“Bitcoin lacks privacy. Transactions can be monitored and potentially controlled, which is why central banks aren’t looking to hold it.” - Ray Dalio Interesting comments, particularly around the idea that Bitcoin’s transparency and traceability could make it unattractive as a reserve asset. Bitcoin’s transparency is both a strength and an unresolved tension. An open and auditable monetary network stands in contrast to today’s opaque financial system, raising legitimate debates around privacy, surveillance and state adoption. Bitcoin was designed as a neutral monetary network operating outside the existing system of monetary management, political discretion and institutional gatekeeping. This is very different from saying institutions will never use it over time. Judging its value around whether central banks approve overlooks why it exists in the first place. Bitcoin was not created to optimise for institutional comfort, but to introduce the possibility of a new monetary system. It's either too transparent for central banks or not transparent enough for law enforcement... Full @npub1x36y...lsth article: https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2026/05/12/bitcoin-transactions-can-be-monitored-ray-dalio-explains-why-central-banks-won-t-touch-btc

Interesting comments from Andrew Bailey on stablecoins, dollar dominance and the growing risk of regulatory fragmentation between the US and the rest of the world. “We know what would happen if there was a run on a stablecoin - they'd all turn up here,” Bailey warned. If privately issued dollar backed stablecoins become globally systemic payment rails, questions around sovereignty, convertibility, financial stability and political influence become impossible to ignore. Article:

CoinCentral

Bank of England Governor Warns a Stablecoin Crisis Could Hit the UK First - CoinCentral

Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey warns global stablecoin rules will clash with the US, as the $317B market faces competing regulatory approac...

Faith from Kenya has accepted her first Bitcoin payment in her shop! This Kenyan shopkeeper found a way to break through corrupt governments, unreliable banking systems and constant financial barriers that continue to hold back businesses across the Global South. She went from a beginner to accepting 150 KSh (~$1.15) in Bitcoin after a customer scanned her QR code, with the payment settling instantly and almost zero fees. This is Bitcoin powering circular economies in the Global South. Faith is leading the way with educational support from Linda Kariuki and Trezor Academy. Kenyans are now bypassing expensive middlemen, avoiding inefficient traditional systems and receiving funds immediately. Real Bitcoin impact happening right now.

This is one of the best and simplest explanations of why Bitcoin mining is increasingly being looked at as energy infrastructure rather than just 'data centres'. Battery farms get paid to turn off. Bitcoin miners get paid to turn off AND get paid when they are on. That economic model is incredibly powerful for grids with growing renewable overbuild and curtailment. Once Europe wakes up to these opportunities, the floorgates will open. @Bitcoin Policy UK @The Bitcoin Conference

GOV.UK One Login is now the standard route for every new HMRC user. “HMRC services are among the largest and most-used digital services in government.” - Lucy Leonard, HMRC onboarding lead at GDS. This is creeping full centralisation of your taxes, wealth, assets and address into one single login. One profile and one MASSIVE honeypot. This will create a single point of failure for huge data breaches (which happen regularly), enables total tracking across government services, and paves the way for biometric requirements next. On top of that, centralised data like this creates real physical danger, turning people into targets for wrench attacks and coercion (see article below). All of this for 'easier login'? It’s pointless and dangergerious. Centralisation doesn’t make us safer, it makes us easier targets. Full article:

UKAuthority

GOV.UK One Login rolls out to new HMRC users | UKAuthority

Official GDS announcement:

GOV.UK One Login for HMRC: how we made it happen and what comes next – Government Digital Service

Find out how GDS and HMRC joined forces to bring GOV.UK One Login to millions and what comes next for simpler access to government services.

Bitcoin has come a long way in 17 years. It’s now a distinct asset class and institutions are figuring out exactly where it fits in portfolios. With the classic 60/40 portfolio struggling and the S&P 500 propped up by a handful of tech stocks, Bitcoin is becoming the go to diversifier. BlackRock now frames Bitcoin as long term financial infrastructure rather than speculation. Their Aladdin system, the risk engine managing ~$25 trillion, acts as the gatekeeper for global capital. Adding 3% Bitcoin has historically boosted 60/40 returns from 9.4% to 14.6% (Fidelity data). In addition, ~35% of the S&P 500 sits in a few names. Bitcoin offers diversification tied to geopolitics and currency debasement, not corporate earnings. This is a game changer for long term planning and for Bitcoin. Discussing the BlackRock shift and Bitcoin as a long term asset with Hank Hudsen on @Roxom TV.

The UK has proved something we have been pointing out for a long time. - You cannot regulate the internet into safety. - Centralisation does not equal protection. Kids are already bypassing facial age checks by drawing moustaches with eyebrow pencils… and it works. However the governments solution is mandatory biometrics and government ID. If you want a snapshot of how quickly this is being gamed, this post lays it out beautifully. Full report below:

Internet Matters

The Online Safety Act: Are children safer online?

This report explores parents' and children's views on the Online Safety Act, including what's working so far (and what isn't).

The Telegraph has published a series of articles over recent months that together paint a concerning picture of Reform UK's relationship with 'crypto'. From coverage of how Tether’s empire has generated billions for Reform UK’s largest backer, Christopher Harborne, to the latest column raising serious questions about the party’s embrace of crypto policy. I want to give the Telegraph credit where it is due. On the core connection they have got it right and it is dodgy. Christopher Harborne, a major Tether shareholder with ties to the iFinex and Bitfinex, has funnelled record sums including a £9m donation into Nigel Farage and Reform UK. That money flows while the party pushes pro-crypto and stablecoin policies that could shape Bank of England regulation and the UK's role in the global stablecoin market. This combination of one large Tether investor, massive personal gifts, and direct policy influence deserves real scrutiny. I want to give the Telegraph credit again. They are right to highlight this connection. However, they are slightly barking up the wrong tree by framing it as a general problem with Reform’s 'love of crypto'. Reform’s crypto policy is actually good. With just a few tweaks it would be exactly what the UK needs. The real issue is the specific stablecoin connection and heavy reliance on one powerful Tether investor. In fairness, Farage is not the only politician Harborne has bankrolled. He also donated £1 million to a company set up by Boris Johnson in 2022 and is the largest single shareholder in the defence firm QinetiQ. Also, worth noting he sometimes goes by his Thai name Chakrit Sakunkrit after taking Thai citizenship. The Telegraph’s reporting is strongest when it focuses on the specific Harborne > Tether > Reform connections. That said, their stories sometimes gets diluted by mixing Bitcoin with the crypto sector when the real issues here are much more targeted. It also blends traceable on-chain crypto donations which are often far more transparent than traditional finance with the quite different issue of concentrated influence from a major Tether investor operating in a separate regulatory environment. Reform's actual policy positions on crypto and stablecoins remain among the most sensible and forward looking of any major UK party. They prioritise innovation and London as a global hub over heavy handed regulation. The real problem is the heavy reliance on and potential capture by powerful investors tied to a dominant stablecoin player and not the policy direction. But I guess, that's not news ... it's our political system. Full article: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/05/02/serious-questions-reform-uk-love-of-crypto/

Holy Buckazoids Batman! I met Guy Malone at @The Bitcoin Conference . He told me about this piece he wrote for the Roswell Daily Record back on June 22 2025. It's a fun column asking whether Satoshi Nakamoto’s origins could connect back to the 1991 video game Space Quest IV. In the game players collect Buckazoids. The in game coin looks surprisingly similar to Bitcoin’s ₿ logo today. The story even includes names like Satoshi Uesaka and Rod Nakamoto. Coincidence or something more? It’s a great mix of Bitcoin history, retro gaming and that classic Roswell energy! Worth checking out if you enjoy these kinds of mysteries.

Vegas 2026 had it all from Saylor’s insane financial engineering to powerful reminders of why Bitcoin is important and a way to opt out of this corrosive system. The message from the Freedom Go Up stage was ‘The system is not broken, its working as designed’ Thank you to @The Bitcoin Conference team for putting on an outstanding variety of panels and topics. There was something for everyone and it displayed the vast array of things Bitcoin touches from politics and tradfi thought to decentralized systems and human rights. I spoke on two panels on the Energy Stage covering emerging markets and the local impact of bitcoin mining. The message was consistent across discussions. Mining has to deliver real value on the ground through jobs, infrastructure and long term alignment with communities. In emerging markets that is already happening. Stranded and underused energy is being turned into genuine economic growth. Running underneath it all was an unease around the expansion of permissioned systems the normalisation of KYC and an internet that has made the individual the product instead of the owner. Also, loved bumping into Kent from Sazmining and my favourite Conjoin Chris. Bitcoin doesnt fix everything but it does reveals the system for what it is and offers an alternative. Whether that becomes real freedom or another layer depends entirely on what we choose to build next.

The UK government has successfully weaponised the 'child safety' narrative to execute one of the most significant power grabs in the history of the British internet. By stripping away a massive slice of online privacy for every adult, politicians are laying the final bricks of a Digital Panopticon that few are willing to acknowledge. Back in my August 2023 CityAM article, I warned that the Online Safety Bill was a digital double edged sword. Sold as a shield for the vulnerable, but destined to cut through encryption and open innovation. Today, that prediction is playing out exactly as foreseen. Lawmakers are pushing social media restrictions for under 16s as the ultimate 'Trojan Horse' for mandatory Digital ID and state surveillance. The fundamental flaw is that Whitehall believes it can dictate the shape of the internet at a glacial pace through endless committees. At the same time, the cutting edge of technology is racing at lightspeed toward decentralised networks like Nostr and federated platforms which are immune to these government mandates. Centralised platforms will eventually buckle. The open, user controlled web will route around these rules, as it always has. Our digital freedoms are being eroded in the shadows of safety rhetoric. The only viable answer is to build decentralised alternatives faster than they can regulate the old ones. Britain is on the verge of losing its digital sovereignty forever unless we wake up to the trap. And yes ... this is another Bitcoin advert. It's time to separate money from the state and make government smaller.

X (formerly Twitter)

Big Brother Watch (@BigBrotherWatch) on X

🚨News: Politicians have just voted away your online privacy & freedoms Social media will be restricted for under-16s, the Government confir...

Sam Altman just explained the entire World ID agenda. Years ago they started working on how to prove someone is human, because they were building a world where AI would generate more content than people. The solution they built is World ID. Biometric iris scanning for the internet, framed as privacy preserving. The same people who are driving the coming wave of synthetic content are now selling the solution. A system that verifies you are human using your biometric data. One global system that registers every humans biometric ID forever ... and you will have to comply if you want access to the internet. This is another red flag for anyone who cares about privacy and sovereignty.

X (formerly Twitter)

Decentra Suze (@DecentraSuze) on X

Found it at last! They relocated due to the need for additional space. There are plenty of people awaiting verification. Yikes!

Today the FCA raided eight London sites in its first ever coordinated crackdown on peer to peer crypto trading. Enforcement has now moved onto ordinary individuals operating outside the regulated system. The UK is trying to position itself as a global centre for digital assets centred around stablecoins, tokenisation and institutional adoption. At the same time, the most direct form of decentralised exchange is being pushed into a legal grey area. Individuals trading with one another can find everyday activity interpreted as unlawful once it reaches meaningful scale. There are effectively no P2P traders registered under current AML rules. This creates a tension in UK policy where: - privacy is treated as opacity - self custody is viewed as risk - decentralised systems are judged against rules designed for intermediaries. When there is no realistic route to compliance, enforcement dictates behaviour by default, not by design. These same regulatory and data collection approaches are creating real physical security risks by linking identities to holdings and turning oversight into surveillance. The implications for safety, privacy and surveillance are unprecedented. These regulators will also have to live in the world they create...

UK targets illegal crypto trading in London crackdown

Ed Miliband’s red tape and grid bureaucracy has actually done something right. He has made it easier, faster and make more business sense to mine Bitcoin rather than connect to the grid. A Yorkshire gas field that could supply over 10% of Britain’s annual demand is being positioned for early Bitcoin mining rather than immediate supply to the national grid. Reabold Resources plans a small on site gas fired power station using private gas to mine Bitcoin, generate early revenue and help fund further development of the field. Connecting to the grid is slow, costly and tied up in years of approvals, infrastructure build out and negotiations. Using the gas on site allows immediate monetisation from existing wells and creates early cash flow without waiting for the wider system to catch up. When the fastest and most viable route for a domestic energy resource is private on site use rather than supplying the grid, it becomes clear that Bitcoin isn’t the problem. This neatly exposes how misaligned UK energy policy, infrastructure and incentives have become. It’s amazing what businesses can do to stay profitable, even when the government tries to make it almost impossible. Full article:

The Telegraph

Giant Yorkshire gas field ‘to mine Bitcoin instead of boosting British energy’

Reabold Resources plans to build data centre powered by West Newton field near Hull

Great chat on @Bitcoin Archive with Archie. Always love hanging out. A good friend of mine once said to me, “how do you operate in an adult world, you are so small?” …well, here’s the answer. Thanks to Charlie for finding me a footstool, aka a box.

On LBC last night with James Hanson we discussed the Lib Dems calling for an FCA inquiry into Farage’s involvement in Kwasi Kwarteng’s company Stack. We covered potential market abuse, bitcoin treasury companies, the different risk profiles between these firms, bitcoin and crypto, and why businesses should hold bitcoin on their balance sheets. We also discussed how little UK regulators and MPs understand bitcoin or the opportunity, and how the UK is falling behind as a result ... which is a much bigger risk!! Audio here discussing the story. And the article we discussed:

BBC News

Lib Dems call for inquiry into Farage bitcoin deal

The Reform UK leader is a shareholder in British bitcoin company Stack and appeared in a promotional video.

Labour’s plan to axe jury trials for half of all cases (up to 3 years prison and for 'complex' fraud etc) is a direct attack on Britain’s freedoms. They are dismantling the last decentralised check on state power, while pushing surveillance, digital IDs & programmable payments via regulated stablecoins. Centralise justice and you centralise control over everything! Full Telegraph article: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/04/13/labour-plan-scrap-jury-trials-threat-britain-freedoms/

Saturday Night Movie Recommendation: ‘Biggest Heist Ever’ on Netflix. Meet Heather Morgan aka Razzlekhan and her husband Ilya Lichtenstein, better known as Bitcoin Bonnie and Crypto Clyde. They were involved in one of the largest Bitcoin heists in history. He carried out the hack, she helped launder the funds. What followed was years spent trying to wash billions through thousands of transactions, convinced they were genius criminals staying one step ahead, while leaving a perfectly traceable trail. Some say they were masterminds, others say a lot did not quite stack up. After their New York apartment was raided, investigators seized their electronic equipment along with a bag of burner phones helpfully labelled “burner phones”, plus stacks of cash and foreign currency. Despite having access to other passports, they stayed in New York and kept posting increasingly bizarre videos online until their arrest a month later. One investigator said he couldn’t tell if watching those videos was the best or worst part of his day. Coffeezilla pretty much nailed it: “Heather Morgan should be incarcerated for at least 25 years, purely on the basis of being unbearably cringe.” They tried to outsmart an immutable public ledger, and this story makes clear why Bitcoin is not good for criminals. If you watch one documentary this year, make it this one. It’s equally informative, hilarious, jaw dropping and the videos are so bad they’re good.... Watch it here:

Watch Biggest Heist Ever | Netflix Official Site

Their crimes earned them the nickname Bitcoin Bonnie and Clyde — and the story only gets weirder in this documentary about the most lucrative hei...

Venezuela was wrecked by corruption, debt, and reckless money printing that triggered hyperinflation and economic collapse, forcing millions to flee the country. Then the United States captured Nicolás Maduro in a shocking move that split opinions worldwide. Now there’s a serious conversation about whether Bitcoin mining could unlock stranded energy, attract massive investment, and help rebuild the country. Bitcoin is creating real opportunities in places where the system has completely broken down. This podcast is wild! @Frank Corva and @npub18p26...mf64 cover it all ... the chaos, the hope, and the game changing potential of Bitcoin mining in Venezuela. Full video below.