Highlight
Bitcoin Tech
(1) Bitcoin Optech #66 covers: the Erlay BIP, LN vulnerability disclosure, Schnorr / Taproot workshop transcript, and a report on how the BTSE exchange uses Bitcoin tech to scale their operations and reduce fees for users.
(2) Cyphernode - the Bitcoin developer toolkit that does not rely on any trusted third party - just released v0.2.4:
Bitcoin Products
Wallets
(1) An OpenDime is a small USB stick that allows you to spend Bitcoin like a dollar bill / bearer asset. Matt Odell covers how to use an OpenDime and how to spend from one.
(2) “With our new Team features, Casa Diamond members will be able to assign each of the keys in their 3-of-5 multisig set to different people.” Learn more about Team Signing on Casa Keymaster.
(3) European Edge wallet users can conduct fiat exchanges without KYC (limits at $5000 daily). Learn how the company is able to do so in a compliant way.
Merchants
(4) From the Nodl team, Host4coins allows anyone to host their websites without KYC by paying in BTC.
Other
(5) Bull Bitcoin increases daily transfer limits from $1000 to $3000.
(6) GiveBitcoin is looking for participants to test their alpha product - a way to create new HODLers by giving them timelocked bitcoin.
Bitcoin Mining
(1) Approximating Bitcoin Security: Hashrate + Difficulty
The two metrics hit ~90.03 EH/s and ~12.76 T respectively, according to BTC.com
Matteo Leibowitz recommends the Fee Ratio Multiple when evaluating a blockchain network’s security
(2) Supply + Halvening News:
~223 days until the next halvening, where the issuance rate of new bitcoins will decrease from 12.5 to 6.25 bitcoins per new block mined. Bitcoin inflation will decrease to 1.8%, rivaling the US inflation rate.
We’ve mined >85% of the 21,000,000 bitcoins that will ever exist, in the past ~10 years. To mine the remaining 15% will take ~120 years.
(3) It’s been a while since China’s rainy season / cheap hydropower. At what price point do Bitcoin mining machines like Antminer S9’s become unprofitable? F2Pool breaks down the numbers.
(4) North America’s largest mining firm, Hut 8, will begin trading on Toronto’s Stock Exchange next week.
(5) It took nearly 2 hours to mine a block this past week. It’s likely just a statistical outlier.
(6) But many speculated this to be the cause of the 2 hour block:
(7) Of course, it was just fake news…
Bitcoin Markets
(1) Fiat Market Cap
Bitcoin ranks #37 compared to all fiat currencies, placed between the Colombian Peso (COP) and the Lebanese Pound (LBP).
(2) Government Debt Clock
(3) Crypto Market Cap Dominance: Bitcoin represents 71.20% of the total crypto market cap
(4) Los Angeles-based asset management firm Wave Financial has announced the creation of the world's first Bitcoin-based yield fund, which aims to generate an investment yield of 18% annually. Learn how they plan to do so.
(5) NY-based asset management firm Stone Ridge (AUM: $15 B) has filed a prospectus with the SEC to offer a cash-settled Bitcoin futures fund.
(6) Tether does more in daily volumes than Bitcoin. How does its volumes compare to ETH, LTC, BCH, EOS, XRP, and TRX combined?
(7) See how Hong Kong protests have affected their LocalBitcoins volumes.
(8) Swiss SIX exchange lists a fully-collateralized 90% BTC, 10% ETH basket ETP.
Bitcoin Talks / Theses
(1) Nik Bhatia covers BTC dominated returns and introduces Tantra Labs’ new BTC denominated debt instruments, which sources BTC-denominated returns from the volatility of the price of BTC.
(2) In his latest piece, Pete Earle describes the age of negative interest rates as an era of bank runs, cashless economies, and Bitcoin.
(3) Plan₿ chats with Peter McCormack about: the stock to flow ratio, gold, institutional interest, national reserves, and more.
(4) Dergigi explains How to Kill Bitcoin.
(5)
Bitcoin Regulations
(1) Nation states are adopting Bitcoin:
Vlad Costea publishes an op-ed on recent remarks by Belarus to mine bitcoin with the country’s nuclear power, as well as the case for national Bitcoin strategies.
"People who [are engaged in cryptocurrencies] should get out of the gray zone and start paying taxes." Read more on the Ukrainian government’s plans to legalize Bitcoin.
Venezuelans will soon be able to make crypto payments through its central bank, a move over from the government’s current VES currency controls.
(2) Coinbase, Kraken, Circle (operator of Poloniex), and Bittrex, have developed a system to rate which cryptocurrencies are likely to be securities. Why use a 1-5 scale instead of a binary one? And why are Dai, Litecoin, and Monero rated as 1’s?
(3) Continuing with the securities news, yes - a company (Block.one, EOS) that raised $4.1 B in an ICO settled with the SEC to pay a $24 M fine (0.6% of the raise). Moral hazard, schmoral hazard - gotta love the regulators.
(4) Binance partners with Coinfirm to address FATF regulations.
Bitcoin Calendar
(1) Hut 8 TSX Listing | Oct 9
(2) Bitwise ETF Decision | Oct 13
(3) Lightning Conference | Berlin | Oct 19 - 20
(4) CME 3mo Expiration | Oct 25
(5) Square Earnings Call | Nov 6
(6) The Capital | Singapore | Nov 12 - 13
(7) CME 6mo Expiration | Dec 27
Tweet at me if I’ve missed anything or if you’ve got feedback, questions, and comments.
This is not financial advice. Do your own research.
Newsletter #1 was published on 20190621. Stats:
XBT = ~$10,200
Market Cap = ~$180 B
Hashrate = ~60 EH/s
Difficulty = ~7.93 T
Dominance = ~61.6%