Network Overview

This week, Bitcoin experienced a notable downturn following President Trump’s announcement of sweeping tariffs targeting nearly every country. Initially, the correction was relatively mild, allowing miners to sustain profitability compared to the previous week, but prices have taken a sharper dive on Sunday. Additionally, mining difficulty rose, adding pressure on miners’ margins. Declines in average transaction fees and mempool size suggest lower network activity, which could further impact mining profitability in the coming weeks.

Solo Bitcoin Miners Are Beating the Odds, Here’s What’s Happening

Solo miners, ranging from hobbyists to discreet industrial setups, have been posting more wins lately, successfully solving blocks and taking home full rewards. In 2024, miners using the Solo CKPool service found 16 blocks, up from 12 in 2023. While the odds remain low, the rise of affordable rigs like Bitaxe and FutureBit Apollo has empowered more individuals to participate. Some recent wins involved support from donated hashpower or were achieved by miners running small setups at home.

Despite some solo blocks being mined by non-retail setups with significant hashrate, the trend is causing renewed interest in decentralized mining. For many, the motivation isn’t profit, but the principle of reducing reliance on large pools like Foundry and AntPool. As Bitcoin’s industrial mining landscape grows, solo miners are stepping in as grassroots advocates for decentralization.

Source: decrypt.co

Trump’s Tariffs Could Deepen Bitcoin Mining Struggles, Warns Braiins Executive

President Trump’s newly announced tariff policy is expected to deal a significant blow to the U.S. Bitcoin mining industry, which is already under strain from historically low hashprice levels. The measures include a blanket 10% tariff as well as targeted duties of up to 54% on key imports from China, Taiwan (32%), South Korea (25%), and other tech-exporting nations like Thailand and Malaysia. Since China remains the dominant supplier of mining hardware, these tariffs are set to substantially increase operating costs for American miners who rely heavily on imported equipment.

Braiins CMO Kristian Csepcsar emphasized that even U.S.-based mining hardware firms such as Auradine cannot yet localize their entire supply chains. He warned that it could take up to a decade for the U.S. to catch up with Asia in advanced chip production, leaving miners vulnerable in the near term. Hardware brokers like Synteq Digital are rushing to import equipment ahead of the tariff implementation, while major manufacturers like Bitmain and MicroBT are accelerating plans to establish U.S. production facilities.

Although a mass exodus of miners from the U.S. is unlikely, analysts believe the tariffs could seriously hinder expansion plans and reduce returns on investment, particularly for new entrants. Csepcsar also cautioned that countries with fewer trade barriers such as Russia and Kazakhstan, may gain a growing share of global hashrate as the U.S. becomes less competitive. In response to the announcement, crypto markets took a hit, with Bitcoin falling over 3% and mining stocks like Marathon Digital (MARA) and CleanSpark dropping by nearly 10%.

Source: cointelegraph.com
Source: crypto.news

Bitcoin Mining Stocks Drop Sharply After Trump’s Tariff Shock

U.S. Bitcoin mining stocks tumbled on April 3, following President Trump’s announcement of sweeping new tariffs. Major mining firms, including Hive Digital, CleanSpark, Riot Platforms, and BitDeer, saw declines between 6–8%, while Core Scientific and MARA dropped over 11% and 8%, respectively. The 10% base tariff and 34% levy on Chinese imports sparked fears about rising hardware costs, especially as most Bitcoin ASICs are manufactured in China.

Analysts warned that the increased capital expenditures would stretch ROI timelines at a time when mining margins are already tightening due to lower Bitcoin prices, rising difficulty, and reduced block rewards post-halving. Trump’s push for 100% “American-made” Bitcoin was reiterated, but industry insiders doubt its feasibility given global supply chain realities.

Source: decrypt.co

Bitcoin Mining Difficulty Jumps 6.81% as Hashrate Hits All-Time High

Bitcoin’s hashrate hit a record high of 883 EH/s on April 5, marking a 21 EH/s increase over the previous peak set just a week earlier. In response, mining difficulty surged 6.81% to reach a new all-time high of 121.51 trillion. Despite this surge in network power, hashprice, a key profitability metric for miners, has dropped to $46.16/PH/s, down 11.15% over the past month.

Foundry, Antpool, Viabtc, and F2pool now collectively control over 73% of the global hashrate, raising concerns over centralization of the Bitcoin network. Meanwhile, low transaction activity is further squeezing miner revenues, with less than 1% of recent block rewards coming from fees. If the current growth trajectory continues, Bitcoin’s hashrate may surpass the symbolic 1 zettahash mark by the end of 2025.

Source: news.bitcoin.com

MARA Endorses Ted Cruz’s Bill to Incentivize Flare Gas Mining in Texas

Senator Ted Cruz has introduced the FLARE Act, a bill designed to encourage Bitcoin miners to use flared or vented natural gas as an energy source in Texas. The proposed legislation aims to turn stranded energy into productive use and would amend the U.S. Internal Revenue Code to offer incentives starting in 2026.

The bill has garnered support from MARA Holdings and VanEck’s head of digital asset research, who say it will reduce emissions while boosting domestic mining. The legislation also bars firms from China, Iran, North Korea, or Russia from accessing these incentives. Cruz, a longtime Bitcoin advocate, positioned the bill as part of his broader efforts to make Texas the top destination for Bitcoin mining.

Source: cointelegraph.com

Bitcoin Mining’s Coal Use Falls 43% Since 2011 as Renewables Rise

A new report by the MiCA Crypto Alliance and Nodiens reveals that coal’s share in Bitcoin mining’s energy mix has dropped from 63% in 2011 to just 20% in 2024. Over the same period, the use of renewables has risen steadily, growing at an average rate of 5.8% per year. The study attributes this trend to miners seeking cleaner, more cost-efficient energy sources.

In contrast, global coal consumption reached a record 8.8 billion tons in 2024, largely driven by growing demand in emerging economies. Looking ahead, the report outlines five scenarios for Bitcoin’s energy future through 2030. In most, renewable energy is projected to make up between 59% and 74% of total BTC electricity use, potentially peaking around 2030, depending on Bitcoin’s price and global energy policies.

Source: cointelegraph.com