Connect with us

News

World’s 5th-largest mining pool leaves China for Kazakhstan amidst Electricity ban

A major crypto mining pool that is operated by BIT Mining and owned by the NYSE-listed Chinese lottery service provider 500.com — has announced the successful relocation of its first batch of mining machines to Kazakhstan.

Published

on

A major crypto mining pool that is operated by BIT Mining and owned by the NYSE-listed Chinese lottery service provider 500.com — has announced the successful relocation of its first batch of mining machines to Kazakhstan.

BTC.com was founded by Jihan Wu and was operated by Bitmain and Bitdeer until its acquisition by 500.com this February. As of the time of writing, the pool is the world’s fifth-largest, validating 10.4% of blocks on the Bitcoin (BTC) blockchain.

The relocation comes after the company was notified by the state grid in western Sichuan province that the power supply serving one of its local data centers would be suspended imminently. In its announcement yesterday, BIT Mining stated:

“On June 19, 2021, the Company’s indirectly held subsidiary, Ganzi Changhe Hydropower Consumption Service Co. Ltd […] received notice […] from State Grid Sichuan Ganzi Electric Power Co., Ltd. […] informing Ganzi Changhe Data Center, that its power supply would be suspended, effective 9:00pm Beijing time, June 19, 2021. Ganzi Changhe Data Center has since suspended its operations. Data centers in Sichuan, including the Ganzi Changhe Data Center, contributed approximately 3% of the Company’s total revenues in the month of May 2021.”
The intervention from the state grid comes amid an ongoing crackdown on crypto mining by the Chinese state due to concerns over the mining industry’s carbon footprint, which runs counter to China’s decarbonization targets.

In areas such as Inner Mongolia, once popular with crypto miners, regional authorities have even established a dedicated hotline for the local public to directly report any suspected illicit mining activities. Amid these pressures, at least three mining firms — BTC.TOP, Huobi and HashCow — have recently been driven to cease their activities on the mainland.

BIT Mining CEO Xianfeng Yang has gestured towards this backdrop, claiming that the company is “committed to protecting the environment and lowering our carbon footprint. We have been strategically expanding our operations overseas as part of our growth strategy. Following our investments in cryptocurrency mining data centers in Texas and Kazakhstan, we are accelerating our overseas development for alternative high-quality mining resources.”

While China has been an early mover against crypto miners, authorities elsewhere are increasingly signaling their concerns about power-guzzling mining sites; for the most part less on climate grounds than for their impact on local energy provision. In late April, a former government official argued that crypto mining was a major driver of the energy crisis in Kyrgyzstan. Similar concerns have been voiced in the Caucasus and Iran.

In line with China, global regulators and nonprofits, Elon Musk this year made a notorious intervention when he announced the company would no longer be accepting BTC as payment for vehicles due to concerns about the high energy consumption of Bitcoin mining.

Source Credits: Coin Telegraph

Business

Metaplanet now holds more Bitcoin than El Salvador

Published

on

Japanese investment firm Metaplanet has overtaken El Salvador in Bitcoin holdings, now possessing 6,796 BTC valued at approximately $707 million. This milestone follows Metaplanet’s recent acquisition of 1,241 BTC at an average price of ¥14.8 million ($101,843) per coin, marking its largest single purchase to date.

Since initiating its Bitcoin accumulation strategy in April 2024, Metaplanet has rapidly expanded its holdings, achieving an average purchase price of $91,000 per BTC. The firm’s aggressive approach includes a significant acquisition of 5,555 BTC on May 7, along with multiple purchases in April and March totaling over 37,000 BTC.

El Salvador, previously recognized for its national Bitcoin reserve, currently holds 6,714 BTC worth around $642 million. Metaplanet’s surpassing of this figure underscores its commitment to integrating Bitcoin into its corporate treasury strategy.

Metaplanet’s stock (3350.T) has experienced a substantial increase, reflecting investor confidence in its Bitcoin-centric approach. The firm reports a Bitcoin Yield—a metric indicating the percentage change in BTC holdings per fully diluted share—of 38% for the current quarter, following a 95.6% yield in Q1 2025.

As of now, Bitcoin (BTC) is trading at approximately $103,920, with a slight increase of 0.00053% from the previous close. The intraday high and low are $104,923 and $103,445, respectively.

Metaplanet’s strategic positioning places it as the largest corporate Bitcoin holder in Asia and the tenth largest globally, highlighting the growing trend of institutional adoption of cryptocurrency as a treasury asset.

Continue Reading

Business

Ledger secures Discord after hacker bot tried to steal seed phrases

Published

on

Ledger, the hardware wallet provider, has confirmed that its Discord server is once again secure after a security breach on May 11. An attacker compromised a moderator’s account, using it to post phishing links designed to trick users into revealing their seed phrases on a fraudulent website.

Quintin Boatwright, a member of Ledger’s team, stated that the issue was swiftly addressed. The compromised account was removed, the malicious bot was deleted, the phishing website was reported, and all relevant permissions were reviewed and secured. Despite these measures, some community members reported that the attacker exploited moderator privileges to ban and mute users attempting to report the breach, potentially delaying Ledger’s response.

The hacker, posing as a Ledger community manager, informed users of a fictitious vulnerability in Ledger’s security systems and urged them to verify their recovery phrases via a scam link. Users were prompted to connect their wallets and follow on-screen instructions, which could have led to the compromise of their funds.

This incident follows a series of phishing attempts targeting Ledger users. In April, scammers mailed physical letters to Ledger hardware wallet owners, requesting them to validate their private seed phrases. These letters, bearing Ledger’s logo and business address, asked users to scan a QR code and enter their recovery phrases, aiming to access and empty their wallets.

The recent breach underscores the persistent threats facing the crypto community and the importance of vigilance against phishing attacks.

Continue Reading

Business

Microsoft and OpenAI renegotiate investment deal

Published

on

Microsoft and OpenAI are currently engaged in discussions to revise the terms of their multibillion-dollar partnership. The renegotiation aims to align with OpenAI’s strategic shift towards establishing a public benefit corporation, while ensuring Microsoft’s continued access to OpenAI’s advanced AI technologies beyond the existing agreement, which extends through 2030.

Since 2019, Microsoft has invested over $13 billion into OpenAI, securing rights to integrate OpenAI’s models into its products and a share in the company’s revenues. Under the proposed new terms, Microsoft may consider reducing its equity stake in exchange for extended access to OpenAI’s technologies beyond the current contractual period. Additionally, OpenAI plans to decrease the revenue share allocated to Microsoft from the existing 20% to 10% by the end of the decade.

This restructuring follows OpenAI’s decision to abandon its earlier plan to convert into a purely for-profit entity. Instead, the company is transitioning to a public benefit corporation model, which allows for profit-making while being legally obligated to prioritize social good. This move has faced criticism from figures like Elon Musk, who argue that it deviates from OpenAI’s original mission to develop open-source AI for the benefit of humanity.

Despite the ongoing negotiations and differing perspectives, both Microsoft and OpenAI maintain a collaborative relationship. Microsoft continues to integrate OpenAI’s technologies into its offerings, while OpenAI benefits from Microsoft’s substantial computational resources. The outcome of these discussions is anticipated to significantly influence the future trajectory of AI development and commercialization.

Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © 2025 cryptonews.lk