Cryptocurrency mining and artificial intelligence (AI) are driving a huge demand for electricity in North America, putting a strain on energy grids. These industries use a lot of power for their operations, such as data centers for AI and machines for mining cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. As these sectors grow, energy companies are finding it harder to predict and manage electricity use, which could lead to power shortages in the future.
Key Points:
1. Growing Electricity Use:
Cryptocurrency mining and AI data centers need a lot of power.
Crypto mining uses more power when prices are high, making energy demand unpredictable.
AI centers consume energy for processing, cooling, and storing data.
2. Challenges for Energy Grids:
Sudden changes in power use can disrupt the grid, especially during hot summer months.
Areas like Texas, which have many crypto and AI facilities, face higher risks of energy shortages.
These industries can cause problems similar to renewable energy sources like solar or wind, where supply and demand can fluctuate.
3. Future Risks:
If crypto and AI continue to grow, the risk of power outages and grid instability will increase, especially during peak demand times or system failures.
4. Solutions Being Explored:
Better Planning: Improving tools to predict energy demand and prepare for future growth.
Demand Management: Encouraging businesses to use less power during critical times.
Legislation: States like Texas are introducing laws to better track energy use and improve reliability.
Renewable Energy: Some companies are shifting to green energy sources like wind and solar to reduce their impact on the grid.
For example, a company called Marathon Digital recently bought a wind farm in Texas to power its crypto mining operations more sustainably.
Overall, managing the rising energy demand from these industries is becoming crucial to keep the lights on in North America.
Crypto Event Attendee Data Sold Online, Creating Scam Risks
Lists containing the personal information of people who attended cryptocurrency events are being sold online. These lists include private details that could make the attendees vulnerable to scams and phishing attacks.
What Information is Being Sold?
The lists reportedly contain:
Full names and phone numbers.
Nationalities, job titles, and companies.
Social media profiles (personal and business).
Details about the tickets purchased, such as ticket type and purchase date.
Crypto wallet addresses.
Messages attendees sent to event organizers during registration.
Information about the operating system used to buy tickets.
Social media follower counts.
How Was the Data Collected?
The data was likely collected through online registration forms for conferences or related events. Some events use ticketing platforms like lu.ma, which sometimes require linking social media accounts.
Who is Selling the Data?
The seller shared samples of data from 60-100 participants per event on Telegram. These lists appeared to come from multiple events held in Southeast Asia, India, and other regions, mostly in late 2024.
The seller seemed to act as a reseller, possibly obtaining the data from an organized international operation. AI analysis and other clues suggest the seller and data compiler may be Russian.
What Events Were Affected?
The data samples included information from various events. One significant case involved the AIBC conference in Malta (November 2024), where a list of 1,700 attendees was being sold. Initially priced at $4,000, the seller reduced it to $650. The seller also claimed to have data from Blockchain Fest and DevCon.
Why is This Data Valuable?
The seller claims the data is for marketing purposes, but experts warn it could be misused by scammers to:
Send phishing emails or malicious links.
Use social engineering tactics to trick people into revealing more sensitive information.
Bitcoin prices have taken a hit in December, falling 14.5% from their high earlier this month. The cryptocurrency dropped to $92,442 on Dec. 23, marking its lowest level in four weeks. Although it briefly rose above $95,000, it fell back to $94,000 on Dec. 24 and has declined over 11% in the past week.
Historically, Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies often experience a "Santa Claus rally" – a price increase during the last week of December and the first days of January. However, this year, hopes for such a rally are fading due to Bitcoin's poor performance this month.
In previous years like 2016 and 2020, Bitcoin saw strong gains during the holiday season, especially before market peaks. According to a study by CoinGecko, crypto markets enjoyed a Santa Claus rally in 8 of the last 10 years, with market values increasing by up to 11.8% between Dec. 27 and Jan. 2. However, no rally occurred in 2021, the year of the last market peak, when Bitcoin dropped 26% from its high by Christmas and continued to decline into 2022.
This year, 2025 is expected to be the next peak year for Bitcoin, based on its usual four-year cycle. Additionally, some analysts believe that Bitcoin’s recent poor performance and low investor sentiment could signal a potential recovery soon. On Dec. 27, large options contracts worth $18 billion will expire, possibly bringing volatility to the crypto market. $BTC
Bitcoin's price has been dropping, and traders expect it to fall below $90,000 soon. After reaching $99,500 over the weekend, sellers pushed the price down to about $94,000, marking a 15% decline from last week’s record high.
Analysts predict further drops, with some suggesting that $85,000–$86,000 could be a strong support level for buyers to act. Others believe Bitcoin might revisit $90,000, a key psychological level, before recovering. Some traders are even preparing for prices to dip below $90,000 this week.
The overall market outlook remains uncertain, with little help from traditional financial markets. Concerns about the Federal Reserve’s policy and the global economy are also weighing on Bitcoin. There’s little hope for interest rate cuts soon, which could further impact liquidity and crypto performance.
Donald Trump has chosen Bo Hines, a former college football player and Republican candidate, to lead his new "Crypto Council." This council is part of Trump's plans to support and grow the digital assets industry when he becomes president.
Hines will work alongside David Sacks, Trump’s crypto and AI policy leader, to promote innovation in the crypto space and provide resources for the industry to succeed. Trump announced this decision on his social media platform, Truth Social, emphasizing the importance of fostering growth in digital assets.
Hines previously ran for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2022 but lost narrowly. During his campaign, he received funding from several pro-crypto political groups, including contributions linked to the former CEO of FTX, Ryan Salame, who is now serving time for illegal political donations.
In addition to Hines, Trump has also appointed Sriram Krishnan, a former partner at Andreessen Horowitz, as his senior adviser on artificial intelligence. These moves align with Trump’s goal to position the U.S. as a global leader in cryptocurrency and AI development.
Cardano ($ADA) Mirrors 2020 Bull Run: Is a Major Rally Coming in 2024?
The cryptocurrency market has been shaky this week. Bitcoin (BTC) dropped sharply to $92,000 on December 17 but later bounced back to over $96,000. Similarly, Cardano ($ADA), a popular altcoin, has fallen by more than 15% in the past week and continues to struggle.
Following Past Patterns
A crypto expert, @ali_charts, noticed that Cardano’s recent price drop looks similar to what happened during its 2020 bull run. Back then, ADA’s price fell by 33.85% over 49 days before skyrocketing over 4,000% to new highs. Right now, ADA has dropped 42.65% over the same number of days but is starting to stabilize. This similarity suggests that ADA might be preparing for another big rally.
Current Price Movement
On shorter timeframes, ADA’s price is stuck in a downward channel. It recently bounced off a support level and is trading between $0.87 and $0.92. If it stays above this range, the price could rise to $1.00. However, if it drops below $0.87, the next support level is at $0.78.
Will ADA Surge Again?
Even though ADA is struggling right now, analysts believe its price could follow the same path as the 2020 bull run. If this happens, ADA might see a significant rally, potentially reaching $6 in the future. For now, the market needs to stabilize before we see clearer signs of upward movement.
Note: This is not financial advice. Always do your own research before investing.
1. Hawk Tuah Coin Controversy An influencer, Hailey Welch, responded to claims of a scam involving a coin named HAWK. She’s helping lawyers but isn’t being sued.
2. Bitcoin Could Reach $1M Cathie Wood from ARK Invest believes Bitcoin could hit $1 million by 2030 and expects more tech company deals if Trump is re-elected.
3. Cryptopia Hack Victims Get Paid Cryptopia exchange is giving $225 million back to users after a hack from six years ago.
4. Craig Wright Sentenced Craig Wright, who falsely claims to be Bitcoin’s creator, got a suspended jail sentence and a fine for ignoring court orders.
5. Bitfinex Hacker Apologizes Ilya Lichtenstein, jailed for stealing Bitcoin in 2016, admitted his crime and apologized.
6. Crypto Market Update
Bitcoin: $97,321
Top Gainers: Pudgy Penguins (+492%), HyperLiquid (+56%).
Tether, the company behind the biggest stablecoin, invested $775 million in Rumble, a video-sharing platform that focuses on free speech and avoids censorship.
Paolo Ardonio, Tether’s CEO, said this investment aligns with their values of supporting financial and speech freedom.
Tether and Rumble will collaborate on advertising, cloud services, and crypto payment solutions.
2. Crypto Regulation Reminder:
Companies in the crypto space must follow local financial rules wherever they advertise.
They need to meet the requirements of the financial authorities in those regions.
This shows ongoing developments in crypto partnerships and the need to follow regulations in the industry.
Tether, the company behind the world's biggest stablecoin, has invested $775 million in Rumble, a video-sharing platform similar to YouTube. Rumble is known for not censoring content and recently announced it would start holding Bitcoin.
Tether's CEO, Paolo Ardoino, explained that the investment aligns with Tether's support for free speech and financial freedom. He praised Rumble's CEO and expressed excitement about working together. They plan to collaborate on advertising, cloud services, and crypto payment solutions.
🌟NEWS🌟👍 Experts believe 2025 will see a big rise in AI agents, especially in Web3 (a decentralized version of the internet). Over a million AI agents might be involved in things like cryptocurrency staking and trading.
These AI agents can work on their own, achieving complex goals, creating Web3 apps, launching tokens, and interacting with people.
However, there will be challenges like technical issues, regulations, and risks of centralization. Some experts warn that if these systems aren’t decentralized, they could create problems, especially with AI’s rapid development.
Breaking news 😍 Quantum BioPharma invested $1 million in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies to diversify its funds. After the announcement on Dec. 20, the company's stock dropped by 10%. $BTC If you appreciate this, don't forget to like!
Bitcoin ETFs lost a record $671.9 million in a single day on December 19. This happened as Bitcoin's price dropped and the market faced heavy sell-offs. Data shows that the biggest losses in Bitcoin ETFs came from Grayscale’s GBTC, which lost $208.6 million, and ARK Invest’s ARKB, which dropped $108.4 million. These outflows happened as Bitcoin’s price fell to around $96,409, with over $1 billion wiped out from the market in 24 hours.
As of December 19, the total value of Bitcoin ETFs was $109.7 billion, down from $121.7 billion just two days earlier, erasing most of the gains made in December.