Over 1 Million Bitcoin Addresses Hold 1 BTC or More, Reflecting Strong Adoption

According to data from Bitcoin Magazine Pro, there are 1,012,650 Bitcoin addresses that contain 1 BTC or more. 

This represents more than 1 million BTC potentially taken off the market and held by strong hands, a significant portion of the 21 million BTC that will ever exist. Demand continues to rise as U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs collectively hold over 901,000 BTC, while MicroStrategy, a major corporate Bitcoin holder, owns 226,500 BTC. Additionally, MicroStrategy plans to raise $2 billion to buy more Bitcoin, further emphasizing the trend of institutions buying and holding…

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Assessing the Lightning Network's Last-Mile Solutions

Custodial Lightning has clearly achieved product market fit. Users benefit from instant Bitcoin payments and minimal fees, while custodians manage the complexities of channel and liquidity management. Major platforms like Coinbase, Cash App, Kraken, and Binance provide over 200 million users with direct access to Lightning payments. While the Lightning Network excels at facilitating payments between custodial wallets, doing so for mobile, self-custodial users is more challenging, particularly during periods of high transaction fees. As Roy Sheinfeld, CEO of Breez, wrote earlier this summer, this challenge is analogous to the “last-mile problem” observed in various transportation…

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Babylon and Cubist collaborate to make staking bitcoin safer 

Cubist is expanding its support for Babylon, a DeFi protocol enabling the staking of native bitcoin. The new release of CubeSigner, a leading key management solution, introduces policy-protected staking operations and anti-slashing mechanisms specifically designed for Babylon.

This offering is expected to bolster the workflows of those building on top of Babylon, and help developers create new DeFi applications that are safer for end-users.

Babylon is set to be first-to-market with a trust-minimized bitcoin staking solution, allowing developers to build liquid staking protocols, restaking protocols and other layered solutions that enable users to earn yield from natively staked…

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LATEST: Marathon Digital Holdings Plans $250 Million Bitcoin Purchase Oversubscribed

Fred Thiel, CEO of Marathon Digital Holdings, announced that the company’s $250 million convertible offering aimed at acquiring Bitcoin has been oversubscribed. The announcement came via a tweet referencing an update from the company’s official Twitter handle, MarathonDH. This strategic move underscores the company’s ongoing commitment to Bitcoin and highlights its confidence in the digital asset’s long-term value.

The funds from this oversubscribed offering are slated for use primarily in purchasing Bitcoin, along with addressing general corporate needs. This aggressive investment into Bitcoin by Marathon Digital Holdings reflects a broader market trend where companies are increasingly turning to cryptocurrencies as a viable asset class. This strategy not only diversifies their investment portfolio but also aligns them with the burgeoning digital economy.

Investors and market analysts are keenly watching this move, as it represents a significant endorsement of Bitcoin’s potential from a major player in the digital mining sector. The full details of this offering can be accessed through Marathon’s investor relations page, promising more insights into how the funds will specifically be deployed in the crypto space.

LATEST: DBS Bank Begins Blockchain-powered Treasury Tokens Pilot Project

DBS, Singapore’s largest bank, has launched a Treasury Token pilot in collaboration with Ant International, the parent company of Alipay+. This innovative treasury and liquidity management solution, built on DBS’s permissioned blockchain, offers a multi-currency tokenized deposit system for seamless payments between bank branches.

The pilot aims to enhance Ant’s global treasury management by enabling 24/7 cross-border payments and integrating DBS’s blockchain with Ant’s Whale platform. This platform, leveraging blockchain and AI, provides global treasury management solutions, further optimizing the return on idle cash and offering programmable payments through smart contracts.

With large corporations needing precise control over their global financial operations, solutions like DBS’s Treasury Token and Ant’s Whale platform are set to revolutionize cross-border payments. By reducing costs and transaction risks, this partnership signals a new era in global banking and treasury management.

Global Distribution of Bitcoin ATMs by Country

The distribution of Bitcoin ATMs across the top 10 countries globally showcases where the digital currency’s physical access points are most prevalent. The United States leads by a significant margin with 32,177 Bitcoin ATMs, highlighting its dominant role in the global cryptocurrency market. Canada follows with a substantial 3,031 ATMs, demonstrating strong adoption rates in North America.

Australia and Spain also show considerable numbers, with 1,749 and 296 Bitcoin ATMs respectively, indicating their growing markets. Poland and El Salvador, with 279 and 215 ATMs respectively, underscore the increasing global spread of Bitcoin accessibility.

Other noteworthy contributors include Hong Kong with 173 ATMs, Germany with 181, New Zealand with 144, and Puerto Rico with 141. This distribution not only reflects the adoption and integration of Bitcoin into different national financial systems but also indicates regions where there is significant interest and investment in blockchain technology.

Disclaimer: Market capitalizations and data can vary in real-time. The information provided here is intended purely for educational purposes and should not, under any circumstances, be construed as financial advice.

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LATEST: Japanese Firm Metaplanet Acquires 57.10 BTC Worth ¥500 Million

Metaplanet, a prominent Japanese company, has further solidified its position in the crypto space by acquiring an additional ¥500 million worth of Bitcoin (BTC). This acquisition increases the company’s total Bitcoin holdings to approximately 303 BTC, valued at nearly $18 million.

Following a ¥1 billion loan secured last week, Metaplanet is pushing forward with its Bitcoin-centric strategy. The company has also announced plans to raise $70 million through a stock rights offering, with $58 million earmarked for further Bitcoin investments. This bold move underscores Metaplanet’s commitment to using Bitcoin as a treasury reserve asset, offering domestic investors exposure to the leading cryptocurrency.

Inspired by the approach of U.S. firm MicroStrategy, Metaplanet views Bitcoin as a strategic long-term investment. The company sees it as a hedge against the yen’s depreciation and Japan’s high government debt, demonstrating confidence in the future of Bitcoin despite market fluctuations.