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Core Scientific to hand over 27K rigs to pay $38M debt

The bankrupt crypto mining firm believes that the long-term benefits outweigh the immediate loss of handing over the machines.

Crypto mining firm Core Scientific made a deal with the New York Digital Investment Group (NYDIG) to pay off an outstanding debt of $38.6 million by handing over more than 27,000 mining machines used as collateral. 

In a court filing, the company said the mining rigs were no longer essential to its operations and plans. The firm is now waiting to get the approval of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas, which is in charge of the proceedings.

While the company accepted that the move would negatively impact its revenue, Core Scientific highlighted that the long-term benefits of paying off its debt “outweigh the immediate loss.” The crypto-mining firm believes that the transfer is the first step toward becoming more profitable and sustainable.

The firm is also shifting its operations to what it described as a “somewhat smaller, but more efficient” fleet of mining rigs which were in storage and not mining Bitcoin (BTC). The company plans to mitigate some of the losses incurred by the transfer of assets by installing the S19 XP mining rigs, which are not currently in use.

Related: Core Scientific files motion to sell over $6M in Bitmain coupons

The crypto mining company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Dec. 21. The filing happened months after the company revealed that it was going through financial distress in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. At the time, the company cited increased electricity costs, an increase in the global Bitcoin hash rate, low Bitcoin prices and the Celsius bankruptcy as the reasons for its financial struggles.

On Jan. 31, the bankruptcy court approved the mining company’s plan to borrow $70 million to replace its existing loan. With this, Core Scientific can take out a loan from investment bank B. Riley which is also one of the firm’s creditors.

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Massachusetts-Based Bankprov to End Loan Offerings Secured by Cryptocurrency Mining Rigs

Massachusetts-Based Bankprov to End Loan Offerings Secured by Cryptocurrency Mining RigsThe Amesbury, Massachusetts-based Bankprov, a subsidiary of Provident Bancorp, has announced that it will no longer provide loans secured by cryptocurrency mining rigs. In a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (EX-99.1), Bankprov stated that revenue from its digital asset loan portfolio will continue to decrease as the company has discontinued new loan […]

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NY law firm investigates potential ‘securities fraud’ at Core Scientific

The investigation was prompted by a report from Culper Research, which alleged that Core Scientific had "wildly oversold" its mining and hosting businesses.

A New York-based law firm says it has begun an investigation into whether Bitcoin miner Core Scientific and its leadership potentially engaged in “securities fraud and other unlawful business practices" which led to its stock price falling on several occasions. 

According to securities class action firm Pomerantz LLP, the investigation was prompted by a report from Culper Research in 2022, which alleged that Core Scientific had "wildly oversold" its mining and hosting businesses in 2021 and also waived a 180-day lockup period of over 282 million shares, making them "free to be dumped" in Mar. 2022. 

This report suggested that insiders at Core Scientific had "abandoned any pretense of care for minority shareholders," noting that on this news, Core Scientific's share price fell 9.4% on Mar. 3, 2022. 

The law firm also highlighted another incident on Sept. 28, 2022, in which crypto lender Celsius Network filed a motion in the bankruptcy court, accusing Core Scientific of violating the automatic stay provisions, adding improper surcharges, and failing to meet its contractual obligations.

This led to its stock price falling 10.3% the day after on Sep. 29, 2022, it said.

In a final incident, the law firm said on Oct. 27, 2022, Core Scientific announced that "given the uncertainty regarding the Company's financial condition, substantial doubt exists about the Company's ability to continue," revealing it held only 24 Bitcoin (BTC) compared to 1,051 BTC on Sept. 30. 

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This news caused Core Scientific's stock price to drop sharply, closing at $0.22 per share, a decline of 78.1%, said the firm. 

Pomerantz LLP said it was investigating these claims on behalf of investors of Core Scientific and has called for any such investors to join the potential class action.

The same law firm filed a class action lawsuit against Silvergate Capital on Dec. 13 for making "materially false and/or misleading statements" and failing to disclose "material adverse facts about the Company's business, operations, and prospects."

Related: BTC miner Core Scientific gets interim nod for $37.4M bankruptcy loan

On Jan. 4, Cointelegraph reported that Core Scientific had agreed to shut down 37,000 mining rigs it was hosting for Celsius due to the Bankrupt cryptocurrency lender’s failure to pay its power bills. According to the Bitcoin miner, this played a significant role in liquidity issues that led to its filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Dec. 21.

On Dec 23, Cointelegraph reported that a United States bankruptcy court had granted Core Scientific interim approval to access a $37.5 million loan from existing creditors to fund its liquidity issues.

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2 Bitcoin Mining Pools Command More Than 53% of BTC’s Total Hashrate

2 Bitcoin Mining Pools Command More Than 53% of BTC’s Total HashrateBitcoin’s hashrate has jumped from the low 170 exahash per second (EH/s) recorded this week, to above the 300 exahash range after a number of bitcoin mining operations from Texas temporarily went offline on Dec. 25, 2022. Furthermore, three-day hashrate distribution statistics recorded on Dec. 29, 2022 indicate that two mining pools command more than […]

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Bitcoin ASIC miner prices hovering at lows not seen in years

ASIC miners' price per terahash has fallen more than 80% from its peak in 2021 as Bitcoin mining machines continue to flood the marketplace.

Bitcoin ASIC miners — machines optimized for the sole purpose of mining Bitcoin — are currently selling at bottom-of-the-barrel prices not seen since 2020 and 2021, in what is being viewed as another sign of a deepened crypto bear market.

According to the latest data from Hashrate Index, the most efficient ASIC miners, those generating at least one terahash per 38 joules of energy, have seen their prices fall 86.82% from May. 7, 2021 peak of $119.25 per terahash down to $15.71 as of Dec. 25.

Miners in these category include Bitmain’s Antminer S19 and MicroBTC’s Whatsminer M30s.

The same statement holds true for the mid-tier machines, with prices now averaged out at $10.23 after falling a massive 89.36% from its peak price of $96.24 on May. 7, 2021.

However, the least efficient machines, ones that require more than 68 Joules per TH, are now priced at $4.72, a 91% drop from its peak price of $52.85. The last time it was priced near this was around Nov. 5, 2020.

Bitcoin ASIC Miner Price Index for machines with varying levels of efficiency. Source: Hashrate Index.

The fall in prices has largely been attributed to large Bitcoin mining companies that have struggled to remain profitable throughout the bear market, with many either filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, taking on debt, or selling their BTC holdings and equipment in order to stay afloat.

Among the firms to have done that include Core Scientific, Marathon Digital, Riot Blockchain, Bitfarms and Argo Blockchain.

Related: Bitcoin miner outflow ratio hits 6-month high in new threat to BTC price

But the steep price fall has been met with some keen buyers. Among those include many Russian-based mining facilities like BitRiver who are able to capitalize on relatively low electricity costs, with  some up-to-date hardware capable of mining one Bitcoin (BTC) at about $0.07 per kilowatt-hour in the energy-rich nation.

While it’s hard to predict what price direction ASIC miners will head toward next, Nico Smid of Digital Mining Solutions pointed out in a Dec. 21 tweet that ASIC miner prices bottomed at Bitcoin’s last halving cycle in May. 11, 2020 and moved up aggressively shortly after — something which could play out in Bitcoin’s next halving cycle which is expected to take place on Apr. 20, 2024.

Source: Twitter

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Bitcoin hashrate recovers after big freeze shuts down miners

The Bitcoin network hashrate has returned to 241.29 EH/s after a temporary 38% fall to 170.60 EH/s from a weekly peak of 276.40 EH/s.

Bitcoin’s network hashrate has returned to regular levels again, days after freezing temperatures across the United States put a strain on the nation's electricity grid — leading to a temporary drop in hashrate.

In the days leading up to Christmas, bone-chilling temperatures swept across the United States, leading to millions without power and claiming at least 28 lives.

According to reports, Bitcoin miners in Texas, which accounts for a significant portion of the country's hashrate, voluntarily curtailed operations to give power back to the grid — so that residents can keep their homes heated. 

The disruptions appear to have put a dent in Bitcoin’s hashrate, which typically hovers around 225-300 Exahashes per second (EH/s). This fell to 170.60 EH/s on Dec. 25.

As of Dec. 26 however, the hashrate has returned to 241.29 EH/s, according to data from hashrate mining calculator CoinWarz.

Bitcoin’s hashrate is calculated by measuring the number of hashes produced by Bitcoin miners trying to solve the next block. It is regarded as a key metric in assessing how secure the Bitcoin network is.

The recent events prompted a controversial statement from FutureBit founder John Stefanop, who suggested the fall in hashrate was due to a number of “highly centralized mines” in Texas turning off at the same time.

“I know, does not change the fact that a few large mines in Texas affect the entire network to the tune of 33%...everyones transactions are now being confirmed 30% slower because the hashrate is not decentralized enough,” he said.

“If hashrate was distributed evenly around the world by 10’s of millions of small miners instead of a few dozen massive mines, this event would not have even registered on the network,” Stefanop added.

Bitcoin bull Dan Held however refuted Stefanop’s take on the events, arguing that weather patterns do not mean centralized ownership or control.

According to the Cambridge Bitcoin Electricity Consumption Index, the United States accounts for 37.84% of the average monthly hashrate share. The top four states in the country for Bitcoin mining include New York, Kentucky, Georgia and Texas — all of which had experienced power outages due to the winter storm.

However, Dennis Porter, the CEO of Bitcoin mining advocacy group Satoshi Action Fund noted to his 127,400 Twitter followers on Dec. 25 that while the inclement weather, particularly in Texas, caused 30% of Bitcoin’s hashrate in the United States to go offline, the network “continues to work perfectly.”

Cheap power and favorable mining regulation in Texas has led to a Bitcoin mining boom in Texas in recent months, which is now host to some of the largest mining companies in the world.

Among those Riot Blockchain, Argo, Bitdeer, Argo, Compute North, Genesis Digital Assets and Core Scientific — who’ve recently received a $37.4 million bankruptcy loan to stay afloat.

Related: 'There's a lot less land to go around' — Why White Rock established off-the-grid mining in Texas

However recent weather events have only added to Bitcoin mining companies’ list of headaches.

The bear market has plagued Bitcoin mining companies to the tune of $4 billion in debt, according to recent data.

Many notable U.S. based mining companies have filed for bankruptcy in recent months too, while many other companies are approaching near-insurmountable debt-to-equity ratios that require immediate restructuring.

The tragic weather events haven’t impacted the price of Bitcoin (BTC) thus far, which is currently priced at $16,826 — only down 0.27 over the last 24 hours.

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Bitcoin Hashrate Slides as Texas Miners Curtail Hashpower to Bolster the Grid

Bitcoin Hashrate Slides as Texas Miners Curtail Hashpower to Bolster the GridBitcoin’s total hashrate tapped a low of 170 exahash per second (EH/s) on Dec. 25, as reports noted that bitcoin miners in Texas curtailed their hashpower during a massive winter freeze. Statistics show that close to 100 exahash dropped off the network but rebounded from the 170 EH/s low to 240 EH/s by 12:00 p.m. […]

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BTC miner Core Scientific gets interim nod for $37.4M bankruptcy loan

The loan would allow Core Scientific to keep its mining and hosting operations afloat while it restructures.

A U.S. bankruptcy court has granted Bitcoin (BTC) miner Core Scientific interim approval to access a $37.5 million loan from existing creditors to fund the firm amid its liquidity issues.

Core Scientific is one of the largest cryptocurrency mining companies in the United States, but filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Dec. 21 as a result of rising energy costs, declining revenue and the price of BTC in 2022.

In a public statement made on that same day, Core Scientific outlined that it intends to “move swiftly through the restructuring process” and maintain its self-mining and hosting operations.

The loan comes from a group of creditors called the Ad Hoc Noteholder Group — which holds more than 50% of Core Scientific’s convertible notes — which agreed to provide debtor-in-possession (DIP) facility commitment loans up to a total of $75 million, according to court filings.

The firm’s application was approved on Dec. 22 and court filings show that the DIP loan will have a 10% per annum interest rate attached.

Core Scientific will be able to access $37.5 million immediately to keep the lights on, while it intends to apply to access the remaining $37.5 million in January as per a Dec. 23 report from Reuters, citing a company attorney.

In the initial DIP budget however, it was forecasted to apply for $12.5 million by Jan. 21.

Core Scientific DIP budget: Stretto 

The Reuters report also suggests the creditors understand the challenges of the bear market and are looking at a long-term play with Core Scientific.

Kris Hansen, a representative of the creditors, told the news outlet that the existing stakeholders “have faith” in the company’s future despite its recent troubles.

In its Q3 financial report, Core Scientific reported having $1.4 billion worth of assets and $1.33 billion worth of liabilities as of Sept. 30, showing a tight balance sheet amid the bull market.

Related: Bitcoin dips below $16.7K as US GDP meets fresh BTC price 'death cross'

Notably, the firm reports a loss of $434.8 million in Q3 which when added to losses from the previous two quarters, witht total losses reaching $1.71 billion so far this year. As such, the firm indicated in late November that it was most likely heading towards bankruptcy without a fresh injection of cash.

The firm has reportedly mined almost 12,000 BTC this year, marking a significant improvement on the 5,769 BTC mined in 2021, however that of course has not been able to save Core Scientific from its financial woes.

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One of the Biggest Bitcoin (BTC) Miners in the Industry Files for Bankruptcy: Report

One of the Biggest Bitcoin (BTC) Miners in the Industry Files for Bankruptcy: Report

A prominent Bitcoin (BTC) and crypto mining firm is reportedly filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy as the bear market takes its toll on the industry. According to a new report by CNBC, Core Scientific, one of the largest publicly-traded mining companies in the industry, is filing for bankruptcy protection in Texas after its stock plummeted by […]

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