Month: April 2025

Bitcoin Magazine

Will the United States Dump Gold for Bitcoin? A Geoeconomic Shift in Real Time

The Dawn of a New Reserve Era? From Gold, to Treasuries to Bitcoin

The United States has long relied on the dollar and U.S. Treasuries as the twin pillars of its economic, fiscal and monetary strategies. But what happens when these instruments lose their luster?

According to the Bitcoin Policy Institute’s Head of Policy, Zack Shapiro, the current financial system is entering a historic inflection point. In a recent interview for the Bitcoin Policy Hour, he noted “If the United States announces that we are buying a million Bitcoin, that’s just a global seismic shock,” going on to say: “We probably go very quickly to something like a million dollars per Bitcoin.”

And while the changing monetary order, a potential movement from Treasuries as the reserve asset towards Bitcoin, is largely evident for those with eyes to see, the paths that can be taken on that journey are myriad and gold’s role is the largest question mark facing the market.

Recent discussions around revaluing U.S. gold holdings — still officially priced at $42.22 per ounce — could unleash nearly $1 trillion in new purchasing power should the U.S. decide to draw upon it. What would the U.S. do with that windfall? If BPI’s policy thinkers are right, it might be deployed to acquire a strategic Bitcoin reserve in a budget neutral manner in alignment with the remit of the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve Executive Order.

Gold Is Ancient. Bitcoin Is Strategic.

Matthew Pines, Executive Director of BPI, frames the choice in stark geoeconomic terms. “In terms of strategic leverage, there’s an asymmetric advantage for the United States to having Bitcoin monetize relative to gold,” he noted. Pines went to note that the U.S. and its population owns ~35% of all Bitcoin in circulation — a ratio that gives Washington serious incentive to prefer digital over metallic money.

Gold, despite its historical credibility, is “centralizable, expensive to transport, and incompatible with a 21st-century economy,” said Pines. While central banks continue stacking it as a hedge against the weaponization of Treasuries, its utility as a modern reserve asset remains constrained.

Bitcoin, by contrast, is fast, global, and increasingly liquid — a networked form of monetary energy that sidesteps the geopolitical chokepoints that define traditional finance.

The Post-Dollar World Has Already Begun

The dollar remains dominant — but fragile. Shapiro cited Triffin’s Dilemma, noting how the U.S. must increasingly choose between domestic economic goals and the international demands of reserve currency issuance. Sanctions like those imposed on Russia’s dollar reserves in 2022 shook global confidence in the neutrality of U.S. assets. Since then, foreign central banks have responded by moving rapidly into gold — and in some cases, Bitcoin.

“The Treasury is becoming less of a neutral reserve asset,” Shapiro said, referencing escalating disorder in the bond markets and the U.S.’s perceived politicization of financial power.

Yet both he and Pines stress that America still has tools — and Bitcoin may be the most potent among them. By shifting reserves into Bitcoin, the U.S. could reduce reliance on debt issuance, secure asymmetric leverage in a digitized world, and act from a position of strength in competition with its geopolitical rivals such as China and Russia.

The Strategic Bitcoin Reserve: A National Imperative?

Under the executive order now guiding Trump administration’s Bitcoin strategy, departments like Treasury and Commerce are already exploring “budget-neutral” paths to Bitcoin acquisition. This includes:

Revaluing gold holdings (statutorily fixed since 1973)

Selling surplus federal assets (land, gold, spectrum rights)

Using tariff revenues or royalties

Pines emphasizes the urgency of institutional execution: “Words matter — especially when they come from the White House,” he noted. “An executive order stating Bitcoin is strategic is itself a global signal.”

However, he also highlighted bureaucratic inertia as a real challenge: “There’s a massive difference between the speed at which the White House wants to move and the ability of the federal bureaucracy to follow.”

From Theory to Detonation: Global Fallout of a U.S. Bitcoin Pivot

If America were to follow through on a large-scale acquisition of Bitcoin, the effects would be both immediate and far-reaching.

“Other nation-states will see that they can’t be left behind,” said Shapiro. “It would change central bank reserve strategies around the world.”

Global rebalancing would follow. Countries heavily invested in gold or Treasuries would reassess. Hard assets like gold may see diminished demand, while Bitcoin would surge in legitimacy and price. Domestically, such a move would generate massive balance sheet gains for the federal government and re-anchor U.S. dominance in the next monetary era.

Is Bitcoin America’s Next Superpower Lever?

Both Shapiro and Pines agree: whatever your view of Triffin’s Dilemma or monetary policy history, Bitcoin is now too strategic to ignore.

“Bitcoin is indispensable,” said Shapiro. “Wherever we’re going next, it’s going to help us get there.”

Whether the United States will truly “dump gold” is yet to be determined. But, to quote the late Charlie Munger: “Show me the incentives and I’ll show you the outcome.” The incentives, given U.S.-China competition and America’s relative dominance with regards to its domestic Bitcoin holdings, suggests an about face on gold could very well be in the cards.

Investors and policymakers have no-doubt begun running a similar calculus. As Bitcoiners like to say, it’s time to embrace the game theory.

This post Will the United States Dump Gold for Bitcoin? A Geoeconomic Shift in Real Time first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Spencer Nichols.

Bitcoin Magazine

bitcoin++ mempools and mining edition: The Premier Developer-Centric Bitcoin Event Returns to Austin

Austin, TX – bitcoin++, the premier developer-focused Bitcoin event, returns to Austin from May 7-9, 2025. This highly anticipated conference brings together Bitcoin engineers, researchers, and innovators for an immersive three-day experience of technical workshops, cutting-edge talks, and in-depth discussions on Bitcoin development.

bitcoin++ mempools and mining edition offers an unparalleled opportunity for developers to deepen their expertise, collaborate with industry leaders, and engage with the latest advancements in Bitcoin mining. Whether you’re a seasoned Bitcoin developer or just beginning your journey, this event provides a unique environment to refine your skills and expand your network.

Who is Coming:Leading Bitcoin developers and engineers

● Researchers pushing the boundaries of Bitcoin scalability and security
● Innovators and builders exploring mempool dynamics and mining efficiency
● Enthusiasts looking to deepen their technical knowledge

What to Expect at bitcoin++ mempools and mining edition:

● Technical Workshops – Hands-on sessions led by top Bitcoin developers and engineers.
● Expert-Led Talks – In-depth discussions on the latest Bitcoin research, protocol updates,
and emerging technologies.
● Developer Networking – Connect with like-minded professionals passionate about
building the future of Bitcoin.
● Hacker-Friendly Environment – A collaborative space designed to foster innovation and
experimentation.

Bitcoin++ events have become a cornerstone for technical Bitcoin education, attracting some of the brightest minds in the space. The upcoming Austin edition promises an agenda packed with high-caliber content designed specifically for those who are serious about Bitcoin development.

Registration is now open, with limited spots available. To learn more and secure your ticket, visit https://btcpp.dev/conf/atx25.

For sponsorship inquiries, media requests, or additional information, please contact
sponsor@btcpp.dev

About Bitcoin++

Bitcoin++ is a series of developer-first conferences designed to provide hands-on technical education and deep dives into Bitcoin’s evolving ecosystem. Through high-quality programming and interactive experiences, Bitcoin++ empowers developers to contribute meaningfully to the future of Bitcoin.

Bitcoin++ events have become a cornerstone for technical Bitcoin education, attracting some of the brightest minds in the space. The upcoming Austin edition promises an agenda packed with high-caliber content designed specifically for those who are serious about Bitcoin development.

Contact

hello@btcpp.dev

https://btcpp.dev/conf/atx25

This post bitcoin++ mempools and mining edition: The Premier Developer-Centric Bitcoin Event Returns to Austin first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by bitcoin++.

Bitcoin Magazine

Designathon 2025 Invites Global Creatives to Help Shape the Future of Bitcoin

The Bitcoin Design Community has officially announced Designathon 2025, a two-week global online event running from May 4–18, 2025, aimed at transforming the user experience of bitcoin through creativity, design, and collaboration, according to a press release sent to Bitcoin Magazine.

In contrast to traditional hackathons that prioritize code, Designathon 2025 aims to put user experience and accessibility front and center, inviting participants from all backgrounds—not just professional designers—to help shape the next generation of bitcoin tools and interfaces.

“As bitcoin continues to grow globally, intuitive and accessible design has become critical for mainstream adoption,” organizers stated in the press release. “The Designathon creates space for designers to address user experience challenges that may be overlooked in technically-focused events.”

Participation is open to anyone with a creative mindset. “You don’t need to be a professional designer to participate!” the organizers emphasized. “If you’re passionate about bitcoin and have creative ideas, artistic skills, or simply a fresh perspective… your contribution is valuable.”

The event includes multiple design tracks and prizes, including:

Best Overall: Honoring the most innovative and impactful contribution

Ecash Note Design: Reimagining the look and feel of digital cash

Accessibility: Designing interfaces that empower users of all abilities

Open Design: Celebrating teams that make exceptional use of open-source tools

Additional categories will be revealed during the event.

Designathon 2025 follows a flexible, low-pressure schedule with three main touchpoints: a kickoff call, a mid-event check-in, and a closing wrap-up. Participants can work at their own pace, either by submitting their own project idea or joining an existing team. The event will also feature live workshops and design jams, aiming to foster creativity and collaboration across time zones.

Those interested in sponsoring the event will see 100% of proceeds go directly to supporting participants through prize funding. “This is a great opportunity to draw attention to your project and attract high-quality contributions and contributors,” the organizers said.

Interested creatives can sign up via the official website here and connect with others in the #designathon channel on the Bitcoin Design Discord.

Designathon 2025 aims to prove that building a better bitcoin experience is something anyone can contribute to—with no code required.

This post Designathon 2025 Invites Global Creatives to Help Shape the Future of Bitcoin first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Nik.

Bitcoin Magazine

Bull Bitcoin Expands to Mexico, Enabling Global Bitcoin Payments to Mexican Accounts

Bull Bitcoin, a leading non-custodial Bitcoin platform, has launched operations in Mexico, allowing anyone—citizens, residents, or tourists—to pay Mexican bank accounts instantly using Bitcoin via Lightning, Bitcoin, or Liquid wallets. Merchants can accept Bitcoin payments and convert to pesos on-demand, expanding the company’s footprint from Canada, Costa Rica, and Europe.

“We hope this will massively boost the emerging Bitcoin circular economies in Mexico,” said Francis Pouliot, Founder and CEO of Bull Bitcoin, emphasizing the platform’s mission to drive Bitcoin adoption.

Bull Bitcoin offers Mexicans a direct way to purchase Bitcoin into self-custodial wallets using local bank accounts, bypassing altcoins and custodial risks. The platform provides real-time Spanish-language support through a privacy-focused in-app chat, staffed by human agents for a seamless experience.

The service caters to Mexico’s Bitcoin community, offering tools for merchants to integrate payments and tap global markets. This is critical in a remittance-heavy economy, where Bitcoin’s low-cost, borderless transactions can thrive.

“Bull Bitcoin strongly believes in Bitcoin’s economic potential in Mexico, not only for international remittances and tourism, but also for Mexican individuals and companies to reclaim their financial sovereignty and protect their wealth from inflation and the fragility of traditional financial markets,” Pouliot added.

Bull Bitcoin encourages community engagement through “The Mission,” a program promoting Bitcoin advocacy at local meetups. The company’s battle-tested infrastructure ensures high-volume transactions with robust security and privacy, positioning it to support Mexico’s small and medium-sized businesses—the economy’s core.

Registered with Mexico’s Tax Administration Service as a Sensitive Activity, Bull Bitcoin complies with virtual asset and anti-money laundering regulations under federal law, reinforcing its commitment to transparency. This regulatory alignment distinguishes it from speculative crypto platforms, focusing instead on Bitcoin’s practical utility for payments and wealth preservation.

By prioritizing self-custody, Bull Bitcoin empowers users to control their funds without intermediaries, a cornerstone of Bitcoin’s ethos. The platform’s Mexico launch underscores its vision of fostering economic resilience through sound money, offering citizens and businesses a hedge against inflation, and viable sound money as their economy continues to boom.

This post Bull Bitcoin Expands to Mexico, Enabling Global Bitcoin Payments to Mexican Accounts first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Juan Galt.

Bitcoin Magazine

How Coinkite Defines Cypherpunk Bitcoin Security

Advancing the standard for hardware wallet security and cypherpunk aesthetics, Coinkite, a small Bitcoin company out of Canada, is the third largest manufacturer in the industry.

Surrounded by hardware wallets that reach for mainstream adoption and seek to integrate every last altcoin in existence, Coinkite has taken a fundamentally different approach, sticking to their Bitcoin-only guns, and it’s been paying off.

“Coldcard is the ultimate HODL device — nobody else offers 10% of the features we have, and it’s all designed for Bitcoin. You literally cannot fork Coldcard for altcoins,” Rodolfo Novak, cofounder and CEO of Coinkite told Bitcoin Magazine in an exclusive interview.

“Coinkite is like a race car company or a specialty car company—a small team that makes something really, really good and has a market. Bitcoiners recognize it.” 

A product of “security autism,” as he put it, Coinkite stands as one of the oldest companies in Bitcoin’s history, founded in Canada in 2013 by Rodolfo and Peter Gary.

But how did Coinkite survive for over a decade with less than 20 employees and become the third biggest manufacturer of hardware wallets, without getting into meme coins?

Cypherpunk Aesthetics 

Defining the aesthetic of cypherpunk Bitcoin purism, the Coldcard devices show off their hardware behind a transparent shell, instead of hiding it. Not for show or style points, but for functional security.

“The transparent case allows users to see the hardware directly, verify that there are no external devices attached, things that might compromise the device,” Rodolfo explained. “We want people to be able to see it — it’s all functional.”

The Coldcard Q, their latest-generation device, builds on the same hardware and codebase as the older Coldcard Mk4, but adds a few new quality-of-life features like a bigger keyboard, external battery power input, independent camera module with lasers to scan even the sketchiest of QR codes, and even two micro-SD card inputs.

The device feels like a Game Boy Color console from the 2000s, but looks like it came back for revenge after surviving a throwdown with Sarah Connor.

“[Users] can easily scratch off the USB wires, to satisfy certain use cases and threat models,” added Rodolfo when explaining the depth of optionality the device offers.

Every chip, every wire, the whole architecture is observable, a choice that embodies their commitment to the “don’t trust, verify” ethos.

While it’s intimidating to look at the device at first, and the Q is generally considered a device for intermediary users, its default settings make it reasonably easy to use for anyone who is ready to take the step into hardware wallets and self-custody..

Coinkite refuses to compromise on critical security elements for user experience. For example, Coldcard Q’s large LCD screen is very simple with low power consumption, no touch screen, and a module chosen to reduce hardware complexity and keep the Coldcard an air-gapped device that can run on double AAA batteries. Coinkite also opted out of the Bluetooth standard altogether, even though it would enable new user experiences and connectivity, since it’s famously insecure.

Coinkite has no integration with anything other than Bitcoin either, avoiding the complexity and questionable security practices of many popular altcoins and also shrinking their potential customer base. 

The benefits of this bitcoin-only strategy were seen recently in the Bybit hack when over a billion dollars in ETH were hacked and stolen from an exchange whose executives were using various hardware wallets, via a compromised dependency in the Safe web wallet. Executives at the exchange claim they unwittingly signed the compromised blob of hex code that represented the smart contract for their multisig, effectively blind signing away billions’ worth of the coin.

This kind of hack doesn’t happen in Bitcoin, because Bitcoin avoids that kind of complexity out of an abundance of caution. The kind of transactions that would move billions of dollars in bitcoin are far simpler and on-chain, only asking users to verify amounts, recipient addresses, and change addresses, rather than fully fledged Solidity smart contracts.

Source Available

Coinkite’s approach to transparency and verifiability goes deeper than the casing of their hardware. Their software and firmware have been open source since the beginning, going as far as to release the full schematic of their security products.

“Since version one, we always released schematics so people can go and build it themselves and prove the things. Because the whole point for us is provability. Every claim we make, we need to be able to substantiate in a way that the user can prove it themselves.”

According to Rodolfo, the devices are made of hardware that can be bought off-the-shelf, for enthusiasts and security professionals who want to leave nothing to trust.

“Some of these claims require you to be extremely advanced. But the point is somebody out there can go and prove it, right? And people do,” he added.

However, critics argue that Coldcard is not truly open source because of their licensing. The Coldcard codebase, originally released under GPL, was transferred to MIT with a commercial restriction in 2021 in reaction to a competitor who cloned their work and launched a competing device. 

Rodolfo minced no words when asked about the matter; normally a mild-mannered and jolly Canadian, his passion for the topic was palpable.

“So we believe in, well, first of all, we don’t like assholes. And you can put that in the article. We’re functionally adversarial. That’s just our mindset. That’s with the code. That’s with the hardware. That’s with the law. Somebody went out there and, without mentioning to us, without anything, just took the code, didn’t even bother to change anything, contribute back, zero contributions back, and started a competing company. So we’re like, you know what, fuck you. And we changed the license.”

A rare stance in the open source ethos of the Bitcoin industry, and one which they get plenty of flak for, they are often accused of not being “open source” per se but rather “source available.”

“So we used to be GPL. And then we changed to MIT, which is even more open than GPL is. But we added a commercial clause. So anybody can copy our code, change our code, gift our code, use our code however the fuck they want. The only restriction that they have is they cannot start a competing business,” Rodolfo explained.

Critics argue that this approach limits how much review such products get, as there’s no commercial incentive to review the code, lowering the security benefits of such open-source products.

However, Rodolfo calls that a narrative. He claims that sales tripled after the event, that exchanges throughout the world use Coinkite products to secure customer funds, and that companies as well as OGs hire professionals to comb through all their code.

“There are exchanges who use our devices as part of their internal co-signing systems. There are a lot of OGs who use our devices with a lot of money in them. And we learn a lot from a lot of private conversations on attacks, on how people are using it—We get a lot of very interesting private emails with people who check the firmware every time we make an update, people who check the hardware, people who check everything.”

Forged in Chaos

Coinkite’s focus on making their devices verifiable to the core comes in part from their early roots in the Bitcoin industry.

“We wanted to do Bitcoin payments. We had the first Bitcoin payment terminal with Bitcoin debit cards and stuff like that,” Rodolfo recalled about Bitcoin and Coinkite’s infancy.

“But there weren’t any good wallets. And so we launched essentially a crypto bank for people to store funds. And then it became the multisig web wallet. I think at that time there was about $4 billion worth of bitcoin in the system. It was like 2014.”

Launching one of the first multisig wallets in the industry, the service hosted on Coinkite.com enabled users to manage multiple keys with early Trezor and Ledger hardware devices. Users could sign transactions with the kind of optionality and tooling advanced users expect from wallets today. “It was like BitGo before BitGo,” Rodolfo recalled about the web wallet that they launched in 2014 and closed down just two years later.

In a blog post at the time titled “Time To Be Your Own Bank,” Coinkite explained the reason for the closure of the web wallet, a pivot that would lead to the creation of the Coldcard:

“Being a centralized bitcoin service does attract attention from state actors and other well-funded pains in the butt, and as a matter of fact, we’ve been under DDoS since the first month we launched—over three years—yay. Plus we have put real fiat dollars into our lawyers’ pockets, to defend our customers from their own governments. This is not what we love to do, which is coding and delivering awesome services.”

This era of the Bitcoin industry was also littered with the graveyards of centralized exchanges and user-friendly web wallets. Not only were cybersecurity practices in Bitcoin a new paradigm, after all, irreversible digital money transactions had never existed before. But the regulatory uncertainty such companies faced was severe.

“We didn’t want to be in the business of holding people’s bitcoin, we wanted to empower users to hold their own keys, so we pivoted to focus on making the best hardware wallet we could.”

In 2016, Coinkite closed down the web wallet, but not before launching one of their most iconic products, the Opendime.

Challenging the limits of Bitcoin as a natively digital money, a system that requires a connection to the internet to have transactions validated by the network, the Opendime demonstrated a secure way to both lock up bitcoin value in a physical device without trust, and also allow recipients to verify its balance.

The Opendime, still in use today, features a hardware seal that generates the private keys from initial user input, but in a chip that does not reveal the private key to the user — only the corresponding public key. To see the private key and spend the bitcoin sent to it, a physical seal in the device has to be broken, leaving visible evidence of device tampering and triggering a red light when plugged in rather than a green light.

The Opendime has inspired a generation of Bitcoin artists to embed these devices into physical art, such as Madex and Johnny Dollar, often adding a bitcoin balance to the device as part of the art piece.

Perhaps the most iconic device they have produced is the Blockclock. Only 500 units ever made, this “electro mechanical” time machine was made to honor the first 10 years of Bitcoin’s life.

The 500 devices sold “Quick!” Rodolfo told Bitcoin Magazine, hitting the market for 1 BTC each in late November 2018, just one month after the 10th anniversary of Satoshi’s Bitcoin White Paper release. The price of bitcoin at the time was roughly $4,000.

Demand must have been high because two smaller versions followed, clearly designed for mass consumption at much more affordable prices, the Blockclock Mini and the Blockclock Micro.

Since their founding, Coinkite has created a long list of technologies, both physical and digital, many of them open source contributions and some of them servicing critical pieces of the market. In fact, they have created so many, with dedicated websites, that when asked how many, Rodolfo laughed and basically said he had no idea.

I’ll just leave you with the biggest hits:

BBQr — high-security QR code protocol, backwards-compatible with normie standard.

Bitcoin Security Guide — a noob-friendly step-by-step Bitcoin self-custody guide.

Bitcoin Treasuries — a website that tracks the biggest public holders of bitcoin.

Bitcoin Binaries bot — a bot that automatically builds critical Bitcoin software releases from source, looking to verify that the end result is the same packaged product normal users download.

Check MSG — a simple site that verifies the cryptography of messages signed with Bitcoin key pairs.

NFC PushTX — a simple protocol to send Bitcoin transactions from an air-gapped device like Coldcard to a web-enabled device like a phone, and then to the web.

Bitcoin.Review Podcast — easily one of the best Bitcoin podcasts for technical Bitcoiners, especially those that suffer from insomnia.

This post How Coinkite Defines Cypherpunk Bitcoin Security first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Juan Galt.

Bitcoin Magazine

Hashbranch and Merkle Standard Deploy Massive 1.3 Exahash Bitcoin Mining Operation

[San Diego, April 16, 2025] – Merkle Standard, a leading sustainable cryptocurrency mining company, and Hashbranch, the software-enabled Bitcoin mining investment platform, today announced the successful deployment of 13,000 Bitcoin mining units, representing 1.3 Exahash of computing power across 30MW of capacity.

The strategic collaboration, which progressed from initial discussions to full implementation through an accelerated timeline, demonstrates both companies’ commitment to creating innovative solutions for institutional mining operations. The seamless execution highlights the operational synergy and aligned vision that characterizes the partnership.

“This partnership with Hashbranch has allowed us to monetize our available rack space at several locations while implementing a unique profit-sharing model that helps all parties navigate hashprice fluctuations,” said Barry An, Senior Vice President at Allrise Capital, the investment management firm behind Merkle Standard. “Hashbranch’s ability to match the hardware profile and optimal contract terms resulted in an exceptionally efficient process, moving from introduction to signed agreement in under 45 days.”

The agreement includes options to expand the deployment to 23,000 units, further solidifying the relationship between the companies and demonstrating confidence in the innovative hosting model.

“By focusing on end-of-life strategies for older Bitcoin mining equipment, we’ve created a framework that unlocks maximum value regardless of market conditions,” said Tom Merkle, Co-Founder & CEO at Hashbranch. “Our role in facilitating this agreement demonstrates our ability to align incentives and create sustainable value for institutional mining operations.”

Hashbranch provided crucial market intelligence and contract structuring expertise throughout the process, helping both parties accurately assess value and expedite the agreement. The collaboration highlights Hashbranch’s growing role in servicing the professional needs of larger institutional clients with specialized requirements through market analysis, strategic matchmaking, and innovative deal structuring.

For more information about Merkle Standard’s sustainable mining operations or Hashbranch’s infrastructure solutions, please visit merklestandard.com or hashbranch.com.

About Merkle Standard

Merkle Standard is a premier digital asset mining company based in Washington state with operating sites across the country. The company has a distinct focus on developing North America’s most efficient vertically integrated self-mining platform and hosting services. In addition, Merkle Standard specializes in rapid data center development consistently executing buildouts that take less than one year from groundbreaking to mining. At their flagship site in Northeast Washington, Merkle Standard have been operating more than 20 megawatts of water-cooled (“hydro”) ASICs since fall of 2022, earning the company accolades as the largest successful operation of “hydros” in the United States.

About Hashbranch

Hashbranch is the #1 hosting platform for U.S. Bitcoin mining. The company provides enterprise-grade hardware brokerage services to institutional clients worldwide. Leveraging advanced market intelligence, they connect miners with premier hardware and hosting solutions that maximize investment returns. Their proprietary software platform transforms the entire mining lifecycle, pioneering innovative strategies that extend ASIC profitability well beyond conventional industry timelines.

Media Contacts:

Merkle Standard
Laura Verity
info@merklestandard.com
509 550 7292

Hashbranch
Deepak Atyam
Hello@hashbranch.com
562 600 0598

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored press release. Readers are encouraged to perform their own due diligence before acting on any information presented in this article.

This post Hashbranch and Merkle Standard Deploy Massive 1.3 Exahash Bitcoin Mining Operation first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Merkle Standard and Hashbranch.

Bitcoin Magazine

Project Eleven To Award 1 BTC To Tackle Bitcoin’s Quantum Vulnerability

Project Eleven, a quantum computing research organization, has announced the launch of the Q-Day Prize, a global challenge offering 1 BTC to the first team able to break an elliptic curve cryptographic (ECC) key using Shor’s algorithm on a quantum computer. The first team to successfully achieve this breakthrough before April 5, 2026, will be awarded 1 BTC.

The challenge directly targets the Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm (ECDSA), which underpins bitcoin’s security model. While theoretical discussions about quantum threats have persisted for years, Project Eleven seeks to turn speculation into measurable risk by encouraging practical demonstrations of cryptographic vulnerability.

According to the initiative, more than 6.2 million BTC, worth nearly $500 billion, are currently held in wallets with exposed public keys and could be at risk if quantum capabilities advance further.

“We have no clear idea how close we are to a quantum ‘doomsday’ scenario for existing cryptography,” said Alex Pruden, CEO and co-founder of Project Eleven. “The Q-Day Prize is designed to take a theoretical threat from a quantum computer, and turn that into a concrete model.”

Recent developments in the quantum computing space have added urgency to the initiative. Google’s ‘Willow’ chip recently solved a complex computation in five minutes that would take supercomputers 10 septillion years, demonstrating progress in error correction. Amazon’s ‘Ocelot’ and Microsoft’s ‘Majorana 1’ chips have also made significant strides, while PsiQuantum raised $750 million in Q1 2025, citing developments in photonic chip design and optimization of Shor’s algorithm.

Access to quantum computing is also expanding through cloud-based services from providers such as IBM, AWS, Google, and Alibaba, making the technology more accessible to researchers and developers.

The Q-Day Prize continues a tradition of cryptographic benchmarking challenges, similar to the RSA Factoring Challenge in 1991 and Hal Finney’s 1995 SSL cipher challenge, both of which played key roles in measuring cryptographic resilience.

“This is an open call to the boldest minds in quantum,” Pruden added. “Prove what’s possible, and help us secure the future of digital assets.”

Registration and additional details are available at QDayPrize.org.

This post Project Eleven To Award 1 BTC To Tackle Bitcoin’s Quantum Vulnerability first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Vivek Sen Bitcoin.