hodler

3 Apr 2026, 22:49

Illegal BTC mining duo share 14-year sentence as mining difficulty hovers near all-time high

China has been sparing no effort in dealing with users involved in illegal Bitcoin mining activities. It recently hit two men in the Heilongjiang Province with heavy prison sentences, a few weeks after a prominent industrial operator was hit with millions in liability. Amid all that drama, BTC mining difficulty has stayed around all-time high levels, and the industry has responded with sharp pivots, while corner-cutting stunts are being punished harshly by authorities in China and areas under embargo in Russia. Heilongjiang Province sentences duo to 14 years China’s officials have been cracking down hard on underground Bitcoin miners in the region, handing out more than a decade of prison time for two men in the Heilongjiang Province for stealing electricity. According to reports , the ringleader Zhang and another named Zhao illegally tapped into an oilfield’s power grid in September 2024. They used that power to run 24 Bitcoin mining machines in an abandoned pigsty to reroute large amounts of electricity without paying. Chinese courts found them guilty of illegal electricity theft and other offenses linked to illegal crypto mining. Between them, the duo faces what amounts to a shared 14-year term, with Zhang getting the lion’s share of the prison sentence as the main perpetrator. The sentence tracks with China’s zero tolerance for such cases and is expected to serve as a deterrent to others doing the same thing in the country. Crackdown in China increases as BTC mining becomes more competitive The case involving the Heilongjiang duo is not an isolated event. China has actively been ramping up activity against illegal mining. In March, Chinese authorities imposed approximately $14.5 million in liabilities on a major polysilicon producer in Xinjiang for illegally supplying electricity to miners. When it was found out during a raid that went down in December, the industrial giant paid the price in hefty fines, but the authorities did not stop there. They also confiscated the illegal gains that came from the endeavor. As a result of that exposure, between 400,000 to over 1 million mining machines were reportedly shut down, an event that triggered noticeable dips in the global Bitcoin hashrate. Amid all that, the Bitcoin network continues to become more competitive. Mining difficulty is known to adjust roughly every two weeks to maintain consistent block times has remained near all-time high levels even in the face of recent volatility. Bitcoin mining difficulty is near all-time levels. Source: Cloverpool Current levels sit around 139 trillion, with the global hash rate at 981.59 EH/s according to Cloverpool data . The sustained difficulty rate means that profitable mining now requires the best energy-efficient hardware as well as access to cheap power, something miners are hard-pressed to find in China. Don’t just read crypto news. Understand it. Subscribe to our newsletter. It's free .

3 Apr 2026, 21:00

Bitcoin Cannot Rally While Miners Are Bleeding. Discover How Long the Bleeding Lasts

Bitcoin is struggling to hold above $70,000. Days of trying to defend $65,000 have given way to a fragile recovery that the market does not yet trust. A top CryptoQuant analyst has identified the structural reason why — and it has nothing to do with sentiment, ETF flows, or macroeconomic headlines. The culprit is in the mining data. A CryptoQuant analysis examining the relationship between Miner Selling Power and Bitcoin’s price has identified a decoupling that began in the second half of 2025 and has been widening ever since. Historically, the two indicators moved in correlation — when Bitcoin price rose, miners’ selling power declined as profitability improved, and vice versa. That relationship has broken down entirely. What the chart now shows is a divergence that runs in the wrong direction: Miner Selling Power is sharply rising while Bitcoin’s price falls. The miners who are supposed to benefit from a recovery are instead increasing their selling activity into weakness. That is not profit-taking . That is survival. The connection to the stagnant hashrate data is direct and confirming. Miners are not expanding. They are not holding. They are selling — not because the market is giving them a reason to, but because the alternative is shutting down. This Is Not Capitulation. It Is Something More Dangerous The report’s conclusion reframes what is happening in the mining industry in a way that changes how the current Bitcoin market should be read. The word capitulation implies a single event — a moment of peak pain where the last forced sellers exit simultaneously, clearing the market and establishing a floor. What the Miner Selling Power data describes is not that. It is a continuous, sustained, survival-driven unloading that has no defined endpoint because its trigger is not sentiment — it is the ongoing gap between operating costs and revenue. Miners facing a harsh profitability winter do not sell because they have lost conviction in Bitcoin. They sell because electricity bills, hardware maintenance, and facility costs arrive on a schedule that the Bitcoin price does not respect. Every week that production costs exceed mining revenue is another week of forced selling — regardless of where price stands, regardless of what the chart suggests, regardless of what the broader market is doing. That persistence is what makes the current overhead so structurally significant. It is not a wall of supply waiting for the right price to clear. It is a drip of forced selling that the market must absorb continuously before any sustained upside can develop. The analyst’s forward position is stated without ambiguity: upside potential remains limited until these survival-driven sell-offs are fully absorbed. Until that absorption is confirmed in the data, the conservative perspective is not caution — it is the only analytically defensible posture available. Bitcoin Stalls Below Resistance as Downtrend Persists Bitcoin is trading near $66,800, continuing to consolidate after the sharp February breakdown that disrupted its prior bullish structure. The chart shows a clear shift in trend, with price moving from a series of higher highs into a pattern of lower highs and lower lows, confirming sustained bearish pressure. Following the capitulation event — marked by a significant spike in volume — BTC entered a range between approximately $62,000 and $72,000. Since then, price action has remained contained within this zone, but with a noticeable bias toward the lower end, suggesting weakening demand. The 50-day and 100-day moving averages are both trending downward above price, acting as dynamic resistance and limiting any recovery attempts. The 200-day moving average remains far above current levels, reinforcing the broader structural shift from expansion to correction. Recent rallies toward the $70,000–$72,000 region have consistently failed, producing lower highs and indicating that sellers are still active on strength. Volume has declined during consolidation, pointing to reduced participation and a lack of strong conviction from buyers. Unless Bitcoin can reclaim key moving averages and break above range resistance with strength, the current structure favors continued consolidation or a potential move lower toward support. Featured image from ChatGPT, chart from TradingView.com

3 Apr 2026, 20:06

Lucky Independent Bitcoin Miner Hits The Jackpot, Netting $210,000 BTC Reward

A lone Bitcoin miner took home an estimated $210,000 block reward on Thursday on the world's most competitive crypto network.

3 Apr 2026, 20:05

XRP Enters Retirement Plans. Wall Street Is Opening the Door

U.S. retirement markets are undergoing a gradual but significant transformation as regulators, asset managers, and plan administrators expand the boundaries of eligible investment classes. Policymakers now actively reassess how defined contribution systems can incorporate alternative assets, including digital instruments, without compromising fiduciary standards or investor protections. In a post shared on X, John Squire claimed that BlackRock expects up to 80% of Americans in 401(k) retirement plans to gain indirect exposure to crypto under evolving U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) rules. John Squire linked this projection to new regulatory momentum that broadens access to alternative investments, suggesting that assets like XRP could benefit from improved institutional distribution channels tied to retirement capital. Regulatory Shift Reshapes Retirement Investment Access The U.S. Department of Labor has recently advanced proposals that expand how 401(k) plans allocate capital across non-traditional assets. Regulators now focus on creating frameworks that allow retirement providers to include alternative investments while maintaining strict compliance with fiduciary obligations. Policy direction aligns with broader federal efforts to modernize retirement portfolios and reduce disparities between defined contribution plans and other institutional investment structures. Industry participants now interpret these changes as a gateway for broader exposure to asset classes previously considered too volatile or complex for retirement inclusion. XRP ENTERS RETIREMENT PLANS BlackRock says 80% of Americans could soon access crypto through 401(k)s. $XRP stands as one of the clearest plays for fast, compliant settlement in that shift. Wall Street is opening the door pic.twitter.com/E1I07IS4fG — John Squire (@TheCryptoSquire) April 2, 2026 BlackRock Positions Crypto Within Institutional Packaging BlackRock’s commentary in a Fox Business interview with executive Nick Nefouse described the development as a “huge step forward” in improving access parity across retirement plan types. He emphasized that regulatory adjustments could allow retirement investors to access a wider range of assets through structured investment vehicles. Asset managers now focus on delivering crypto exposure through regulated products such as ETFs and diversified funds rather than direct token ownership. This approach ensures compliance with custody standards, risk controls, and fiduciary requirements while still allowing participants to benefit from digital asset market performance. XRP and the Institutional Settlement Narrative John Squire’s post highlighted XRP as a potential beneficiary of this shift due to its positioning in a fast, compliant settlement infrastructure. In institutional discussions, XRP often appears as a bridge asset designed to improve liquidity efficiency across cross-border transactions and fragmented financial systems. We are on X, follow us to connect with us :- @TimesTabloid1 — TimesTabloid (@TimesTabloid1) June 15, 2025 However, retirement accounts will not directly hold XRP in most cases. Instead, exposure will likely flow through regulated investment products that track crypto market performance or basketed digital asset indices. This structure places XRP within a broader institutional framework rather than direct retail-style ownership inside retirement portfolios. Capital Inflows and Long-Term Market Implications The scale of U.S. 401(k) assets introduces a significant potential source of long-term capital inflows into digital markets. Even modest allocation shifts toward crypto-linked products could reshape liquidity conditions and institutional demand dynamics across major assets. Despite growing optimism in market commentary, implementation depends on final regulatory approval, product design, and fiduciary compliance standards. Asset managers must still resolve risk classification, volatility thresholds, and custody frameworks before widespread inclusion becomes operational. As retirement systems evolve, Wall Street continues to build the infrastructure that connects traditional long-term capital with digital asset markets, gradually integrating crypto exposure into one of the largest investment pools in the global financial 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 XRP Enters Retirement Plans. Wall Street Is Opening the Door appeared first on Times Tabloid .

3 Apr 2026, 19:30

Bitcoin Institutional Demand Overtakes BTC Mining Output – Here Are The Figures

Bitcoin demand is taking a crucial turn in a market hampered by ongoing negative macroeconomic and political events across the globe. A recent report has outlined an increasing interest and demand for the leading cryptocurrency asset among large companies, which has now significantly exceeded those produced by miners in the market. More Bitcoin Is Absorbed Than Being Mined While price direction has been uncertain and unstable for the past few weeks, a growing imbalance is starting to take shape in the Bitcoin market. This imbalance focuses on institutions’ interests in BTC compared to new coins being mined. On the X platform, a crypto investor known as AltCryptoGems has shared that institutional demand for BTC is rising at a substantial rate despite current unfavorable market conditions. Currently, public companies are scooping up more BTC faster than the rate at which miners are producing new coins. As it continues to expand, this dynamic is strengthening the scarcity narrative of the flagship asset and reducing the amount of liquidity that is available. Such an imbalance could play a crucial role or act as a catalyst for the asset’s next price move. When large institutions accumulate, it is typically a clear sign of conviction in the asset’s long-term prospects. The recently concluded month of March saw a wave of accumulation from these big public firms. In the month alone, the expert revealed that these companies collectively added over 47,000 BTC valued at approximately $3.14 billion at current price levels, to their balance sheets. Leading the charge is Michael Saylor’s Strategy , amassing over 44,377 BTC out of the net acquisition. When compared to the prior month, this is significantly higher, as it saw over 29,590 BTC being scooped up by public institutions. This shows that institutional interest and demand in BTC nearly doubled within a monthly period. As for Bitcoin mining , only 13,950 BTC were mined during the same period, indicating that demand is currently clouding new supply into the market. BTC Exchange Balance Is Drying Up Pretty Fast Despite persistent sideways price action and ongoing volatility , the underlying sentiment toward Bitcoin is turning quite bullish. Investors on cryptocurrency exchanges are steadily taking out their BTC from these platforms. Market expert Leon Waidmann reported that BTC balance on cryptocurrency exchanges is not sitting at its lowest level since 2018. After a period of steady withdrawals, the total supply of BTC left on exchanges is only 14.6%. From 2019 to 2022, the balance dropped to the 16% to 18% range, and then gradually continued bleeding throughout 2022. Now, 8 years later, the percentage has dropped to 14.6% as of April 2026. Ethereum, the second-largest cryptocurrency asset, has also witnessed a similar trend , with balances on exchanges now sitting at 11%, its lowest level in years. Both leading assets are at historic lows at the same time, making this period a crucial one for the market as it could notably shift sentiment.

3 Apr 2026, 15:30

Beyond the Hashrate: Why MARA Just Laid Off 15% of Its Staff

Bitcoin miner MARA has reportedly laid off about 15% of its workforce in a move the company calls “strategic, not purely financial.” Internal Restructuring Bitcoin mining giant MARA, formerly Marathon Digital Holdings, has laid off roughly 15% of its workforce as part of a sweeping strategic shift away from pure-play crypto mining and toward energy