Coinbase will list the Renzo (REZ) token; DoubleZero Foundation completed a $28 million financing at a valuation of $400 million; Elixir launched an airdrop qualification check page.Coinbase will list the Renzo (REZ) token; DoubleZero Foundation completed a $28 million financing at a valuation of $400 million; Elixir launched an airdrop qualification check page.

PA Daily | Trump family project WLFI increases holdings of ETH, WBTC and MOVE; BTC whale with a cost price of nearly $10,000 is suspected of selling BTC

2025/03/06 17:30

Today's news tips:

DoubleZero Foundation Completes $28 Million Funding at a $400 Million Valuation, Led by Dragonfly and Multicoin Capital

Russia’s Ministry of Finance: No plans to add crypto assets to the investment structure of the National Welfare Fund

Nasdaq-listed BioNexus Gene Lab announces adoption of Ethereum financial reserve strategy

Elixir launches airdrop qualification check page and announces token economics

BTC whale with a cost price of nearly $10,000 is suspected of selling 300.9 BTC, making a profit of about $24.82 million

Coinbase to List Renzo (REZ) Token

Trump family crypto project WLFI increased its holdings by 4,468 ETH, 110.6 WBTC and 3.42 million MOVE

Bitwise Applies to the US SEC to Launch Aptos ETF

Regulatory/Macro

Hong Kong legislator Wu Jiezhuang: Hong Kong does not have an official currency, beware of scams

Wu Jiezhuang, a member of the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, said, "Hong Kong does not have an official coin. Some citizens and Web3 practitioners have asked me that someone pretended to be the Chief Executive and posted on the X platform that Hong Kong Coin would be issued on the Solana chain. The government has solemnly clarified that the relevant information is not true and is intended to deceive. Citizens are requested to be careful and not to be misled and defrauded." Earlier today, news came that the X account named "Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee" was suspected to have been stolen and posted content related to tokens.

Insider: Ripple executives lobbied Trump to add SOL to the crypto strategic reserve

According to Unchained Crypto, people familiar with the matter said that Ripple Labs executives, including CEO Brad Garlinghouse and Chief Legal Officer Stu Alderoty, had proposed to US President Trump to include SOL in the cryptocurrency reserve plan announced on Sunday to give it more legitimacy in the cryptocurrency community. The inclusion of SOL also helps Ripple convey its position of supporting cryptocurrency reserves that include a variety of US tokens. In response to the question of whether Ripple has pushed to include SOL in the reserve to make its proposed XRP more convincing, a Ripple press representative said that please refer to Garlinghouse's tweet after Trump announced the reserve plan on Truth Social, that the industry should unite instead of confronting each other.

Russia’s Ministry of Finance: No plans to add crypto assets to the investment structure of the National Welfare Fund

According to Interfax, Russian Deputy Finance Minister Vladimir Kolychev told reporters that the Russian Ministry of Finance does not plan to change the current investment structure of the National Welfare Fund, especially not to include crypto assets in it - crypto assets are too volatile, and the current accumulation level of the National Welfare Fund does not allow for high-risk investments. Kolychev said he had not heard of discussions in Russia about creating a strategic reserve of cryptocurrencies similar to the Trump administration's plan. "This is more of a central bank issue. To be honest, I haven't heard of such discussions," he said, adding that it is too early to discuss the possibility of including crypto assets in the investment structure of the National Welfare Fund.

Nasdaq-listed BioNexus Gene Lab announces adoption of Ethereum financial reserve strategy

According to Globenewswire, BioNexus Gene Lab Corp. (NASDAQ: BGLC), a technology company dedicated to technological innovation and healthcare, announced that its board of directors has formally approved the company's new Ethereum-focused financial strategy. This decision marks BGLC as the first Nasdaq-listed company to exclusively prioritize Ethereum as a strategic financial asset, and echoes the recent announcement that Ethereum was included in the U.S. "Cryptocurrency Strategic Reserve". At the same time, BGLC released the Ethereum Strategic White Paper, detailing the reasons behind the company's decision and the broader significance of Ethereum as a financial infrastructure asset. The white paper delves into Ethereum's institutional adoption, staking capabilities, and upcoming protocol upgrades that consolidate Ethereum's long-term value and practicality for enterprises.

Discord is discussing an IPO as early as this year

According to Cailianshe, the chat software Discord is discussing a possible initial public offering (IPO) this year.

U.S. House Republicans have met with representatives from Paradigm, a16z and other companies to discuss digital asset policies and related legislation

According to Fox Business News reporter Eleanor Terrett, a group of U.S. House Republicans, including Tom Emmer and Bryan Steil, held a "Crypto Power Lunch" this afternoon to discuss digital asset policy initiatives and related legislation. Participants included representatives from cryptocurrency trade organizations The Digital Chamber and Blockchain Association, as well as representatives from companies such as Paradigm, a16z, CoinFlip, Coinbase, Anchorage, and DCG.

Argentine prosecutors apply to freeze $100 million in crypto raised in Libra sale

According to Decrypt, the chief prosecutor investigating Argentine President Javier Milei's alleged involvement in the LIBRA scandal has requested the freezing of approximately $100 million in crypto assets related to the case and the restoration of deleted social media posts, including Milei's tweets promoting Solana-based Meme coins. Prosecutor Eduardo Taiano also requested detailed records of LIBRA transactions.

Acting Chairman of the U.S. CFTC: The CFTC and the SEC are discussing and cooperating on matters such as digital assets

According to Fox Business reporter Eleanor Terrett, Caroline Pham, acting chairwoman of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), said that staff from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the CFTC are discussing and collaborating on digital assets and other matters. Pham said at the Milken Institute's "Future of Fintech Seminar" in Washington, DC: "We have restarted staff-level dialogue between the CFTC and the SEC. We hope to work together. We have worked well together in the past, and I look forward to returning to normal." SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce agreed. Pham also mentioned that the cooperation with David Sacks, the White House's head of cryptocurrency affairs, and the White House was "very smooth." Peirce added: "It's good to have a White House committed to clarity in cryptocurrency regulation. The SEC's cryptocurrency task force has begun to identify areas that are not within our purview. It is very important to clarify what is the SEC's purview and what is not. People affected by the rules should have a seat at the table in the rule-making process."

Bitwise Applies to the US SEC to Launch Aptos ETF

According to CoinDesk, Bitwise has filed documents to apply for the launch of an ETF that tracks the price of Aptos (APT), the native token of the Aptos network. The asset management company revealed the relevant movement last week when it submitted an application to create a Delaware trust entity for the proposed Aptos ETF. On Wednesday, Bitwise submitted an S-1 filing to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), officially launching the plan. The S-1 filing is a necessary step for a company to issue new securities and list them on a public stock exchange. To launch such a fund, the asset management company must also submit a 19b-4 filing to indicate that the relevant stock exchange needs to make necessary rule changes, which also means that the SEC will face strict approval deadlines.

Canary Capital applies to the US SEC to launch an ETF tracking the cross-chain protocol Axelar

According to CoinDesk, Canary Capital, an investment firm focused on digital assets founded by former Valkyrie Funds co-founder Steven McClurg, is planning to launch an ETF that tracks the price of Axelar (AXL). The company submitted an S-1 filing to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Wednesday, initiating the process of launching such a fund. The hedge fund has previously filed documents for several other ETFs. Some of them have been confirmed by the SEC and are awaiting approval. Axelar is a cross-chain protocol that connects blockchains and has been integrated by major players such as JPMorgan Chase, Microsoft, Uniswap and MetaMask, and former Coinbase legal director Brian Brooks has joined Axelar's new institutional advisory board.

The U.S. SEC Crypto Working Group has met with Circle and WisdomTree representatives to discuss crypto regulation issues

According to the minutes of the Cryptocurrency Working Group meeting of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), on March 5, 2025, the Cryptocurrency Working Group staff met with representatives of Circle Internet Financial, LLC, and representatives of WisdomTree Digital Management, Inc. and its affiliates to discuss ways to address issues related to the regulation of crypto assets. Circle and WisdomTree each provided an accompanying document that was discussed during the meeting.

Viewpoint

Solana Co-founder: The ideal option is for the government not to set up crypto reserves, and if they do, they should be based on objective standards

Solana co-founder Toly shared his views on the decentralized reserve mechanism on the X platform. He said that the ideal option is not to set up a reserve, because if the government manages the reserve, it will lead to the failure of decentralization. Toly further pointed out that if a reserve must be set up, the states can manage it themselves to hedge against possible misdecisions of the Federal Reserve. At the same time, if there must be a reserve mechanism, it should be based on objective, measurable, and reasonable standards, rather than subjectively set rules. He finally emphasized that no matter how the reserve mechanism is set, the Solana ecosystem can meet and exceed the goals and demonstrate strong competitiveness.

Robinhood CEO: Blockchain is the antidote to stock market inefficiencies

Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev believes that blockchain technology will eventually underpin stock trading, noting that cryptocurrency infrastructure can make financial markets more accessible, cost-effective and resilient. Tenev made this point during a fireside chat, outlining how integrating stocks with blockchain networks can eliminate many inefficiencies in traditional trading systems, allowing assets to be traded seamlessly around the clock. "There's no reason why an investor should be able to trade meme coins anytime, but face barriers when trying to invest in companies like SpaceX or OpenAI," Tenev said, adding that the same blockchain technology used for cryptocurrencies can be applied to stocks, bonds and other assets. Tenev believes that U.S. securities laws have largely limited the integration of cryptocurrencies with real-world financial assets, thereby limiting their full potential; the slow adoption of cryptocurrency infrastructure by traditional markets is not due to technological limitations, but a lack of clear regulation. Tenev plans to attend a cryptocurrency summit at the White House later this week, where he will advocate for clearer regulations to enable blockchain technology to support mainstream financial markets.

Bitwise CIO: Bullish on Trump’s Crypto Reserve Plan Despite Flaws

Matt Hougan, chief investment officer of Bitwise, said that the market has a misunderstanding of Trump's proposed US cryptocurrency strategic reserve plan despite the flaws in the launch process, and believes that this proposal will eventually be a positive. Earlier, after President Trump announced the advancement of the plan, the crypto market once soared, but then the gains were wiped out due to the risk aversion caused by the new tariff policy. Hougan pointed out that the market's dissatisfaction with the reserve plan mainly stems from the fact that it is not limited to Bitcoin, but also includes other assets, which is seen as "calculated rather than strategic." He emphasized that the preliminary proposal may be modified or even abolished, but the final version may be promoted after the White House Cryptocurrency Summit. He also mentioned that the US reserve plan may trigger a global competition, and countries are preparing for the strategic position of crypto assets such as Bitcoin. In addition, once the reserve is established, these assets may be hoarded for a long time and will not be easily sold. Hougan believes that the US government's view of crypto assets as strategic assets is a positive signal, and the market will eventually realize this.

VanEck: The combined effect of SIMD 096 and SIMD 0228 is expected to reduce SOL selling pressure by $677 million to $1.1 billion per year

Matthew Sigel, director of digital asset research at VanEck, wrote on the X platform: "We estimate that the combined effect of SIMD 096 and SIMD 0228 will reduce SOL's selling pressure by $677 million to $1.1 billion per year. Although SIMD 096 increases tax-related selling pressure by canceling 50% of the priority fee destruction, SIMD 0228 should be able to offset this effect more." Earlier yesterday, VanEck said that Solana's two proposed upgrades will enhance the network, but will significantly cut validator earnings.

Project News

Binance: The RED/USDT limit order failure has been fixed and users’ losses will be compensated

Binance Customer Support officially confirmed that the limit order function of the RED/USDT trading pair failed between 11:39 and 12:09 on March 6, but the market order function was used normally during this period. The platform has completed the repair and apologizes for the inconvenience this may have caused to users. If users suffer losses due to this system problem, they can contact Binance Customer Service for feedback, and they will receive corresponding compensation after verification.

Suilend: Currently experiencing interruption due to issues with third-party hosting service providers, and is seeking a solution

Sui ecological lending protocol Suilend posted on the X platform 1 hour ago: "We are currently experiencing an outage due to problems with the third-party hosting service provider. Our team is actively investigating this issue and working to resolve it as soon as possible. Funds are safe because this is just a front-end issue." Regarding this issue, Suilend has just released an update saying: "We have discovered the problem and are actively seeking a solution." After checking, the Suilend front-end has not yet been restored.

Elixir launches airdrop qualification check page and announces token economics

Elixir, the modular liquidity network, announced on X Platform that the ELX airdrop eligibility check page is now live, and users, community members, and selected DeFi power users can now view their allocations. ELX provides consensus and governance for the Elixir network, with 41% of the supply reserved for the community (8% first quarter airdrop, 21% future airdrop/LP rewards, 12% public network security rewards), 22% for the DAO Foundation, 3% for liquidity, 15% for investors, and 19% for core contribution value. ELX holders can run their own validators or delegate tokens to help secure the network and earn network security rewards. Airdrop recipients automatically delegate to the Elixir Foundation validator - these tokens can be withdrawn at any time. Users who continue to hold delegations during the initial stabilization phase will receive a network stability bonus within three months.

Coinbase is resuming plans to tokenize its COIN shares and other securities in the U.S.

According to Crypto Briefing, Coinbase is renewing its push to tokenize its COIN shares as part of a broader effort to bring security tokens to the U.S. market. The company first attempted this move in 2020 but abandoned it due to regulatory obstacles. With the establishment of the U.S. SEC's newly established cryptocurrency task force, the company sees new opportunities to integrate blockchain-based securities into traditional finance. Coinbase Chief Financial Officer Alesia Haas expressed optimism about regulatory progress at the Morgan Stanley TMT Conference. "I now believe that our U.S. regulators are looking for product innovation and want to move forward," Haas said. Haas revealed that Coinbase initially planned to go public by issuing security tokens representing its COIN shares, which is consistent with its vision of integrating blockchain into traditional finance. Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong emphasized the potential benefits of tokenized securities, saying they can provide consumers with the ability to trade around the clock.

Coinbase to List Renzo (REZ) Token

Coinbase Assets announced on X that Coinbase will add support for Renzo (REZ) on the Ethereum (ERC-20 token) network. Do not send this asset over other networks, or you may be at risk of losing your funds. Trading will begin on or after 01:00 on March 7, 2025 (GMT+8), if liquidity conditions are met. Once the supply of this asset is sufficient, trading in the REZ-USD trading pair will be launched in phases.

Important data

Data: Over $140 million USDT transferred from unknown wallet to Cobo

According to Whale Alert monitoring, 140,265,879 USDT (approximately US$140,411,265) was transferred from an unknown wallet to Cobo at 16:28.

USDC Treasury minted nearly 66.5 million USDC on the Ethereum chain

According to Whale Alert, USDC Treasury minted 66,499,000 new USDC on the Ethereum chain at 15:47, worth approximately US$66,493,247.

BTC whale with a cost price of nearly $10,000 is suspected of selling 300.9 BTC, making a profit of about $24.82 million

According to @ai_9684xtpa, a BTC whale with a cost as low as $10,297 sold 300.9 bitcoins an hour ago, worth about $27.92 million, making a profit of about $24.82 million. The whale's bitcoins were extracted from HTX during the last bear market in 2019, five months after the last sell-off.

In the past two days, 12 wallets have deposited a total of 125 million ENA to CEX, worth 45 million US dollars

According to Lookonchain monitoring, Tokenomist data shows that Ethena unlocked 2.07 billion ENA yesterday (worth $740.71 million, accounting for 39.17% of the circulating supply). In the past two days, 12 wallets have deposited a total of 125 million ENA (worth $45 million) to Binance, Bybit and FalconX.

Trump family crypto project WLFI increased its holdings by 4,468 ETH, 110.6 WBTC and 3.42 million MOVE

According to Spot On Chain, the Trump family crypto project World Liberty Financial (WLFI) has started buying ETH, WBTC and MOVE again. In the early hours of this morning, it transferred 25 million USDC to a new multi-signature wallet and purchased: 4,468 ETH (about $10 million, $2,238 per unit), 110.6 WBTC (about $10 million, $90,420 per unit), and 3.42 million MOVE (about $1.5 million, $0.439 per unit). There are still 3.5 million USDC left in the new wallet.

Financing

iAgent Protocol, an AI-driven gaming solution, raises $3 million

iAgent Protocol, an AI-driven gaming solution, announced the completion of a $3 million financing round, with participation from Alpha Liquid Terminal, Lydian Labs, double jump.tokyo Inc., Cointribune, Alliance, Frekaz Group, Expert Dojo, IBC Group Official, PG, and Q42. According to reports, iAgent enables gamers to create, own, and monetize game AI agents, enabling gamers to train their own AI agents through game screens, powered by DePIN, and by leveraging decentralized GPU computing, thereby creating a new digital asset class on the blockchain.

DoubleZero Foundation Completes $28 Million Funding at a $400 Million Valuation, Led by Dragonfly and Multicoin Capital

According to CoinDesk and The Block, the startup DoubleZero Foundation has completed $28 million in financing at a valuation of $400 million, led by Dragonfly and Multicoin Capital, and participated by Foundation Capital, Reciprocal Ventures, DBA, Borderless Capital, Superscrypt and Frictionless. People familiar with the matter said that DoubleZero Foundation is currently looking for "strategic partners" to seek more strategic financing at a valuation of $600 million, and the strategic financing has not yet ended. According to reports, DoubleZero is building a "new Internet" to improve blockchain performance. Its vision is to build a global private fiber optic cable network, and then use these cables to enable blockchains to transmit data more efficiently than on the public Internet. The project is seen as a key technology for Solana's plan to process 1 million transactions per second. DoubleZero is opening its licensed testnet to Solana validators and RPC, and plans to gradually expand to other chains. Its fiber optic cable network is connected to dedicated lines operated by Jump Crypto, RockawayX, Distributed Global, Latitude and Terraswitch, and is accepting more contributors. DoubleZero also announced today the launch of its permissioned testnet, making the DoubleZero network available to Solana validators and RPCs.

Disclaimer: The articles reposted on this site are sourced from public platforms and are provided for informational purposes only. They do not necessarily reflect the views of MEXC. All rights remain with the original authors. If you believe any content infringes on third-party rights, please contact [email protected] for removal. MEXC makes no guarantees regarding the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of the content and is not responsible for any actions taken based on the information provided. The content does not constitute financial, legal, or other professional advice, nor should it be considered a recommendation or endorsement by MEXC.
Share Insights

You May Also Like

Ethereum unveils roadmap focusing on scaling, interoperability, and security at Japan Dev Conference

Ethereum unveils roadmap focusing on scaling, interoperability, and security at Japan Dev Conference

The post Ethereum unveils roadmap focusing on scaling, interoperability, and security at Japan Dev Conference appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com. Key Takeaways Ethereum’s new roadmap was presented by Vitalik Buterin at the Japan Dev Conference. Short-term priorities include Layer 1 scaling and raising gas limits to enhance transaction throughput. Vitalik Buterin presented Ethereum’s development roadmap at the Japan Dev Conference today, outlining the blockchain platform’s priorities across multiple timeframes. The short-term goals focus on scaling solutions and increasing Layer 1 gas limits to improve transaction capacity. Mid-term objectives target enhanced cross-Layer 2 interoperability and faster network responsiveness to create a more seamless user experience across different scaling solutions. The long-term vision emphasizes building a secure, simple, quantum-resistant, and formally verified minimalist Ethereum network. This approach aims to future-proof the platform against emerging technological threats while maintaining its core functionality. The roadmap presentation comes as Ethereum continues to compete with other blockchain platforms for market share in the smart contract and decentralized application space. Source: https://cryptobriefing.com/ethereum-roadmap-scaling-interoperability-security-japan/
Share
BitcoinEthereumNews2025/09/18 00:25
Understanding Bitcoin Mining Through the Lens of Dutch Disease

Understanding Bitcoin Mining Through the Lens of Dutch Disease

There’s a paradox at the heart of modern economics: sometimes, discovering a valuable resource can make a country poorer. It sounds impossible — how can sudden wealth lead to economic decline? Yet this pattern has repeated across decades and continents, from the Netherlands’ natural gas boom in the 1960s to oil discoveries in numerous developing countries. Economists have a name for this phenomenon: Dutch Disease. Today, as Bitcoin Mining operations establish themselves in regions around the world, attracted by cheap resources. With electricity and favorable regulations, economists are asking an intriguing question: Does cryptocurrency mining share enough characteristics with traditional resource booms to trigger similar economic distortions? Or is this digital industry different enough to avoid the pitfalls that have plagued oil-rich and gas-rich nations? The Kazakhstan Case Study In 2021, Kazakhstan became a global Bitcoin mining hub after China’s cryptocurrency ban. Within months, mining operations consumed nearly 8% of the nation’s electricity. The initial windfall — investment, jobs, tax revenue — quickly turned to crisis. By early 2022, the country faced rolling blackouts, surging energy costs for manufacturers, and public protests. The government imposed strict mining limits, but damage to traditional industries was already done. This pattern has a name: Dutch Disease. Understanding Dutch Disease Dutch Disease describes how sudden resource wealth can paradoxically weaken an economy. The term comes from the Netherlands’ experience after discovering North Sea gas in 1959. Despite the windfall, the Dutch economy suffered as the booming gas sector drove up wages and currency values, making traditional manufacturing uncompetitive. The mechanisms were interconnected: Foreign buyers needed Dutch guilders to purchase gas, strengthening the currency and making Dutch exports expensive. The gas sector bid up wages, forcing manufacturers to raise pay while competing in global markets where they couldn’t pass those costs along. The most talented workers and infrastructure investment flowed to gas extraction rather than diverse economic activities. When gas prices eventually fell in the 1980s, the Netherlands found itself with a hollowed-out industrial base — wealthier in raw terms but economically weaker. The textile factories had closed. Manufacturing expertise had evaporated. The younger generation possessed skills in gas extraction but limited training in other industries. This pattern has repeated globally. Nigeria’s oil discovery devastated its agricultural sector. Venezuela’s resource wealth correlates with chronic economic instability. The phenomenon is so familiar that economists call it the “resource curse” — the observation that countries with abundant natural resources often perform worse economically than countries without them. Bitcoin mining creates similar dynamics. Mining operations are essentially warehouses of specialized computers solving mathematical puzzles to earn bitcoin rewards (currently worth over $200,000 per block) — the catch: massive electricity consumption. A single facility can consume as much power as a small city, creating economic pressures comparable to those of traditional resource booms. How Mining Crowds Out Other Industries Dutch Disease operates through four interconnected channels: Resource Competition: Mining operations consume massive amounts of electricity at preferential rates, leaving less capacity for factories, data centers, and residential users. In constrained power grids, this creates a zero-sum competition in which mining’s profitability directly undermines other industries. Textile manufacturers in El Salvador reported a 40% increase in electricity costs within a year of nearby mining operations — costs that made global competitiveness untenable. Price Inflation: Mining operators bidding aggressively for electricity, real estate, technical labor, and infrastructure drive up input costs across regional economies. Small and medium enterprises operating on thin margins are particularly vulnerable to these shocks. Talent Reallocation: High mining wages draw skilled electricians, engineers, and technicians from traditional sectors. Universities report declining enrollment in manufacturing engineering as students pivot toward cryptocurrency specializations — skills that may prove narrow if mining operations relocate or profitability collapses. Infrastructure Lock-In: Grid capacity, cooling systems, and telecommunications networks optimized for mining rather than diversified development make regions increasingly dependent on a single volatile industry. This specialization makes economic diversification progressively more difficult and expensive. Where Vulnerability Is Highest The risk of mining-induced Dutch Disease depends on several structural factors: Small, undiversified economies face the most significant risk. When mining represents 5–10% of GDP or electricity consumption, it can dominate economic outcomes. El Salvador’s embrace of Bitcoin and Central Asian republics with significant mining operations exemplify this concentration risk. Subsidized energy creates perverse incentives. When governments provide electricity at a loss, mining operations enjoy artificial profitability that attracts excessive investment, intensifying Dutch Disease dynamics. The disconnect between private returns and social costs ensures mining expands beyond economically efficient levels. Weak governance limits effective responses. Without robust monitoring, transparent pricing, or enforceable frameworks, governments struggle to course-correct even when distortions become apparent. Rapid, unplanned growth creates an immediate crisis. When operations scale faster than infrastructure can accommodate, the result is blackouts, equipment damage, and cascading economic disruptions. Why Bitcoin Mining Differs from Traditional Resource Curses Several distinctions suggest mining-induced distortions may be more manageable than historical resource curses: Operational Mobility: Unlike oil fields, mining facilities can relocate relatively quickly. When China banned mining in 2021, operators moved to Kazakhstan, the U.S., and elsewhere within months. This mobility creates different dynamics — governments have leverage through regulation and pricing, but also face competition. The threat of exit disciplines both miners and regulators, potentially yielding more efficient outcomes than traditional resource sectors, where geographic necessity reduces flexibility. No Currency Appreciation: Classical Dutch Disease devastated manufacturing due to currency appreciation. Bitcoin mining doesn’t trigger this mechanism — mining revenues are traded globally and typically converted offshore, avoiding the local currency effects that made Dutch products uncompetitive in the 1960s. Export-oriented manufacturing can remain price-competitive if direct resource competition and input costs are managed. Profitability Volatility: Mining economics are extraordinarily sensitive to Bitcoin prices, network difficulty, and energy costs. When Bitcoin fell from $65,000 to under $20,000 in 2022, many operations became unprofitable and shut down rapidly. This boom-bust cycle, while disruptive, prevents the permanent structural transformation characterizing oil-dependent economies. Resources get released back to the broader economy during busts. Repurposable Infrastructure: Mining facilities can be repurposed as regular data centers. Electrical infrastructure serves other industrial uses. Telecommunications upgrades benefit diverse businesses. Unlike exhausted oil fields requiring environmental cleanup, mining infrastructure can support cloud computing, AI research, or other digital economy activities — creating potential for positive spillovers. Managing the Risk: Three Approaches Bitcoin stakeholders and host regions should consider three strategies to capture benefits while mitigating Dutch Disease risks: Dynamic Energy Pricing: Moving from fixed, subsidized rates toward pricing that reflects actual resource scarcity and opportunity costs. Iceland and Nordic countries have implemented time-of-use pricing and interruptible contracts that allow mining during off-peak periods while preserving capacity for critical uses during demand surges. Transparent, rule-based pricing formulas that adjust for baseline generation costs, grid congestion during peak periods, and environmental externalities let mining flourish when economically appropriate while automatically constraining it during resource competition. The challenge is political — subsidized electricity often exists for good reasons, including supporting industrial development and helping low-income residents. But allowing below-cost electricity to attract mining operations that may harm more than help represents a false economy. Different jurisdictions are finding different balances: some embrace market-based pricing, others maintain subsidies while restricting mining access, and some ban mining outright. Concentration Limits: Formal constraints on mining’s share of regional electricity and economic activity can prevent dominance. Norway has experimented with caps limiting mining to specific percentages of regional power capacity. The logic is straightforward: if mining represents 10–15% of electricity use, it’s significant but doesn’t dominate. If it reaches 40–50%, Dutch Disease risks become severe. These caps create certainty for all stakeholders. Miners understand expansion parameters. Other industries know they won’t be entirely squeezed out. Grid operators can plan with more explicit constraints. The challenge lies in determining appropriate thresholds — too low forgoes legitimate opportunity, too high fails to prevent problems. Smaller, less diversified economies warrant more conservative limits than larger, more robust ones. Multi-Purpose Infrastructure: Rather than specializing exclusively in mining, strategic planning should ensure investments serve broader purposes. Grid expansion benefiting diverse industrial users, telecommunications targeting rural connectivity alongside mining needs, and workforce programs emphasizing transferable skills (data center operations, electrical systems management, cybersecurity) can treat mining as a bridge industry, justifying infrastructure that enables broader digital economy development. Singapore’s evolution from an oil-refining hub to a diversified financial and technology center provides a valuable template: leverage the initial high-value industry to build capabilities that support economic complexity, rather than becoming path-dependent on a single volatile sector. Some regions are applying this thinking to Bitcoin mining — asking what infrastructure serves mining today but could enable cloud computing, AI research, or other digital activities tomorrow. Conclusion The parallels between Bitcoin mining and Dutch Disease are significant: sudden, high-value activity that crowds out traditional industries through resource competition, price inflation, talent reallocation, and infrastructure specialization. Kazakhstan’s 2021–2022 experience demonstrates this pattern can unfold rapidly. Yet essential differences exist. Mining’s mobility, currency neutrality, profitability volatility, and repurposable infrastructure create policy opportunities unavailable to governments confronting traditional resource curses. The question isn’t whether mining causes economic distortion — in some contexts it clearly has — but whether stakeholders will act to channel this activity toward sustainable development. For the Bitcoin community, this means recognizing that long-term industry viability depends on avoiding the resource curse pattern. Regions devastated by boom-bust cycles will ultimately restrict or ban mining regardless of short-term benefits. Sustainable growth requires accepting pricing that reflects actual costs, respecting concentration limits, and contributing to infrastructure that serves broader economic purposes. For host regions, the challenge is capturing mining’s benefits without sacrificing economic diversity. History shows resource booms that seem profitable in the moment often weaken economies in the long run. The key is recognizing risks during the boom — when everything seems positive and there’s pressure to embrace the opportunity uncritically — rather than waiting until damage becomes undeniable. The next decade will determine whether Bitcoin mining becomes a cautionary tale of resource misallocation or a case study in integrating volatile, technology-intensive industries into developing economies without triggering historical pathologies. The outcome depends not on the technology itself, but on whether humans shaping investment and policy decisions learn from history’s repeated lessons about how sudden wealth can become an economic curse. References Canadian economy suffers from ‘Dutch disease’ | Correspondent Frank Kuin. https://frankkuin.com/en/2005/11/03/dutch-disease-canada/ Sovereign Wealth Funds — Angadh Nanjangud. https://angadh.com/sovereignwealthfunds Understanding Bitcoin Mining Through the Lens of Dutch Disease was originally published in Coinmonks on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story
Share
Medium2025/11/05 13:53