Report: Chinese Customs Authority Confiscates 49 Old ASIC Antminers

Chinese authorities continue to crackdown against bitcoin miners after they seized 49 second-hand Bitmain ASIC Antminers from unnamed individuals that recently attempted to smuggle in the devices using falsified documents. Devices to Be Disposed of in Accordance With Regulations Huangpu Customs of China’s Guangdong Province has said it seized 49 used bitcoin (BTC) miners from … Read more

Report: Intel Reveals ‘Bonanza Mine BMZ1’ Blockchain Accelerator Mining Chip

Last week the California-based technology company Intel explained its intentions to develop crypto mining semiconductors that would showcase “1000x better performance per watt.” Now Intel has revealed more details about the “Bonanza Mine” (BMZ1) blockchain accelerator chip at this year’s International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC). Intel’s Bonanza Mine Crypto Chip Products Introduced at ISSCC Information … Read more

Russia’s Economy Ministry Calls for Introducing ‘Acceptable’ Electricity Rates for Miners

The Ministry of Economic Development of Russia has suggested that crypto mining should be allowed in energy-rich regions and miners provided with access to inexpensive electricity. The department has joined calls to legalize the industry and utilize Russia’s strengths as a mining destination. Crypto Miners Should Have Access to Cheaper Power, Economy Ministry Says Amid … Read more

Intel to Develop Crypto Mining Accelerators, Claims Circuits Will Deliver ‘1000x Better Performance per Watt’

The California-based technology company and the world’s largest semiconductor chip manufacturer by revenue, Intel, has revealed the company will “contribute to the development of blockchain technologies” by offering “energy-efficient accelerators.” Intel executive Raja M. Koduri explained that the company expects its circuit innovations will deliver “1000x better performance per watt” than today’s GPU or SHA256-based … Read more

Kazakhstan President Orders Government to Find All Miners and Raise Tax by April

President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has instructed authorities to identify all crypto mining enterprises and increase the electricity surcharge they are required to pay. The state is not against legal mining activities, but crypto farms should be licensed and taxed, Tokayev insisted. Miners in Kazakhstan to Pay Higher Electricity Tariffs On top of electricity shortages … Read more

Russian Government Approves Plan to Regulate Cryptocurrency

The federal government in Moscow has adopted a concept for regulating the Russian crypto space as early as this month. The new framework is expected to place cryptocurrency flows under state oversight, introduce strict obligations for market participants, and ensure investor protection. Russian Authorities Move to Legalize Crypto Economy The Russian government “has determined the … Read more

Kazakhstan Mulls Fivefold Increase of Electricity Tax on Crypto Mining

Authorities in Kazakhstan are discussing new regulations for the country’s crypto space that may lead to a serious increase in the tax burden on the mining business. Among the proposed changes is a fivefold hike of the fee miners pay per each kilowatt-hour of utilized electricity. Mining Companies in Kazakhstan Expected to Pay Much More … Read more

The Miner Capitulation Number: A Look at When Bitcoin’s Price Crashed Below the Cost of Production

Over the last 30 days, Bitcoin’s hashrate has been coasting along at the highest levels ever recorded during the network’s lifetime. Bitcoin’s price improved recently but it is still down 38% from the crypto asset’s high, making bitcoin less profitable to mine. However, bitcoin mining is still profitable, in contrast to ten years ago, when … Read more

Electricity Consumption Spikes in Irkutsk as More Russians Start Mining Cryptocurrency

Electricity suppliers in the Russian region of Irkutsk have registered a surge in power consumption in residential areas which they are blaming on cryptocurrency mining. Planes with mining equipment from restricted China continue to land in the region, and cases of hardware theft have also increased significantly. Irkutsk Dealing With Rising Electricity Needs Amid Growing … Read more

Russians Mining Crypto to Pay at Least 15% Tax, Companies – No Less Than 6%, Lawmaker Says

Private individuals mining cryptocurrency may expect a higher tax burden than businesses involved in the industry, a high-ranking member of the Russian parliament has indicated. While the extraction of digital currencies is yet to be regulated in Russia, authorities lean towards recognizing it as an economic activity, which will allow the government to tax mining … Read more