A rare, well-researched positive article on Bitcoin by the BBC and it’s a good one. It covers: - Real-world impact in rural Africa - Wasted renewable energy put to use - Economic boost via electricity access - Profitable and sustainable model by Gridless - Ambitious plans to expand clean energy powered by Bitcoin More of this, please BBC.

BBC News

Bitcoin in the bush - crypto mining brings power to rural areas

Bitcoin miners will go to remote locations to take advantage of cheap electricity.

UK regulators are driving bitcoin businesses away while other countries capitalise on the opportunity. The FCA’s blanket cryptoasset policy is crushing innovation, stifling growth, pushing companies offshore, and making the UK increasingly hostile to bitcoin businesses. Companies are scaling back or leaving the UK due to restrictive and unclear regulations. Meanwhile, the US, UAE, and Singapore are actively attracting bitcoin investment. Bitcoin is not a meme coin. It is the future of finance. If this continues, the UK will lose its financial edge and risk global irrelevance as investment moves elsewhere. My latest Forbes piece. @MUSQET @fnew https://www.forbes.com/sites/digital-assets/2025/03/18/uk-financial-conduct-authority-drives-out-business-and-hurts-consumers/

One of my favorite film monologues is Hunter S. Thompson's Wave Speech from 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas'. "San Francisco in the mid-'60s… a sense we were winning… riding a high and beautiful wave." In 1970, Nixon outlawed psychedelics and shut down research, silencing a movement that questioned authority and sought higher consciousness. In 1971, he took the United States off the gold standard, unleashing unchecked government spending. Two moves that severed us from energy, both inner and economic, halting human progress in exchange for control. The wave did not recede naturally, it was forced back. Nixon's war on drugs was about suppressing dissent, not health. The end of the gold standard was more than economic policy; it enabled perpetual war and financial manipulation. Thompson saw the sixties as a lost breakthrough, a moment when humanity stood at the edge of something better, only to be dragged back into the machine. As he brilliantly wrote, that was the moment when the wave finally broke and rolled back.

The BBC’s FOI exemption is deeply troubling, shielding serious scandals from scrutiny. This was the first response I received from the BBC when I tried to hold them accountable for their misinformation and disinformation. I raised concerns about this exception with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), and they said the BBC exemption stands; see their response below. The BBC has inflicted notable harm by consistently promoting incorrect and misleading narratives about Bitcoin. This perpetuates negative public perceptions and overshadows its potential as a transformative technology. By framing Bitcoin in a way that often lacks clarity or relies on outdated stereotypes, such as associating it primarily with criminal activity or environmental concerns, the BBC has skewed public understanding and stifled informed discourse. The BBC’s influence as a trusted news outlet amplifies the damage: its narratives have historically shaped opinions that deter adoption, investment, and innovation in a technology that could revolutionise financial inclusion, decentralised systems, and economic sovereignty. This is particularly harmful given Bitcoin’s surged value, reaching a record high of around $109,000, and when global leaders are increasingly recognising its strategic importance, such as the US establishing a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve. By obscuring Bitcoin's potential to empower individuals and challenge traditional financial systems, the BBC has delayed societal benefits and reinforced a status quo favouring established institutions over technological progress and freedom. People deserve transparency. The exemption should be scrapped, but then again, so should the BBC.

I made the first Bitcoin transaction at Stringfellows! 💋

The Motley Fool just endorsed XRP, saying: “As an investor, it makes perfect sense to buy and hold both of these assets.” But does it? Even they admit XRP and Bitcoin are very different. One is a censorship-resistant protocol, the other controlled by a company. One is sound money, the other a “zombie coin” (Forbes). XRP has been tied up in SEC lawsuits, its price driven by speculation, and its supply controlled by Ripple. On the other hand, Bitcoin is the only truly sound, permissionless monetary network. The Motley Fool should know better.

The Motley Fool

Is XRP the New Bitcoin? | The Motley Fool

Is XRP the New Bitcoin?

In June 2023, I published "Why I believe the Bank of England’s CBDC consultation amounts to a national scandal", highlighting concerns over transparency and control. Since then, the Bank of England has promised legislation to protect privacy and maintain access to cash. But officials are now expressing doubts about launching Britcoin before 2030, citing privacy concerns, costs, and public apprehension about government control over finances. As the House of Lords' Economic Affairs Committee aptly described, CBDCs are "a solution in search of a problem," potentially costing taxpayers significantly without clear benefits. To date, there have been no successful CBDC launches when measured by adoption. Every attempt so far has failed to gain meaningful traction. So why are we doing this? Also, the choice of the name Britcoin is certainly interesting. Whether intentional or not, it risks confusing a state-controlled currency with Bitcoin, which operates outside government control. Is this a win for privacy—or just a delay before rollout?

City AM

Why I believe the Bank of England

With some simple research, Susie Violet Ward lays bare the shocking inaccessibility of the Bank of England

Grassroots adoption starts with small steps, like integrating Bitcoin into your business. A payment terminal that offers both Bitcoin and fiat is a powerful tool. Even if most people don’t use it right away, simply seeing Bitcoin at the point of sale creates an important touchpoint, one that can spark curiosity and, over time, lead to greater interest and adoption. Businesses have the power to plant that seed, with help from @MUSQET @Chelmsford Osteopathic Practice As a wise man once said (Chris from @Bridge 2 Bitcoin): "Normalise, don’t evangelise." View quoted note →

From Barcelona's bustling streets to France's rich art history and London's music scene, creators are using bitcoin as both a medium and a muse. My latest piece in Forbes featuring @Street Cyber @Fzero @2140Art+2140Music @CYPHERMUNK HOUSE | LONDON @Hodl Hodl #Bitcoin https://www.forbes.com/sites/digital-assets/2025/01/26/how-bitcoin-powers-creativity-in-art-music-and-beyond/

Donald Trump assumes office with plans to make the U.S. the bitcoin mining capital, causing concerns about centralization, institutional control, and bitcoin potentially becoming a tool of statecraft, weakening its censorship resistance. My latest piece in Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/digital-assets/2025/01/20/is-trumps-strategic-bitcoin-reserve-a-threat-to-freedom/

Interesting timing from the Royal Mint. Orwell’s 'Big Brother' £2 coin will be released on 15 January, with a Bitcoin vs. Gold piece also coming out this month. Meanwhile, the Bank of England has just announced plans to begin the design phase of a digital pound CBDC.

Design note – Blueprint framework

An outline of the Bank’s initial thinking on the potential aims, scope and focus areas of a digital pound blueprint.

Even stranger, when I contacted the designer of the 'Big Brother is Watching You' coin for comment, the Royal Mint declined on their behalf. What’s going on? royalmint.com//

Bitcoin v Gold | The Royal Mint

Gold and bitcoin are two assets firmly in the public discourse and are often compared in terms of their efficacy as a store of value.

View quoted note →

Orwell’s 1984 warned us about this. Surveillance is everywhere, privacy is being destroyed, and CBDCs are the final boss. The £2 coin quoting ‘Big Brother is Watching You’—is this a tribute, or are they laughing at us?

The Standard

George Orwell celebrated on new £2 coin to mark 75 years since 1984 author's death

The Royal Mint said the commemorative coin is being released to mark the 75th anniversary of the author’s death

🚨 IT'S OFFICIAL: The BBC cannot be held accountable for misinformation. No right to appeal, no transparency, and the regulator is just another dead end. For those following the case, here’s an analysis of the BBC’s Stage 2 response, highlighting systemic flaws in how they address inaccuracies: 1/ Conflict of Interest Not Addressed Flaw: BBC failed to disclose Alex de Vries' affiliation with the Dutch Central Bank, which has a vested interest in undermining Bitcoin. Impact: Readers lack full context to assess de Vries' credibility. 2/Reliance on a Discredited Source Flaw: Heavily relied on Alex de Vries' commentary, which has been debunked in peer-reviewed critiques. Impact: Treated de Vries' work as credible research, perpetuating misinformation. 3/ Failure to Independently Fact-Check Flaw: Cited similar reporting from other outlets, neglecting their responsibility as a public broadcaster to verify claims independently. Impact: Undermines the BBC’s editorial standards and trustworthiness. 4/ Freedom of Information Request - Refusal Flaw: Refused to disclose the fact-checking process under the FOI Act. Impact: Lacks transparency, raising concerns about their editorial process. 5/ Inadequate Responses to Evidence Flaw: Avoided addressing detailed rebuttals from the Digital Asset Research Institute (@dari_org). Key Issues Ignored: -Misrepresentation of Bitcoin’s energy metrics. -Failure to consider efficiencies from the Lightning Network. -Overreliance on outdated methodologies. -Exclusion of peer-reviewed studies on Bitcoin’s benefits. Impact: Demonstrates a lack of impartiality. 6/ Breach of Editorial Standards The BBC violated their own guidelines in three areas: Accuracy: Relied on discredited sources without fact-checking. Impartiality: Omitted conflicts of interest and rebuttals, creating bias. Transparency: Refused to disclose their fact-checking process. 7/ Avoidance of Accountability Flaw: Avoided engaging with evidence and arguments presented in Stage 1 & 2 complaints. Impact: Resistance to accountability makes it difficult to challenge inaccuracies. Summary of the Process Challenges The BBC’s reliance on flawed justifications, refusal to address rebuttals, and lack of transparency demonstrate systemic shortcomings: 1. Failed to retract or correct misleading content. 2. Ignored conflicts of interest. 3. Failed to adhere to accuracy, impartiality, and transparency standards. Full Stage 2 response attached. This process began on 5 December 2023, and over a year later, we are here with no resolution. This is a clear institutional failure undermining public trust in a taxpayer-funded organisation. The BBC must be held accountable for inaccuracies in their reporting. The BBC must be defunded. Full X thread and history here:

X (formerly Twitter)

Decentra Suze (@DecentraSuze) on X

🚨 IT'S OFFICIAL: The BBC cannot be held accountable for misinformation. No right to appeal, no transparency, and the regulator is just anothe...

The FATF Travel Rule, now applied to bitcoin, requires extensive KYC data sharing, causing serious concerns about privacy, financial freedom, and personal safety. My latest Forbes article featuring @L0la L33tz. https://www.forbes.com/sites/digital-assets/2025/01/07/new-eu-rules-threaten-your-security--what-you-need-to-know/

Energy = Money Energy drives productivity. This chart shows how higher energy use per capita leads to greater GDP. Countries like the UK that are trying to cut electricity use risk stalling growth. Bitcoin turns energy into value, making it a driver of innovation and economic resilience in an energy-powered world. ⚡️

Correlation of energy consumption and GDP per person

The graph shows per capita energy consumption (kg oil equivalent) vs. per capita GDP, PPP (current international $). The size of the bubbles denote...