<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> <rss version="2.0"> <channel> <title>Bitcoin Today - Bitcoin News Curated and Powered by AI</title> <link>https://www.bitcointoday.app</link> <description>Get daily updates on Bitcoin's price, market trends, analysis, and breaking news curated and powered by AI - all digestible in minutes. Make BitcoinToday.app your one-stop shop for staying informed in the fast-paced world of Bitcoin.</description> <lastBuildDate>Sun, 12 Jul 2026 14:20:45 GMT</lastBuildDate> <docs>https://validator.w3.org/feed/docs/rss2.html</docs> <generator>https://github.com/jpmonette/feed</generator> <language>en</language> <image> <title>Bitcoin Today - Bitcoin News Curated and Powered by AI</title> <url>https://www.bitcointoday.app/images/logo-512.png</url> <link>https://www.bitcointoday.app</link> </image> <copyright>All rights reserved 2024, BitcoinToday.app</copyright> <category>Bitcoin News</category> <item> <title><![CDATA[Next Crypto Bull Market: Why Cash Flow Will Be King and These Coins Could Lead]]></title> <link>https://www.bitcointoday.app/article/next-crypto-bull-market-why-cash-flow-will-be-king-and-these-coins-could-lead</link> <guid>next-crypto-bull-market-why-cash-flow-will-be-king-and-these-coins-could-lead</guid> <pubDate>Sun, 12 Jul 2026 14:01:30 GMT</pubDate> <description><![CDATA[The last crypto bull market, which ended in October 2025, rewarded narratives and stories more than actual economic activity. Meme coins and networks making big promises with little in the way of new or useful features caught buyers' attention. Now, as **Bitcoin** grinds its way through its worst stretch since 2022, there are early signs of a recovery in the market thanks to a handful of projects. The emerging contenders for leaders in the next bull market are different because they're operating more like businesses than cryptocurrencies of the past. Here's which coins to watch and what to expect if the market continues to perk up. ## Cash Flow Could Become the Name of the Game Traditionally, crypto majors other than Bitcoin, like **Ethereum**, **Solana**, and **XRP**, have a complicated relationship between their token's value and the extent to which their blockchains are actually used for economically productive activity. Those chains collect fees, but only a small portion reaches token holders directly; the rest flows to validators, stakers, or ecosystem funds. That's part of the reason holding Ethereum for the past five years left holders with losses of 8% despite enormous technical improvements, capital inflows, and network usage. The coins that will win in the next crypto bull market will likely invert that dynamic, ensuring that holders get compensated for tying up their capital and attracting more investment as a result. **Hyperliquid** is the most prominent example. Its Assistance Fund captures close to 99% of the trading fees on the chain's decentralized exchange into HYPE token purchases, which are burned and removed from circulation. It has bought back more than $2 billion worth of its token since launch, soaking up 4.7% of its maximum supply at about four to five times the burn rate of Ethereum. **Lighter** is another decentralized exchange and one of Hyperliquid's competitors, running the same playbook with its supply. All trading fee revenue funnels into LIT token repurchases, and per the June 30 tokenomics update, those coins purchased through buybacks will be permanently burned; 6.3% of supply is already gone. Another riff on this holder-friendly tokenomics concept is **Bittensor**. It operates as an ecosystem of different subnets offering artificial intelligence (AI) training and related services. Its recent upgrade gave every subnet its own unique token; leading subnets, like Chutes, recycle their platform revenue into buybacks of their subnet tokens, so that holders of the subnet's asset can capture value from demand for the subnet's computing services. This puts pressure on majors like Ethereum and Solana. They may opt to give holders a stronger claim on the future of on-chain revenue if the new challengers are successful in attracting capital during the next cycle. ## New Challenges Will Occur Amid Some of the Same Old Trends Perhaps the biggest risk during the next bull market will be **quantum computing**, which could theoretically be used to steal coins once a powerful enough quantum computer is developed. Bitcoin will need to convince investors that it's prepared to adapt to the risk of its encryption becoming compromised. A new proposal called BIP-360, accepted in February 2026, laid out the first potential quantum-resistance plan. If new security measures aren't agreed upon and put into place promptly, it will become a major headwind for the coin's price. Thus, pretty much every major chain will need to spend more on cryptographic hardening to be investable in the coming cycle. That will be especially important as more capital is onboarded to tokenized real-world assets (RWAs), which will be the main draw pulling in institutions this time around. Another new theme, **financial privacy**, will likely be a big one in the next bull market. Established privacy coins like **Zcash** and **Monero** have questionable track records, so they will likely need to fend off some competition from newcomers even if their prices rise. Old themes will be in play even as new ones become more important. An unpredictable handful of meme coins will run again, as they always do. More serious segments that fell short of their 2021 valuations during the most recent bull market, notably decentralized physical infrastructure (DePIN) and social finance, are largely hollowed out and probably won't recover. But no matter what happens, there's a lot to be optimistic about for the next crypto bull market whenever it may occur.]]></description> <author>contact@bitcointoday.app (BitcoinToday.app)</author> <category>cryptobullmarket</category> <category>tokenomics</category> <category>hyperliquid</category> <category>bittensor</category> <category>quantumcomputing</category> <enclosure url="https://g.foolcdn.com/image/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fg.foolcdn.com%2Feditorial%2Fimages%2F878269%2Fbitcoin-cryptocurrency-computer-display.jpg&w=1200&op=resize" length="0" type="image//image/"/> </item> <item> <title><![CDATA[Bitcoin Chain Splits: Why You Get a Free 1:1 Copy of Your BTC]]></title> <link>https://www.bitcointoday.app/article/bitcoin-chain-splits-why-you-get-a-free-1-1-copy-of-your-btc</link> <guid>bitcoin-chain-splits-why-you-get-a-free-1-1-copy-of-your-btc</guid> <pubDate>Sun, 12 Jul 2026 07:01:28 GMT</pubDate> <description>< *A visual interpretation of a Bitcoin chain split when the two networks do not agree on the same ruleset.* Nothing needs to be recreated or reissued. Both networks already have the same records, because they were the same chain until the split. ## Why 1:1 Isn’t a Gift, It’s Duplication Picture a holder with 1 BTC in a single UTXO right before a split. That output exists in the shared history both chains inherit. The bitcoin chain recognizes it. The new forked chain recognizes it too, because it accepted the same blocks up to that point. The private key hasn’t been copied by some network process. It was already the only thing capable of spending that output, and now two separate sets of nodes independently agree on that fact.  *A visual interpretation of how BTC UTXOs can share the same history after a chain split.* That’s why the ratio is always 1:1 at the snapshot. It isn’t an **airdrop** in the conventional sense, where a project mints new tokens and sends them to a list of addresses. Nobody compiles a list. No new transaction moves anything. The forked network simply calculates the same pre-split UTXO set that already existed, then starts applying its own rules to it going forward. ## One Rule Doesn’t Guarantee Two Equal Futures The 1:1 relationship only describes the instant of the split. After that, the two chains stop staying in sync. A holder can spend their bitcoin on the original chain while leaving the forked coin untouched, or the reverse. New bitcoin mined after the chain split exists only on the Bitcoin chain. New coins mined on the forked chain exist only there. Supply, price, and transaction history diverge from the split. Self-custody makes claiming both sides straightforward in principle, since whoever controls the key at the snapshot can typically sign transactions on either chain. Custodial holdings work differently. If bitcoin sits in an exchange wallet, the exchange controls the key at the snapshot, not the individual customer. Whether that customer receives the forked coin depends entirely on the platform’s policy, not on the protocol itself. ## Shared History Creates a Hidden Risk: Replay Because both chains start with identical signing rules, a transaction built for one chain can sometimes be valid on the other too. Someone doesn’t need a private key to exploit this. They only need to copy an already signed transaction from one network and rebroadcast it on the second. If it goes through, a holder loses the ability to decide independently when and how to move their forked coin. This is why serious forks in the past have built in **replay protection**, typically by embedding a chain-specific identifier into what gets signed. A transaction that includes that identifier validates on the intended chain and fails on the other, closing the loophole without requiring users to do anything extra. Forks without strong protection leave that decision to the holder, who may need to deliberately create a chain-exclusive transaction before it’s safe to move funds freely on either side. ## Mining Difficulty Is the New Chain’s Next Hurdle A forked chain also inherits Bitcoin’s mining difficulty, which was calibrated for whatever **hashrate** the network had before the split. That number rarely matches what the new chain actually attracts. If far less hashpower follows the fork, blocks arrive slowly until the next scheduled adjustment catches up, leaving the new network with a temporary window where it produces blocks unevenly and remains easier to disrupt than the chain it came from. ## Hashpower Decides Which Chain a Node Actually Follows One more detail keeps the two networks from bleeding into each other. Bitcoin nodes select the valid chain carrying the most accumulated **proof of work (PoW)**, but only among chains that follow their own consensus rules. A node enforcing Bitcoin’s original rules won’t accept a forked block just because forked miners produced more cumulative work behind it. Hashrate settles disputes between valid competing blocks on the same ruleset. It has no power to make a node accept a block that violates the rules that node already enforces. That’s part of why a hard fork results in two persistent chains instead of one chain simply winning outright. None of this changes the basic mechanism at the center of both eCash and BIP-110. A chain split doesn’t create value out of nothing. It duplicates recognition of an existing ownership record across two ledgers that then go their own way, leaving replay protection and mining stability to determine how usable the new asset becomes.]]></description> <author>contact@bitcointoday.app (BitcoinToday.app)</author> <category>bitcoin</category> <category>chainsplit</category> <category>utxo</category> <category>hardfork</category> <category>replayprotection</category> <enclosure url="https://static.news.bitcoin.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/bitcoin-chain-splits-explained-why-every-btc-holder-gets-a-new-1-1-asset.png" length="0" type="image/png"/> </item> <item> <title><![CDATA[Why Bitcoin's Moonshot Days May Be Over: Data Challenges $300K-$500K Predictions]]></title> <link>https://www.bitcointoday.app/article/why-bitcoins-moonshot-days-may-be-over-data-challenges-300k-500k-predictions</link> <guid>why-bitcoins-moonshot-days-may-be-over-data-challenges-300k-500k-predictions</guid> <pubDate>Sat, 11 Jul 2026 07:01:27 GMT</pubDate> <description><![CDATA[## The Halving Cycle Reality Check Bitcoin's historic four-year halving cycles have consistently produced new all-time highs, but each successive cycle has delivered **diminishing returns**. Analysts predicting a rally to $300,000 or more by 2029 may be overlooking key data that suggests the era of parabolic moonshots is ending. ### Declining Peak-to-Peak Multiples The track record of cycle highs tells a clear story: - **2013**: $266 - **2017**: ~$20,000 (75x from previous high) - **2021**: ~$69,000 (3.5x from 2017) - **2025**: $126,000 (just **1.8x** from 2021) Each bull market peak has delivered **smaller multiples** than the last. To reach $300,000, the next cycle would need over 2x from the 2025 high—a significant acceleration that contradicts the trend. ### Why Diminishing Returns? As Bitcoin grows and matures, it requires **significantly more capital** to push it higher. The market is becoming **larger, more liquid, and less volatile** due to: - Institutional participation - Spot ETFs - Futures, options, and structured products - Advanced risk management tools This institutionalization is making Bitcoin behave more like a traditional asset, with **measured gains** rather than explosive rallies. ### Counterarguments Some bulls point to potential **Fed stimulus** or **U.S. Treasury Bitcoin purchases** as catalysts. However, even the massive fiscal and monetary stimulus after the 2020 COVID crash could only lift BTC to ~$69,000 in 2021 (3.5x from 2017), a slowdown from the previous cycle. The 2025 high, driven by ETF flows and unprecedented institutional adoption, managed only 1.8x. ### The Bottom Line Bitcoin is **maturing, not breaking**. The days of peak-to-peak moonshots may be gone for good. Investors chasing the next parabolic supercycle might want to **recalibrate expectations**.]]></description> <author>contact@bitcointoday.app (BitcoinToday.app)</author> <category>bitcoin</category> <category>halving</category> <category>marketcycle</category> <category>institutionaladoption</category> <category>priceprediction</category> <enclosure url="https://cdn.sanity.io/images/s3y3vcno/production/c7d242469e65ee7e6f0e9ceac50286334728802f-5458x3638.jpg?auto=format&w=960&h=540&crop=focalpoint&fit=clip&q=75&fm=jpg" length="0" type="image/jpg"/> </item> <item> <title><![CDATA[Robinhood Chain: The Ethereum Layer-2 Network Bringing Tokenized Stocks to DeFi]]></title> <link>https://www.bitcointoday.app/article/robinhood-chain-the-ethereum-layer-2-network-bringing-tokenized-stocks-to-defi</link> <guid>robinhood-chain-the-ethereum-layer-2-network-bringing-tokenized-stocks-to-defi</guid> <pubDate>Sat, 11 Jul 2026 20:01:11 GMT</pubDate> <description><![CDATA[Robinhood Chain is a blockchain network developed by Robinhood, the financial services company behind the stock and crypto trading platform. Launched in mainnet on July 1, 2026, it brings together **tokenized assets**, **decentralized finance (DeFi)**, and **smart contracts** to power crypto applications. ## What is Robinhood Chain? Robinhood Chain is an **Ethereum layer-2 network** built using **Arbitrum technology**. It gives developers a network for building applications involving financial assets, including **tokenized stocks**, ETFs, and other real-world assets. As a layer-2 network, it processes transactions separately before settling on Ethereum, reducing fees and increasing throughput. Robinhood Chain uses **ETH** as its native gas token and is compatible with the **Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM)**, allowing developers to use existing Ethereum tools. It leverages the **Arbitrum Dedicated Blockchains framework** for customization. ## How are transactions processed? Transactions are processed on a **first-come, first-served basis** via a sequencer. They move through stages: sequencer receives and processes, batches are posted to Ethereum, and final settlement occurs. ## What are Robinhood Stock Tokens? **Stock Tokens** are blockchain-based assets providing exposure to real-world assets like stocks and ETFs. They can interact with DeFi applications but **do not confer legal ownership** or shareholder voting rights. They are **not available to U.S. users**. ## Applications on Robinhood Chain The network supports **decentralized exchanges** like Uniswap, **lending protocols** like Morpho, and **oracle services** like Chainlink. Infrastructure partners include Alchemy, BitGo, and Paxos. ## Post-Launch Activity In its first week, Robinhood Chain recorded **over 17 million transactions**, nearly **350,000 addresses**, and **$1 billion in DEX volume**. The **meme coin Cash Cat** surged, driving initial hype.]]></description> <author>contact@bitcointoday.app (BitcoinToday.app)</author> <category>robinhoodchain</category> <category>ethereumlayer-2</category> <category>tokenizedstocks</category> <category>arbitrum</category> <category>defi</category> <enclosure url="https://cdn.decrypt.co/resize/1024/height/512/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/robinhood-chain-learn-gID_7-pID_2.png" length="0" type="image/png"/> </item> <item> <title><![CDATA[XRP Holds Strong at $1.11 Amid Ripple's Strategic Partnership Spree]]></title> <link>https://www.bitcointoday.app/article/xrp-holds-strong-at-111-amid-ripples-strategic-partnership-spree</link> <guid>xrp-holds-strong-at-111-amid-ripples-strategic-partnership-spree</guid> <pubDate>Sat, 11 Jul 2026 14:01:25 GMT</pubDate> <description><![CDATA[XRP is currently trading at **$1.11**, maintaining its level despite broad market selling pressure. With a 24-hour trading volume of $908 million, XRP is down just 0.34% as Ripple aggressively expands through high-profile partnerships and regulatory wins. ## Regulatory Milestone in Europe Ripple received full authorization as a **Crypto Asset Service Provider (CASP)** from Luxembourg's financial regulator, the CSSF. This license enables Ripple to offer regulated digital payment services across the entire **European Economic Area (EEA)**. This removes a significant compliance barrier and strengthens XRP's utility as a bridge asset for institutional cross-border payments. ## Social Impact and Brand Exposure Ripple announced a partnership with a nonprofit organization focused on helping unemployed U.S. military veterans secure jobs, aiming to place **200,000 people by 2030**. Ripple will match public donations up to $10,000, showcasing its commitment to social impact. In a groundbreaking move, Ripple partnered with the **University of Kansas athletics program**, placing the XRP logo on the Kansas Jayhawks' jerseys. This is the first time a cryptocurrency logo has appeared on a major U.S. college athletics uniform. CEO Brad Garlinghouse, a Kansas alum, highlighted the personal significance. Analysts see this as a **bullish brand-awareness play**, exposing XRP to millions of mainstream sports fans and fostering broader acceptance. ## Strategic Positioning These developments align with Ripple's broader strategy: securing a MiCA-aligned license in Europe, ongoing net inflows into emerging XRP ETFs, and using sports sponsorship to reach retail audiences. XRP is positioning itself as a **regulated, institution-facing asset** while building mainstream brand recognition.]]></description> <author>contact@bitcointoday.app (BitcoinToday.app)</author> <category>xrp</category> <category>ripple</category> <category>partnerships</category> <category>regulation</category> <category>sportssponsorship</category> <enclosure url="https://dmarketforces.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/XRP-Price-Hovers-at-1.11-as-Ripple-Seals-Partnership-Deals.jpg" length="0" type="image/jpg"/> </item> <item> <title><![CDATA[Fed's Kevin Warsh Taps Trump Ally Marc Andreessen to Lead AI Task Force – What It Means for Crypto]]></title> <link>https://www.bitcointoday.app/article/feds-kevin-warsh-taps-trump-ally-marc-andreessen-to-lead-ai-task-force-what-it-means-for-crypto</link> <guid>feds-kevin-warsh-taps-trump-ally-marc-andreessen-to-lead-ai-task-force-what-it-means-for-crypto</guid> <pubDate>Fri, 10 Jul 2026 07:01:13 GMT</pubDate> <description><![CDATA[Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh has appointed venture capitalist **Marc Andreessen** to co-lead a task force on how **artificial intelligence** reshapes productivity and jobs. Andreessen, a prominent Trump ally and major AI investor, will help the Fed assess AI's economic impact, which Warsh believes could be **disinflationary** through productivity gains. Andreessen co-leads the panel with Stanford economist Charles I. Jones (on leave at AI firm Anthropic) and Microsoft executive Asha Sharma. The task force is one of five advisory panels announced as part of Warsh's overhaul of monetary policy. This move places a politically connected investor with billions riding on AI valuations inside the Fed's advisory apparatus. Other panels focus on communications, balance sheet, data, and inflation frameworks, drawing on more conventional academics and former central bankers. **Why this matters for crypto:** The Fed's stance on AI could influence interest rate decisions, affecting risk assets like Bitcoin. If AI boosts productivity and keeps inflation low, rates may stay lower, benefiting crypto markets. However, Andreessen's pro-AI bias raises questions about objectivity.]]></description> <author>contact@bitcointoday.app (BitcoinToday.app)</author> <category>federalreserve</category> <category>marcandreessen</category> <category>artificialintelligence</category> <category>monetarypolicy</category> <category>interestrates</category> <enclosure url="https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-apps/imrs.php?src=https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/wapo/I7UU6QW73RA3LBYCTA4PMTGAXQ.JPG&w=1440" length="0" type="image/php"/> </item> <item> <title><![CDATA[Standard Chartered: Strategy's Bitcoin Sales Are 'Mostly Noise,' Maintains $100K Target]]></title> <link>https://www.bitcointoday.app/article/standard-chartered-strategys-bitcoin-sales-are-mostly-noise-maintains-100k-target</link> <guid>standard-chartered-strategys-bitcoin-sales-are-mostly-noise-maintains-100k-target</guid> <pubDate>Fri, 10 Jul 2026 20:01:29 GMT</pubDate> <description><![CDATA[Standard Chartered has weighed in on **Strategy's recent Bitcoin sales**, calling them **"mostly noise"** and a **short-term distraction**. The bank reaffirms its **$100,000 year-end price target** for Bitcoin, urging investors to look past the selling. ## The Shift in Strategy Strategy, the largest corporate Bitcoin holder, has **started selling Bitcoin** to fund dividends on its preferred stock (STRC). This marks a departure from its long-standing **"never sell"** stance, unsettling the market. Last week, it sold **3,588 BTC ($216M)** between June 29 and July 5, leaving it with **843,775 BTC**. A smaller sale of **32 BTC** in early June triggered its worst week since 2022. ## Standard Chartered's View Geoff Kendrick of Standard Chartered argues the sales are **"mostly noise rather than a signal"** of Bitcoin's medium-term direction. He emphasizes that **clear communication** is key to reassuring markets that wholesale selling is unlikely. The bank maintains its **end-2026 forecast of $100,000**. ## The mNAV Issue Strategy's old model relied on its shares trading at a premium to its Bitcoin holdings (measured by mNAV). That premium has evaporated, with mNAV now around **1 on an enterprise-value basis** and **0.7 on a diluted basis**. The company's BTC stack, bought for $63.7B, is now worth ~$54B, and it booked an **$8.3B loss** last quarter (mostly unrealized). ## Backing the STRC Dividend With the accumulation model stalled, Strategy is using Bitcoin as collateral for its **STRC perpetual preferred stock**, which pays a **12% annual dividend** and has ~$10B outstanding. The shares slid to an intraday low of **$71.25** after the first Bitcoin sale, suggesting the market is not yet convinced. Under a **"BTC Monetization Program"**, Strategy can sell up to **$1.25B** in Bitcoin to fund dividends. However, the reserve behind the dividend holds **$2.55B**, covering almost a year and a half of payments. ## Market Sentiment Bitcoin trades around **$64,440**, up **3.8%** on the week but down **42%** over the past year and **49%** below its October 2025 record of $126,080. Traders are doubtful Strategy will resume buying at full tilt: a Myriad prediction market puts the chance of the company holding over **1M BTC** before 2027 at just **13%**.]]></description> <author>contact@bitcointoday.app (BitcoinToday.app)</author> <category>bitcoin</category> <category>strategy</category> <category>standardchartered</category> <category>marketsentiment</category> <category>btcpricetarget</category> <enclosure url="https://cdn.decrypt.co/resize/1024/height/512/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Strategy-B-logo-decrypt-style-01-gID_7.png" length="0" type="image/png"/> </item> <item> <title><![CDATA[69-Year-Old IT Worker Hits $2M Mega Millions Jackpot, Retires on the Spot]]></title> <link>https://www.bitcointoday.app/article/69-year-old-it-worker-hits-2m-mega-millions-jackpot-retires-on-the-spot</link> <guid>69-year-old-it-worker-hits-2m-mega-millions-jackpot-retires-on-the-spot</guid> <pubDate>Fri, 10 Jul 2026 14:01:29 GMT</pubDate> <description><![CDATA[**Debra Bickle**, a 69-year-old IT worker from Waterloo, Iowa, matched the first five Mega Millions numbers on June 5, winning **$2 million**—just one number shy of the $368 million jackpot. She retired immediately instead of waiting until year's end, planning to use the money for **home renovations** and **grandchildren's education**. ## A Quiet IT Career, Then a Ticket Changes the Calendar Some tech stories start with a product launch. Others start at a self-checkout kiosk. On June 5, 2026, Debra Bickle bought a Mega Millions ticket that rewrote her retirement plan. She had been aiming for a year-end exit, but the numbers had other ideas. Bickle worked for years at an IT company—the kind of steady job that quietly underpins every modern business. When the win registered, she didn't celebrate with a splashy purchase. She made it official, said her goodbyes, and "returned my computer," as she put it. ## The Mega Millions Near-Miss That Still Paid $2 Million The ticket matched the first five numbers, missing only the final number for the jackpot. The top prize was $368 million, but the $2 million payout turned "someday" decisions into "today" decisions. She didn't check the ticket right away—she verified it days later and double-checked the zeros, keeping it tucked in her purse while pacing through the night. ## Retiring Early: The Human Side of Tech's Work Treadmill Bickle had planned to work until December 25, but the math changed. It's a reminder that retirement timing is often less about age than **cash flow**, especially for workers watching expenses climb faster than wages. For people in tech, this lands in a familiar cultural moment: remote work normalized rethinking big life choices, and layoffs made security feel temporary. When a rare windfall shows up, the first instinct is to **buy back time**. ## A Practical Blueprint: Home Upgrades and Education Funding Bickle's plan is grounded: renovate her kitchen, replace windows, and help her **two children** and **five grandchildren**. She wants to cover their education so they don't struggle as she did—she worked two jobs at points in her life. In a country where software runs everything, that's a quietly modern use of luck: turning a lottery ticket into **long-term optionality**.]]></description> <author>contact@bitcointoday.app (BitcoinToday.app)</author> <category>megamillions</category> <category>lottery</category> <category>retirement</category> <category>iowa</category> <category>financialfreedom</category> <enclosure url="https://static.news.bitcoin.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/an-iowa-it-worker-69-won-2-million-in-mega-millions-and-retired-immediately.png" length="0" type="image/png"/> </item> <item> <title><![CDATA[Bitcoin Bottom Building? Analyst Says Holder Capitulation Signals Bear Market Endgame]]></title> <link>https://www.bitcointoday.app/article/bitcoin-bottom-building-analyst-says-holder-capitulation-signals-bear-market-endgame</link> <guid>bitcoin-bottom-building-analyst-says-holder-capitulation-signals-bear-market-endgame</guid> <pubDate>Thu, 09 Jul 2026 20:01:26 GMT</pubDate> <description><![CDATA[Bitcoin has traded below its **True Market Mean** and **Short-Term Holder Cost Basis** for five straight months, one of the longest deep-value stretches in its history, according to Glassnode's latest onchain report. **Long-term holder loss realization** now accounts for 43% of total realized value onchain, up from 15% in early February, and recently peaked at **$280 million per day**, the highest reading since December 2022. Bitcoin traded below $63,000 on Thursday, bouncing between roughly $58,300 and $64,400 over the past week, still sitting well below the True Market Mean at $76,600 and the Short-Term Holder Cost Basis at $72,200. ## Long-term holders are the dominant sellers Glassnode's onchain data identifies **long-term holder capitulation** as the single largest source of downward price pressure. Investors who bought near the cycle top and held through months of drawdown are increasingly exiting as the bear market extends beyond their conviction threshold. Each attempted recovery has been met with fresh distribution from this cohort, explaining why price has struggled to reclaim the upper end of its range. The **Entity-Adjusted Long-Term Holder Realized Loss** metric has not yet cooled from its recent peak, unlike the first major capitulation spike earlier in the cycle. Glassnode analysts said a sustained compression in this metric is the key precondition for a credible shift back toward bull market conditions. ## ETF flows still bleeding, but decelerating The 30-day average of spot bitcoin ETF net flows shifted into a monthly outflow regime in mid-May, peaked at **negative $193 million per day** in early June, and has since eased to roughly **negative $89 million per day**. Daily ETF trading volume of $650 million to $950 million remains about 80% below the $4.4 billion peak recorded in October 2025. Spot bitcoin ETFs recorded $84.86 million in net outflows on July 8. Spot ether ETFs, by contrast, posted $70.48 million in net inflows the same day, marking a fifth consecutive day of positive flows. QCP Capital noted that bitcoin ETF flows swung from a low of negative $691.7 million on June 25 to positive $223.5 million on July 2 and positive $265.7 million on July 6, led by IBIT, FBTC, and ARKB, though further positive sessions are needed to confirm a durable recovery. ## Derivatives book turns cautiously long The options open-interest put/call ratio fell to **0.56**, its lowest reading of 2026, while perpetual funding has averaged well below the neutral 0.01% line, indicating a de-risked book leaning cautiously long rather than crowded into shorts. The **25-delta skew**, a measure of the premium traders pay for downside protection, spiked to 24% in late June, the most defensive reading since February's selloff. Bitcoin currently trades roughly 6% below its aggregate maximum pain level of $66,000. ## Iran ceasefire collapse whipsaws risk assets WTI crude rose 7.9% over the past seven days after reports that the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding had lapsed. President Trump said the ceasefire was "over" following Iranian strikes on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, and U.S. Central Command has since carried out two rounds of retaliatory strikes. Iran responded with strikes on U.S. military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait. Bitcoin, which had risen as much as 9.4% on the week, pared that gain to about 5% as the ceasefire deteriorated, trading in line with broader risk assets, with the S&P 500 and Euro Stoxx both turning negative. QCP Capital described the moment as one where monetary policy offers no cushion. June payrolls rose just 57,000, roughly half the 110,000 expected, and combined April and May revisions cut 74,000 jobs from prior estimates. Even so, wage growth remains at 3.5%, and M2 hit a record $23.05 trillion in May, keeping inflation the binding constraint ahead of the July 14 CPI print. QCP said the Strategic Petroleum Reserve has fallen to its lowest level since 1983, Strategy sold bitcoin for the first time to fund dividend payments, and private credit funds breached quarterly redemption gates in the second quarter. "With no monetary cushion coming and buffers thinning across oil, crypto, and credit, where does the first crack show?" the QCP analysts asked. ## Technical levels in focus Capital.com's Daniela Hathorn said bitcoin's rebound from the low $60,000s remains a key technical zone, having acted as support during the recent selloff. She identified the mid-$60,000s as the first resistance level to watch on the upside, followed by the prior swing highs near $70,000, while a break back below recent support would raise questions about whether the recovery is losing momentum. Taken together, Glassnode said the conditions for a bottoming process are in place across onchain, offchain and derivatives data, but confirmation has not arrived. Further cooling in long-term holder capitulation, stabilization in institutional flows, and a sustained reclaim of the True Market Mean remain preconditions before the odds of a regime shift can be weighted constructively.]]></description> <author>contact@bitcointoday.app (BitcoinToday.app)</author> <category>bitcoin</category> <category>bearmarket</category> <category>capitulation</category> <category>onchainanalysis</category> <category>marketsentiment</category> <enclosure url="https://www.tbstat.com/wp/uploads/2026/04/20260410_Bitcoin_News-1200x675.jpg" length="0" type="image/jpg"/> </item> <item> <title><![CDATA[AI IPOs Are Draining Billions from Crypto – Here's Why It Matters]]></title> <link>https://www.bitcointoday.app/article/ai-ipos-are-draining-billions-from-crypto-heres-why-it-matters</link> <guid>ai-ipos-are-draining-billions-from-crypto-heres-why-it-matters</guid> <pubDate>Thu, 09 Jul 2026 14:01:13 GMT</pubDate> <description><![CDATA[## AI IPOs Are Draining Billions from Crypto – Here's Why It Matters Artificial intelligence (AI) has not only been dominating headlines, but has also been **soaking up capital** that might otherwise have flowed into other parts of the financial market, including cryptocurrencies. This trend continues as **SK Hynix (000660)** gears for its blockbuster IPO on July 10. The South Korean memory chip giant is raising about **$24.5 billion to $28 billion** through the sale of 177.9 million American depositary receipts, a deal that has reportedly been **more than seven times oversubscribed**, according to Bloomberg. The offering has attracted global long-only funds, sovereign wealth funds and specialist technology investors, with firms including Baillie Gifford, Coatue Management and Situational Awareness Partners indicating interest in buying up to **$7 billion worth of shares**. The proceeds will fund new manufacturing capacity and advanced chipmaking equipment to meet booming AI demand. China is following with a semiconductor mega listing of its own. **Changxin Memory Technologies (CXMT)**, the country's largest DRAM maker, will begin book building on July 15 for a **29.5 billion yuan ($4.3 billion) Shanghai IPO**, with subscriptions opening a day later, according to Reuters. The U.S.-blocked company plans to use the proceeds to upgrade production lines and technology after posting explosive growth, including first-quarter revenue of 50.8 billion yuan, **up 700% year-on-year**. Reuters estimates CXMT held around 7.7% of the global DRAM market last year. These deals follow **SpaceX (SPCX)** and **Cerebras (CBRS)**, two AI-related listings that have fueled enthusiasm across semiconductor and memory stocks. Together they reinforce a broader theme: investors are allocating fresh capital to companies building the infrastructure behind artificial intelligence rather than to crypto assets. **Bitcoin** has fallen roughly **50%** from its October all-time high to around **$63,000**, as investors have increasingly favored AI infrastructure plays over digital assets. The pipeline is far from empty. **OpenAI** and Anthropic have both been discussed as companies that could eventually command valuations approaching **$1 trillion**. While market expectations had pointed to IPOs as early as this year, however, growing investor unease over AI valuations and a cooling in semiconductor shares could delay those listings until 2027. Even so, another wave of AI mega offerings would likely continue drawing liquidity away from crypto.]]></description> <author>contact@bitcointoday.app (BitcoinToday.app)</author> <category>aiipos</category> <category>skhynix</category> <category>cxmt</category> <category>bitcoin</category> <category>capitalrotation</category> <enclosure url="https://cdn.sanity.io/images/s3y3vcno/production/103ed49dd477f8cb952f14fac5be1dc999b0317f-2946x1938.png?auto=format&w=960&h=540&crop=focalpoint&fit=clip&q=75&fm=jpg" length="0" type="image/png"/> </item> <item> <title><![CDATA[A $15 Billion Floating City: Could the Freedom Ship Finally Set Sail?]]></title> <link>https://www.bitcointoday.app/article/a-15-billion-floating-city-could-the-freedom-ship-finally-set-sail</link> <guid>a-15-billion-floating-city-could-the-freedom-ship-finally-set-sail</guid> <pubDate>Wed, 08 Jul 2026 07:01:12 GMT</pubDate> <description><![CDATA[**First sketched in the 1990s by engineer Norman Nixon, the Freedom Ship is being pitched again by Freedom Cruise Line International as a self-contained floating city in international waters.** The plan calls for housing 50,000 permanent residents and running largely independent of ports, with nuclear power and an estimated $15 billion build that proponents say could take 3 to 4 years once funded. ### Key Takeaways - **Freedom Cruise Line seeks $15.6B for a 50,000-resident city; financing remains the hurdle.** - **Norman Nixon's 1990s concept revives, testing maritime engineering and nuclear power plans.** - **Freedom Ship targets a 3-4 year build if funded; regulatory approval remains the next test.** The Freedom Ship has been pitched for decades as a full-size city that never docks, with room for 50,000 permanent residents beyond any nation's borders. First sketched in the 1990s by engineer Norman Nixon and now promoted by Freedom Cruise Line International, the project calls for roughly $15 billion to turn renderings into steel. The promise is familiar urban life at sea, complete with schools, hospitals, banking, and big-ticket diversions like a stadium and aquapark, potentially powered by nuclear energy. The problem is just as clear: no one has ever financed or built anything on this scale, and the engineering, regulation, and economics get harder the closer the idea moves to reality. ### A floating city keeps resurfacing Every few years, an old idea washes back onto the tech and business shoreline: build a city that never needs to dock. The proposal is called the Freedom Ship, and it has been circulating since the 1990s. It sits somewhere between mega-project real estate, maritime engineering, and a startup pitch deck that never quite closes. The core vision is bluntly ambitious. The vessel would stretch about 1.6 kilometers (roughly 1 mile) long and aim to host around 50,000 permanent residents, with total capacity estimates reaching 80,000 people when you add visitors and staff. It would live in international waters, leaning on autonomy as a selling point, even as it inevitably intersects with the laws of flags, ports, insurers, and finance. ### From cruise ship to always-on infrastructure What makes the Freedom Ship concept different from a traditional cruise business is its promise of permanence. The plans describe neighborhoods, internal transportation like a tram system, long pedestrian walkways, and green space designed for daily life rather than vacation pacing. On-paper amenities read like a compact metro area: schools through higher education, hospitals, banks, offices, and sprawling commercial space. The cultural pieces go big too, including a 15,000-seat stadium plus museums and concert venues. The ship would reportedly circle the globe about once every 2.5 years, connecting to land via ferries because a platform that large could not slip into normal ports. ### The money problem is the whole problem The project is commonly traced back to Norman Nixon, an American engineer, and is now associated with Freedom Cruise Line International. The sticking point has stayed stubbornly consistent: funding. Developers have floated an estimated build cost around $15.6 billion (a conversion of the frequently cited 12 billion British pounds figure), which immediately pushes the effort into the realm of sovereign-scale financing, not typical venture capital. <iframe loading="lazy" title="Freedom Ship: The Floating City That Will Travel the World" width="696" height="392" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nVNAPQT0nss?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen=""></iframe> Construction ideas have included building the hull in sections overseas and assembling at sea, with a projected timeline of 3 to 4 years once fully financed. But financing is not just about raising cash. It is about proving unit economics for a city that moves, and underwriting risks from storms to medical care to supply chains. ### Nuclear power, regulation, and trust One proposal that grabs attention is powering the platform with nuclear energy, pitched as a way to provide steady electricity and reduce carbon emissions for a community this large. For a US reader, that idea instantly raises practical questions: How would a nuclear-powered civilian megastructure navigate port access, insurance markets, and overlapping jurisdiction from agencies like the Coast Guard and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission? That is why the Freedom Ship remains compelling as a narrative, but stubborn as a business. It promises a complete, floating society. It also demands a level of technical execution, regulatory clearance, and financial confidence that few projects, on land or sea, ever manage to earn.]]></description> <author>contact@bitcointoday.app (BitcoinToday.app)</author> <category>floatingcity</category> <category>freedomship</category> <category>nuclearpower</category> <category>maritimeengineering</category> <category>megaprojects</category> <enclosure url="https://static.news.bitcoin.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/a-15-billion-plan-would-put-a-floating-city-of-50000-in-international-waters.png" length="0" type="image/png"/> </item> <item> <title><![CDATA[Michael Saylor Reveals the Simple Metric That Proves Strategy's Bitcoin Plan Is Sustainable]]></title> <link>https://www.bitcointoday.app/article/michael-saylor-reveals-the-simple-metric-that-proves-strategys-bitcoin-plan-is-sustainable</link> <guid>michael-saylor-reveals-the-simple-metric-that-proves-strategys-bitcoin-plan-is-sustainable</guid> <pubDate>Wed, 08 Jul 2026 20:01:28 GMT</pubDate> <description><![CDATA[Michael Saylor, executive chairman of Strategy (MSTR), has highlighted a **misunderstood metric** to defend the sustainability of his company's Bitcoin strategy. He argues that Bitcoin only needs to achieve an **annual growth rate of 3.3%** to cover the firm's preferred dividend payouts using capital gains indefinitely. This metric, called the **"BTC Breakeven ARR"**, divides annual dividend obligations by the value of Strategy's cryptocurrency reserve. ## The Growth Threshold Explained Strategy currently holds **843,775 Bitcoin**, valued at approximately $53.8 billion, with Bitcoin trading near $63,603. The company recently expanded its holdings by purchasing over 25,000 additional tokens during a drawdown. Saylor explained that once Bitcoin appreciates faster than the **3.3% threshold**, capital gains can fund $STRC dividends forever. Even with zero growth, the reserve plus a cash buffer can sustain payouts for about **31 years**, and the cash buffer alone covers roughly **17 months** of obligations. ## Critics Question the Dividend Commitments Despite Saylor's confidence, skeptics raise concerns. **Preferred dividends** jumped to $229.5 million in Q1 2026, up from $10.6 million last year, and total preferred stock has surpassed $13.5 billion. JPMorgan analysts warned that Strategy's policy could force the firm to sell up to **$1.25 billion worth of Bitcoin**, potentially hurting market prices. Preferred shares trade below their $100 target, reflecting perceived risk. Bitcoin remains down nearly **49% from its peak**, making the 3.3% growth target dependent on a sustained recovery. ## Strategy Stock Rating According to TipRanks, Strategy stock has a **consensus Strong Buy** rating from 13 Wall Street analysts, with 12 Buy and 1 Hold ratings. The average 12-month price target of $287.58 implies a **206.72% upside** from current levels.]]></description> <author>contact@bitcointoday.app (BitcoinToday.app)</author> <category>michaelsaylor</category> <category>strategy</category> <category>mstr</category> <category>bitcoin</category> <category>dividendsustainability</category> <enclosure url="https://blog.tipranks.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/shutterstock_2699104615-1-3-750x406.jpg" length="0" type="image/jpg"/> </item> <item> <title><![CDATA[Kansas Jayhawks Score Major Crypto Deal: XRP to Appear on All Jerseys]]></title> <link>https://www.bitcointoday.app/article/kansas-jayhawks-score-major-crypto-deal-xrp-to-appear-on-all-jerseys</link> <guid>kansas-jayhawks-score-major-crypto-deal-xrp-to-appear-on-all-jerseys</guid> <pubDate>Wed, 08 Jul 2026 14:01:14 GMT</pubDate> <description><![CDATA[The University of Kansas is making headlines with a groundbreaking sponsorship deal that will feature the **cryptocurrency XRP** on jersey patches across all Jayhawks athletic teams. This five-year agreement with digital finance company **Ripple** marks one of the most lucrative jersey patch deals in college sports history. ## A Pioneering Partnership Kansas Athletic Director **Travis Goff** emphasized that the partnership goes beyond just a logo on a jersey. “It’s one thing to put a logo on jerseys. It’s a whole other opportunity to bring to life the story of what that business represents,” he told Sports Business Journal. The deal was facilitated through Goff’s relationship with Ripple CEO **Brad Garlinghouse**, a Kansas graduate and Topeka native. Garlinghouse, who served as student body president at KU, sees this as a meeting of pioneering industries: **crypto and blockchain** with collegiate athletics. ## What the Deal Includes - **Jersey patches** featuring XRP across all KU sports teams - Branding at Kansas athletics venues, digital properties, and event signage - Funding for **financial and technology education programs** for KU athletes - Job placement and internship opportunities for Kansas graduates at Ripple ## Industry Context Kansas becomes the **second Big 12 school** to sell a jersey patch, following Oklahoma State’s agreement with the Osage Nation. The deal also comes on the heels of the Big 12’s own sweeping jersey patch deal with Monster Energy, which pays schools around $1 million annually but allows individual schools to sell their own patches. ## Embracing Innovation When asked about potential controversy around promoting a cryptocurrency, Goff called it an “emerging” opportunity rather than a risk. “Is there a little bit of a leap of faith on both parties’ sides? I think it is. … At the end of the day, you’re working with a space and a category that is very innovative and can rapidly change.” Learfield EVP **Andrew Wheeler** praised Kansas for its openness: “What college athletics is clearly showing is an openness to aggressive partnerships outside of traditional thinking.”]]></description> <author>contact@bitcointoday.app (BitcoinToday.app)</author> <category>xrp</category> <category>ripple</category> <category>kansasjayhawks</category> <category>collegesports</category> <category>jerseypatch</category> <enclosure url="https://leadersgroup-sbj-prod.web.arc-cdn.net/resizer/v2/Z25TMJY3VFC5JFHMIJTWCRHBJ4.jpg?smart=true&auth=5fdb4d65baf390ae534c0ad64223aad17d8152deb4336a4fa0b34298853c91ee&width=1200&height=630" length="0" type="image/jpg"/> </item> </channel> </rss>