South by Southwest, one of Austin’s biggest festivals with exhibits from tech industry leaders, films, and musical acts, kicked off its first weekend — and the theme for many seemed to be nonfungible tokens, or NFTs. From Friday to Sunday, companies from Doodles to luxury car manufacturer Porsche offered NFT-themed exhibits to the thousands of attendees appearing in person in Texas. Many panels and workshops included discussions on how to create and store customized NFTs during the event, with firms like Blockchain Creative Labs offering an interactive experience across the street from NFT galleries and other meetups. Three Cointelegraph team …

The founder of a website guiding readers through the digital asset market started a campaign in Austin to increase awareness of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Speaking to Cointelegraph, marketcap.guide founder Sam Feldman said he had deployed more than 100 billboards around the Texas capital city since July, each sharing a different message on Bitcoin (BTC), nonfungible tokens, and other aspects of the crypto space. Though the ads are aimed at encouraging adoption, funding for many of them came from tokenizing drone photos of the billboards and selling the resultant NFT. The project claims to have spent more than $624,000 on …

With Winter Storm Landon expected to hit parts of Texas this week, major crypto mining firms are powering down in anticipation of high demands on the state’s power grid. Speaking to Cointelegraph on Wednesday, Riot Blockchain’s communications director Trystine Payfer said that the company’s data center in Rockdale already had “99% of [its] power currently shut off” since beginning curtailments on Feb. 1, with demands on the grid expected to peak on Thursday night. In addition, Bitcoin (BTC) mining firms with representation in the Texas Blockchain Council sent a letter to Texas Governor Greg Abbott informing him they planned to …

Bitcoin (BTC) seems to be on everyone’s mind lately as the world recently witnessed the price of BTC take a rather unexpected bearish turn this month. On January 21, 2022, Bitcoin reached six-month lows, sinking below $40,000 for the first time in months. While some panicked, other industry experts pointed out that the Bitcoin network has become verifiably stronger than ever before. The growth of the Bitcoin network has become apparent, as hash rate figures for BTC continue to set new highs this month. For example, on Jan. 22, the BTC network recorded an all-time high of 26.643 trillion with …

Brenda Gentry, a former USAA mortgage underwriter from Texas, believes that the cryptocurrency ecosystem offers a fighting chance to overcome the generational curse of poverty. Gentry, a.k.a. MsCryptoMom, left her decade-long job as a banker to pursue a full-time crypto career as her initial investments from early 2020 confirmed the “unprecedented opportunities offered by crypto.” She currently runs Gentry Media Productions, a firm that advises decentralized finance (DeFi) and nonfungible token (NFT) projects — generating up to 20 ether (ETH) each month, nearly $50,000 at the time of writing. Speaking to Cointelegraph, Gentry recollected the moment she first bought crypto: …

The first IPO for the crypto industry in 2022 comes from a Texas-based Bitcoin (BTC) mining company, Rhodium Enterprises. In an SEC filing made last week, Rhodium plans to offer 7.69 million shares at $12-$14 each in an initial public offering (IPO). Trading under the ticker “RHDM” on Nasdaq, 56.8 million class A and 67.5 million class B shares will be released, ultimately valuing the company at just shy of $1.7 billion. Rhodium is a cryptocurrency technology company that uses proprietary tech and liquid cooling technology to self-mine Bitcoin. Their goal is to be the most sustainable and cost-efficient producer …

As the state of Texas faces a rapid influx of Bitcoin mining operations, its electrical infrastructure will have to support the industry’s expected 5,000 megawatts (MW) of additional power demands by 2023. The Bitcoin mining industry in Texas currently consumes around 500 to 1,000 MW of power. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) anticipates that demand could increase as much as fivefold by 2023 and has planned an additional 3,000 to 5,000 MW according to reports. This expansion comes as the Lone star state plans to become the home to 20% of the world’s Bitcoin mining operations. Texas emerged …

Bitdeer Technologies Holding Company, a Singapore-based Bitcoin (BTC) mining corporation, has announced that it has entered into a definitive merger agreement with Blue Safari Group Acquisition Corp. for a business combination of Blue Safari and the miner. According to the announcement, the two firms are expected to merge and be renamed Bitdeer Technologies Group, retaining their NASDAQ stock market listing. Bitdeer is a Singapore-based company that focuses on the cryptocurrency mining industry. The Bitcoin mining company currently has five proprietary mining data centers in the United States and Norway. According to the announcement, the transaction positions Bitdeer as a potential …

The New York Digital Investment Group will be paying the National Basketball Association’s Houston Rockets franchise in Bitcoin as part of a partnership aimed at promoting crypto education and adoption. In a Nov. 16 announcement, the Houston Rockets said the New York Digital Investment Group, or NYDIG, would become the team’s official Bitcoin (BTC) services partner and platform. As part of the partnership, NYDIG is planning to name some of the Rockets’ premium seating at the Toyota Center in Houston the ‘Bitcoin Suites.’ The deal with the NYDIG seems to be part of a larger strategy for Rockets owner Tilman …

United Kingdom-based crypto mining company Argo Blockchain will be funding part of the building and equipment of its planned 800-megawatt data center in West Texas through an offering of senior notes. According to a Nov. 8 filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Argo plans to offer $57.5 million worth of 8.75% senior unsecured notes set to mature on Nov. 30, 2026. The company said it intends to use the proceeds for rigs at its Texas crypto mining facility as well as construction costs. Argo broke ground on the 200 MW crypto mining facility based in July, reporting the site …

U.K.-based crypto mining company Argo Blockchain’s plans to build an 800-megawatt data center in West Texas could cost anywhere from $1.5-2 billion. According to a Nov. 5 regulatory filing from Argo, the $2 billion cost estimate for the Helios mining facility built on a 320-acre land plot in Texas was based on “the type of mining machines to be installed in the facility, the mix of owned and hosted machines, the cost of raw materials, labour and power required to construct the facility, the timing of build-out and machine purchase, and other factors.” However, the firm added that this was …

Cryptocurrency mining firm Argo Blockchain has just released its Q3 financial report detailing record setting revenues for the period. The London headquartered company reported that it had mined 597 BTC and “BTC equivalents” during the third quarter of 2021. At current prices, Argo’s Bitcoin haul would be worth roughly $36.5 million. As of Sept. 30, the firm had amassed holdings of 1,836 BTC (roughly $113 million at current prices). Argo also reported a gross margin of 120% and a mining net margin of 85%, estimating it cost the firm just $6,293 to mine each Bitcoin on average. Overall, the firm …