the accumulation race, currently led by Michael Saylor, and the mining race, which is also his own area of involvement. Notably, Eric Trump is a co-founder of American Bitcoin, a subsidiary of Hut 8. On May 12, it was announced that American Bitcoin would merge with Gryphon Digital Mining in a share transaction, leading to a public listing on Nasdaq.

The Trump family's crypto ventures have expanded significantly over the years, ranging from NFT collections and mining to memecoins and a stablecoin. However, these activities have drawn criticism, with concerns about potential conflicts of interest and corruption. At various times, Democrats have called for investigations into Trump's crypto activities, proposed legislation to limit the family's potential profits from memecoins, and even walked out of a bipartisan hearing on digital assets, citing the President's involvement in crypto as non-negotiable. As a result, Senate Democrats withdrew their support for a bipartisan stablecoin bill, although a second vote could take place as early as May 26.

Key Points Details
Bitcoin Accumulation Global race involving families and sovereign funds
Trump Family Involvement Mining, NFTs, memecoins, stablecoin
Regulatory Response Investigations, proposed legislation, withdrawn support for stablecoin bill

Summary: Eric Trump sees a worldwide rush to accumulate and mine Bitcoin, with the Trump family deeply involved in various crypto projects. These activities have sparked political controversy and regulatory scrutiny. (Source: Cointelegraph)

HIVE Digital Technologies Advances Sustainable Bitcoin Mining

HIVE Digital Technologies Ltd. has surpassed the 8 EH/s mark in global Bitcoin mining, reporting a current total hashrate of 8.3 EH/s. The company aims to reach 11.5 EH/s by the end of June 2025 and has fully financed ASIC orders to grow to 18 EH/s by Q3 2025. This expansion is supported by the successful commissioning of the first 100 MW hydropower plant in Yguazu, Paraguay, with a second 100 MW facility expected to be completed this summer.

Frank Holmes, co-founder and Executive Chairman of HIVE, highlighted that with Bitcoin above $100,000, HIVE is positioned to generate nearly $1,000,000 in daily revenue. The company has strategically pledged Bitcoin at a market price of $87,000 per BTC to acquire new ASIC mining equipment, with an option to repurchase the same amount of Bitcoin at the same price. This approach allows HIVE to expand its mining fleet while potentially benefiting from future Bitcoin price increases.

President and CEO Aydin Kilic praised the global team for increasing the hashrate by 1.0 EH/s since the last update on May 9, 2025. HIVE expects average Bitcoin production costs to decrease by 10-20% by fall 2025. The company operates in Canada, Sweden, and Paraguay, focusing on green energy and reducing its environmental footprint.

Metric Value
Current Hashrate 8.3 EH/s
Target Hashrate (June 2025) 11.5 EH/s
Target Hashrate (Q3 2025) 18 EH/s
Bitcoin Pledge Price $87,000 per BTC
Potential Daily Revenue ~$1,000,000 (with BTC > $100,000)

Summary: HIVE Digital Technologies is rapidly expanding its sustainable Bitcoin mining operations, leveraging green energy and innovative financial strategies to scale up to 18 EH/s by Q3 2025. (Source: it boltwise)

Bitfarms: Strategic Shift Amid Financial Challenges

Bitfarms is undergoing a strategic transformation from a Bitcoin mining specialist to a provider of high-performance computing (HPC) and AI infrastructure. The company has acquired energy campuses in Pennsylvania, each with nearly 500 MW capacity, and sold its Paraguay site to free up capital for new projects. A $300 million credit line from Macquarie Group is set to fund the first HPC projects at the Panther Creek campus, with construction expected to begin in the second half of 2025.

Despite a 33% increase in revenue to $67 million, Bitfarms reported a net loss of $36 million ($0.07 per share), a drop in mining gross margin from 63% to 43%, and an operating loss of $32 million. The company has stopped publishing monthly Bitcoin production reports, signaling a clear shift in focus. Additionally, Bitfarms faces a class-action lawsuit alleging misinformation about its finances and operations, while the volatile Bitcoin price and intense competition in the HPC and AI markets add further pressure.

Financial Metric Value
Revenue Growth +33% to $67 million
Net Loss $36 million ($0.07/share)
Mining Gross Margin Down from 63% to 43%
Operating Loss $32 million
Credit Line $300 million (Macquarie Group)
  • Strategic shift to HPC and AI infrastructure
  • Sale of Paraguay site for capital
  • Class-action lawsuit and market volatility as risks

Summary: Bitfarms is pivoting towards HPC and AI, backed by significant financing, but faces financial losses, legal challenges, and market uncertainties. (Source: Börse Express)

Coinbase Data Breach: Hackers Steal User Data and Demand Ransom

Coinbase, the leading cryptocurrency exchange in the US, has suffered a cyberattack resulting in the theft of user data. Hackers contacted the company, demanding $20 million to keep the incident secret, but Coinbase refused to pay. The company estimates the cost of the breach to be between $80 million and $400 million, according to a statement to the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

Stolen data includes names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, as well as copies of passports, driver's licenses, and bank details. The breach affected less than 1% of Coinbase users. The attackers bribed overseas customer service employees, who misused their access to customer support systems to steal account data from a small subset of customers. Although the hackers did not gain access to passwords, they managed to trick some users into transferring funds. The potential losses could increase or decrease significantly due to further claims or recoveries.

Incident Detail Value
Ransom Demand $20 million
Estimated Cost $80–400 million
Users Affected Less than 1%
Data Stolen Personal and financial information

Summary: Coinbase faces significant financial and reputational damage after a data breach affecting less than 1% of users, with hackers demanding a $20 million ransom. (Source: Futurezone)

Bitcoin Rally Driven by Spot Purchases: All-Time High in Sight

Bitcoin is currently trading near the $104,000 mark. The recent price surge is attributed to strong spot and ETF market purchases, especially in the accumulation zone between $93,000 and $95,000. On-chain data, ETF inflows, and neutral funding rates indicate a stable market structure with further upside potential.

Spot Cumulative Volume Delta (CVD) on Coinbase has shown buyer dominance with peaks over $45 million per day since mid-April, while selling pressure on Binance has decreased. The futures market is also healthy, with open interest in futures dropping from 370,000 to 336,000 BTC as Bitcoin surpassed $90,000, indicating a short squeeze and market cleansing. Funding rates for perpetuals are neutral at around 0.007% (annualized ~7.6%), and the 25-delta skew in options is at -6.1%, suggesting traders are betting on further price increases.

Institutional interest remains strong, with Bitcoin ETFs seeing daily inflows of up to $389 million, recently stabilizing at around $58 million per day. Over 90% of short-term holders are currently in profit, and the STH Realized Profit indicator is about three standard deviations above the 90-day average, suggesting there is still room for further gains before a potential trend reversal.

Metric Value
Current Price $104,000
Accumulation Zone $93,000–$95,000
ETF Daily Inflows (Peak) $389 million
Short-Term Holders in Profit Over 90%
Futures Open Interest 370,000 → 336,000 BTC
Funding Rate 0.007% (annualized ~7.6%)
Options 25-Delta Skew -6.1%

Summary: The current Bitcoin rally is driven by strong spot and ETF demand, with a healthy derivatives market and significant institutional inflows, positioning the market for a potential new all-time high. (Source: Bitcoin2Go)

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