BTC price declines accelerate as the US hits Iran's nuclear facilities, but traders are hopeful that Bitcoin may even gain from geopolitical uncertainty. Key points: Bitcoin sees a snap reaction to news of direct US involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict, dipping below $102,000. Traders note that war-based headlines have acted as a BTC price springboard in the past. Read more
Texas becomes the first US state to commit public funds to a standalone Bitcoin reserve, aiming to treat BTC as a long-term strategic asset. Texas Governor Greg Abbott has signed Senate Bill 21 (SB21), officially authorizing the creation of the Texas Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, a state-managed fund that will hold Bitcoin as part of the state’s long-term financial assets. The newly established reserve operates independently of Texas’ general treasury system and aims to strengthen the state’s financial resilience while serving as a potential hedge against inflation, according to the bill text. Furthermore, only assets with a market capitalization exceeding $500 billion are eligible for inclusion, a threshold currently met only by Bitcoin (BTC). Read more
A Florida man says a Denver-based crypto trading school and a fake exchange tricked him into handing over $860,000 through phony trade signals. A Florida investor says he was scammed out of $860,000 by a Denver-based trading “school” and a fake crypto exchange that promised him life-changing profits. In a lawsuit filed last week in federal court, Brian Firestone alleges that the Alpha Stock Investment Training Center (ASITC), which operated out of downtown Denver, partnered with a fraudulent exchange called CoinBridge Partners in Cherry Creek to carry out the scheme. Firestone says he was first approached in December by a man named John Smith, who claimed to represent ASITC. Smith offered to teach cryptocurrency trading and gifted him $500 to start. Read more
Adam Back says that since Strategy typically takes 16 to 18 months to double its Bitcoin per share, the premium on its stock is not "unreasonable.” Blockstream CEO Adam Back says Michael Saylor’s Strategy (MSTR) stock premium is within reason, considering how quickly the firm doubles its Bitcoin per share, which reduces risk for investors. “It turns out in the case of MicroStrategy it’s been 16 months, 18 months,” he told Bitcoin podcaster Stephan Livera at BTC Prague on Saturday, referring to the typical time it takes for Strategy to double its Bitcoin (BTC) per share, noting that the stock has traded at a 2x multiple “on and off.” “So you can see that that’s not an unreasonable premium,” he said. Back explained that if Strategy’s Bitcoin per share keeps growing at the same rate, after about a year and a half, investors “would be at an equivalent” of the market net asset value (mNAV) — meaning the stock price would align with the value of its underlying Bitcoin holdings. Read more
French lawmaker Sarah Knafo has invited Samson Mow to visit France, and Mow says he is keen to kick off a wave of nation-state Bitcoin adoption across Europe. Jan3 founder Samson Mow is setting his sights on ramping up Bitcoin nation-state adoption in Europe following a positive meeting with pro-Bitcoin French lawmaker Sarah Knafo. “Looking forward to starting a nation-state Bitcoin adoption wave in France and perhaps all of Europe,” Mow said in an X post on Saturday, following his meeting with Sarah Knafo, a French member of the European Parliament, at BTC Prague this week. They discussed plans to develop a Strategic Bitcoin (BTC) Reserve for France and promote “friendly regulations” for the asset. Mow said Knafo has invited his team to France. On the same day, Knafo addressed the meeting with Mow on her X account, stating, “France must take hold of these issues.” Read more