Bitcoin
Iran Offers $20 Reward To Citizens Who Can Report Underground Crypto Miners
A serious power crisis is what Iran is currently going through, and an unprecedented heatwave only serves to further deteriorate the situation. In a bizarre bid to crack down on this issue, the government of Iran has just announced a $20 bounty for citizens to act as informants on illegal cryptocurrency mining operations within the country.
One state-run electricity company has already started this campaign: Tavanir. It fights the unauthorized consumption of subsidized electricity, which officials say contributes to ongoing power shortages hounding the country.
Heatwave And Power Shortages
The current heatwave has pushed temperatures in Iran to a scorching 49.7°C, or 121°F, the hottest period to have hit in 50 years. This brought about rampant power outages, which affected daily life and industrial production.
Chief Executive of Tavanir, Mostafa Rajabi Mashhadi, now says the illegal miners are just taking advantage of this situation and consuming a lot of electricity without authorization. He said these operations were not just small, they consume electricity equivalent to the requirement of an entire province, putting unbearable pressure on the national grid.
Source: Elliptic
The Iranian government has banned cryptocurrency mining before, in 2021, citing the same concerns about consuming a huge volume of energy. It later lifted the ban at least partially because of economic pressure from US sanctions.
Now, with the grid under strain, officials are taking an even harder stance. They feel that incentivizing members of the public to turn in illegal miners could help alleviate some of the pressure on the electricity supply.
A view of Iran. Image: European Parliament
The Bounty System
This new bounty system will pay one million toman for information leading to the confiscation of unauthorized mining operation hardware. According to reports, the financial incentive is supposed to encourage citizens to act against illegal miners, who often set up shop in public facilities like schools and mosques—locations that benefit from subsidized electricity and were therefore prime targets for unauthorized mining setups.
Reports also have it that more than 230,000 illegal mining devices have already been seized, consuming 800 to 900 megawatts of power. To put that into perspective, local authorities compared the consumption to Markazi Province’s electricity needs and highlighted that providing this much electricity would require the construction of a new 1,300-megawatt power plant.
The Broader Implications
The Iranian government is clamping down on the illegal mining of cryptocurrency as part of a larger approach to managing the nation’s energy resources properly. Much as crypto mining might be highly rewarding, it has serious implications for energy use and environmental sustainability.
Some critics argue that targeting cryptocurrency mining as a prime cause for the shortfall in power supply is totally misplaced. Some experts find the real problems in grid mismanagement and huge investments that are required for it.
Crypto mining has had a boom in Iran over the past few years, thanks to abundant natural gas and electricity. Yet, crypto mining has created a complex relationship with cryptocurrency that empowers the country to bypass sanctions on one hand and overload its power supply on the other.
Featured image from ASIC Jungle, chart from TradingView
Bitcoin
Bitcoin Price Might Never Dip Below $70,000 Again After The US Elections, Here’s Why
The US presidential elections have come and gone, and the only thing left is the results. Interestingly, a snapshot of the Bitcoin price during the elections showed Bitcoin trading just above $70,000. This is a notable price to follow, as history shows this might be the price support for Bitcoin in the foreseeable future. Interestingly, this phenomenon goes back to the Bitcoin price levels in previous US elections.
Why Bitcoin Price Might Never Dip Below $70,000 Again
Bitcoin has largely been on an uptrend since Monday, when it kicked off a run after it rebounded to the upside from $67,000. This run continued, allowing the Bitcoin average price during the 2024 presidential elections to be around $70,110.
Historically, U.S. election cycles have often been accompanied by shifts in Bitcoin’s value, marking crucial price points that tend to establish longer-term support levels.
To understand this trend, we need to look at the past four election cycles. Back in 2012, during the early days of the crypto industry, the Bitcoin price traded at a modest $10 on the US presidential election day, a price point that now seems almost unimaginable. By 2016, Bitcoin’s election-day price had climbed to $710, setting a new baseline that it has never revisited since.
The most interesting one was what happened after the 2020 US presidential election, when the Bitcoin price was trading around $13,555. The Bitcoin price has never revisited this price point again since then up until the time of writing. What’s more interesting is that this price point even served as the lowest support level during the 2022 bear market price crash.
If these historical trends are any indication, the 2024 election-day price of $70,110 could become a similar stronghold and a price floor for Bitcoin in the coming years. This level might even serve as critical support should a bear market eventually take hold at any point.
What’s Next For The Bitcoin Price?
As of now, Bitcoin is trading above $73,200 after experiencing an intense surge over the past 24 hours. This remarkable rally saw Bitcoin climb nearly 10% within a single day, reaching an intraday high of $75,358. This milestone has now become Bitcoin’s highest trading level, as it broke past its previous all-time high of $73,737 in March 2024.
Although the Bitcoin price has pulled back slightly likely due to some investors cashing in on recent profits, the rally is expected to resume anytime from now. Considering this momentum, Bitcoin remains well-positioned to challenge the $80,000 mark before the end of November, especially if buying interest continues to drive the current uptrend.
Featured image created with Dall.E, chart from Tradingview.com
Bitcoin
Bitcoin Price After US Presidential Elections: Here’s How BTC Reacted To Previous Winners
Market analysts have continued to deliberate on how the Bitcoin price could react to a Donald Trump or Kamala Harris victory in the US presidential elections. History indicates that Bitcoin’s future trajectory is bullish, irrespective of who wins the elections.
How The Bitcoin Price Has Reacted To Previous Winners
The Bitcoin price has always hit a new all-time high (ATH) regardless of the winners in the past US presidential elections. In 2012, after Barack Obama won the elections, Bitcoin rallied and reached a new ATH of $1,200 in 2013. Its price then consolidated until the next election in 2016.
The 2016 US presidential elections, which Donald Trump won, also sparked the beginning of another impressive rally for the Bitcoin price, which rose to a new ATH of $19,000 the following year. In 2020, following Joe Biden’s victory in the US presidential election, BTC rose to a new ATH of $69,000.
The Bitcoin price rally after the US presidential elections is believed to be due to the market certainty that the election aftermath provides. Meanwhile, based on history, the BTC rally could begin as soon as December, with the flagship crypto hitting a new ATH as soon as January 2024.
In 2016, the Bitcoin price rally began about three weeks before the election and went on to hit a new high in the first week of January 2017. In 2020, BTC had also consolidated for about six months before it began to rally from $11,000 just about three weeks before the US elections and then went on to reach a new high of $42,000 in January 2021.
Bitcoin’s recent price action also looks to be playing out the same way as BTC began rallying in mid-October and even came close to hitting its current ATH of $73,700 late last month. As such, there is the possibility that the flagship crypto could again retest this ATH and surpass it as soon as January 2024 or even before then.
There Could Be Some Volatility In The Coming Days
In an X post, Crypto analyst Ali Martinez warned that the days following the last three US presidential elections have been volatile for the Bitcoin price. However, he added that the overall trend has stayed upward.
Economist and crypto analyst Alex Krüger also warned about the potential pullback the Bitcoin price could face after the US elections. He claimed that there is a 45% chance that BTC could drop to as low as $65,000 if Kamala Harris wins the elections.
Due to his pro-crypto stance, Donald Trump looks to be the most preferred candidate in the crypto community. As such, the market could initially react negatively to a Harris win while taking in Trump’s loss.
At the time of writing, the Bitcoin price is trading at around $68,000, down in the last 24 hours, according to data from CoinMarketCap.
Featured image created with Dall.E, chart from Tradingview.com
Bitcoin
What $2.2 Billion Means for Market
Defunct crypto exchange Mt. Gox, once the most significant player in Bitcoin trading, moved $2.2 billion worth of Bitcoin on Monday. The transaction marked one of its largest transactions since its infamous 2014 collapse.
Blockchain analytics firm Arkham Intelligence identified the movement of 32,371 BTC, a transaction that has sent waves through the crypto market.
Mt. Gox Moves 32,371 Bitcoin
Arkham Intelligence’s analysis revealed that a prominent wallet address labeled “1FG2C…Rveoy,” moved 30,371 BTC, while an additional 2,000 BTC initially went to a Mt. Gox cold wallet before being moved to a different, unmarked address.
Spotonchain confirms the report, indicating that over the last four days, Mt. Gox has moved Bitcoin worth $2.22 billion. Among these tokens, 296 BTC valued at $20.13 million was moved to B2C2 and OKX. Such significant transfers are noteworthy because they often signal preparations for creditor distributions.
Read more: Top Crypto Bankruptcies: What You Need To Know
As BeInCrypto reported, Mt. Gox has already funneled smaller amounts to creditors using exchanges like Bitstamp and Kraken. The exchanges helped facilitate smooth transfers for those affected by the exchange’s collapse a decade ago. Meanwhile, analysts predict continued volatility, especially as the US election cycle adds a layer of uncertainty to global markets.
“The recent $2.2 billion Bitcoin movement and extended repayment timeline from Mt. Gox will likely inject some volatility into the market in the short term. With such a large amount of Bitcoin potentially entering circulation, there’s bound to be short-term price swings as recipients decide whether to hold or sell,” Peter Watson, Chief Market Officer at Velar, told BeInCrypto.
Indeed, following the transfer, Bitcoin prices momentarily dipped below $68,000 during Asian market trading, briefly rattling investor confidence. However, the asset quickly rebounded to trade for $68,810 as of writing.
However, Watson says the impact may be less severe than some fear, especially as many creditors have had years to consider their strategies. Further, he observes that this could benefit market confidence.
“For many, seeing the Mt. Gox saga finally come to a close may reinforce the belief that Bitcoin is better equipped for sustained growth and stability.. ultimately strengthening confidence in its future,” Watson added.
An Ongoing Saga of Repayment and Recovery
The transfer occurred just a week after Mt. Gox extended its repayment deadline for creditors by another year, much to their frustration. The decision was partly due to the logistical and technical hurdles of coordinating payments to thousands of creditors.
“Many rehabilitation creditors still have not received their repayments because they have not completed the necessary procedures for receiving repayments. Additionally, a considerable number of rehabilitation creditors have not received their repayments due to various reasons, such as issues arising during the repayments process,” Mt. Gox explained.
This process has been an agonizing journey for creditors, filled with delays, legal complications, and financial uncertainty. The repayment saga continues, fueling concerns over market volatility. However, analysts suggest that the postponement could be delaying a potential sell-off.
“$4 billion payment selling pressure now shifted to 2025,” one user shared on X.
Read more: Who Owns the Most Bitcoin in 2024?
According to data on Arkham, Mt. Gox still holds 44,378 BTC, which is valued at approximately $3.05 billion. As the market continues to advance, events like Mt. Gox’s transfers serve as reminders of the industry’s turbulent past. For creditors, however, the wait remains, extending a wait that has already spanned nearly a decade.
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