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Analyst Uncovers BlackRock Long Interest In Bitcoin Mining – Details

Based on a recent report by Bloomberg analyst Jamie Coutts, asset managers’ interest in Bitcoin stretches beyond exchange-traded funds (ETF) into the mining sector. In particular, Coutts speaks about BlackRock, describing the asset manager’s application with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to offer a Bitcoin spot ETF as “unsurprising.” 

The analyst stated that BlackRock and other prominent global asset managers, namely Vanguard and State Street, have been involved in the Bitcoin mining industry for over three years. 

BlackRock And Other ESG-Driven Companies Investing In Bitcoin Mining, Analyst Says

James Coutts stated that BlackRock began its venture into Bitcoin mining in 2020 by investing in Marathon Digital, the second-largest publicly traded mining company.

Notably, this development occurred when the Bitcoin mining industry faced high criticism, likely due to the substantial reliance on fossil fuels.

Over the last three years, Coutts reports that BlackRock, Vanguard, and State Street have increased their respective investments in Bitcoin mining companies, regardless of the market cycle. 

Interestingly, all three asset managers are known to promote Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) investment principles, part of which is limiting fossil fuel use. However, it appears that investing in Bitcoin mining may not damage the ESG credentials of these companies. 

According to a report by Daniel Batten, co-founder of CH4 Capital, James Coutt notes that Bitcoin mining currently derives 50% of its energy from sustainable sources. And this percentage is likely to increase as Bitcoin mining has the unique ability to monetize stranded energy and stabilize energy grids. 

Potential Effect Of Bitcoin Mining Institutionalization

Based on James Coutts’s report, BlackRock and the two other asset managers in the discussion are currently the top investors in the three largest publicly traded mining companies, namely Marathon Digital, Riot Platforms, and Cleanspark. 

Together, these mining companies collectively own 8.9% of the global hash rate, which is significant as public miners only account for 15% of the global hash power.

For now, James Coutts believes that the involvement of these asset managers in Bitcoin mining poses little challenge to the network’s decentralization.

However, the analyst notes that there may be a future clash of network and ESG values, especially given the activist tendencies of BlackRock, Vanguard, and State Street.

However, this would not prevent the Bitcoin network from operating as expected. But it may lead other miners whose operations still rely on fossil fuels to start processing “censored transactions.”

At the time of writing, Bitcoin trades at $26,198.48, with a 0.57% gain in the last month, according to data from Tradingview. 

BlackRock

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Could Bitcoin Be the Greatest ESG Investment of All Time?

It stands to reason that bitcoin (BTC) could be one of the greatest ESG investments of all time. Not only has it generated outsized returns for investors (at the time of writing this, BTC is up 71% in 2023, 342% over the past three years and a whopping 44,404% over the past 10 years), it is having enormous positive impacts globally.

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Mr. Wonderful-Backed Green Bitcoin Mining Venture To Build $500M HQ In N. Dakota

Who’s putting his money where his mouth is? Mr. Wonderful AKA Kevin O’Leary is. As one of the main proponents of the industry’s need for green bitcoin mining, Mr. Wonderful invested in Bitzero. And now they’re announcing that the company will build its North American headquarters in North Dakota. Why is this news? Because of the things they’ll do with the heat that the data center will produce.

Heat is an unintended byproduct of bitcoin mining, and Bitzero Blockchain Inc. plans to use it to fuel the region’s food production throughout the year. The company will partner with MHA Nation’s greenhouse project to accomplish it. And they’ll use North Dakota’s abundant green energy resources to mine the bitcoin without even touching carbon. Mr. Wonderful is presenting us with a win-win situation right here. 

In a governmental press release, Hidatsa and Arikara (MHA) Nation Chairman Mark Fox said, “Bitzero is working with us to use our Western Area Power Administration hydroelectric power to reflect the company’s zero carbon mandate. The additional heat produced from the data center facility will be used for our MHA Nation’s Greenhouse Project currently under construction.”

Excited to announce that North Dakota emerged as the logical choice for @bitzerodotcom's headquarters due to alignment on the state’s goal of being carbon neutral by 2030, a robust energy industry, favorable tax and regulatory environment and access to top-tier talent. 1/ pic.twitter.com/GylnM1aNaO

— Gov. Doug Burgum (@DougBurgum) June 1, 2022

Out of the $500M for the North American HQ, the company already raised $100M. At one point over the next two months, Bitzero will host an IPO in Canada to get the rest. The green bitcoin mining company is originally from Namsskogan, Norway, where their data centers already work with hydroelectric power. That means, their operations run on 100% renewable energy. Using the heat for food production is a benefit on top of that. 

What Does Mr. Wonderful Have To Say About The Situation?

The plan was to announce the North American headquarters before the IPO, and Bitzero delivered. In what seems like a private event with entrepreneurs, politicians, and media, the North Dakota part of the venture came to life. Local radio station KVRR provides video and quotes Mr. Wonderful saying:

“Data is the new oil. This state has plenty of energy. Now, it has an opportunity to convert some of it and diversify into what every single sovereign wants. The value of having your data on your own soil. In a stable place because it’s the records of people, it’s the banking system. It’s all of the information that every single sector of the economy needs.”

For his part, Governor Doug Burgum said in a tweet, “excited to announce that North Dakota emerged as the logical choice for Bitzero’s headquarters due to alignment on the state’s goal of being carbon neutral by 2030, a robust energy industry, favorable tax and regulatory environment and access to top-tier talent.”

BTC price chart for 06/03/2022 on Cexio | Source: BTC/USD on TradingView.com
Other Projects in North Dakota

In the middle of April, just a couple of months ago, the government of North Dakota announced a visit by Mr. Wonderful and Bitzero CEO Akbar Shamji. The purpose of the visit was “to evaluate potential Bitcoin mining investment opportunities” in the state. Apparently, things went well. 

There's so much opportunity in Bitcoin mining using 100% sustainable green energy like wind, solar, nuclear and hydro.

— Kevin O'Leary aka Mr. Wonderful (@kevinolearytv) May 10, 2022

At the time, they announced two more things. First, “the bitcoin mining company has plans to build out 200 megawatts (MW) of power in data centers over the next two years.” So, this is just starting. Second, “in addition to the data centers, the company also plans to develop an assembly and distribution hub for graphene batteries technology.” So, there’s more coming. 

“There’s so much opportunity in Bitcoin mining using 100% sustainable green energy like wind, solar, nuclear and hydro,” Mr. Wonderful said recently in a tweet. Plus, in a Cointelegraph interview, Mr. Wonderful said, “Private capital must be compliant with environmental, social and governance factors. ESG was once a marketing term, but now it’s a real thing.” 

Even though not everyone in the bitcoin space agrees with him, it’s commendable that Mr. Wonderful is not just talking. He’s betting on a green future for bitcoin, and apparently, he’s betting big.

Featured Image by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash | Charts by TradingView

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Buenos Aires’ “Crypto Building,” Innovation Or Marketing Ploy? Here’s The 411

The Next Pampa 2.0 will be the world’s first “Crypto Building”. In the basement, there’ll be a bitcoin mining farm that will help pay for all the upkeep a modern building needs. They also plan to show NFTs in the lobby and whatnot. Is the real state project just trying to be “the world’s first” at something? Or are the builders on to something here?

The crypto building’s construction will begin in Belgrano, Buenos Aires, in Q2 2022. It will have “more than 100 apartments, with either 2, 3, or 4 bedrooms, and many of them have already been pre-sold” at around $120K for a 2-bedroom one. Does that price get you a share of a bitcoin mining operation for as long as you keep a property in the crypto building? That’s what it sounds like. 

According to Interesting Engineering, the Next Pampa 2.0 “can be described as a 24-floor “smart” building with a Bitcoin mining farm in its basement, the objective of which is to generate an income for the building’s operations, allowing it to cover the cost of the edifice’s maintenance and upkeep —and savings its residents the costs of having to do so themselves.” It’s worth noting that the crypto building “will also display different pieces of NFT art as decoration in its lobby.” So, it’s not a bitcoin-only project.

What About Bitcoin’s Volatility? 

To address the volatility issue, the publication consults with Damian Lopo, the Next Pampa 2.0’s main project developer. He knows what to do. “To deal with this, the plan is to calculate an average price for the Bitcoin over the last 12 months and use that average price to scale the mining farm in a way that theoretically will allow the mining operation to cover 100% of the cost of the building’s expenses.”

Also, David Farías, the CEO of Landium, the real estate agency behind the Next Pampa 2.0 thinks that the bitcoin mining operation will generate more than the building needs. “The surplus could then be distributed among the residents; the crypto building could end up “paying residents” for living in it. “It’s a way of giving back to our customers,” said Landium’s CEO.”

BTC price chart for 06/02/2022 on Eightcap | Source: BTC/USD on TradingView.com
The Crypto Building ’s Solar Panels

In some aspects, Argentina is good soil for the crypto building. For example, in the capital, the government subsidizes energy, and is thus cheap. In some other aspects, the bitcoin mining strategy might prove to be erroneous. “There are currently no laws regarding crypto mining, but Damián Lopo doesn’t rule out that possibility”. Argentina recently signed a deal with the IMF in which they promised to slow down crypto adoption in the country.

On the other hand, there are ESG risks. Some people think that bitcoin is not worth the effort and that participants in the network shouldn’t be allowed to use electricity. However, they ignore the subtle relationship that exists between bitcoin and green energy. They always show up hand in hand.

In this case, “Damián Lopo expects Next Pampa 2.0’s expenses to be up to 50% lower — as the building will be powered by solar panels in its totality, from LED lights in common spaces to pre-heating systems to heat the water that residents will use.” Green energy will power all that plus the bitcoin mining. Great, but, what’s the fundamental difference between the crypto building and a normal building with bitcoin home miners among the tenants?  

Featured Image by Nestor Barbitta on Unsplash | Charts by TradingView