Beyond HODLing: Bitcoin’s Payment Network Is Ripping

Happy Monday Bitcoiners, it's Bam here with another Bitcoin update!

Each week, our team at Bitcoin News saves you time by curating the most impactful events into a concise, easy-to-read update.

Notable events this week include:

• AI agents autonomously using Bitcoin to buy goods online.

• Tether resumes Bitcoin purchases after a three-quarter pause.

• The nation-state race could come with zero Bitcoin tax.

Let’s dive in! ⚡

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LATEST NEWS 📰

🙌 ADOPTION

• Replit AI agent purchases a website domain using Bitcoin over Lightning.

• Bloomberg reports parents turning to Bitcoin and crypto to secure their children’s university future.

• Costco is rolling out LibertyX Bitcoin ATMs in all its U.S. stores.

⚖️ LEGAL

• The number of states adding pro-Bitcoin legislation has grown to more than 19 with Oregon, New Jersey, Mississippi, Indiana and Montana now joining the mix.

• Utah Bitcoin Reserve Bill passes the House vote, positioning the state to become the first to establish a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve.

• Trump Media & Technology Group, majority-owned by Trump, files to launch the “Truth.Fi Bitcoin Plus” ETF—the first ETF linked to a sitting U.S. president.

📈 MARKETS

• MicroStrategy reports earnings and rebrands to Strategy₿. It plans to increase leverage via new convertible notes and has launched a site to track key metrics. Starting Q1 2025, it will adopt FASB accounting, expecting a $12.75B boost in adjusted net income.

• BlackRock is preparing to launch a Bitcoin exchange-traded product (ETP) in Europe, with marketing efforts potentially starting as early as this month.

• Tether buys 8,404 BTC in Q4, raising its total holdings to 83,758 BTC after a three-quarter pause. Semler Scientific adds 871 BTC worth $88.5M, while Genius Group increases its holdings to 440 BTC with a $2M purchase.

⛏️ MINING

• Bitcoin Difficulty hits a new all-time high after a 5.61% increase on Sunday.

• Cipher Mining receives a $50M investment from SoftBank.

• 60 Minutes reports on how Bitcoin mining in Wyoming is creating jobs while reducing methane emissions.

🗳️ POLITICS

• President Trump signs an Executive Order to establish a Sovereign Wealth Fund, appointing Howard Lutnick, a known bitcoiner and CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, to lead it.

• El Salvador ramps up Bitcoin accumulation, adding nearly 50 BTC in the last month.

• Czech President signs a law exempting Bitcoin holdings from capital gains tax if held for more than three years.

BAMS 2 SATS 🧢

Recent weeks in Bitcoin have been dominated by financial markets and politics, with U.S. states—and even nation-states—racing to establish Bitcoin Strategic Reserves. The good news keeps coming: this week, the Czech Republic passed a law eliminating capital gains tax on Bitcoin held for over three years. Let’s hope this trend spreads to more jurisdictions.

In addition this week, Breez and 1A1z released an insightful report on Bitcoin payments—a refreshing perspective.

When the Lightning Network gained traction in 2019, and El Salvador’s Bitcoin Beach and Bitcoin Law emerged in 2021, bitcoiners rushed to spin up nodes and support the ecosystem. The network’s rapid growth was easy to track.

Then, Lightning faded from the headlines—perhaps due to increased regulations under the Biden administration, the exits of Wallet of Satoshi and Phoenix from the U.S., and the Ordinals-driven fee spike that made opening channels more expensive—but the network kept growing steadily. Now, Breez takes us on a deep dive, showing that Bitcoin payments aren’t just the future—they’re the present.

I can’t fully capture a 30-page report in just a few paragraphs, but it’s encouraging to see more platforms joining the Lightning Network, giving users worldwide a glimpse of financial freedom through an open payments system.

From online marketplaces to physical supermarkets, Lightning isn’t just offering a new payment option—it’s seeing significant growth in real-world Bitcoin usage.

If you’re a business owner considering integrating Bitcoin into your operations, now might be the perfect time. You could even gain extra marketing exposure, as seen with Klarna’s recent push for its customers to join the network.

Let’s hope they stick with Bitcoin and Lightning—rather than some fleeting token destined to fade in weeks or months.

Stay safe and keep on stacking!
Bam

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