Bitcoin (BTC) mining has always been a controversial topic. But, Bitcoin’s proof-of-work (PoW) model has reached new levels of concern as senior decision-makers and investors pay closer attention to environmental, social and governance factors. As such, many crypto miners are highlighting environmentally friendly practices by acquiring carbon offsets. Yet, some would argue that this isn’t enough to guarantee green Bitcoin mining. Other risk factors may also be involved with carbon credits. For instance, Kevin O’Leary — the Canadian entrepreneur better known as “Mr. Wonderful” for his role on Shark Tank — told Cointelegraph that he typically indexes public mining companies …

The Cointelegraph Research Terminal, the leading provider of premium databases and institutional-grade research on blockchain and digital assets, has added a new report to its expanding library. The latest paper looks at a particular group of players in the Bitcoin (BTC) mining industry. Published by crypto consulting firm Crypto Oxygen, the report highlights the current landscape of publicly listed crypto mining companies that control approximately 17% of the total hash rate of the entire Bitcoin network. The crypto mining industry is a quickly growing and evolving sector. In January this year, a United States-based company Core Scientific went public via …

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, has announced that it has settled charges against Nvidia — the company behind graphics cards used by many crypto miners — in regards to “inadequate disclosures.” In a Friday announcement, the SEC said that Nvidia failed to disclose that mining cryptocurrencies was “a significant element of its material revenue growth” based on sales of its graphics processing units, or GPUs, during the 2018 fiscal year. The company has agreed to pay a $5.5 million penalty and will be subject to a cease-and-desist order based on violations of the Securities Act of …

Bitcoin (BTC), the original cryptocurrency that started it all and even today continues to drive the market sentiments, has faced numerous challenges along the way. The latest challenge seems to be around its mining consensus, proof-of-work (PoW) and its consequent impact on the environment. Bitcoin network’s high energy consumption was one of the hottest topics last year, with the likes of Elon Musk fueling the sentiment that BTC in its current form is bad for the environment. Luckily enough, the mining companies for some time have been exploring the use of renewable energy, and the latest reports suggest that 58% …

Crypto mining company Argo Blockchain’s plans to open a data center in West Texas are likely nearing completion following an inauguration ceremony. In a Thursday announcement on Twitter, Argo said it expects to begin mining operations at its Helios facility in Dickens County, Texas starting next week. The announcement came more than a year after the mining firm purchased a 320-acre land plot to construct the facility, first breaking ground on the 200-megawatt data center in July 2021. We are thrilled to announce the energization and opening of Helios, our flagship Bitcoin mining facility in Dickens County, Texas! ⚡⚡⚡ Thanks …

Bitcoin (BTC) marks a milestone mining journey on Thursday, crossing the halfway point on the way to its next halving. In Block number 735,000, mined at approximately 10:29 am UTC, Bitcoin crossed the halfway point to the next halving. The block was mined by Poolin, earning 0.16215354 BTC ($6,402.45) in fees. Halvings occur every 210,00 blocks, and May 5 marks the cross-over point into the second leg of 105,000 blocks. For some Bitcoiners, such as Samson Mow, the Bitcoiner pioneering Bitcoin nation-state adoption, the halving is a reminder to stack more SATs: WE ARE HALFWAY TO THE NEXT HALVING AND …

The government of Kazakhstan has laid out new reporting requirements for cryptocurrency mining operators with a keen eye on how the industry’s energy usage affects the local power grid. The order, published by the country’s Minister of Digital Development earlier this week, compels digital mining businesses to provide comprehensive information 30 days before starting operations. The electricity consumption and “technical specifications” for connection to the power grid must be provided before commencing operations. The amount and type of mining equipment used, the customs cargo declarations for that equipment and any investments planned for the next 12 months must also be …

Last week, New York dominated crypto media headlines in very different ways. In New York State, the local Assembly voted in favor of the bill that would ban for two years any new mining operations that rely on proof-of-work (PoW) consensus mechanisms and use fossil fuel-generated energy. A temporary moratorium, which could be extended after the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation provides its assessments of the industry’s carbon footprint, marks the first major legislative attack on PoW mining on environmental grounds in the United States. The push mobilized the community — after digital asset advocacy groups rang the alarm on …

The Bitcoin Mining Council (BMC) responded to a letter sent to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator Michael Regan by Democratic legislators last month with a letter of its own seeking to rectify inaccuracies about Bitcoin (BTC) mining and its environmental impact. Penned by MicroStrategy CEO Michael Saylor, Castle Island Ventures partner Nic Carter and Darin Feinstein of Core Scientific, the BMC letter, which has over 50 signers, highlights alleged misconceptions in the document sent to Regan. In particular, the authors said that the original letter, which was signed by Democratic Representative Jared Huffman and 22 members of …

On April 26, the State of New York put itself at the forefront of the regulatory struggle with crypto, as its Assembly voted for a two-year moratorium on crypto mining operations that use energy generated by fossil-fuel power plants. Depending on how one looks at it, this development could either signal a new alarming legislative trend or a trigger that would accelerate the digital asset industry’s movement toward a more sustainable path. Moratorium with further evaluation The lower chamber of the NY state legislature, the Assembly, passed a bill that would put a two-year hold on any new mining operations …

Reassuring its position as the most resilient blockchain network against attacks, the Bitcoin network recorded a new all-time high network difficulty for the second time this month in April — jumping from its previous all-time high of 28.587 trillion to 29.794 trillion. Greater network difficulty demands greater computational power to successfully mine a Bitcoin (BTC) block, which prevents bad actors from taking over the network and manipulating transactions, also known as double-spending. As evidenced by data from Blockchain.com, Bitcoin’s network difficulty has seen almost a year-long uptrend since August 1, 2021. Before that, between May and July 2021, was a …

The hash rate of the Bitcoin (BTC) network hit a new ATH, even when the price of the top cryptocurrency struggled to get past the $40,000 mark. The network's hash rate hit a new record high of 258 EH/s on Thursday before settling around the 220 EH/s mark. The recent rise in the BTC network hash rate signifies the growing number of miners on the blockchain. The Bitcoin network hash rate has grown more than 400% since the Chinese crypto mining ban last year when it fell below 70 EH/s. The Bitcoin network managed to recover from the significant hash …