Yes, Bitcoin can be converted to real money. When you sell or trade Bitcoin for fiat currency (like USD, EUR, etc.) on an exchange, you receive actual cash. However, the value of Bitcoin can fluctuate significantly, so the amount you get can vary based on market conditions. Additionally, you’ll need to consider transaction fees and any taxes applicable in your region when converting Bitcoin to cash.

You must have been hearing friends talking about Bitcoin mining. Or you could be hearing someone is earning a substantial amount of BTC without spending any money.

Earning Bitcoin without spending money is challenging but possible. Here are some methods you can consider:

1. Faucets: Websites that give away small amounts of Bitcoin for completing simple tasks or captcha. They don’t pay much, but they’re free.
2. Microtasks: Platforms like Bituro or Coinbucks allow you to earn Bitcoin by completing surveys, watching videos, or testing apps.
3. Mining: While traditional mining requires investment in hardware, some cloud mining services allow you to start for free, though the returns may be minimal.
4. Staking and Airdrops: Some cryptocurrencies offer airdrops or rewards for holding certain tokens, which can be exchanged for Bitcoin later.
5. Referral Programs: Many exchanges and platforms offer Bitcoin rewards for referring new users.
6. Earn Bitcoin through Content Creation: If you have a blog or social media presence, you can earn Bitcoin by accepting donations or tips via platforms like BitPatron or Ko-fi.
7. Learning Platforms: Some websites, like Coinbase Earn, pay you in crypto for completing educational tasks about different cryptocurrencies.
8. Sell Products or Services: You can offer your skills or products and accept Bitcoin as payment.

Keep in mind that while these methods can help you earn Bitcoin without upfront costs, they often require time and effort. If you put forth the right effort, you will definitely succeed.

he roadmap features L2 payments, trading, and DeFi, with a UX that adopts Satoshis (SATs), Bitcoin’s more intuitive smallest denomination.

Base8, a Bitcoin Layer 3 platform for mobile, is proud to announce its official launch, bringing a seamless, easy-to-use solution to the world of cryptocurrency. Built for new and experienced users, Base8 will integrate Bitcoin Layer 2 (L2) solutions like the Lightning Network for fast payments, Babylon for Bitcoin staking, and Stacks for Bitcoin DeFi. Additionally, the app is one of the first to support SATs (Satoshis), and already offers trading in 35+ other liquid tokens, making Bitcoin utility and crypto investing more accessible to everyday users.

A Bitcoin Neobank for the Digital Economy

Base8’s vision extends beyond simple crypto investment. The platform is evolving into a universal digital banking solution for Bitcoin that merges centralized investing with decentralized finance (DeFi) and utility. With its focus on SATs and commitment to supporting native Bitcoin L2s, Base8 offers users a simple and secure way to invest, manage, and use crypto assets, with all the advantages of Bitcoin’s decentralized settlement layer, aka the blockchain.

“Bitcoin is meant to be so much more than just an asset to buy and hold, yet that’s how the majority of the two hundred million people use it,” said Alex Shapiro, Co-Founder and CEO of Base8. “We’re building Base8 to deliver on Bitcoin’s full potential by making the user experience simple while handling the complex decentralized integrations under the hood.”

Simplifying Bitcoin with SATs

Base8 features SATs (Satoshis), the smallest denomination of Bitcoin, to help users trade, invest, and manage their assets without the confusion of decimals. The app’s intuitive design, combined with institutional-grade security and custody, makes it one of the most secure and practical platforms for retail investors. Users can fund their accounts with ACH, SEPA, debit/credit cards, and crypto deposits, allowing them to instantly participate in the crypto economy.

Crowdfunding Campaign on Republic

Along with its launch, Base8 has gone live with a $1.24M crowdfunding campaign on Republic, and plans to raise a total of $3.5M in their seed round, which follows a successful $500k pre-seed raised in 2023. With a waitlist of over 31,000 users and nearly 1,000 beta testers, the campaign offers an opportunity for early supporters and crypto enthusiasts to participate in building a project focused on accessibility and the future of Bitcoin.

“Base8 is more than just an app—it’s a movement to make Bitcoin practical. By joining our crowdfunding campaign, you can be a part of our growth and help shape the coming Bitcoin economy” added Mohamed Saidi, Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Base8.

Funds from the campaign will be used to enhance Base8’s core tech offerings and L2 integrations, as well as user acquisition initiatives. Planned releases for 2025 include a Bitcoin Lightning wallet, a debit card with Apple NFC, and decentralized features such as staking, yield generation, and cross-chain swaps. These features will transform Base8 into a comprehensive, all-in-one platform that integrates both centralized and decentralized services, offering users the best of both worlds.

The scammer who stole 4,100 Bitcoin appears in US court charged with wire fraud, news sources reveal.

Malone Lam and co-conspirator exploited victim’s trust through fake support calls, extracting over $274 million in crypto. We are monitoring the court proceedings.

BTC block reward miners continue to struggle to turn a profit, but AI’s new interest in nuclear power might offer a solution to miners’ insatiable electricity demands.

September’s BTC mining revenue and profits were lower than the sector reported in August, according to Jefferies Group analysts, with revenue having its lousiest month so far this year. Worse, Jefferies expects this trend to continue in October as mining difficulty shows little sign of easing.

Currently, the average price to mine a single BTC token has topped US$80,000, while BTC’s fiat price is around $67,000. BTC’s fiat price enjoyed a healthy gain in October, but the network’s difficulty is rising at twice that rate. Small wonder that miners continue to ‘pivot’ to more profitable activities, including serving as data centers for AI and other high-performance computing (HPC) tasks.

Other miners are sidestepping the actual work of competing for block rewards in favor of taking on debt to just buy BTC. They’re trying to follow the path laid down by MicroStrategy (NASDAQ: MSTR), which has enjoyed a stock price surge this year based on the roughly 245,000 BTC on its balance sheet.

That’s all fine and well. Right up until the moment, it isn’t. Years ago, The Simpsons previewed the likely fate of BTC HODL’ers who refuse to see the potential downsides of investing in utility-free digital Beanie Babies. Remember, kids: you can’t say you weren’t warned.

Anyway, here’s a glance at how some of the most prominent publicly-traded BTC miners fared in September, in descending order of magnitude:

• MARA (NASDAQ: MARA), formerly Marathon Digital, mined 705 BTC in September, up 5% from August, thanks to a 5% increase in its energized hash rate. MARA didn’t sell a single BTC in September, which is part of its new HODL strategy. However, MARA recently collateralized some of its nearly 27,000 BTC to secure another $200 million line of credit, some of which will undoubtedly be used to buy yet more BTC after buying 4,144 tokens in August.
• CleanSpark (NASDAQ: CLSK) mined 493 BTC in September, up modestly from 478 in August. CleanSpark sold just 2.5 BTC in September, leaving it with 8,049 on its balance sheet.
• Riot Platforms (NASDAQ: RIOT) produced 412 BTC in September, up from 322 in August, thanks to a 35% rise in its hash rate. Like MARA, Riot is no longer selling its BTC, convinced that ‘number go up’ is a one-way street, leaving it with 10,427 BTC on its balance sheet.
• Iris Energy (NASDAQ: IREN) produced 347 BTC in September, 102 more than it mined in August, as its hash rate more than doubled. While mining remains Iris’s bread and butter, its growing AI cloud operations are projected to represent 10% of its overall earnings by year’s end.
• Core Scientific (NASDAQ: CORZ) bucked this upward trend, mining 345 BTC in September, down from 358 in August, thanks to reconfiguring some of its facilities to focus on AI/HPC operations. Similarly bucking the HODL’ing trend, Core sold 370 BTC in September, five fewer than in August.
• Bitfarms (NASDAQ: BITF) collected 217 BTC in September, down from 233 in August, despite no change in hash rate (just unlucky, we guess). Also, no HODL’ing here, as Bitfarms sold 173 BTC in September after selling 147 in August.
• TeraWulf (NASDAQ: WULF) mined 176 BTC in September, down from August’s 184.
• Bitmain spinoff Bitdeer (NASDAQ: BTDR) produced 164 BTC in September, basically flat month-on-month, but the company assured investors that newer, faster, better mining rigs are being installed as we speak.
• Cipher Mining (NASDAQ: CIFR) generated 155 BTC in September, five fewer than in August, despite its mining rig count increasing by nearly 3%. And Cipher sold a whopping 923 BTC last month, leaving it with only 1,512 tokens on its balance sheet. The sell-off helped fund the acquisition of a new facility that will serve as an HPC data center, not BTC mining.
• Hut 8 (NASDAQ: HUT) produced 85 BTC in September, which was basically flat from August, while its balance sheet lists a total of 9,106 tokens.

While the above companies offer snapshots of the electricity costs of running their thousands of mining rigs across multiple facilities, we generally have to wait for their quarterly earnings reports to see the full cost of production. This includes the requirement to amortize and eventually upgrade their technology to keep abreast of rivals, as Bitfarms’ case above amply demonstrates.

To pivot or not to pivot

Between the unforgiving mathematics of BTC mining and fickle investors turning their attention from ‘crypto’ to AI, miners’ press releases are increasingly downplaying mining operations in favor of their AI/HPC opportunities.

Earlier this month, Riot Platforms CEO Jason Les told Bernstein analysts that his company “would be very interested” in a deal like the multi-billion-dollar pact struck this summer between Core Scientific and ‘AI Hyperscaler’ CoreWeave, the Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA)-supported cloud platform.

That deal will see Core Scientific provide CoreWeave with additional computing infrastructure, which, building on an existing deal between the two parties, will generate $6.7 billion in revenue for Core Scientific over a 12-year period. Not bad, considering Core Scientific was still mired in bankruptcy proceedings when this year began.

Riot’s Les said his company wasn’t about to announce “a pivot [to AI] just for the sake of it,” but Les wanted investors to know that “Riot has valuable assets and we have received inbounds about those.” However, Riot has historically “focused on [BTC] mining,” and the company intends to “remain focused on that strategy.”

Riot may be content to dance with the one that brought it, but other operators can’t pivot fast enough. Some of these pivots appear to be based on the fact that the stock prices of miners making the most AI/HPC noise are performing better than their BTC-focused rivals.

Regardless of their focus, a rich-get-richer mindset prevails, with every week bringing miner press releases detailing acquisitions of smaller mining operators who can no longer compete with the big boys. Coupled with other miners switching their focus to AI, the ranks of BTC miners will continue to thin, with dangerous implications for the security of BTC’s proof-of-work consensus mechanism.

Have you got gas?

Depending on which surveys you read, America currently accounts for between 35-38% of the global BTC hash rate, more than the combined share of the next two—and possibly three—leading countries (Kazakhstan, Russia, and Canada). However, miners’ insatiable appetite for electricity continues to create friction regardless of the jurisdiction in which they operate.

Debates rage over how much of America’s electrical capacity miners are devouring (federal agencies have said it’s as high as 2.3% of the total pie). But even the kindest estimates represent not-insignificant chunks of power that could be devoted to more productive purposes than financial speculation benefiting a handful of BTC whales.

Between growing public antipathy towards miners and cash-rich AI firms willing to outbid miners for grid capacity, miners are getting increasingly creative and/or desperate. MARA recently began using excess natural gas from America’s shale oil producers to power localized miniature versions of its data centers. Effectively, MARA is generating its own power to fuel its mining operations.

MARA CEO Fred Thiel told Reuters that the pilot program is a partnership with NGON Solutions, which specializes in ‘natural gas onsite neutralization.’ Since the gas—a byproduct of oil production—would otherwise be ‘flared’ aka burned off, MARA also stands to earn government carbon credits.

Smaller miners have engaged in such schemes before, but MARA is believed to be the first publicly traded miner to test these waters. Thiel said the idea is to “avoid putting additional load on the grid,” but it’s also a reflection of the fact that “the AI guys are prepared to pay almost any price for energy because of their demand, so it makes it very hard for [BTC] miners to be able to compete.”

Nuke ’em

In keeping with the current power dynamic, AI looked at MARA’s gas plan and said, ‘Hold my beer.’ Last month, Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) announced a deal with Constellation Energy to relaunch Pennsylvania’s controversial Three Mile Island nuclear power plant to fuel Microsoft’s AI data centers.

In 1979, Three Mile Island became infamous after experiencing a partial nuclear meltdown of one of its reactors. While some of the plant’s operations remained viable, its operators pulled the plug for good in 2019. Or so they thought. The Unit 1 reactor is now slated to be restarted in 2028, assuming regulatory approval can be obtained.

With that taboo broken, Google (NASDAQ: GOOGL) just announced a deal with Kairos Power, a builder of small modular reactors (SMR), to power Google’s AI operations. The plan calls for the first SMR to be online “quickly and safely” by 2030, providing up to 500Mw of “new 24/7 carbon-free power” by 2035.

Not to be outdone, Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) announced an investment in SMR developer X-energy, as well as deals with public utility consortium Energy Northwest and private utility Dominion Energy to deploy SMRs to bolster regional electricity grids.

Naturally, BTC miners are now kicking SMR’s tires to see if nuclear power might help solve their electricity issues. However, it will require significant upfront investment, meaning SMR will be an option only for the largest miners, and the competitive edge that this might offer could accelerate the already problematic concentration of hash rate.

But hey, look on the bright side. The few remaining mining giants will eventually ‘pivot to AI’ because it’s more profitable, and with the smaller miners having long since sold up or shut down, network difficulty will plunge, and it will once again be possible to mine BTC from your basement with a Raspberry Pi. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss…

In order for artificial intelligence (AI) to work right within the law and thrive in the face of growing challenges, it needs to integrate an enterprise blockchain system that ensures data input quality and ownership—allowing it to keep data safe while also guaranteeing the immutability of data. Check out CoinGeek’s coverage on this emerging tech to learn more why Enterprise blockchain will be the backbone of AI. 

Source: https://coingeek.com/will-the-last-btc-miner-shut-off-rigs-when-they-leave-for-ai/

As Bitcoin inches toward a historic price level, attention turns to alternative cryptocurrencies that could rise even higher and faster. This article delves into the altcoins poised for explosive growth, potentially surpassing Bitcoin’s performance. Learn which digital assets are set to make significant gains in the dynamic world of crypto investments.

Read on

Leading industry investors join forces to support Yala’s vision of a connected multi-chain ecosystem with Bitcoin.

Yala, a liquidity protocol and stablecoin issuer for Bitcoin, has announced the successful completion of its 3x oversubscribed seed funding round. The round was co-led by Polychain Capital and Ethereal Ventures, with participation from prominent investors, including Galaxy Vision Hill, Anagram, Amber Group, ABCDE, Ambush Capital, GeekCartel, HashKey Capital, L2 Iterative Ventures (L2IV), SatoshiLab, UpHonest Capital, UTXO Management, and 280 Capital.

Yala’s team raised an $8 million seed round at an undisclosed valuation, funding the expansion of its engineering, growth, and security teams ahead of its mainnet launch. This follows over 2,000 BTC in committed deposits from investors.

Yala’s mission is to unlock Bitcoin liquidity through a protocol that combines stablecoin issuance with multi-chain ecosystems. Its modular architecture supports cross-chain deployments across EVM-compatible platforms like Ethereum and non-EVM systems like Solana, enhancing Bitcoin composability and driving a connected Bitcoin DeFi ecosystem.

 Hello, I got the following quote on the internet. It tells me that I should keep keeping on coz the crypto does have future.

Here’s the quote:

Bitcoin’s future is undeniable! Be in it for the long haul. That’s how to succeed.

The previous month has shown just how true this is. The btc arena keeps getting better all the time.

The stance for cryptocurrency to be legal worldwide is still in discourse since its remarkable first appearance in 2009 with the well-known crypto coin, Bitcoin making investors rich when it was launched.

Not many countries allow crypto as a legal tender due to the absence of a regulatory system.

In reality, the virtual tokens are not made to regulate this is the main ground for the difficulty for governments to legalize these digital currencies.

According to the Library of Congress, 103 countries have planned to develop the objectives for organizations making transactions with cryptocurrencies.

At the same time, crypto brings more investments and innovation in the country and improves fast

transactions and results in decentralization and transparency.

Here are 10 countries that allow crypto as a legal tender.

1. Central African Republic

In 2022, CAR became the second country to accept crypto as a legal tender. The African state believes bitcoin to be a genuine legal tender.

2. El Salvador

The nation to be the first to make virtual tokens become a legal tender is El Salvador located in South America. In 2021, the bill to approve the currency was passed by President Bukele. It became a legal exchange to purchase, and sell any good and service.

3. Germany

Germany’s recognition of Bitcoin largely improved the value of the virtual coin in the worldwide market. The Germans are actively involved in the advancement of blockchain solutions which has allowed the nation to completely legalize the transaction of virtual money.

4. France

The legalization of the operation of digital tokens began on the 11th of July 2014 when a regulation note was issued. France allows trading and use of the currencies.

5. Netherlands

Even though this country has not regulated or officially legalized the use of any cryptocurrency, it has however shown a positive attitude toward the innovation. The country even has a special region called Bitcoin City where transactions like purchasing, trading, and business are legal.

6. Singapore

The Singapore government has allowed the use of cryptocurrencies for their citizen commercial uses but the government wants a hand in controlling the regulation. However, they warned their citizens about the risks of using the coins.

7. Malta

Since joining the list of countries that allows the use of virtual currencies, Malta has attracted many crypto companies such as Binance. The country has come up with many legislations for making cryptocurrencies acceptable for business.

8. USA

It is only natural for one of the biggest economies in the world to have a hand in crypto. The cabinet of the United States of America in 2013 accepted Bitcoin as a decentralized digital money that can be used for transactions.

9. Canada

Canadian government legalized the use of Impak coin, becoming the country’s first-ever legal cryptocurrency in August 2017. The nation’s government has implemented strict laws in place to prevent money laundering through the use of crypto as the country considers crypto as a commodity for tax purposes.

10. Japan

Japan had a strict rule for not allowing cryptocurrency on their land, but have become light with their laws since setting up a Payment Service Act which allows digital money and a number of exchanges to be used for payment and trading purposes.

Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) have started a new week with a bang, securing more than $235 million worth of inflows on Oct.

Read more on U.Today https://u.today/bitcoin-etfs-see-235-million-in-total-net-flows