Miners

Natural Gas Price Hike Hits Crypto Miners in Iran

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Companies using natural gas as a power source to mint digital currency in Iran will have to deal with a sharp increase in the price of the fuel. The new rates set by the state-run supplier are almost double the previous…

The Size of Bitcoin’s Distributed Ledger Nears a Half Terabyte

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Well over a decade ago, on January 3, 2009, the size of the Bitcoin blockchain was 0.285 kilobytes (kB) or around 285 bytes. Today, however, the blockchain’s ledger is nearly half a terabyte, or roughly 432 gigabytes. Bitcoin’s Blockchain Nears 500…

Vietnam Crypto Miners Complain About Losses From Ethereum’s Merge

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Miners in Vietnam have expressed grievances over the loss of business following Ethereum’s transition to a consensus mechanism that does not require the energy-intensive computing they were providing. Many are in trouble, local media reported, quoting entrepreneurs and mining enthusiasts. Cryptocurrency…

Bitcoin’s Mining Difficulty Change Prints 2022’s Second Largest Increase — Metric Nears All-Time High

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On Wednesday, Bitcoin’s mining difficulty jumped 9.26% higher, recording the second highest difficulty rise in 2022. The latest rise is Bitcoin’s third difficulty increase since August 4, 2022, and it’s now 11.63% harder to find bitcoin block reward. Bitcoin Difficulty Jumps…

Electricity Consumption of Russian Crypto Miners Spikes 20 Times in 5 Years, Research Finds

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Power needs of cryptocurrency miners in Russia have grown significantly since 2017, with consumption of electrical energy seeing a 20-fold increase over the five-year period. In 2021, the minting of the coin with the largest market cap, bitcoin, required 1.25 gigawatts…

PoW Miners Rake in Profits Mining ETH Until the End, Ethash Networks Expect a Boost, JPMorgan Strategists Say ETC Could Benefit

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In just over a month’s time, The Merge is likely to be implemented on the Ethereum blockchain and the network’s proof-of-work (PoW) miners will be forced to mine another coin. So far, it seems ethereum miners are sticking with the PoW…

Police in Kazakhstan Arrest Gang Forcing IT Specialists to Run Crypto Farms

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Law enforcement in Kazakhstan detained members of a crime group suspected of forcing IT experts into operating underground facilities for cryptocurrency mining with threats and blackmail. The racketeers allegedly made up to half a million U.S. dollars a month from their…

Iran Amends Regulations to Ease Crypto Miners’ Access to Renewable Energy

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Authorities in Iran have revised some rules for the crypto mining industry in order to facilitate its access to green power. Licensed miners will now be able to purchase electricity produced from renewable sources from across the country at lower rates….

Sweden Needs Power for More Useful Things Than Bitcoin Mining, Energy Minister Says

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Concerned about projected increase in electricity demand, the government in Sweden may turn its back on crypto mining, the country’s energy minister has indicated. Swedish bitcoin minting industry, a leader in Europe, is likely to soon lose the preferential treatment it…

Bank of Russia Ready to Legalize Crypto Mining If Miners Sell Minted Coins Abroad

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The Central Bank of Russia would agree to the legalization of cryptocurrency mining, provided the proceeds from the activity are converted to fiat outside of Russia. The regulator’s latest position on the matter comes after it softened its stance on the…