Exclusive Interview | Bitfinex’s Paolo Ardoino

Welcome to another round of Bitcoin News’ interview series where we dive into the stories of Bitcoin operators to help readers get a better understanding of what makes Bitcoin businesses “tick”.

Our goal is to put together the most in-depth set of interviews with similar themes to provide insight into what it takes to run a Bitcoin company and the ethos and values of different Bitcoin firms in the industry.

From Bitcoin OG’s to Startups to Operators, we dive into discussions with anyone and everyone in the Bitcoin world to help provide newcomers with a fun and interesting Bitcoin encyclopedia of knowledge and wisdom that may one day help them should they wish to…

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LATEST: VanEck Plans Bitcoin Treasury Bonds to Help Reduce $14 Trillion U.S. Debt

VanEck’s digital assets research leader Matthew Sigel introduced an intriguing proposal for “BitBonds” at the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve Summit. These hybrid securities blend traditional US Treasury bonds with Bitcoin exposure aiming to manage the looming $14 trillion US refinancing challenge. BitBonds would consist of 90% US Treasury bonds and 10% Bitcoin with a structure designed to cater to both sovereign funding necessities and investors seeking inflation protection.

Sigel’s model suggests that these 10-year BitBonds provide a stable base through the US Treasury component with an exciting twist of Bitcoin’s potential upside. Investors would benefit from the full value of the Treasury bond at maturity plus any appreciation in Bitcoin up to a 4.5% yield-to-maturity with additional gains split with the government. This innovative structure not only promises a risk-free return foundation but also offers a lucrative potential through Bitcoin’s growth.

The proposal highlights substantial fiscal advantages for the US Treasury by potentially lowering borrowing costs significantly. Even in scenarios where Bitcoin does not perform well BitBonds could lead to savings on debt payments through reduced coupon rates. By issuing BitBonds the US could introduce a new bond class that leverages Bitcoin’s market movements to enhance sovereign debt attractiveness and economic resilience.

Peter Schiff Says Since Trump Was Elected Bitcoin Advocates Took A 180 Turn On US Economy, But Critics Say Economist Mistaken

Renowned economist Peter Schiff questioned the integrity of Bitcoin BTC/USD proponents on Tuesday, claiming that they no longer shared his economic concerns following the election of President Donald Trump.

What Happened: Without taking any names, Schiff took to X to question the rationale behind Bitcoin advocates’ continued endorsement of the apex cryptocurrency despite their newfound optimism about the U.S. economy.

“Before Trump was elected, most of the big names in Bitcoin shared my concerns about the U.S. economy, deficits, and inflation,” the staunch Bitcoin critic said. “However, since Trump was elected, while my outlook has remained consistent, they have done a…

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LATEST: Semler Scientific Plans $500M Offering to Buy More Bitcoin

Semler Scientific has filed to raise $500 million through securities to expand its bitcoin holdings and support general operations. The Nasdaq-listed healthcare tech firm plans to sell a mix of common stock debt securities and warrants. The move signals strong commitment to its bitcoin treasury strategy which began in May 2024.

The company has already acquired 3192 BTC worth about $266 million at current market value. Despite a slight unrealized loss Semler remains bullish saying it plans to keep accumulating bitcoin with no specific cap. Founder Eric Semler posted that the company is excited to continue buying more BTC.

In a separate update Semler disclosed a potential $29.75 million settlement with the US Department of Justice over past marketing practices. The firm also signed a master loan agreement with Coinbase enabling it to use bitcoin as collateral for borrowing. If the DOJ deal is finalized Semler intends to use loan funds and cash on hand to cover the payment.

Big banks report big loans in Q1

This is a segment from the Forward Guidance newsletter. To read full editions, subscribe.

US equities were relatively stable Tuesday as investors enjoyed a break from back-to-back tariff headlines and digested a batch of positive bank earnings. 

Goldman Sachs, Citibank and Bank of America reported this week. A couple data points of note: 

Banks don’t seem worried about potential loan and lease losses 

In some cases, they’re actually holding less — like Goldman Sachs, which set aside $287 million in credit loss provisions during Q1, compared to $351 million in Q4 2024. The Bank of New York Mellon also decreased its provisions from $20 million in Q4 to $18 million…

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Movement Labs, Foundation conducts ‘investigation’ into ‘market maker abnormalities’

Movement Labs and Movement Network are conducting an investigation following last month’s market maker issues, when Binance removed an unnamed market maker after “misconduct” around MOVE’s token, Blockworks has learned.

A Movement Labs spokesperson confirmed a third-party review when reached by Blockworks.

In internal Slack messages seen by Blockworks, a profile belonging to Movement co-founder Cooper Scanlon said the investigation into “recent events” has “various routes […] [that] are still being explored,” and “nothing is definitive yet.” The third party involved in the investigation was not named. 

In a message to Blockworks, a Movement Labs…

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Exclusive: Securitize acquires MG Stover’s Fund Administration business

Securitize is acquiring MG Stover’s Fund Administration Business, which will make Securitize Fund Services (SFS) the “largest” digital asset fund administrator in the world, Blockworks has learned. 

Securitize declined to disclose the terms of the deal to Blockworks.

“This is a significant step in our growth, reinforcing our commitment to expanding our capabilities as we serve an ever-expanding cohort of asset issuers and investors,” Securitize CEO Carlos Domingo said. “Securitize’s acquisition of MG Stover’s Fund Administration business cements our role as the most comprehensive platform for tokenized securities and fund administration.”

“This acquisition…

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US Recession Fears Are ‘Intensifying’ — But Is Bitcoin The Real Flight To Safety? Expert Weighs In – CoinShares Valkyrie Bitcoin Miners ETF (NASDAQ:WGMI), ProShares Bitcoin ETF (ARCA:BITO)

Wall Street’s recession sirens are blaring — and as traditional markets brace for impact, Bitcoin’s BTC/USD defiant rally has investors asking: is this digital gold 2.0 or just fool’s gold with better marketing?

Recession probability forecasts aren’t just creeping up — they’re sprinting. In the span of days, JPMorgan hiked its odds of a U.S. recession from 40% to 60%, while S&P Global jumped from 25% to 35%. Goldman Sachs and HSBC weren’t far behind, now both penciling in a 35%–40% chance.

Related: JPMorgan Raises Recession Risk To 60% As ‘Largest US Tax Hike’ In 60 Years Hits Global Economy

“There can be no doubt that fears of a U.S. recession are intensifying,”…

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What would it take for ETH to succeed?

This is a segment from the 0xResearch newsletter. To read full editions, subscribe.

ETH is trading at ~$1,600 today.

Can ETH pump again? Wen moon?

Getting to the heart of this simple question requires an inevitable detour into the boring, technical weeds of data availability (DA).

The ELI5 explanation of data availability is storage fees, or bandwidth resource. All chains – L1s and L2s – need them to operate, but their primary supplier is the L1.

Here’s the rough train of thought: 

What is the fate of ETH as an asset?

That depends on how well Ethereum can generate fees.

Ethereum generates fees in three primary ways: execution, MEV, and data… Read more on Blockworks