Bitcoin Difficulty and Hashrate Reach Record Highs as Halving Draws Closer

Bitcoin’s network difficulty climbed to an unprecedented peak on April 10, 2024, at block height 838,656, increasing by 3.92% to reach 86.39 trillion. This escalation in difficulty will make it increasingly challenging to mine blocks as the fourth halving event nears, with fewer than 1,250 blocks remaining until block 840,000 is mined. Block 838,656 Marks … Read more

Velar Launches Dharma AMM to Propel Bitcoin Into the Decentralized Finance Spotlight

On Tuesday, the bitcoin liquidity protocol Velar unveiled Dharma, an automated market maker (AMM) designed to enhance decentralized finance liquidity within the Bitcoin realm. The inaugural version of Velar’s Dharma is set to function on the Bitcoin layer two (L2) Stacks, featuring an initial pairing of two tokens. Velar’s Strategy to Elevate Bitcoin Within the … Read more

Transition from BRC-20 to BRC-420 Tokens Signifies ‘Maturation Within Bitcoin-Based Defi,’ Says Mithil Thakore

While the Bitcoin network is poised to see significant growth in its Layer-2 (L2) ecosystem, “finding an optimal mechanism to maintain finality” on the network remains an inherent limitation that prevents this from happening, Mithil Thakore, the co-founder and CEO of Velar, has said. Thakore also identified the yet-to-be-optimized “bridging of native Layer-1 (L1) assets … Read more

Bitcoin’s Hashrate Reaches 618 EH/s, Establishing a New 7-Day SMA Record in 2024

Bitcoin’s computing power has reached a new peak, ascending to 618 exahash per second (EH/s) as shown by the seven-day simple moving average. Currently, 56 entities are contributing at least 916.26 megahash per second (MH/s) to the network, with the mining pool Foundry USA at the forefront, delivering 204.41 EH/s. Bitcoin Edges Closer to Zettahash … Read more

Despite Transfers Lingering in the Mempool, Bitcoin’s Daily Transaction Rate Taps All-Time High

Bitcoin is on a roll in 2023, breaking records left and right. For instance, on May 2, at block height 787,895, the cryptocurrency’s hashrate soared to 491 exahash per second (EH/s). Moreover, on April 20, at block height 786,240, the difficulty hit a new high of 48.71 trillion. But that’s not the only thing that’s … Read more

Musk on ‘Massive Incentive’ to Get Money Out of Banks, Dave Ramsey Dismisses De-Dollarization Fears, BTC Network Congestion Eases, and More — Week in Review

Twitter CEO Elon Musk has shared what he calls a “massive incentive” to get money out of bank accounts, noting “bank depositor flight will accelerate to extreme levels, even for banks that are ‘too big to fail.’” Personal finance coach and author Dave Ramsey, for his part, thinks that de-dollarization fears are overblown. In crypto … Read more

Bitcoin Miners Contend With Fifth Network Difficulty Increase of 2023

Bitcoin miners are contending with the fifth network difficulty increase since February 24, 2023, following a 1.72% rise on April 20 at block height 786,240. The network’s difficulty now stands at 48.71 trillion, marking a 22.62% increase over the last 55 days since block height 778,176. Bitcoin’s Difficulty Has Risen More Than 22% Since Block … Read more

Bitcoin Difficulty Surges 4.68%, Taps New All-Time High; Metric Set to Surpass 40 Trillion

The Bitcoin blockchain recorded another difficulty increase on Sunday, Jan. 29, 2023, at block height 774,144. The network’s difficulty increased by 4.68%, from 37.59 trillion to an all-time high of 39.35 trillion. Bitcoin Difficulty Reaches New All-Time High as Mining Gets Tougher Bitcoin’s difficulty reached another all-time high, surpassing the record set two weeks ago, … Read more

Bitcoin Difficulty Set to Rise 3.82% to All-Time High of 39 Trillion Following Recent Increase

The Bitcoin network is set to record another meaningful difficulty increase on Sunday, Jan. 29, 2023, as current estimates expect it to rise 3.82% higher. The change follows the last difficulty retarget, which advanced by 10.26% to the current all-time high of 37.59 trillion. Block Time Breakdown: How Faster Discovery is Impacting Bitcoin Difficulty In … Read more