Bitcoin Mining Difficulty Hits Record High as Tether Eyes Gold Investments

Bitcoin (BTC) Mining Difficulty Reaches New All-Time High

The Bitcoin mining difficulty has continued its long-term upward trend, reaching a new all-time high of 134.7 trillion at the beginning of September. This increase in mining difficulty indicates the average level of difficulty for mining a block in the network, which has been rising steadily throughout August, despite forecasts predicting a decrease.

As reported by CryptoQuant, the Bitcoin hashrate, which represents the average total number of hashes per second from all miners in the network, has fallen from an all-time high of over 1 trillion hashes per second on August 4 to 967 billion hashes per second. The increased difficulty has created tougher conditions for large mining companies operating in an already competitive industry with slim profit margins.

“The need for more computational resources to mine blocks in the BTC network has raised concerns about the centralization of Bitcoin mining, as the costs continue to rise, leading to a dominance of large companies and mining pools.”

Despite the dominance of larger players in Bitcoin mining, small and individual miners have still managed to mine blocks and claim the block reward of 3.125 BTC, valued at over $344,000 at the time of writing. Three solo miners successfully added blocks to the BTC ledger in July and August, with rewards ranging from approximately $350,000 to over $373,000.

All three miners operated through the Solo CK Pool, demonstrating that while challenging, opportunities still exist for individual miners in the current landscape.

Key Takeaways:

• Bitcoin mining difficulty has reached 134.7 trillion.
• Hashrate has decreased to 967 billion hashes per second.
• Solo miners are still able to successfully mine blocks and earn significant rewards.

Krypto Giant Considers Investment in Gold Mining

In a notable development, a leading cryptocurrency company is contemplating investments in the gold mining sector, raising questions about the potential shift in narrative as Bitcoin's prominence appears to wane. Tether, the largest stablecoin company globally, is exploring opportunities in gold mining, which could signify a growing interest in gold as a complementary asset to Bitcoin.

Tether Ventures has diversified beyond stablecoin operations, investing in infrastructure, energy projects, and innovative financial solutions. The company reported a profit of $5.7 billion in the first half of 2025, positioning itself as one of the most profitable players in the crypto sector. Tether's CEO, Paolo Ardoino, has referred to gold as a "natural Bitcoin," suggesting that both assets can coexist as stores of value.

Currently, Tether is in discussions regarding investments across the entire gold value chain, from mining to trading. The company already holds gold reserves worth $8.7 billion in a Zurich vault and has invested over $200 million in the Canadian company Elemental Altus.

Key Takeaways:

• Tether is considering investments in the gold mining sector.
• The company reported a profit of $5.7 billion in H1 2025.
• Gold is viewed as a complementary asset to Bitcoin by Tether's CEO.

Sources:

• Bitcoin (BTC) Mining-Difficulty steigt auf neues Rekordhoch
• Ocean Mining erstaunt, als Micro-Bitcoin-Miner mit 5 TH/s Block im Solo-Mining-Lotterie findet.
• Krypto-Gigant möchte in Gold-Mining investieren – alles Wissenswerte