Author: CoinDesk

Kazakhstan was once the second largest bitcoin mining hub in the world, but now it’s a shadow of its former self.

You're listening to The Mining Pod. Subscribe to the newsletter, trusted by over 12,000 Bitcoiners: https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com

Want to mine Bitcoin? Check out the Blockspace Media store today!

Welcome back to The Mining Pod! Today, Didar Bekbau, CEO of Xive, joins us to analyze Kazakhstan's Bitcoin mining industry. Following China's 2021 mining ban, Kazakhstan briefly captured 15-18% of global hashrate, making it the second largest mining hub in the world, before government restrictions devastated the sector. Didar explains how aging Soviet-era infrastructure couldn't handle the surge, triggering a power price tax hike that drove miners to Russia and the US. He also explores whether Kazakhstan's energy-rich landscape might someday welcome miners back with proper planning and infrastructure investment.

# Notes:

- Kazakhstan peaked at 18% of global hash rate (2021)

- Mining capacity dropped from 1600MW to ~200-400MW

- Electricity tax reached $0.05-0.06 per kWh

- Russia became primary destination for fleeing miners

- Many miners relocated equipment to US and Russia

- Grid infrastructure dated from 1960s-1980s Soviet era

Timestamps:

00:00 Start

02:02 Current Kazakhstan mining overview

04:19 Scope of hashrate

06:14 Why declining hashrate?

08:49 Tax structure

11:58 Reverting the tax structure

13:42 Effects of China mining ban

14:51 Where power generators mining?

17:14 Supply & demand imbalance

21:05 Future for mining in Kazakhstan?

23:59 GDM owning generation

25:07 Russia mining

27:34 Off grid mining in Kazakhstan

29:55 Ukraine war and natural gas

31:52 GDA, grid demand & government

33:12 Kazakhstan mining outlook

👉 Luxor, Leaders In Bitcoin Mining and Compute Power!

Get game-changing mining results with Luxor Firmware. Boost hashrate, cut energy costs, protect your hardware, and maximize mining profits with LuxOS.

Published twice weekly, "The Mining Pod" interviews the best builders and operators in the

Bitcoin and Bitcoin mining landscape. Subscribe to get notifications when we publish interviews

on Tuesday and a news show on Friday!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The latest price moves and insights with Jennifer Sanasie and Bitwise Asset Management CIO Matt Hougan.

To get the show every day, follow the podcast here.

Bitwise Asset Management CIO Matt Hougan joins CoinDesk to discuss the strategies for short-term and long-term investors in the current volatile market driven by macroeconomic forces. Plus, why he remains bullish on bitcoin and a potential all-time high by the end of the year.

This content should not be construed or relied upon as investment advice. It is for entertainment and general information purposes.

-

This episode was hosted by Jennifer Sanasie. “Markets Daily” is produced by Jennifer Sanasie and edited by Victor Chen.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Host Christine Lee breaks down the latest news in the crypto industry after MANTRA’s OM token crash.

Investors are reeling over MANTRA’s OM token crash that has erased $5 billion in market cap within hours. Plus, Jack Dorsey, Elon Musk push to "delete all IP law" and Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin calls for improving privacy. CoinDesk's Christine Lee breaks down April 14, 2025 top headlines on "CoinDesk Daily."

-

This episode was hosted by Christine Lee. “CoinDesk Daily” is produced by Christine Lee and edited by Victor Chen.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We compare Bitcoin's recent 30% price drop to previous crashes like COVID, Terra/Luna, and FTX, discussing market sentiment, recovery patterns, and whether Bitcoin behaves as a risk-on or risk-off asset.

You're listening to Bitcoin Season 2. Subscribe to the newsletter, trusted by over 12,000 Bitcoiners: https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com

How do previous Bitcoin crashes compare to this week’s Tariff Troubles? Colin and Charlie analyze Bitcoin's recent 30% drop from $109K to $76K in context of previous market crashes. We compare the COVID crash of 2020, the Terra/Luna collapse of 2022, and the FTX insolvency in November that same year. We cover how market sentiment in each crash despite similar percentage drops, explore how exogenous and endogenous factors affected declines and recoveries – plus, why the current drawdown, mired in macro turmoil, most resembles the March 2020 COVID crash.

Follow our guests: @cbspears @asilayhodling @btcszn2

Notes:

- Bitcoin down 30% from $109K to $76K

- Markets recovered 9.5% in one day

- Terra/Luna crash: 35% drop in one week

- FTX collapse: only 30% drop but worst sentiment

- US fiscal deficit at $36.7 trillion debt

- BitMEX "outage" may have saved 2020 crash

Timestamps:

00:00 Start

00:46 Bitcoin crashes, “don't buy it”

06:25 Macro lookback

14:00 Covid crash (march 2020)

23:18 Terra Luna crash (may 2022)

32:16 FTX Crash

38:43 Stay humble, stack sats

-

👉 Brought to you by Arch Network! Arch brings the speed of Solana & the best of crypto UX to Bitcoin. Tap into the rich app ecosystem on Arch & try out the testnet while you’re still early! Visit arch.network to learn more.

-

👋Bitcoin Season 2 is produced Blockspace Media, Bitcoin’s first B2B publication in Bitcoin. Follow us on Twitter and check out our newsletter for the best information in Bitcoin mining, Ordinals and tech!

Enjoy the show? Check out our website and newsletter by clicking here.

Questions or want to sponsor? hello@blockspace.media

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Host Christine Lee breaks down the latest news in the crypto industry as China imposes 125% tariffs against U.S. imports.

China imposes 125% tariffs against U.S. imports Friday after U.S. President Donald Trump announced 145% tariffs against Chinese goods. Meanwhile, Trump becomes the first U.S. president to sign a crypto bill into law, overturning an anti-DeFi IRS rule and Trump family-backed World Liberty Financial denies reports it sold $8 million worth of ether earlier this week. CoinDesk's Christine Lee hosts "CoinDesk Daily."

-

This episode was hosted by Christine Lee. “CoinDesk Daily” is produced by Christine Lee and edited by Victor Chen.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Trump’s tariffs are wreaking havoc for bitcoin miners at a time when hashprice is near all-time lows.

You're listening to The Mining Pod. Subscribe to the newsletter, trusted by over 12,000 Bitcoiners: https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com

Want to mine Bitcoin? Check out the Blockspace Media store today!

Welcome to The Mining Pod! Will and Colin break down the harsh reality of bitcoin’s hashprice hovering around $40, putting many miners at break-even or underwater. The hashprice woes couldn’t come at a worse time, as the Trump administration’s tariffs are poised to increase CAPEX costs for miners in the U.S. The Trump tariff chaos sent miners scrambling to charter multi-million dollar flights for ASIC imports in the eves before the administration effected a 90-day pause on its proposed policy. We also discuss Pakistan's plans to use Bitcoin mining for surplus electricity. And for this week’s cry corner, if you wanted to vastly outperform the market year to date, you should have invested in this ETF that is short ETH. 

# Notes:

- Hash price down to around $40

- Most public miners at break-even or underwater on direct costs

- Trump paused tariffs for 90 days, China still at 125%

- $2.33B of mining hardware imported to US in 2024

- Pakistan turning to Bitcoin mining for surplus power

- 2x inverse ETH ETFs up 247%, best ETFs of 2025

Timestamps:

00:00 Start

01:20 Difficulty Report

06:40 Tariff deadline scramble

15:35 Mining stocks

21:27 Pakistan BTC mining

28:39 Cry Corner: Is ETH ded?

👉 Luxor, Leaders In Bitcoin Mining and Compute Power!

Get game-changing mining results with Luxor Firmware. Boost hashrate, cut energy costs, protect your hardware, and maximize mining profits with LuxOS.

Published twice weekly, "The Mining Pod" interviews the best builders and operators in the

Bitcoin and Bitcoin mining landscape. Subscribe to get notifications when we publish interviews

on Tuesday and a news show on Friday!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The latest price moves and insights with Jennifer Sanasie and Theory Ventures Partner Spencer Farrar.

To get the show every day, follow the podcast here.

Theory Ventures Partner Spencer Farrar joins CoinDesk to discuss the growing influence of AI across all business sectors and the potential for AI agents to automate workflows. Plus, companies and projects Theory Ventures are looking out for, particularly those at the intersection of AI and crypto.

This content should not be construed or relied upon as investment advice. It is for entertainment and general information purposes.

-

This episode was hosted by Jennifer Sanasie. “Markets Daily” is produced by Jennifer Sanasie and edited by Victor Chen.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Host Christine Lee breaks down the latest news in the crypto industry after U.S. President Donald Trump raise tariffs against China to 145%.

Bitcoin fell below $80,000 Thursday after U.S. President Donald Trump raise tariffs against China to 145%. Plus, crypto friendly Paul Atkins is confirmed as the new chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and Pakistan seeks to utilize up to 10,000 megawatts of surplus energy for Bitcoin mining. CoinDesk's Christine Lee hosts "CoinDesk Daily."

-

This episode was hosted by Christine Lee. “CoinDesk Daily” is produced by Christine Lee and edited by Victor Chen.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Host Christine Lee breaks down the latest news in the crypto industry after China slaps 84% tariffs on U.S. goods.

China slaps 84% tariffs on U.S. goods, sending cryptocurrencies and global stocks lower. Bitcoin has heightened volatility between $70,000–$80,000 where there is an “air pocket” of thin liquidity. Plus, Trump family-backed World Liberty Financial sells ETH at a loss. CoinDesk's Christine Lee has top headlines on "CoinDesk Daily."

-

This episode was hosted by Christine Lee. “CoinDesk Daily” is produced by Christine Lee and edited by Victor Chen.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

ReardenCode discusses how we should reframe discussions around Bitcoin soft forks, explaining the capabilities-focused approach to opcodes rather than focusing solely on protocols. The conversation covers SegWit, Taproot, OP_CAT, and MEV concerns.

You're listening to Bitcoin Season 2. Subscribe to the newsletter, trusted by over 7,000 Bitcoiners: https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com

ReardenCode, independent Bitcoin developer and freedom advocate, joins us to talk about reframing how we think about Bitcoin soft forks. Reardon breaks down opcodes, explains why we should focus on capabilities rather than protocols, and explores the historical context of Bitcoin's upgrades from SegWit to Taproot. The conversation goes deep on OP_CAT, CTV, and CHECKSIGFROMSTACK while but tries to make the topics approachable approachable.

Follow our guests: @ReardenCode

Notes:

- Bitcoin is the first digitally scarce asset

- OP_CAT enables five different capabilities

- SegWit enabled non-third party malleable txs

- Taproot enabled hidden script paths

- CTV+CSS combo enables rebindable signatures

- MEV concerns can probably be scoped and managed

Check out our Bitcoin scaling conference! Visit opnext.dev to learn more.

Timestamps:

00:00 Start

01:28 What is Bitcoin?

02:36 What's an OP code?

05:41 How to think about OP codes

07:39 Capabilities examples

10:17 Explaining OP codes

12:03 What do we want?

13:24 Why did SegWit NOT do more?

15:22 Taproot

18:50 Arch

19:25 Hidden script paths

22:13 CTV

31:55 OP_CAT

35:11 Check Contract Verify

36:33 Introduction of "state" & MEV

37:07 MEV

40:29 Limiting MEV

43:36 The problems of OP_CAT

48:26 The current consensus

52:22 Wrap up

-

👉 Brought to you by Arch Network! Arch brings the speed of Solana & the best of crypto UX to Bitcoin. Tap into the rich app ecosystem on Arch & try out the testnet while you’re still early! Visit arch.network to learn more.

-

👋Bitcoin Season 2 is produced Blockspace Media, Bitcoin’s first B2B publication in Bitcoin. Follow us on Twitter and check out our newsletter for the best information in Bitcoin mining, Ordinals and tech!

Enjoy the show? Check out our website and newsletter by clicking here.

Questions or want to sponsor? hello@blockspace.media

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.