Block 876941: Important News of the Week

Here comes our last weekly digest of 2024. We have raised 345,233 sats over the course of this week, thanks to the following contributors:

Overall, we have raised 11,817,993 sats in the last 12 months from 1,842 supporters. Although we've fallen short of our goal to raise 1 BTC for No Bullshit Bitcoin in 2024, we are grateful for the support from the Human Rights Foundation, which enables us to pursue our idea of a Bitcoin news desk well into 2025.

A huge thanks to all of our readers and supporters for making this a fun and fulfilling journey. A major thanks to all developers, contributors, and educators in the Bitcoin and freedom tech space for making this a worthwhile pursuit.

News

• The US Department of the Treasury has finalized its "broker rule." Set to go into effect in 2027, it is meant to regulate the use of non-custodial trading services and establishes that custody over funds is not necessary to be considered a broker by the IRS, reports The Rage.
• Russian companies are using Bitcoin and other digital currencies in international transactions, the Finance Minister says. "As part of the experimental regime, it is possible to use bitcoins, which we had mined here in Russia (in foreign trade transactions). Such transactions are already occurring. We believe they should be expanded and developed further. I am confident this will happen next year," Finance Minister Anton Siluanov told Russia 24, as reported by Reuters, adding that such international payments represent the future.
  • In related reports, the Central Bank of Russia is reportedly developing a new surveillance platform to crack down on 'illegal' over-the-counter (OTC) bitcoin trades and related activities. Developed in collaboration with Rosfinmonitoring, the platform aims to centralize information about suspicious activities and enable banks to act preemptively by refusing to open accounts for individuals deemed high-risk.
• Russia has banned bitcoin mining for six years across 10 regions. The ban applies to territories including Dagestan, Ingushetia, Kabardino-Balkaria, Karachay-Cherkessia, North Ossetia, Chechnya, and the disputed regions of Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson. This prohibition affects both mining pool activities and individual cryptocurrency mining.
• Kyrgyz Bakai Bank sues the Open Dialogue Foundation (ODF) for $1 million for revealing Russia's sanction evasion through Central Asian banks. According to ODF's Lyudmyla Kozlovska, the retaliatory lawsuit proves that the current AML regime "relies on 'trust' with authoritarian and dictatorial states" and enables both "sanctions circumvention through banks controlled by them and their allies" as well as the "abuse of Western legal systems to silence critics."
  • You can aid the non-profit's legal defense and human rights defense work here.
• US judge finds Israel's NSO Group liable for hacking in WhatsApp lawsuit. Last Friday, WhatsApp won a major lawsuit against NSO Group, which had hacked Meta’s systems to deploy spyware on over a thousand phones. NSO claimed exemption from legal punishment, stating that it only sells its technology to government agencies that choose targets. Pegasus and similar spyware exploit flaws in WhatsApp and iOS to access data, including encrypted messages. The case is now set to proceed to a trial solely on the issue of damages.

"NSO can no longer avoid accountability for their unlawful attacks on WhatsApp, journalists, human rights activists and civil society. With this ruling, spyware companies should be on notice that their illegal actions will not be tolerated," said WhatsApp spokesman Carl Woog.

• MicroStrategy buys additional 5,262 BTC for $561 million at an average price of $106,662 per coin. The company now holds a total of 444,262 coins, which are currently valued at over $40 billion, having spent approximately $27.7 billion on its purchases.
• Saylor's framework to turn United States into the global leader in the digital asset economy. Referred to as the "Digital Assets Framework," the proposal details strategies aimed at promoting industry development, establishing the USD as the 'global reserve digital currency,' setting compliance standards, and clarifying the rights of both Bitcoin and broader crypto asset holders and companies.

"By establishing a clear taxonomy, a legitimate rights-based framework, and practical compliance obligations, the United States can lead the global digital economy. A capital markets renaissance fueled by digital assets will unlock trillions in wealth, empower millions of businesses, and solidify the US dollar as the foundation of the 21st-century digital financial system," states the proposal.

• In related news, MicroStrategy has appointed Brian Brooks, former U.S. Comptroller of the Currency, and Jane Dietze, Chief Investment Officer at Brown University, to the company’s Board of Directors.
• Donald Trump appoints Stephan Miran as Chair of Council of Economic Advisers. Miran is said to be a supporter of Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies and previously held the position of senior adviser for economic policy at the Treasury Department during the first Donald Trump's term in office, reports CoinDesk.
• The MKP party in South Africa advocates for the establishment of a Bitcoin reserve. Nhlamulo Ndhlela, the party's spokesperson, urged the nation to explore the creation of a strategic Bitcoin reserve and to develop Bitcoin mining projects as essential components of its economic revitalization and diversification efforts.
• Six bitcoin mutual funds to debut in Israel on December 31. Six mutual funds tracking Bitcoin (BTC) will launch in Israel next week following the approval from the Israel Securities Authority (ISA). The final approval for these funds was granted last week.
• El Salvador bought another 11 BTC, continuing its 'accelerated' bitcoin purchase program. The country purchased 53 in the last 30 days and now holds more than 6000 coins.

• Metaplanet adds 619.7 BTC to its balance sheet. The Japanese investment firm made its largest Bitcoin purchase by acquiring 619.7 BTC for approximately $60 million on December 23. This brings the company's total Bitcoin holdings to 1,762 BTC, valued at $168 million.
• Matador Technologies has announced a $4.5 million bitcoin purchase. The Canadian firm, focused on digitizing real-world assets on the Bitcoin blockchain, stated that it would adopt bitcoin as a treasury reserve asset, starting with a $4.5 million purchase later this month.
• KULR Technology Group acquires 217 bitcoin. The New York Stock Exchange-listed company has announced the acquisition of 217.18 BTC for approximately $21 million, marking the launch of its Bitcoin treasury. The company has selected Coinbase Prime to provide custody services for its coins and plans to allocate up to 90% of its surplus cash into bitcoin.
• Tether makes a $775 million strategic investment into Rumble. Tether's CEO, Paolo Ardoino, emphasized that the investment aligns with the company's wider goal of backing innovative technologies and enterprises that promote independence and resilience. Rumble is an online video platform, web hosting, and cloud services business headquartered in Canada.
  • Rumble CEO teases BTC and USDT tips on the platform. Chris Pavlovski, CEO of YouTube rival Rumble, has hinted at a potential Bitcoin tipping feature for content creators following a $775 million partnership with Tether, the issuer of the largest stablecoin, USDT.

• RGB and Lightning Network infrastructure developer ThunderStack closed a funding round. The company received an undisclosed amount from various industry players, including Tether Investments, Fulgur Ventures, and Astroid Venture Studio. The funding will be used to enhance the infrastructure for RGB, a Bitcoin protocol that utilizes the Lightning Network, enabling the creation of contracts, stablecoins, and tokens while aiming to ensure high levels of privacy and security.
• Bitcoin miner Marathon Digital is now heating 80,000 homes in Finland. The initiative, launched in June with a pilot program benefiting 11,000 households in the Satakunta area, has scaled up to serve an additional 67,000 residents. This system utilizes district heating technology to circulate heat via an underground network of pipes, transforming what was once waste into a valuable resource for the city, reports Atlas21.

• Foundry USA returns 8.18 BTC overpaid fee. "On December 19, Foundry USA Pool mined block 875475, which included a Bitcoin transaction where the user inadvertently paid an 8.18 BTC fee— 91,127 times more than necessary to be included in the block. Our team at Foundry has been in touch with the individual affected and, after careful consideration, have decided to refund the transaction fee," said the company.
• Africa’s largest dam generates 18% of its revenue from Bitcoin mining. The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam sells 18% of its energy to Bitcoin miners, who have invested over a billion dollars in their operations in the country, according to The Africa Report. Due to Ethiopia’s underdeveloped power grid, much of the dam's energy would have otherwise been wasted.

"Currently, 18% of EEP [Ethiopian Electric Power] monthly sales come from bitcoin mining, up from nothing a year ago. This accounts for more than all of Ethiopia’s power exports to its neighbors. [Bitcoin miners] have a lot of money to invest, and we need lots of money to develop our grid, so it’s a win-win," said Hiwot Eshetu, EEP’s marketing and business development director.

• Bank of Italy report categorizes no KYC peer-to-peer transactions as "crime-as-a-service." A recent paper from the Bank of Italy states that no-KYC peer-to-peer exchanges constitute "crime-as-a-service." One example mentioned in the report is the educational website kycnot.me, which lists P2P platforms and methods for users to transact securely without the risk of leaking sensitive personal information.
• US Corporate Transparency Act injunction overturned by Fifth Circuit. The Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) has been revitalized following an appeals court ruling that permits its enforcement during ongoing legal proceedings. Under this law, 32.5 million US small business owners must register with FinCEN by January 13 or face potential fines of up to $10,000.
• HEX's Richard Heart makes it to the Interpol's Most Wanted list. Finland has issued an arrest warrant for Richard Schueler, aka Richard Heart, accusing him of fraud amounting to "hundreds of millions of euros" and assault related to an incident allegedly involving a 16-year-old, as stated on a website managed by Europol.
• $305M hack of Japanese exchange DMM attributed to North Korea. Hackers associated with North Korea stole over 4,500 bitcoin from the Japanese crypto exchange DMM, according to the FBI, Department of Defense, and Japan's police. The attack targeted an employee at the crypto wallet company Ginco, allowing hackers to access its communication system. They then intercepted a legitimate transaction from a DMM employee, resulting in the theft.
• $2.2 billion worth of cryptocurrencies have been stolen in 2024. According to blockchain surveillance firm Chainalysis, the USD amount of stolen funds increased by approximately 21.07% year-over-year (YoY), reaching $2.2 billion. Additionally, the total number of hacking incidents rose from 282 in 2023 to 303 in 2024. It is reported that North Korea is responsible for 61% of the cryptocurrency thefts this year.

Updates and releases

• Nunchuk launched the beta of Taproot multisig wallets on iOS and Android. Taproot Multisig employs Taproot (BIP 341) to make multisignature transactions appear as single-signature transactions on the Bitcoin blockchain. This approach enhances user privacy and lowers fees by utilizing Schnorr Signatures and the MuSig2 Protocol.

"Taproot Multisig Wallet represents the next leap forward in Bitcoin self-custody, combining privacy and fee efficiency through cutting-edge cryptographic innovations. We're excited to push Bitcoin multisig technology to new frontiers - so try it out with small amounts, explore the Value Keyset, and stay tuned for further updates on hardware compatibility," said the project.

• SeedHammer announced SeedHammer II, the second-generation offline steel engraver for backing up Bitcoin wallets. It features a more compact design, multisig support, trustless sharing, USD scanner support, and more. Learn more about it or pre-order the device here.

• Krux Installer v0.0.20 is the first stable release following a complete code refactoring for a GUI-based application designed to flash Krux DIY signer firmware on K210-based devices.
• BTCPay Server v2.0.5 has been released with minor improvements and bug fixes. "Most importantly, with the migration from 1.0 to 2.0 battle-tested, all users upgrading will now seamlessly transition to version 2.0," said the project.
• RaspiBlitz v1.11.4 is a minor release that integrates Alby Hub, along with a few security updates and bug fixes.
• SeedSigner v0.8.5 rc1 is now available for testing.
• Samourai Dojo v1.26.1 addresses upgrade and installation issues, ensuring a smoother user experience.

• Rust-payjoin v0.22.0 has been tagged. In this version, the Payjoin V2 sender now serializes the reply_key, allowing it to resume after being persisted.
• Mempal v1.4.2, a Bitcoin mempool monitoring and notification app for Android, delivers an F-Droid compatibility patch, widget optimizations, and various bug fixes to improve performance and reliability.
• Blockstream Green iOS v4.1.1 updates the GDK to v0.74.0 and the Breez SDK to v0.6.6, and implements multilayout and video promotions.
• Blockstream Green Desktop v2.0.16 adds a genuine check flow.
• BTCEED is an open-source, self-hostable web application that provides visual overview of your bitcoin HD wallet in a form of a graph. Users can load the entire wallet graph using an xPub key. A live web instance is available here, and you can learn how to host your own instance here.

• Nigiri v0.5.4, a developer tool for spinning up a personal Bitcoin blockchain with Liquid and Electrum, has been released, offering enhanced functionality for developers.
• Polar v3.2.0, a tool for Lightning-based application developers to quickly spin up one or more testing networks locally on their computers, adds support for the final v0.14.0 version of Terminal (litd). This update officially includes support for making asset payments over Lightning.
• Alby Go v1.8.0 delivers an enhanced UI with pop icons and new transaction icons, verified ownership of Lightning addresses to avoid confusion, support for nostr+walletconnect:// connection URLs, a simplified wallet renaming process, and more.
• BitBanana v0.8.8, a native Android app for Lightning node operators, comes with multiple user experience optimizations.
• Zeus v0.9.4-beta2 is now available for testing. This version delivers speed up transaction UX improvements and bug fixes.
• Blitz wallet v0.3.6-beta comes with Instant Pay functionality, allowing users to set an amount threshold for invoices that will automatically send if it is below a certain amount. It also updates manual entry for send paths to improve user experience, enhances login security settings, and includes a variety of general bug fixes.
• Coinos.io now supports both BOLT-12 sending and receiving functionalities.
• CLN Backup is a Core Lightning plugin for automatically uploading secure channel backups to remote locations.
• Swiss Bitcoin Pay app v2.2.9 has been released.
• Lightning Dev Kit v0.1.0-beta1 has been tagged.
• RGB Core v0.12-beta.4 has been tagged.
• Fedimint v0.5.0 comes with the stabilization of version 2 of the Fedimint Lightning module, Tor support for client-federation connections, and improvements in robustness, among other enhancements.
• Ark v0.4.2 release bumps dependencies and provides several fixes to the client SDK.
• Keycast by JeffG is a secure remote signing and permissions management tool for teams using the Nostr protocol.

• Gossip v0.13.0, a highly performant and security-oriented desktop client for Nostr, is a major release that includes File Metadata support (NIP-92 / NIP-94), Blossom support (BUD-01, BUD-02), Recommended Application Handlers (NIP-89) support, relay search (NIP-50), undo for note sends, followers and followed view on the person page, and numerous other enhancements.
• ngit v1.6.0, a CLI tool for code collaboration over Nostr with NIP-34 support, has been released. This update includes an improved onboarding process and enhanced login flow, making it easier for users to collaborate on projects.
  • Gitworkshop.dev provides a visual interface to discuss proposals and open issues. git-remote-nostr enables proposal creation, review and incorporation using standard git tooling. ngit handles repository setup and advanced proposal submission. Learn more about it here.
• OpenLibrarian v0.1.5, a site for tracking and sharing books via Nostr, introduces the Currently Reading feature for tracking progress. This update also implements alternative APIs, along with several minor corrections and dependency updates to enhance performance and user experience.
• Narr v0.3.2 by fiatjaf is a web-based RSS and Nostr long-form feed reader. The latest version fixes issues related to article updating, insufficiently rendered Markdown, and Nostr usernames not loading, among other improvements.

• Amber v3.0.5, a Nostr event signer for Android, adds the appName parameter for web apps using NIP-55. This release attempts to fix redundant nsecBunker requests and addresses issues with the loading screen.
• Pokey v0.1.3-alpha, a 'pull notification' app for Nostr events on Android, introduces a Notifications Center and improves the recovery of the background service after fatal errors.
• knox is a command-line Nostr bunker with encrypted storage built using Deno.
• Aegis relay by utxo is a premium Nostr relay and Blossom service that allows relay operators to earn income by providing relay services to the network.
• WoT relay v0.1.15 and Haven relay v1.0.3 have been released.

• Nowser v0.0.4 is the latest bug fix release for a secure Nostr key management and signing app available for iOS and Android.
• DTAN.XYZ, a distributed torrent archive on the Nostr protocol, now supports nsec/bunker login.
• Nadge v0.1.0 is a simple Nostr badge client available on the CLI and written in Golang.
• ZapPlanner allows users to schedule automatic recurring Lightning payments via Nostr Wallet Connect (NWC).

• Sovran Wallet is now available for beta testing It is a Nostr-powered Cashu wallet available on both Android and iOS.
• Braiins Toolbox v24.12 brings better user navigation and device discovery for easier use.
• The latest Zaprite updates include integration with Orqestra.io for automated USD-to-BTC conversions, updated Merchant X Checkouts to utilize an inline credit card form instead of a modal, enhanced LNURL error reporting, and a few smaller bug fixes.
• Onyx v0.0.3, a personal AI agent that responds to voice commands and will feature Bitcoin wallet and Nostr client functionality, introduces a revamped UI, the ability to send voice chats to Onyx via Whisper, replaces local models with Llama 3.1 8B via the Groq API, and implements over-the-air updates.
• The latest update for SATOSH.EE, a website serving bitcoiners with gift cards, exclusive discounts, and a rewarding Loyalty Program, introduced custom AI-powered designs for gift cards, removed fiat payment methods due to 'issues' with fiat payment processors, and updated available deals and discounts.

• SHKeeper, a self-hosted and open-source multicoin payment gateway, has added support for the Lightning Network payments, including BIP-21 support for dual invoicing (Lightning and on-chain).
• The latest stacker.news release reduces the costs associated with establishing new territories to 50k sats/month and 500k sats/year.
  • The platform is set to go non-custodial on January 3, 2025, and users are encouraged to connect external wallets to their profiles.
• SimpleX Chat v6.2.3 brings several important fixes.

Research and guides

• The HRF's Financial Freedom Report #55 is available here.
• The Open Dialogue Foundation has released a comprehensive report examining the impact of the EU and FATF regulatory frameworks on non-custodial wallets and their users.
• Severin Alexander Bühler has published a guide on how to host a public key domain website.
• Athena Alpha has published a beginner's guide to Bitcoin Miniscript.
• NUT-20: Signature on Mint Quote, has been merged into the Cashu protocol specification.

• Yuval Kogman posted a recap to the Bitcoin Dev mailing list, highlighting vulnerabilities associated with centralized coinjoin implementations.
• Awesome BitAxe Gamma offers a collection of resources to enhance your BitAxe Gamma experience.
• Awesome Nostr Bots offers a curated list of bots on Nostr with their descriptions and functionalities. These bots bring automation, insights, and updates to the Nostr network.
• The Bitcoin Design Community has launched the Bitcoin Design Podcast, aiming to discuss and explore various aspects of design within the Bitcoin ecosystem.
• Get Based has published a short film on the origins of the Federal Reserve.

• The Crypto-anarchy Archive project has been officially launched. According to stacker.news user aljaz:

"Long term goal of this project is to preserve history and distribute important works and information about crypto anarchy. I'll create torrents and host mirrors of the content so it can be distributed around, but that will come later when the archive feels more wholesome, currently its just a seed of an idea."

• Privacy advocate Naomi Brockwell has established the Ludlow Institute, an independent research and media organization dedicated to defending privacy and freedom in the digital age.
• Nostr Weekly Recap #3 by Nomishka Dilshan is available here.
• Andreas Antonopoulos has published a video addressing the impending safe-harbor deadline for US-based Bitcoin taxpayers using multiple regulated exchange wallets. Learn more about it here.

Mining stats

• The hashrate of the Bitcoin network is currently at ~777 EH/s.
• The next difficulty adjustment is expected in 19 blocks, or roughly 3 hours.

Lightning stats

• The number of nodes, channels, and Bitcoin on the Lightning Network decreased by slightly more than 1% last week, according to stats from amboss.space.

Nostr stats

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