Invest ideasNews
17 Feb 2026, 11:00
Paradigm: ‘Bitcoin mining should be seen as a tool, not a threat’
Despite criticism, Bitcoin uses just 0.23% of global electricity, while AI demand is set to triple by 2028.
17 Feb 2026, 10:44
Binance Announces USD1 Airdrop Campaign With 235M $WLFI Token Pool
What To Know: Binance will distribute 235 million WLFI tokens to users holding USD1 through an airdrop campaign running from Feb. 20 to March 20, 2026. Rewards will be issued weekly to eligible USD1 holders across Spot, Funding, Margin, and Futures accounts, with bonus multipliers for collateralized holdings. Moreover, WLFI ecosystem is also holding an upcoming World Liberty Forum, which is set to feature prominent global finance and crypto leaders. Crypto exchange Binance has announced a new airdrop campaign that will reward users holding World Liberty Financial USD (USD1), with a total distribution pool of 235 million World Liberty Financial (WLFI) tokens. The airdrop is set to begin on February 20, 2026, at 00:00 UTC and will be running until March 20, 2026. During this time, eligible users holding USD1 across supported account types will receive $WLFI rewards on a weekly basis. Binance Announces $WLFI Airdrop for USD1 holders As per the official announcement , the first airdrop will be on March 4, 2026. It will cover rewards collected between February 20 and February 27. After the first distribution, rewards will continue to be issued every Friday throughout the campaign period. The total WLFI reward pool of 235 million tokens will be distributed across four weekly installments. Each week, nearly 58.75 million WLFI tokens will be allocated among eligible participants. Note that the rewards will be credited directly to users’ Binance Spot Accounts. Eligibility for the campaign depends on holding USD1 balances in supported accounts on Binance. These include Spot Accounts, Funding Accounts, Margin Accounts, and USDⓈ-M Futures Accounts where USD1 is used as collateral. The exchange clarified that users who maintain at least 0.01 USD1 in margin or futures accounts will qualify for a 1.2x bonus multiplier on their WLFI rewards, regardless of whether they actively trade or use leverage. The reward calculation will be based on a user’s qualifying USD1 balance. Binance said that snapshots of user balances will be taken multiple times every hour. The lowest USD1 balance recorded each day will be used as the qualifying balance for that day. The exchange added that USD1 obtained through borrowing other stablecoins will be subject to a 70% haircut after liabilities are accounted for. This includes borrowing from assets such as USDT, USDC, USD1, U, RLUSD, and FDUSD. In addition, USD1 borrowed as liabilities through loans or margin positions will not be included in qualifying balances. Binance stated that there will be no individual cap on rewards. The allocation of each user will depend on the balance that is relative to the total pool of eligible USD1 holdings across all participants. Rewards will be rounded down to two decimal places and distribution timing may be different slightly depending on operational conditions. At the time of writing, WLFI was trading near $0.09955 after a 1.9% dip over the past 24 hours. Even with the short term price movement, the project has been gaining attention, thanks to a series of high profile developments and events linked to its ecosystem. WLFI, which is a crypto initiative associated with members of the President Donald Trump’s family including Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, is also preparing to host the World Liberty Forum at the Mar a Lago estate. The invitation only summit is expected to gather nearly 400 global leaders from finance, technology, sports, media, and government. The event agenda is expected to focus on the future of the US dollar, stablecoins such as USD1, decentralized finance, artificial intelligence, and cross border payments infrastructure. Industry figures including David Solomon, Adena Friedman, and Brian Armstrong are among the expected participants. Organizers are also expected to present updates on the World Swap remittance platform, which targets a multi trillion dollar global payments market. Also Read: Trump Didn’t Know About Abu Dhabi’s $500M Stake in WLFI
17 Feb 2026, 00:00
XRPL Validator: XRP Used $73K in Electricity, While Bitcoin Burned $8B-$12B
Recent disclosures from the XRP Ledger community have brought renewed focus to the stark contrast in energy usage between major blockchain networks. Data shared by Vet , a long-standing validator on the XRP Ledger, outlines how XRP’s underlying infrastructure operates at a fraction of the energy cost associated with Bitcoin. According to the figures presented, the XRP Ledger’s total electricity consumption over the past year amounted to roughly $73,000. By comparison, Bitcoin’s annual power demand is estimated to translate into electricity expenses ranging between $8 billion and $12 billion, based on industrial energy pricing. The comparison underscores how fundamentally different design choices result in vastly different operational footprints. How XRP’s Energy Use Is Calculated Vet’s analysis draws from recent XRP Ledger network metrics as of mid-February 2026. These figures indicate that the XRPL consumed slightly over 400,000 kilowatt-hours across the entire year. XRP used $73,000 in electricity to run the entire network for 1 year. Bitcoin used $8,000,000,000 – $12,000,000,000 in electricity to run the entire network for 1year. (Industrial electricity rate, not residential) On per transaction basis this results in $0.0000028 per XRP Tx… pic.twitter.com/pVFWpC9b7p — Vet (@Vet_X0) February 15, 2026 When distributed across total transaction throughput, the energy requirement per transaction is measured in fractions of a watt-hour, translating to a negligible cost measured in millionths of a dollar per transfer. This low consumption reflects the XRPL’s validator-based consensus system, which does not rely on competitive computation. Instead of expending energy to solve cryptographic puzzles, validators agree on transaction order through a coordination process that requires minimal processing power. Bitcoin’s Power Demand Remains Orders of Magnitude Higher By contrast, Bitcoin’s electricity usage continues to scale with its Proof-of-Work mining model. Estimates from the University of Cambridge Judge Business School Centre for Alternative Finance place Bitcoin’s lower-bound energy demand near 100 terawatt-hours per year. This level of consumption rivals that of some mid-sized countries. When converted into monetary terms using industrial electricity rates, the resulting cost aligns with Vet’s estimate of multi-billion-dollar annual spending. On a per-transaction basis, this implies energy costs that can reach tens of dollars, depending on network conditions and mining efficiency. Developer Perspectives on Infrastructure and Sustainability Additional context came from Wietse Wind, founder of XRPL Labs, who emphasized that XRPL’s efficiency becomes even more pronounced when focusing strictly on electricity usage rather than hardware investments. He noted that a large portion of XRPL Labs’ infrastructure is powered by solar energy, including stored power used outside daylight hours. We are on X, follow us to connect with us :- @TimesTabloid1 — TimesTabloid (@TimesTabloid1) June 15, 2025 Another XRPL developer, Bird, added that the energy difference between the two networks translates into significant avoided consumption. In his assessment, XRP transactions are effectively millions of times cheaper from an electricity standpoint, representing billions of dollars in power usage that never had to occur. The divergence in energy demand comes from architecture rather than scale alone. Bitcoin’s security model is intentionally energy-intensive, relying on mining competition to prevent network manipulation. XRP, on the other hand, achieves consensus through validator agreement without requiring energy-heavy computation. Historical estimates have shown Bitcoin accounting for a measurable share of global electricity usage, while XRPL’s annual consumption has consistently remained within the range of hundreds of megawatt-hours. The latest figures suggest that the trend has not changed. Who Pays Bitcoin’s Energy Bill Vet also addressed the economic implications of Bitcoin’s electricity demand. Miners absorb energy costs directly and typically offset expenses by selling part of their block rewards. During periods of market weakness, this can introduce sustained selling pressure because operating margins tighten. While Bitcoin supporters argue that high energy use underpins network security, critics maintain that more efficient alternatives can support global payments without comparable environmental or financial costs. The data reinforces a long-standing argument within the digital asset space, which is that network design choices carry lasting consequences. XRP’s low-energy model continues to position it as a candidate for large-scale payments infrastructure, while Bitcoin’s power usage remains a defining and controversial feature of its system. Disclaimer : This content is meant to inform and should not be considered financial advice. The views expressed in this article may include the author’s personal opinions and do not represent Times Tabloid’s opinion. Readers are urged to do in-depth research before making any investment decisions. Any action taken by the reader is strictly at their own risk. Times Tabloid is not responsible for any financial losses. Follow us on Twitter , Facebook , Telegram , and Google News The post XRPL Validator: XRP Used $73K in Electricity, While Bitcoin Burned $8B-$12B appeared first on Times Tabloid .
16 Feb 2026, 21:16
Paradigm: AI Makes BTC Mining Flexible
Paradigm argued that BTC mining is more flexible in energy markets compared to AI data centers. It consumes only %0,23 of global energy. BTC 68.458 USD, strong support 65.534 USD. Metaplanet holds ...
16 Feb 2026, 20:39
Paradigm reframes Bitcoin mining as grid asset, not energy drain
The cryptocurrency investment firm says Bitcoin mining is being unfairly lumped with AI data centers, arguing miners act as flexible grid demand, not constant energy drains.
16 Feb 2026, 18:27
Ledger Launches 96-Hour Bitcoin Reward Promo With Up to $80 in BTC
Chinese New Year brings traditions of luck and prosperity, and for our readers gearing up for 2026, Ledger’s “Red Envelope” offer provides a practical way to combine that spirit with secure crypto self-custody. Exclusive to Coinpaper readers via our affiliate link for a fleeting 96 hours (February 16–19), it offers Bitcoin rewards delivered directly to the new Ledger Wallet app upon purchase. Ledger’s hardware lineup: from Stax to Nano keeps your private keys offline while unlocking app features tailored for everyday crypto use. BTC Yield via Lombard and Figment lets holders earn Bitcoin rewards in full self-custody through a dedicated dApp. Noah’s Cash-to-Stablecoin feature streamlines fiat-to-USDC/USDT conversions without centralized exchanges, ideal for stable holdings. Traders benefit from 1inch swaps with clear-signing, displaying every transaction detail on your device for safer approvals, plus Kiln yields on stablecoins—all in Ledger Live. It’s a solid setup for both long-term storage and active DeFi. Here’s the BTC reward breakdown by device: Ledger Stax™: $80 BTC Ledger Flex™: $70 BTC Ledger Nano Gen5™: $30 BTC Nano X™: $20 BTC S Plus™: $10 BTC This light-gated promo means rewards only show through the Coinpaper-tracked page, ensuring our community accesses the full value. With Lunar New Year in full swing, it’s a smart moment to bolster your setup with hardware that supports yields and swaps seamlessly. Full promotion terms and details await here: Explore the Red Envelope Promo .
