$1M bet ChatGPT won’t lead to AGI, Apple’s intelligent AI use, AI millionaires surge: AI Eye

After the 2024 halving, Bitcoin mining entered its fifth epoch and block rewards were reduced from 6.25 BTC to 3.125 BTC. This forced miners to rethink their operations, optimize efficiency, cut energy costs and upgrade hardware to remain profitable. Cointelegraph Research, with insights from industry experts at Uminers, examines this transformation in its latest report. The analysis covers ASIC efficiency improvements, corporate performance, geographical expansion and new revenue models. As miners adapt, Bitcoin moves into a new era where institutional momentum and sovereign adoption could redefine its role in the global financial system.Download the full report to uncover how miners are navigating this shift and what the future holds for Bitcoin’s mining industry.The mining industry’s response to rising hashrate and shrinking marginsDespite the adverse financial impact of the halving, Bitcoin’s network hashrate has continued to climb. As of May 1, 2025, the total computational power of the network reached 831 EH/s. Earlier in the month, hashrate peaked at 921 EH/s, marking a 77% increase from the 2024 low of 519 EH/s. This rapid recovery underscores the industry’s relentless drive for efficiency as larger mining firms reinvest in fleet upgrades and energy optimization to maintain profitability.The mining arms race has always revolved around power efficiency. With energy costs rising, the latest ASIC models from Bitmain, MicroBT and Canaan are further optimizing the energy required per hash. Bitmain’s Antminer S21+ delivers 216 TH/s at 16.5 J/TH, while MicroBT’s WhatsMiner M66S+ pushes immersion-cooled performance to 17 J/TH. Meanwhile,  semiconductor giants TSMC and Samsung are driving the next wave of innovation, with 3-nm chips already in use and 2-nm technology on the horizon. Post-halving profitability: The global shift toward low-cost energyBitcoin mining profitability has tightened significantly post-halving. Hashprice, the daily revenue per terahash per second, dropped from $0.12 in April 2024 to about $0.049 by April 2025. At the same time, network difficulty has surged to an all-time high of 123T, making it harder for miners to generate returns. To stay competitive, operations must extract maximum value from every watt of power consumed. This shift has intensified the search for cheap, reliable power, driving mining expansion into regions where energy costs remain low.Electricity pricing now dictates mining profitability. In Oman, licensed miners benefit from government-backed subsidies, securing electricity at $0.05–$0.07 per kWh, while in the UAE, semi-governmental projects operate at even lower rates of $0.035–$0.045 per kWh. These incentives have turned the region into a prime destination for institutional-scale mining. Meanwhile, in the US, where industrial power costs often exceed $0.1 per kWh, miners face shrinking margins, forcing a migration toward more cost-efficient locations. Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia have emerged as key battlegrounds in this race, offering the energy arbitrage opportunities miners need to survive.Download the full report to uncover how miners are navigating this shift and what the future holds for Bitcoin’s mining industry.What’s next for Bitcoin mining?The 2024 halving has reinforced a hard truth: Efficiency is no longer optional; it’s a necessity. The industry is shifting toward leaner, more optimized operations, where only the most power-efficient miners can thrive. The rise of AI computing, global regulatory shifts and ongoing hardware advancements will continue to shape the sector over the next 12–18 months.Cointelegraph Research’s Bitcoin mining report: Post-halving insights and trends offers a data-driven breakdown of the key forces shaping mining profitability, infrastructure investments, and strategic decision-making.Download the full report to uncover how miners are navigating this shift and what the future holds for Bitcoin’s mining industry.This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision. This article is for general information purposes and is not intended to be and should not be taken as legal or investment advice. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph. Cointelegraph does not endorse the content of this article nor any product mentioned herein. Readers should do their own research before taking any action related to any product or company mentioned and carry full responsibility for their decisions.

A lag in Tether’s wallet blacklisting process allowed over $78 million in illicit funds to be moved before enforcement actions took effect, according to a new report from blockchain compliance company AMLBot. Tether’s address blacklisting becomes effective only after a considerable delay from when the process is initiated on Ethereum and Tron, according the report published May 15.“This delay originates from Tether’s multisignature contract setup on both Tron and Ethereum, transforming what should be an immediate compliance action into a window of opportunity for illicit actors,“ the report reads.Tether’s blacklisting procedure is a multi-step process with a first transaction effectively warning of the upcoming blacklisting. First, a Tether administrator multisignature transaction submits a pending call to “addBlackList” on the USDT-TRC20 contract.This results in a public “submission” of the target address as a blacklist candidate. This is followed by a second multisignature transaction confirming the submission, resulting in an “AddedBlackList” emission, making the blacklisting effective.Related: Tether, Tron and TRM Labs jointly froze $126M USDT in 2024A warning on incoming blacklistingIn one example shared with Cointelegraph, an onchain transaction submitting a Tron address as a blacklist candidate took place at 11:10:12 UTC. The second transaction that actually enforced the action did not occur until 11:54:51 UTC on the same day, a 44-minute delay. In practice, this delay can be treated by owners of USDt about to be blacklisted as a notice to move their assets to avoid them being frozen. The report stated:“This delay between a freeze request and its on-chain execution creates a critical attack window, allowing malicious actors to front-run enforcement and move or launder funds before the freeze takes effect.“Example of USDt blacklisting transactions. Source: AMLBotThe report says that “for blockchain-savvy attackers, these delays are golden.” By tracking Tether’s calls in real time, a fraudster can be instantly alerted that their address is being targeted. When asked by Cointelegraph whether the delay is a technical limitation or just a delay in the actions of a multisignature wallet key holder, AMLBot researchers said that they cannot determine it without knowledge of Tether’s internal procedures.Tether had not responded to Cointelegraph’s request for comment at time publication.Related: Tether stablecoin issuer and Tron launch financial crime unitNot just theoreticalAMLBot said its data shows that over $28.5 million in USDT was withdrawn during the delay between the two transactions on the Ethereum blockchain. This amount of freeze avoidance occurred between Nov. 28, 2017, and May 12, 2025. The average amount moved during the delay exceeded $365,000.Similarly, $49.6 million was reportedly withdrawn during freeze delay windows on the Tron blockchain, resulting in a total on Ethereum and Tron of $78.1 million. Exploiting this delay on Tron is not particularly rare, according to AMLBot:“170 out of 3,480 wallets (4.88%) on Tron blockchain exploited the lag before getting blacklisted. Each of these wallets made 2–3 transfers during the delay, withdrawing: Average: $291,970.“Tether has previously promoted its ability to freeze assets as a compliance feature. In 2024, Tether, Tron, and analytics firm TRM Labs cooperated to freeze over $126 million in USDT linked to illicit activity.Still, the AMLBot report raises questions about the effectiveness and speed of those enforcement actions.Magazine: Chinese Tether laundromat, Bhutan enjoys recent Bitcoin boost: Asia Express

Wintermute, a London-based algorithmic crypto trading and market-making firm, has opened an office in New York as part of its expansion into the US.Wintermute announced the opening of its New York office on May 15, citing improved regulatory conditions in the world’s largest economy.“As the US takes a friendlier stance on digital assets and institutional adoption accelerates, we moved quickly to establish roots in New York City,” the company wrote in a May 15 X post, adding that the local presence will help them in “contributing to the future regulatory framework.”Source: Wintermute“We’re eager to continue our growth and play an integral role in the U.S. market,” according to Evgeny Gaevoy, CEO of Wintermute. “As a neutral player with deep expertise in all areas of digital assets, we believe we are well-positioned to lend our expertise on Capitol Hill.”As part of the firm’s expansion, Wintermute has appointed Ron Hammond as its new head of policy and advocacy, who brings “ten years of experience shaping crypto policy on Capitol Hill,” the company also announced. Hammond was previously the senior director of government relations and institutional engagement at the Blockchain Association and the policy lead for US Representative Warren Davidson. Hammond also authored the Token Taxonomy Act of 2021, the first bipartisan-supported crypto regulatory bill in the US.Related: Coinbase faces $400M bill after insider phishing attackIncreasingly more crypto firms have expanded into the US since President Donald Trump took office on Jan. 20 after winning the 2024 presidential election.During his campaign, Trump signaled that his administration intends to make crypto policy a national priority, bolstering expectations for more innovation-friendly crypto regulations for the next four years.At least eight large crypto firms have announced their expansion in the US so far this year, banking on growing regulatory clarity. These include Binance.US, eToro, OKX exchange, Nexo, Circle, Crypto.com and a16z, Cointelegraph reported on May 11.Related: Stablecoins seen as ideal fit for real-time collateral managementWintermute met with SEC Crypto Task ForceWintermute said it aims to contribute to the emerging regulatory framework in the US.“We’ve already met with the SEC Crypto Task Force and will continue offering technical input and contributing to key legislative efforts,” the company said, adding that these are “essential for continued institutional participation.” Meanwhile, crypto industry participants await progress on the Stablecoin Transparency and Accountability for a Better Ledger Economy (STABLE) Act.The STABLE Act passed the House Financial Services Committee in a 32–17 vote on April 2 and currently awaits scheduling for debate and a floor vote in the House of Representatives.However, a second piece of key stablecoin legislation, the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for US Stablecoins, or GENIUS Act, initially failed to garner enough support from Democrats on May 8, prompting at least 60 top crypto founders to gather in Washington, DC, to show support.Despite the stalled stablecoin legislation, “momentum toward regulatory clarity remains active in both chambers,” Nexo dispatch analyst Iliya Kalchev told Cointelegraph.Magazine: Bitcoin to $1M ‘by 2029,’ CIA tips its hat to Bitcoin: Hodler’s Digest, April 27 – May 3