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How to reduce TCO and unlock value

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How to reduce TCO and unlock value

 

  • How are infrastructure maintenance, upgrades, specialist resources, audits, and ongoing compliance creating significant operational and financial pressure, and why are these costs often underestimated?

  • What shifts occur when Swift connectivity is managed by an external provider, including reduced technology overhead, fewer internal dependencies, and improved operational resilience?

  • How can consolidating payment data with a single provider break down long-standing data silos, improve end-to-end visibility, and enable consistent data enrichment across payment types and regions?

  • What are the most impactful use cases now emerging, including higher levels of automation, reduced exceptions, faster investigations, improved reconciliation, and clearer remittance information that enhances customer experience?

  • How can unified, enriched payment data support better risk analysis, operational optimisation, liquidity visibility, and more informed decision-making?

  • How can banks and corporates demonstrate value using tangible metrics such as improved straight-through processing, reduced manual effort, shorter investigation cycles, lower operational risk, and increased resilience?

In‑house Swift connectivity places heavy operational and cost pressures on institutions due to infrastructure upkeep, specialised staffing, and ongoing compliance demands. A Swift service bureau model shifts these responsibilities to an external provider, reducing technology overheads and lowering total cost of ownership by removing the need for internal round‑the‑clock support and continuous upgrades.

Centralising Swift and non‑Swift payment flows with a single provider removes longstanding data fragmentation across systems and regions. Unified data enables consistent enrichment, stronger end‑to‑end visibility, and the ability to derive insights that support risk analysis, operational optimisation, and more accurate decision‑making.

As ISO 20022 becomes embedded, the most tangible benefits are emerging in automation and exception reduction. Richer structured data improves reconciliation, screening, and investigations, while clearer remittance information enhances transparency and accelerates issue resolution, ultimately improving customer experience across payment channels.

When service bureau models, consolidated payment data, and ISO 20022 converge, institutions can measure ROI through improved straight‑through processing, fewer exceptions, faster investigation cycles, and greater operational resilience. Early adopters report measurable gains in reconciliation accuracy, reduced manual workloads, and better liquidity insights, demonstrating the combined strategic value of this integrated approach.

 

Register for this Finextra webinar, hosted in association with OpenText, to join our panel of industry experts who will discuss how combining a Swift service bureau model, centralised payment data, and ISO 20022 delivers measurable efficiency gains, stronger controls, and a more future-ready payments operation.

This Bitcoin Miner Just Sold Millions In BTC To Cover Debts

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This Bitcoin Miner Just Sold Millions In BTC To Cover Debts

Cango (CANG) said it sold 4,451 Bitcoin over the weekend for net proceeds of about $305 million as the company moves to strengthen its balance sheet and support a shift into artificial intelligence infrastructure.

The Dallas-based Bitcoin miner announced Monday that the transaction was settled directly in Tether’s USDT stablecoin. 

The company said the full amount of the proceeds was used to partially repay a Bitcoin-collateralized loan.

Cango said the sale followed a review of market conditions and was approved by its board of directors. The company framed the move as a balance-sheet adjustment aimed at reducing leverage rather than a retreat from its mining business.

The company’s stock is currently down 9%.

“The divestment of a portion of the Company’s Bitcoin holdings was executed to strengthen its balance sheet and reduce financial leverage,” Cango said in its statement.

The company said the debt reduction provides greater capacity to fund its strategic expansion into AI compute infrastructure. Cango is pursuing a plan to build an integrated energy and AI compute platform by using its grid-connected mining sites to provide distributed computing services for the AI industry.

The bitcoin miner said its approach will roll out in phases. The first stage will deploy modular, containerized GPU compute nodes across existing sites. The company said it plans to offer inference capacity for small and medium enterprises, a segment it described as underserved.

A later phase will focus on building a software orchestration platform to unify distributed compute resources across its global footprint.

Cango’s AI and bitcoin miner pivot

As part of the AI push, the bitcoin miner announced the appointment of Jack Jin as chief technology officer of its AI business line. 

The company said Jin previously worked at Zoom Communications, where he led deployments of multi-node GPU clusters supporting large language model inference and fine-tuning. Cango said his background aligns with its roadmap to build a distributed inference platform.

Cango said its AI development leverages existing strengths in computing operations and energy management. The company added that it remains committed to its Bitcoin miner operations, with continued focus on improving mining economics and balancing hashrate scale with operational efficiency.

The sale comes as mining firms face tighter margins following the Bitcoin halving cycle, rising power costs, and price volatility. 

Public miners have begun exploring AI and high-performance computing as alternative revenue streams tied less directly to Bitcoin market cycles.

Cango entered the digital asset space in November 2024 and operates bitcoin miner sites across North America, the Middle East, South America, and East Africa. 

The company also continues to run an online international used car export business through AutoCango.com. Cango said it will maintain a disciplined framework for asset allocation as it pursues long-term value creation while advancing its AI transformation.

Why making Bitcoin quantum-proof now could do more harm than good – DL News

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Why making Bitcoin quantum-proof now could do more harm than good – DL News

  • Efforts to make Bitcoin quantum-proof warrant extreme caution.
  • We cannot know whether quantum resistant cryptography works yet, says CoinShares analyst.
  • Quantum attacks could take a decade to materialise.

Superfast computers that exploit quantum mechanical phenomena have long posed a theoretical threat to the encryption that underpins Bitcoin.

Yet hastily upgrading the $1.3 trillion network to become quantum-proof could do more harm than good.

That’s the case for CoinShares, a digital assets manager that oversees $10 billion in crypto, as stated in a Friday blog post.

Popular proposals to shore up Bitcoin’s quantum resistance, which include upgrading its cryptography or burning vulnerable coins, warrant extreme caution, Christopher Bendiksen, Bitcoin research lead at CoinShares, said.

“Introducing new address formats before the cryptography underpinning them is fully understood and proven is extremely risky and not advisable,” he said.

“We have to keep in mind that before practical quantum computers exist, we cannot know whether quantum resistant cryptography provably works.”

In recent months, concerns surrounding Bitcoin’s theoretical quantum vulnerability have reached a fever pitch.

Coinbase, BlackRock, and Jefferies have all warned that Bitcoin’s security is entering uncharted waters following several major advances in quantum computing last year.

Pierre-Luc Dallaire-Demers, a scientist-in-residence at the University of Calgary, previously told DL News that he believes quantum computers are approximately five years away from breaking the cryptography that secures some Bitcoin wallets.

What’s the risk?

As quantum computers become more powerful, older Bitcoin wallets that use outdated cryptography will be the first to fall.

This is a problem because such wallets hold about 8% of all Bitcoin in existence, including the $75 billion stash of Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto.

When one of these older wallets sends a transaction, it reveals a vulnerable public key. A quantum computer could use that key to break the wallet’s encryption and steal the Bitcoin inside it.

It’s not just Bitcoin that’s at risk, either.

Much of the internet, including websites, messaging services, and financial transactions, relies on encrypted communications that are also theoretically vulnerable to quantum attack.

A November memo from the US Department of War mandated that its systems be upgraded to quantum-resistant encryption no later than December 31, 2030.

Conservative estimates

Still, CoinShares’ outlook on quantum computing is more conservative.

To break Bitcoin’s encryption within a practical amount of time — less than a year — quantum computers need to become 10 to 100,000 times more powerful, Bendiksen said, adding that such long-term attacks are at least 10 years away.

More worrisome short-term attacks that aim to steal funds when a wallet initiates a transaction, and therefore need to break the encryption within approximately 10 minutes, won’t be possible for several decades, he said.

To be sure, CoinShare believes quantum computers threaten Bitcoin — just not as soon as others.

“Bitcoin’s quantum vulnerability is not an immediate crisis but a foreseeable engineering consideration, with ample time for adaptation,” Bendiksen said.

“For the perceivable future, market implications appear limited.”

Tim Craig is DL News’ Edinburgh-based DeFi Correspondent. Reach out with tips at tim@dlnews.com.

Tom Lee’s Bitmine (BMNR) adds to ETH stack after price crash, now holds 3.6% of Ethereum’s (ETH) total supply

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Tom Lee’s Bitmine (BMNR) adds to ETH stack after price crash, now holds 3.6% of Ethereum’s (ETH) total supply

Bitmine Immersion Technologies (BMNR) added to its ether ETH$2,063.57 holdings amid last week’s crypto crash, bringing its stack to more than 4.3 million tokens worth about $8.7 billion at the current price just above $2,000.

Led by Chairman Tom Lee, the company, which is the world’s largest holder of ETH, purchased another 40,613 tokens over the past week, though it didn’t disclose the average buy price. ETH began the week above $2,300 and plunged to as low as $1,700 before closing out the week just above $2,000.

BMNR shares are flat in early trading on Monday, though lower by 34% year-to-date.

“Bitmine has been steadily buying Ethereum, as we view this pullback as attractive, given the strengthening fundamentals,” said Lee in a press release. “In our view, the price of ETH is not reflective of the high utility of ETH and its role as the future of finance.”

Two-thirds of the firm’s ETH, around 2.9 million tokens, are already staked, generating an annualized yield of $202 million.

Bitmine remains deeply underwater on its ETH purchases. Based on data from Dropstab, the company sits on a $7.8 billion loss on its ether holdings, which it bought at an average price of $3,826.

Strategy (MSTR) Adds 1,142 Bitcoin For $90 Million

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Strategy (MSTR) Adds 1,142 Bitcoin For $90 Million

Strategy bought another 1,142 bitcoin for about $90 million, extending its long-running accumulation campaign even as the company’s massive treasury remains underwater on paper.

The purchase was disclosed Monday in an 8-K filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Strategy said it acquired the coins between Feb. 2 and Feb. 8 at an average price of $78,815 per bitcoin.

The latest buy lifts Strategy’s total holdings to 714,644 BTC. The stack is valued near $49 billion at current market prices. Strategy has spent roughly $54.4 billion to build the position, including fees and expenses. 

The average purchase price across its holdings stands at $76,056 per bitcoin.

The company funded the acquisition through its ongoing at-the-market equity program. The company sold 616,715 shares of its Class A common stock, MSTR, for about $89.5 million last week. 

As of Feb. 8, Strategy still had nearly $8 billion in share issuance capacity available under the program.

Michael Saylor, the company’s co-founder and executive chairman, signaled the purchase ahead of the filing with his usual Sunday post pointing to Strategy’s bitcoin tracker and the phrase “Orange Dots Matter.”

At the time of publication, Bitcoin is trading near $69,000.

Strategy ($MSTR) stock price volatility 

The buy comes after Strategy reported a steep quarterly loss as the bitcoin pullback erased tens of billions of dollars in value from its balance sheet. The company posted one of the largest quarterly losses ever recorded by a U.S. public firm.

During the earnings call, CEO Phong Le addressed concerns around leverage and debt servicing. He said bitcoin would need to fall to $8,000 and remain there for five to six years before Strategy faced serious difficulty covering its convertible obligations.

Also during the call, Saylor said the company will launch a Bitcoin Security Program to coordinate with the global cyber and crypto security community. He argued quantum computing is a long-term issue, not an immediate threat, and said any future Bitcoin upgrade would require broad global consensus.

Analysts remain divided on the approach. TD Cowen said Strategy has reinforced its position as the leading corporate bitcoin treasury company and could benefit from any market recovery. Bernstein analysts also argued the firm has structured liabilities conservatively, with no major debt maturities until 2028.

MSTR stock moved lower in premarket trading Monday, down more than 5%, as bitcoin struggled to hold above $69,000. The shares remain closely tied to bitcoin’s price swings, leaving investors watching both the company’s balance sheet and the broader crypto market.

MSTR purchased $90 million of bitcoin last week

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MSTR purchased $90 million of bitcoin last week

Strategy (MSTR) added to its bitcoin BTC$69,130.04 holdings, but appears to have made all its purchases before the deep price plunge in the back half of the week.

Led by Executive Chairman Michael Saylor, the company added 1,142 bitcoin for $90 million, or an average price of $78,815 each. Strategy’s stack now stands at 714,644 bitcoin purchased for $54.35 billion, or an average price of $76,056 each.

Bitcoin Monday morning is trading at just under $69,000, down 2.6% over the past 24 hours. MSTR shares are lower by 3.9%.

Last week’s acquisitions were funded by the sale of common stock.

Given the average purchase price of $78,815, it appears Strategy made its buys on Monday or Tuesday last week, ahead of the rapid decline in bitcoin’s price, which took the crypto to as low as $60,000 at one point on Thursday.

Saylor Buys Again: Strategy Adds 1,142 BTC as Paper Losses Top $5 Billion

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Saylor Buys Again: Strategy Adds 1,142 BTC as Paper Losses Top $5 Billion

On Monday, Strategy founder Michael Saylor disclosed that his bitcoin treasury firm has once again topped up its balance sheet with an additional allocation of bitcoin, staying perfectly on brand while signaling steady conviction. According to Saylor’s Monday morning announcement, Strategy (Nasdaq: MSTR) now controls a total of 714,644 BTC, further cementing the firm’s status […]

Bitcoin, Ethereum, Crypto News & Price Indexes

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Bitcoin, Ethereum, Crypto News & Price Indexes

The Federal Reserve has heard arguments from crypto companies and banking associations on a proposal to allow so-called “skinny master accounts,” which would give fintech firms limited access to the central bank’s payments infrastructure.

The Fed received 44 comments in response to its proposal, which closed on Friday, seeking feedback on offering a “payment account,” with crypto companies backing the idea and banks urging caution.

In opening up comments on the proposal in December, Fed Governor Christopher Waller said the new payment accounts were needed due to “rapid developments” in payments and that they would “support innovation while keeping the payments system safe.” 

Payment accounts won’t have the same privileges as master accounts (commonly owned by big banks) — they wouldn’t earn interest or be given access to Fed credit and would have balance limits.

Crypto backs getting accounts

In response to the proposal, stablecoin issuer Circle said in a letter that the accounts would “play an important first step in carrying forward Congress’ vision under the GENIUS Act” and argued they would “materially strengthen US payments.”

An excerpt from Circle’s letter to the Fed, arguing that a payment account would be a boon to domestic payments. Source: Federal Reserve

The recently formed Blockchain Payments Consortium called the accounts an “overdue and much-welcomed addition” that it said would “eliminate uncompetitive practices that undercut consumers and concentrate risk around a handful of banks.”

Anchorage Digital Bank, the country’s first federally chartered crypto bank, said that “specific deficiencies” in the proposal must be addressed regarding overnight balance limits, interest on reserves and access to the Fed’s automated clearing house.

The Fed floated setting an overnight balance limit at the lesser of $500 million or 10% of the account holder’s total assets and would not give interest on account balances or allow access to its clearing house, which offers same-day and international payments.

Banks raise concerns about access to Fed system

However, multiple banking associations responded to the Fed with concerns about allowing different entities into the central banking system.

The American Bankers Association said that many of the entities that would be eligible for a payment account “lack a long-run supervisory track record, are not subject to consistent federal safety-and-soundness standards and may rely on evolving statutory or regulatory regimes.”

Related: CFTC expands payment stablecoin criteria to include national trust banks

The Wisconsin Bankers Association said that it believes access to the accounts “should depend not only on legal eligibility, but also on an institution’s demonstrated capabilities in governance, risk management, internal controls, and compliance.”