SUPERNEWS

Crypto

Bitcoin Miners' Stocks Dip, CEOs Optimistic Despite Halving

Bitcoin halving to slash miners' rewards by half, sparking industry consolidation and innovation despite a $10 billion revenue hit.

By Bill Bullington

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4/16, 14:57 EDT
Bitcoin / U.S. dollar
Marathon Digital Holdings, Inc.
Riot Blockchain, Inc
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Key Takeaway

  • Bitcoin miners' stocks, including Marathon Digital Holdings, Riot Platforms, and CleanSpark, fell sharply ahead of a revenue-cutting code update.
  • CEOs remain optimistic, citing efficient operations and growing demand despite an expected $10 billion annual revenue loss from the halving.
  • The upcoming halving will reduce Bitcoin mining rewards by half, intensifying interest in new spot ETFs as a potential price support mechanism.

Bitcoin Miners Face Revenue Halving

This week, the cryptocurrency market is bracing for a significant event that will see Bitcoin miners' revenues cut drastically due to a scheduled code update. The update, known as the halving, will reduce the reward for mining Bitcoin by half, from 900 to 450 tokens daily. This event has led to a sharp decline in the stock prices of major Bitcoin mining companies, including Marathon Digital Holdings Inc., Riot Platforms Inc., and CleanSpark Inc., with the Valkyrie Bitcoin Miners exchange-traded fund experiencing a 28% tumble this month. The anticipation of this event has compounded with recent geopolitical tensions and a shift to a risk-off environment, further pressuring the stocks of these companies.

CEOs Remain Bullish Amid Challenges

Despite the looming reduction in revenue, which is estimated to cost the industry $10 billion annually, the chief executives of major mining firms remain optimistic. They argue that low-cost operations, more efficient equipment, and the growing demand for Bitcoin as an asset class will help offset the revenue loss. Jason Les, CEO of Riot Platforms, expressed a strong long-term investment thesis on Bitcoin, anticipating positive movements in the coming months. Similarly, Tyler Page, CEO at Cipher Mining, highlighted the steady course of adoption over the years as a reason for continued bullishness on Bitcoin's network.

Industry Consolidation and Innovation

The halving event is also sparking discussions around industry consolidation and innovation. According to a Bernstein research report, Bitcoin mining companies are in a relatively comfortable financial position to withstand the halving's impact, thanks to high miner dollar revenues and low debt levels. Some CEOs foresee the industry consolidating around four leading miners, with CleanSpark's CEO predicting Riot Platforms, Marathon Digital, CleanSpark, and Cipher Mining to emerge as frontrunners. Additionally, the development of applications and layer 2 solutions on the Bitcoin blockchain is expected to increase network fees, providing miners with new revenue streams to mitigate the halving's impact.

Management Quotes

  • Jason Les, CEO at Riot Platforms:

    "Riot is here for the long term. Our long-term investment thesis on Bitcoin is strong and I think we have the setup for a very positive movement in Bitcoin over the next several months here."

  • Tyler Page, CEO at Cipher Mining:

    "I think it is very hard to predict Bitcoin prices on any kind of short-term time frame. But over the course of years, I think you have seen a steady course of adoption... I think in large, sort of longer time frames, we can remain very very bullish on the adoption of the network."