Institutional Interest in Crypto Miners is Peaking

FinancialBuzz.com News Commentary

News provided by

Aug 18, 2021, 09:00 ET

NEW YORK, Aug. 18, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. in now the new hub of the Bitcoin mining market. In fact. it is the second-biggest mining destination on the planet, accounting for nearly 17% of all the world's bitcoin miners as of April 2021. That's a 151% increase from September 2020, according to CNBC. "For the last 18 months, we've had a serious growth of mining infrastructure in the U.S.," said Darin Feinstein, founder of Blockcap and Core Scientific. "We've noticed a massive uptick in mining operations looking to relocate to North America, mostly in the U.S." In addition, Forbes indicated in a report that China's recent crackdown on cryptocurrency mining is a move that's expected to help shift the industry's center of gravity from Asia to North America. "… mining is set to become a whole lot easier (and profitable) for North American crypto miners, thanks to the Chinese government's aggressive crackdown on the industry. Until recently, China accounted for between 65% and 75% of all Bitcoin mining," the report stated. ISW Holdings Inc. (OTC: ISWH), Marathon Digital Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: MARA), Bit Digital, Inc. (NASDAQ: BTBT), Riot Blockchain, Inc. (NASDAQ: RIOT), HIVE Blockchain Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ: HVBT)

Overall, business and governments are gradually becoming more open to the use of cryptocurrencies. And, while China took steps in one direction, other countries have instead opened up to the cryptocurrency market. For example, El Salvador just recently become the first country in the world to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender. Shortly after, leaders in Argentina, Brazil, Panama, and Paraguay have also endorsed the move on social media, pointing to the potential development of a trend in South America. In addition, financial institutions are also more accepting of the digital assets. Morgan Stanley has recently purchased 28,289 shares of Grayscale Bitcoin Trust through its Europe Opportunity Fund, according to a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing. Furthermore, a report by Coindesk indicates that Morgan Stanley has been increasingly active in the cryptocurrency space in recent months to meet growing demand from its clients. Overall, the banking and financial services application area is expected to hold the largest market size in the blockchain market.

ISW Holdings Inc. (OTC: ISWH) just announced breaking news that it is, "transitioning to "BlockQuarry", pending name change), a Nevada-based portfolio company with primary commercial-stage operations in Cryptocurrency Mining, is pleased to announce the completion of an asset purchase agreement (the "Agreement") with Minerset, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, providing for the purchase of 400 state-of-the-art cryptocurrency miners by ISW Holdings.

'As we have discussed in our recent communications, we are actively engaged in expansion in both our hosting and mining segments,' stated Alonzo Pierce, President and Chairman of ISW Holdings. 'This asset purchase agreement with Minerset represents a material broadening of our in-house mining capacity and will enable us to drive further topline growth in the second half of 2021 as we ramp up toward the sizable jump lined up for next year thanks to our recent partnership deal with Bitmain.'

The Agreement provides for the purchase of 150 BitMain S19 95TH/s miners and 250 Canaan AvalonMiner 1246 90TH/s miners. The equipment purchase adds $3.8 million in new physical assets to the Company's balance sheet and will dramatically expand its total in-house mining capacity and hashrate once installed and activated.

Payment has already been made and the Company is set to take possession of the miners, which will be installed and activated in POD5 units at the Company's mining site in Pennsylvania, bringing its Stronghold mining operation hashrate to 54,000 TH/s."

Marathon Digital Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: MARA) reported back in June unaudited bitcoin ("BTC") production and miner installation updates for May 2021. The Company produced 226.6 new minted bitcoins during May 2021, increasing total bitcoin holdings to approximately 5,518 with a fair market value of approximately $203.4 million. As a result, Marathon currently holds approximately 5,518 BTC, including the 4,812.66 BTC the Company purchased in January 2021 for an average price of $31,168 per BTC. On May 31, 2021, the fair market value of one bitcoin was approximately $36,857, implying that the approximate fair market value of Marathon's current bitcoin holdings is approximately $203.4 million.

Bit Digital, Inc. (NASDAQ: BTBT) and Digihost Technology Inc. announced last month that the Companies have entered into a second strategic co-mining agreement (the "Agreement"). Pursuant to the terms of the Agreement, Digihost will provide certain premises (the "Premises") to Bit Digital for the operation of a 100 MW Bitcoin mining system (the "Miners") to be delivered by Bit Digital for a term of two years. This expanded collaboration between Digihost and Bit Digital is expected to facilitate an additional increase in hashrate of approximately 2 EH between the companies, and a total increase in hashrate between the two companies of approximately 2.4 EH including the initial collaboration agreement that was previously announced on June 10, 2021.

Riot Blockchain, Inc. (NASDAQ: RIOT) announced earlier in June its May production and operational updates, including its unaudited Bitcoin ("BTC") production for May 2021 and its latest miner delivery status. The Company plans to continue to provide monthly operational updates and unaudited production results through the end of 2021. These updates are intended to keep shareholders informed of Riot's mining production as it continues to deploy its expanding miner fleet. On May 26th, 2021, Riot announced it completed its previously announced acquisition of Whinstone U.S. ("Whinstone"). Whinstone's Bitcoin mining facility in Rockdale, TX is the largest Bitcoin mining facility in North America, as measured by its 300 MW in developed capacity. The Company announced its plans to immediately commence further development of additional capacity at Whinstone in order to rapidly bring the property to its current capacity of 750 MW. This expansion will be driven by Whinstone's industry leading development team of over 100 employees.

HIVE Blockchain Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ: HVBT) reported last week that it has ordered 1,800 Antminer S19j Pro miners from Bitmain Technologies Ltd. ("Bitmain"). These new miners have an aggregate hash power of 180 Petahash per second (PH/s). HIVE is proud to reconnect with Bitmain one of the leading manufacturers in our industry and is excited to make this initial order of S19j Pro miners from Bitmain. These 1,800 miners are the first of our 2022 mining purchase program and will be delivered in 6 equal tranches of 300 miners, commencing in January 2022 through June 2022. "We are constantly upgrading our ASIC fleet to have the most efficient miners we can buy from cash flow," Frank Holmes, Executive Chairman of HIVE continued, "This purchase with Bitmain enables us to maintain our strategy to diversify the manufacturers we purchase from. Over the past year, we have been expressing our concerns about global shortages in chips and logistics delays in shipping equipment from Asia due to Covid 19. We have deep relationships Bitmain, MicroBT and Canaan which are all top global manufacturers in our industry."

Subscribe Now! Watch us report LIVE https://www.youtube.com/FinancialBuzzMedia

Follow and talk to us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/financialbuzz

Facebook Like Us to receive live feeds: https://www.facebook.com/Financialbuzz/

About FinancialBuzz.com

FinancialBuzz.com, a leading financial news informational web portal designed to provide the latest trends in Market News, Investing News, Personal Finance, Politics, Entertainment, in-depth broadcasts on Stock News, Market Analysis and Company Interviews. A pioneer in the financially driven digital space, video production and integration of social media, FinancialBuzz.com creates 100% unique original content. FinancialBuzz.com also provides financial news PR dissemination, branding, marketing and advertising for third parties for corporate news and original content through our unique media platform that includes Newswire Delivery, Digital Advertising, Social Media Relations, Video Production, Broadcasting, and Financial Publications.

Please Note: FinancialBuzz.com is not a financial advisory or advisor, investment advisor or broker-dealer and do not undertake any activities that would require such registration. The information provided on http://www.FinancialBuzz.com (the 'Site') is either original financial news or paid advertisements provided [exclusively] by our affiliates (sponsored content), FinancialBuzz.com, a financial news media and marketing firm enters into media buys or service agreements with the companies which are the subject to the articles posted on the Site or other editorials for advertising such companies. FinancialBuzz.com has not been compensated directly by any of the companies mentioned here in this editorial unless mentioned otherwise. We are not an independent news media provider and therefore do not represent or warrant that the information posted on the Site is accurate, unbiased or complete. FinancialBuzz.com receives fees for producing and presenting high quality and sophisticated content on FinancialBuzz.com along with other financial news PR media services. FinancialBuzz.com does not offer any personal opinions, recommendations or bias commentary as we purely incorporate public market information along with financial and corporate news. FinancialBuzz.com only aggregates or regurgitates financial or corporate news through our unique financial newswire and media platform. For isw holdings inc. video production, filming editing, news reporting, financial and corporate news dissemination, FinancialBuzz.com has been compensated four thousand dollars by meridian ventures. Our fees may be either a flat cash sum or negotiated number of securities of the companies featured on this editorial or site, or a combination thereof. The securities are commonly paid in segments, of which a portion is received upon engagement and the balance is paid on or near the conclusion of the engagement. FinancialBuzz.com will always disclose any compensation in securities or cash payments for financial news PR advertising. FinancialBuzz.com does not undertake to update any of the information on the editorial or Site or continue to post information about any companies the information contained herein is not intended to be used as the basis for investment decisions and should not be considered as investment advice or a recommendation. The information contained herein is not an offer or solicitation to buy, hold or sell any security. FinancialBuzz.com, members and affiliates are not responsible for any gains or losses that result from the opinions expressed on this editorial or Site, company profiles, quotations or in other materials or presentations that it publishes electronically or in print. Investors accept full responsibility for any and all of their investment decisions based on their own independent research and evaluation of their own investment goals, risk tolerance, and financial condition. FinancialBuzz.com. By accessing this editorial and website and any pages thereof, you agree to be bound by the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, as may be amended from time to time. None of the content issued by FinancialBuzz.com constitutes a recommendation for any investor to purchase, hold or sell any particular security, pursue a particular investment strategy or that any security is suitable for any investor. This publication is provided by FinancialBuzz.com. Each investor is solely responsible for determining whether a particular security or investment strategy is suitable based on their objectives, other securities holdings, financial situation needs, and tax status. You agree to consult with your investment advisor, tax and legal consultant before making any investment decisions. We make no representations as to the completeness, accuracy or timeless of the material provided. All materials are subject to change without notice. Information is obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but its accuracy and completeness are not guaranteed. For our full disclaimer, disclosure and Terms of Use, please visit: http://www.financialbuzz.com.

Media Contact:
[email protected]
+1-877-601-1879
www.FinancialBuzz.com

SOURCE FinancialBuzz.com