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Kraken set to acquire Dutch exchange BCM, eyes European expansion

Kraken is set to acquire the Netherlands-based cryptocurrency platform as part of its European expansion plans.

United States-based exchange Kraken has announced a pending deal to acquire Netherlands-based cryptocurrency exchange Coin Meester B.V. (BCM) as it sets its sights on European expansion.

While financial details of the deal have not been disclosed, Kraken and BCM announced the coming acquisition following the European Union’s implementation of its Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulatory framework.

The announcement from Kraken highlights its plans to grow its business across Europe, having acquired virtual asset service provider (VASP) licenses to operate in Ireland, Italy and Spain.

A statement from Kraken CEO David Ripley highlighted the strength of the Netherlands economy, the high level of cryptocurrency adoption and a culture of innovation as driving reasons for looking to establish a base of operations in the country.

“The acquisition of BCM will give Kraken a sizable position in the Dutch market and will allow BCM’s clients to benefit from an even more robust product offering.”

BCM co-founder and CEO Mitchell Zandwijken said that its existing client base would benefit from Kraken’s investment and innovations set to come from the acquisition.

“Kraken is the pioneer in this field with a track record spanning well over a decade, making it the perfect steward of our business going forward.”

BCM, which recently rebranded from Bitcoin Meester, was established in 2017 and offers cryptocurrency trading and staking services, including access to over 170 cryptocurrencies.

The company is registered as a Dutch cryptocurrency service provider with De Nederlandsche Bank, the country’s central bank. Both companies note that the deal is subject to regulatory approval, which will include clearance from the Dutch central bank.

Cointelegraph has reached out to Kraken and BCM for comments on the acquisition.

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Riot Platforms to add 33,000 Bitcoin miners ahead of 2024 halving

The new rigs will add 7.6 EH/s to the firm’s self-mining capacity, but won’t be installed until the first quarter of 2024.

Riot Platforms — one of the world’s largest Bitcoin (BTC) mining companies — has bought 33,280 “next-generation” Bitcoin miners for its Texas facility, costing $162.9 million.

The rigs, which were sourced from mining manufacturer MicroBT, will boost the firm’s self-mining capacity by 7.6 exahashes per second (EH/s) and comes “in advance” of Bitcoin’s next halving cycle, which is set to take place in mid-2024.

Riot Platforms CEO Jason Les stated on June 26 that the deal will increase the firm’s self-mining capacity to 20.1 EH/s once the machines are installed in the first quarter of 2024:

“These new miners will contribute an additional 7.6 EH/s to Riot’s self-mining capacity when fully deployed and will further enhance our already strong fleet efficiency in advance of the upcoming Bitcoin halving.”

Les added the rigs we built specifically for “immersion cooling systems,” such as those used at the firm’s Corsicana facility.

Of the 33,280 machines, 8,320 are M56S+ models with a hash rate of 220 terahashes per second (TH/s), while the remaining 24,960 M56S++ are slightly more powerful at 230 TH/s.

However, the machines won’t arrive until December and full deployment of the miners won’t be completed until mid-2024.

Riot said it may also purchase 66,560 M56S++ models before December 31, 2024, adding 15.3 EH/s to the firm’s self-mining capacity. The company may choose to exercise this option in whole or in part.

Despite the news, Riot’s share price fell 7.2% to $10.77 on June 26, according to Google Finance.

Related: Buying Bitcoin is preferable to BTC mining in most circumstances — Analysis

Meanwhile, on June 21, Bitcoin miner Akron Energy announced that it bought a 200-megawatt (MW) mining facility in Hannibal, Ohio, for an undisclosed amount.

It’s the Sydney-based firm’s first expansion into the United States following a $26 million raise on June 20.

The firm plans to immediately complete the first design stage of the Hannibal facility, which it hopes will provide 100 MW of power.

The hosting services will be provided to the firm’s institutional-scale clients in the Bitcoin industry.

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