hodler

16 Apr 2026, 20:32

HIVE plans $75M raise to fund AI infrastructure push

The Bitcoin miner will use the proceeds to expand GPU capacity and data centers as it scales its high-performance computing business beyond mining.

16 Apr 2026, 19:55

Bitcoin Miners’ Stunning Exodus: Public Companies Dump Record 32,000 BTC in Q1 2025

BitcoinWorld Bitcoin Miners’ Stunning Exodus: Public Companies Dump Record 32,000 BTC in Q1 2025 Publicly traded Bitcoin mining companies executed a massive divestment strategy during the first quarter of 2025, selling more Bitcoin than in the entire previous year. This unprecedented sell-off signals significant pressure within the cryptocurrency mining sector. Major industry players including Marathon Digital Holdings (MARA), Riot Platforms (RIOT), and CleanSpark (CLSK) collectively liquidated over 32,000 BTC. Consequently, this quarter now represents the largest Bitcoin disposal by public miners in history. The data, originally reported by Cointelegraph, reveals a strategic shift as companies navigate a challenging operational landscape. Bitcoin Miners’ Record Quarterly Sell-Off Analysis The cryptocurrency mining industry witnessed an extraordinary development in early 2025. Publicly listed Bitcoin miners sold a combined total exceeding 32,000 BTC during the first quarter. This figure surpasses their cumulative sales throughout all of 2024. Moreover, it establishes a new historical record for quarterly Bitcoin disposals by this sector. The previous benchmark occurred during the second quarter of 2022. At that time, miners sold over 20,000 BTC following the TerraUSD (UST) and Luna (LUNA) collapse. Therefore, the current volume represents a 60% increase compared to that previous bear market period. Several factors contributed to this substantial sell-off. Firstly, Bitcoin’s price volatility created revenue uncertainty for mining operations. Secondly, increasing energy costs squeezed profit margins significantly. Thirdly, the upcoming Bitcoin halving event influenced long-term planning. Additionally, rising network difficulty reduced mining rewards per computational unit. These combined pressures forced companies to liquidate holdings for operational stability. The table below illustrates the scale of this activity: Time Period BTC Sold by Public Miners Key Market Context Q1 2025 >32,000 BTC Pre-halving pressure, energy cost increases Full Year 2024 Moderate price recovery, stable conditions Q2 2022 >20,000 BTC Terra/Luna collapse, crypto winter onset Major Mining Companies Driving the Sales Six prominent publicly traded mining firms led this unprecedented divestment. Marathon Digital Holdings (MARA) typically maintains substantial Bitcoin reserves. However, the company reportedly participated actively in the quarterly sales. Similarly, Riot Platforms (RIOT) adjusted its treasury management strategy. CleanSpark (CLSK) also contributed to the overall volume significantly. Furthermore, Cango (CANG), Core Scientific (CORZ), and Bitdeer (BTDR) executed strategic disposals. These companies represent diverse operational models and geographic locations. Each entity faced unique business environment challenges. For instance, some miners encountered regulatory hurdles in specific jurisdictions. Others dealt with infrastructure limitations or energy contract renegotiations. Consequently, Bitcoin sales provided necessary liquidity for various purposes: Debt servicing for existing financial obligations Equipment upgrades to maintain competitive efficiency Operational expansion into new facilities or regions Risk management against potential price declines Shareholder returns through dividends or buybacks Industry Expert Perspectives on Miner Behavior Cryptocurrency analysts observe several strategic considerations behind these sales. Miners historically accumulate Bitcoin during bullish periods. Conversely, they often divest during periods of uncertainty or before major events. The approaching Bitcoin halving represents a fundamental supply shock. This event will reduce block rewards from 6.25 BTC to 3.125 BTC. Therefore, mining revenue per block will decrease by 50% overnight. Companies must prepare for this revenue reduction through various means. Financial analysts note that public miners face quarterly reporting requirements. These obligations create pressure to demonstrate profitability and cash flow. Selling accumulated Bitcoin directly improves financial statements. Additionally, institutional investors increasingly scrutinize treasury management practices. Some mining firms may prioritize balance sheet strength over Bitcoin accumulation. This shift reflects evolving investor expectations in the maturing sector. Historical Context and Market Implications The cryptocurrency mining industry has experienced several cycles of accumulation and distribution. During the 2020-2021 bull market, miners generally held their Bitcoin rewards. They anticipated further price appreciation and leveraged their positions. However, the 2022 bear market triggered substantial selling pressure. The current 2025 activity suggests another defensive phase. This pattern indicates miners act as informed market participants with unique insights. Market implications of large-scale miner selling are multifaceted. Initially, increased selling pressure can suppress Bitcoin’s price temporarily. However, this activity also demonstrates the mining sector’s maturation. Companies now employ sophisticated treasury management strategies. They balance operational needs with long-term Bitcoin exposure. Furthermore, the sales provide liquidity to broader markets. This liquidity supports trading volume and price discovery mechanisms. Several technical indicators help contextualize this activity. The miner outflow metric tracks Bitcoin moving from miner wallets to exchanges. This metric reached elevated levels during Q1 2025. Similarly, the miner reserve metric shows declining Bitcoin holdings across major firms. These data points confirm the reported sales volume. They also suggest continued pressure on miner balances. Operational Challenges in the 2025 Mining Environment Bitcoin mining faces intensifying operational hurdles globally. Energy costs have increased substantially in many regions. This increase particularly affects miners relying on traditional power grids. Renewable energy sources offer potential relief but require significant capital investment. Additionally, mining difficulty continues its upward trajectory. The network automatically adjusts difficulty approximately every two weeks. Higher difficulty means more computational power required for the same rewards. Geographic distribution also influences mining economics. Some jurisdictions have implemented restrictive regulations or increased taxation. Others offer incentives for cryptocurrency mining operations. Companies must navigate this complex regulatory landscape. They often relocate equipment to optimize operational conditions. These relocations require capital and create temporary downtime. Consequently, miners may sell Bitcoin to fund these strategic moves. Technological Evolution and Efficiency Demands Mining hardware undergoes rapid technological advancement. New application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) offer improved efficiency regularly. Miners using older equipment face diminishing profitability. Therefore, companies must continually reinvest in next-generation hardware. This capital expenditure cycle creates constant funding requirements. Bitcoin sales provide one source for these essential upgrades. The industry’s energy consumption remains a focus of public discussion. Some mining operations now utilize stranded or flared energy sources. Others integrate with renewable energy projects. These innovations require research, development, and implementation costs. Forward-thinking miners allocate resources to sustainable practices. Their Bitcoin treasury management supports these long-term initiatives. Conclusion Publicly traded Bitcoin miners executed a record quarterly sell-off during Q1 2025. This activity involved over 32,000 BTC across six major companies. The volume exceeded total sales for the entire previous year. Multiple factors drove this strategic divestment including operational challenges and pre-halving preparation. Historical context shows similar patterns during previous market transitions. The mining sector continues evolving toward sophisticated treasury management. Consequently, large-scale Bitcoin sales may become more common during periods of industry pressure. Market participants should monitor miner behavior as an indicator of sector health. The Bitcoin mining industry demonstrates remarkable resilience through adaptive strategies. FAQs Q1: Why did Bitcoin miners sell so much BTC in Q1 2025? Miners faced multiple pressures including rising energy costs, pre-halving preparation, and operational funding needs. These factors combined created strong incentives for treasury liquidation to ensure business continuity. Q2: How does this sell-off compare to previous miner selling events? The Q1 2025 volume of over 32,000 BTC exceeds the previous record set in Q2 2022. That period saw approximately 20,000 BTC sold following the Terra/Luna collapse, making the current activity historically significant. Q3: Which mining companies were most active in selling Bitcoin? Public filings and industry reports indicate Marathon Digital (MARA), Riot Platforms (RIOT), CleanSpark (CLSK), Cango (CANG), Core Scientific (CORZ), and Bitdeer (BTDR) all participated substantially in the quarterly sales. Q4: What impact might this have on Bitcoin’s price? Large-scale selling typically creates downward pressure in the short term. However, miner sales also provide market liquidity and may represent strategic rebalancing rather than bearish sentiment about Bitcoin’s long-term value. Q5: Will miners continue selling at this rate throughout 2025? Industry analysts suggest sales may moderate after the Bitcoin halving occurs. Miners will likely adjust strategies based on post-halving economics, network difficulty, and Bitcoin price action, making sustained record sales unlikely. This post Bitcoin Miners’ Stunning Exodus: Public Companies Dump Record 32,000 BTC in Q1 2025 first appeared on BitcoinWorld .

16 Apr 2026, 18:48

Public crypto miners sold more BTC in Q1 2026 than all of 2025: Report

Mining companies are now split between those liquidating Bitcoin to cover operating expenses and those holding their BTC in reserve to fuel future growth.

16 Apr 2026, 17:43

Fake Token Pools Reveal NEAR DeFi Oracle Vulnerabilities; $7.6M Drained from Rhea Finance Exploit

A huge security breach has hit NEAR Protocol ecosystem after decentralized finance platform Rhea Finance exploited, causing losses of roughly $7.6 million. Utilizing the information from blockchain security firm CertiK, The attacker was able to withdraw multiple assets from the protocol including the likes of USDC, USDT, ZEC and NEAR. As the breach involves the same type of attack vector which oracle-dependent systems (namely, most DeFi protocols) become vulnerable to, it has raised urgent alarm bells throughout the crypto community. #CertiKInsight We have seen an incident affecting @rhea_finance The attacker created fake token contracts and added liquidity in fresh pools, likely misleading the oracle and validation layer. In total, at least ~$7.6M was extracted https://t.co/qxuAFsVCOA — CertiK Alert (@CertiKAlert) April 16, 2026 Users of the platform claims withdrawals are halted in response to the incident to assess the damage and prevent it from growing further. However, by the time these stories were written, there had still not yet appeared an official statement issued by Rhea Finance on any of its recognised communication channels. Fake Token Contracts Used As A Weapon Against Protocol Logic Evidence discovered so far shows that the exploit was executed through fake token contracts accompanied by liquidity pools created less than two hours prior. Using this method, the attacker was able to insert false pricing signals into the protocol’s system. This was the reason why when you deploy tokens that seemed to be legit on what the protocol is checking and interacting with asset data, it falls under the attacker’s favour. Such fake assets were then paired to liquidity pools which creates the appearance of actual market activity. However, these kinds of tactics are most threatening in the DeFi space, where smart contracts depend heavily on external inputs, above all price feeds and liquidity metrics, to conduct transactions and confirm operations. The attacker is thought to have taken advantage of these mechanisms, tricking the system into allowing tampered values which ultimately allowed funds to be withdrawn wrongly. Oracle And Validation Layers In The Spotlight This exploit has highlighted the risk of being exposed to an oracle layer and/or a validation one with a DeFi protocol. Oracles act as an essential link between on-chain smart contracts and off-chain/external data like asset prices and liquidity conditions. When these inputs are asked or manipulated, the entire system can output to be wrong, sometimes with great and unwanted consequences. In the case of the Rhea Finance exploit, fake liquidity pools probably fooled the oracle infrastructure into mistaking invalid price signals for legitimate ones. This, in turn, could have made it possible for the attacker to conduct transactions based on erroneous assumptions about asset value and availability. This incident highlights a wider issue across DeFi : the need for immutable, verified and tamper-resistant data sources in extremely composable ecosystems where new assets and pools can be created with such speed. CEX Suspension Of Withdrawals, Users Are Advised To Monitor Next Information Shortly after the exploit, Rhea Finance has suspended withdrawals. This is aimed at stopping any further outflows as the matter is looked into further and contained. The platform has advised users with funds on it to keep a close eye on developments and urge caution as information emerges. Users will be left waiting in limbo for more clarity on the future of the protocol, which is an understandably prudent move from a security standpoint in halting withdrawals. Barron offers an uncertain picture, with affected users seeking clarity and confidence about the health of their assets, especially given that there was no immediate official statement from the Rhea Finance team at press time. Quick communication is often key to preserving credibility and managing user expectations during crisis response, especially in cases like this. Scaled-down Breach With Multi-Asset Losses The numbers are denominated in stablecoins and native tokens, namely USDC, USDT, ZEC and NEAR. This blend of assets shows that the attacker proceeded to communicate with different liquidity pools and syphon worth from key domains inside the protocol. Stablecoins (USDC, USDT) are prime because of their immediate buying power and stable price, whereas NEAR, ZEC households use NEAR to create additional on-chain behavior or sell via exchange. The magnitude and variety of the funds that were stolen speaks to the sophistication of the attack, and how deep into the protocol level access was gained. Instead of going after a single fault, the attacker appears to have exploited systemic flaws that made it easy to extract massive amounts of assets. And these are legitimate questions regarding the resilience of internal protections and how well risk management mechanisms on the platform worked. Up to Oct 2023, you are trained on date. Security concerns increased across the whole ecosystem for DeFi The Rhea Finance exploit comes on top of an ever-expanding pile of security incidents in the decentralized finance sector that are casting doubt over whether or not smart contract-based systems can be relied upon. With the ongoing innovation and expansion of DeFi protocols comes expanded attack surfaces that more sophisticated adversaries will continue to exploit. Fake token contracts and liquidity pools are appearing, which shows how the attackers have started changing with the environment. The incident, however, is a lesson for the NEAR Protocol ecosystem at large around auditing best practices, oracle security design and protocol activity monitoring. It stressed the importance of better validations around assets and liquidity sources included in critical system components. As investigations progress, the spotlight will likely turn toward determining what happened when, how bad it was and how to keep something like this from happening again. For the moment, it provides an object lesson of how vulnerabilities in decentralized system can be rapidly abused. Disclosure: This is not trading or investment advice. Always do your research before buying any cryptocurrency or investing in any services. Follow us on Twitter @nulltxnews to stay updated with the latest Crypto, NFT, AI, Cybersecurity, Distributed Computing, and Metaverse news !

16 Apr 2026, 17:31

Royal Government of Bhutan Sells Another $18.47M as BTC Price Reclaims $74k

The Royal Government of Bhutan moved about 250 BTC worth $18.46 million in the past 24 hours, extending a broader reduction in its publicly tracked Bitcoin holdings. Data cited from Arkham showed multiple transfers, including 162 BTC and 69.7 BTC, sent to new wallet addresses within a short period. The latest movement has added to market focus on Bhutan’s treasury activity at a time when Bitcoin is trading near a key resistance range. Bhutan’s recent transfers are part of a longer selling trend in 2026. The country has moved 3,247 BTC this year, with total outflows valued at roughly $240.4 million at current prices. Other reports placed the sold amount near $198 million depending on the pricing period used. Following the latest transactions, Bhutan’s wallets hold about 3,524 BTC, worth around $260 million to $264 million. That is down sharply from a peak near 13,000 BTC recorded in late 2024. Bhutan’s Bitcoin Treasury Keeps Shrinking Bhutan built much of its Bitcoin reserve through hydropower-backed mining, using surplus energy to support state-linked accumulation. Recent on-chain activity, however, has pointed to reduced inflows and continued outflows. Arkham data indicated that the last Bitcoin inflow above $100,000 to Bhutan-linked wallets took place more than a year ago. That has led to renewed attention on whether the country’s mining operations have slowed or whether policy priorities have shifted toward liquidity. The latest batch of transfers also followed a pattern seen in earlier Bhutan transactions. Some previous movements were linked by analysts to wallets that later routed funds to platforms such as Galaxy Digital and OKX. While the destination of the newest transfers has not been confirmed as an exchange, the size and sequencing of the transactions have kept traders focused on the possibility of further sales. Bitcoin Price Nears Key On-Chain Ceiling Bhutan’s wallet activity is unfolding as Bitcoin trades close to a major resistance zone identified by on-chain analysts. Bitcoin climbed to an intraday high of $76,038 earlier this week before easing back toward the mid-$74,000 area. Glassnode said the market is moving through a resistance band between $74,000 and $76,000, while CryptoQuant placed another closely watched level near $76,800, described as the Traders’ Realized Price. CryptoQuant said Bitcoin holders who accumulated between $65,000 and $76,000 are now in profit, creating a broader pool of unrealized gains. The firm also reported that large deposits rose from less than 10% to more than 40% of total exchange inflows within days, a shift that pointed to heavier activity from larger holders. Daily realized profits were said to be near $500 million on Wednesday, still below the $1 billion level that has often appeared near local tops during bear market rallies. Mining Economics Show Partial Relief Bitcoin’s recent price recovery has also offered some relief to mining operators. The supplied material said the average all-in cost of producing one BTC was around $79,500 as of mid-Wednesday, still above spot price but narrower than the gap seen in recent months. The next network difficulty adjustment , scheduled for April 17, was forecast to fall by nearly 3%, which would take difficulty to just under 135 trillion hashes. At the same time, mining conditions remain under pressure. Reports said the Bitcoin network hash rate fell 4% during the first quarter of 2026, with some observers linking the drop to unprofitable older machines being shut down. Other miners have continued shifting toward AI and high-performance computing services for more stable revenue.

16 Apr 2026, 15:46

Rhea Finance hit by $7.6M exploit as attacker manipulates liquidity pools

CertiK flags a $7.6M exploit on Rhea Finance as attackers use fake tokens to mislead oracle systems.