I’m joined by guests Praveen Perera, Future Paul & Ben Carman to go through the list.

Listen on your favorite podcast app:

Housekeeping

  • New COLDCARD Co-Sign (CCC) Tutorial: Automated Multisig with Spending Policies [YouTube]

Bitcoin

Software Releases & Project Updates

  • 00:01:29 Cove Wallet
    • v0.5.1
      • Added
        • Terms and Conditions popup, which is required to use the app
      • Bug Fixes
        • Show updated label on UTXO list screen
        • Show updated label on transaction details screen
        • Hot wallet import flow where erasing to a correct word would not show the word as valid
    • v0.5.0
      • Coin Control
        • New UTXO list screen to search, filter, sort and select individual UTXOs
        • Select individual UTXOs to send from
        • Set a custom amount to send from a UTXO list (the rest will be sent to change)
        • Show UTXO labels on the confirm screen
        • Search UTXOs by amount
      • Others
        • Add warning if fee is more than 20% of the amount you are sending
        • Disallow sending if the fee is more than 100% of the amount you are sending
    • v0.4.1
      • Redesign address QR receive sheet
      • Redesign “Advanced More Details” sheet in the send flow
  • 00:18:14 Harbor
    • Harbor 1.0 is now available
    • Mac, Windows (kind of), and Linux binaries available
    • Head over to the release page on GitHub to download it
  • 00:35:45 Sparrow Wallet
    • v2.2.2
      • Retrieve and show next block median fee rate in Recent Blocks view where available
    • v2.2.1
      • Update Tor library to fix missing UUID issue when starting Tor on recent macOS versions
      • Repackage .deb installs to use older gzip instead of zstd compression
      • Remove display of median fee rate where fee rates source is set to Server
      • Add icons for external sources in Settings and Recent Blocks view
    • v2.2.0
      • Add Recent Blocks view to Send tab
      • Convert all bitmapped images to theme aware SVG format for all wallet models and dialogs
      • Support send and display of pay to anchor (P2A) outputs
      • Switch camera library to openpnp-capture
      • In the Download Verifier, prefer verifying the dropped file over the default file where the file is not in the manifest
      • Show a warning when importing a wallet with a derivation path matching another script type
      • Avoid server address resolution for public servers
      • Add a tooltip to indicate truncated labels in table cells
      • Dynamically truncate input and output labels in the tree on a transaction tab, and add tooltips if necessary
      • Improve tooltips for wallet tabs and transaction diagrams with long labels
      • Show the address where available on input and output tooltips in transaction tab tree
      • Show the total amount sent in payments in the transaction diagram when constructing multiple payment transactions
      • Show transaction diagram fee percentage as less than 0.01% rather than 0.00%
      • Optimize and reduce Electrum server RPC calls
      • And more
  • 00:37:05 BDK bdk_chain v0.23.0
    • This release of bdk_chain v.0.23.0 introduces a new option to cache and persist derived script pubkeys, improving performance on KeychainTxOutIndex startup, the tx_graph module now tracks and persists the first_seen timestamp for transactions which is useful for transaction ordering. The bdk_core crate added convenient is_empty methods to types TxUpdate, {Sync,Scan}Response, making it easier to check for no-op updates.
    • Also released:
      • bdk_core v0.6.0
      • bdk_bitcoind_rpc v0.20.0
      • bdk_electrum v0.23.0
      • bdk_esplora v0.22.0
      • bdk_file_store v0.21.0
      • bdk_testenv v0.13.0
  • 00:37:52 Liana v11.0
    • Add multi-wallet support
    • Add coin control for recovery transactions
    • Add a new RPC command to list addresses that have been revealed to the user, whether used or not
    • Add ability in the GUI to view unused addresses that were previously generated by the user
    • Add support airgap flow (SD card) for Coldcard & Krux signing devices
    • It also includes various other improvements and fixes
  • 00:38:24 Nunchuk Android v1.68.1
    • Custom blockchain explorer
    • Ability to archive wallets
    • Ability to long-press & reorder wallets on Home
    • Anti-fee sniping setting
  • 00:39:02 Bull Bitcoin Mobile
    • v5.0.0
      • The entire application has been rearchitected from the ground up for: Ease of adding new features, debugging and collaboration
      • Additionally; the app has a fresh new UI that focuses on simplicity and consistency
      • Supported Features
        • Create/Recover Default (Bitcoin/Liquid Wallet)
        • Send/Receive
        • Swaps - LN (Bolt11 & LN Address) & Chain
        • Payjoin (0.23)
        • Transaction History
    • v5.0.3
      • Support for fiat currency preference
      • Swap Fee Breakdown
      • Fix calculation of absolute fees
      • High Fee warning in send
      • Default RBF true
  • 00:40:39 Blue Wallet v7.1.8
    • Add: single-address Taproot wallets support (import from WIF)
    • Add: Search txs
    • Add: ManageWallets search address
  • 00:41:00 Bitkey App v2025.10.0
    • Introduce Security Hub: Display all security and recovery settings in one place, with clear recommendations that help take the guesswork out of protecting your bitcoin.
  • 00:43:10 RoboSats v0.7.8
    • For Users:
      • New coordinator: LibreBazaar
      • New payment method: Nomad
      • Major libraries update
      • Coordinator ratings are now cryptographically verified
      • Private chat message are also sent as nip17 as part of the full migration of the chat to nostr
      • Android adaptive Icons support
    • For Coordinators:
      • Nostr notes are now additionally published to port 7778
  • 00:43:21 FullyNoded v0.1.1-beta
    • Add icons to display Join Market session, conjoin and maker status
    • Dedicated button for configuring the Join Market network, useful when switching networks with Core
    • Ability to easily delete Core wallets, proceed with caution…
    • Tor updated to v0.4.8.14
  • 00:44:03 Zaprite v2025-05-26
    • Enable new Auto-pay feature for all accounts
    • Enable Auto-pay and customer card management for our Stripe connection
    • Add Misty Breez LNURL integration
    • Add new filter on the Orders page that shows Abandoned Orders
    • Add message to the Checkout UI showing the customer how much they could save if paying with a discounted payment method
    • Add new Filters to the Transactions table: Currency, Method, Connection, and Type
    • Add small preview to image upload fields which shows a small thumbnail of the image after it has been uploaded
  • 00:45:43 BoltzExchange
    • boltz-client v2.6.1
      • Add new getpairs CLI command
      • Handly unavailable backend gracefully on startup
    • boltz-backend v3.11.0 - Counteroffer
      • Add support for Reverse Swaps to BOLT12 offers
      • gRPC hooks to change the behaviour of the backend
      • And many more added features
  • 00:45:46 Padawan Wallet v0.16.0 - Xeric X-Wing
    • Improve transitions between important screens
    • Pull out translations into separate structure (localizations/ directory)
    • Re-write theme (Tatooine Desert)
  • 00:46:23 Blockstream Green Android v5.0.0
    • Nags to backup recovery phrase
    • Bitcoin price chart in Home
    • New tab based navigation
    • UI Refresh
    • Notifications for buy related events
  • 00:46:37 Samourai Dojo v1.27.0
    • Add Soroban and PandoTx functionality
    • Update ban script to disconnect inbound Knots nodes
    • Regenerate fulcrum certificate if expired
    • Check if transaction already exists in pushTx
    • Add new information to transaction API endpoint
    • Add txout API endpoint
    • Add ability to manage API keys
    • Add new /support/services RPC endpoint
    • Add an option to use blocksdir config for bitcoin blocks directory
    • Use prebuilt addrindexrs binaries
    • Add instructions to migrate blockchain/fulcrum
  • 00:46:49 ESP-Miner v2.8.0
    • API enhancements:
      • Add expected hashrate to API
      • Dashboard: Get expected hash rate from API
    • UI/UX improvements
    • Hardware and display enhancements: Add support for multiple displays
    • Performance and compilation
      • feat: add -O2 compiling
      • Update version of CrC calculations
  • 00:46:51 NBXplorer v2.5.27 (NBXplorer is a minimalist UTXO tracker for HD wallets. The goal is to provide a flexible, .NET-based UTXO tracker for HD wallets. The explorer supports P2SH, P2PKH, P2WPKH, P2WSH, Taproot and multi-signature derivations.)
    • Introduce policy wallet tracking support (BIP388, BIP389) enabling users to track wallets with complex spending conditions via Miniscript. Taproot trees and other output descriptors like musig (BIP390) are also supported.
  • 00:47:12 Mempal v1.5.3
    • Add swipe-down feature to refresh dashboard
    • Add custom time option for widget auto-update frequency

Project spotlight

  • 00:47:23 DahLIAS (Discrete Logarithm-Based Interactive Aggregate Signatures): Bitcoin’s first full signature aggregation scheme for secp256k1 [Bitcoin Magazine]
    • DahLIAS, developed by researchers from Blockstream and Ledger, introduces the first constant-size aggregate signature scheme based on discrete logarithms in pairing-free groups, offering significant space savings and verification speedups for blockchain systems.
    • The signing protocol requires only two rounds, with preprocessing capabilities, and verification is approximately twice as fast as batch verification of individual Schnorr signatures.
  • 00:48:25 Manna Bitcoin: A self-custodial spending wallet featuring merchant tools and PoS interface
    • It supports on-chain Bitcoin, Lightning Network, and Liquid Bitcoin transactions
  • 00:48:34 Darkwire: A project that enables off-grid communication and Bitcoin transactions using LoRa technology [Github]
    • Messages are signed, fragmented, encrypted, and transmitted through mesh networks without ISPs or satellites
    • Currently supports Bitcoin transactions and text messages
  • 00:48:44 Parasite Pool: An open-source Bitcoin mining pool with zero fees that offers Lightning-native payouts with a 10-satoshi threshold for home miners
    • The pool features a ‘pleb eat first’ reward structure, giving 1 BTC to block finders while distributing remaining 2.125 BTC plus fees among all other participants via Lightning.
    • Small-scale miners benefit from outsized rewards relative to hashpower, making it suitable for those who need discrete operations while supporting Bitcoin’s resistance to censorship.
  • 00:48:55 Blockpicker: A tool to create entropy for a seed phrase by picking blocks [Github]
    • Blockpicker Entropy Game Blockpicker is an interactive, game-based tool for generating BIP39-compliant 24-word mnemonic seed phrases.
    • Players select blocks on a 12x12 grid in a turn-based game against a computer opponent, contributing entropy to create a cryptographically secure seed phrase.
  • 00:49:10 LOCK Protocol: A Bitcoin-based access protocol for encrypted secrets [Github]
    • LOCK is an open protocol that uses Bitcoin transactions as cryptographic proofs to decrypt secrets
    • The protocol seals secrets in encrypted vaults with specific unlock conditions (wallet signature, fee amount, and optional block height) that can only be met through valid Bitcoin transactions.
  • 00:49:17 Sigbash: A tool to sign blindly after conditions are met (A project developed by @Arbedout)
    • Sigbash provides a signing service that integrates with multisig wallets, offering signatures only under predefined conditions.
    • The conditions for signing include factors like hashrate, Bitcoin price, address balance, or time, and are checked using mempool.space’s API. Each xpub includes a cryptographic receipt and OpenTimestamps proof.
  • 00:49:38 Arkade OS: A virtual execution layer that transforms VTXOs and transaction trees into programmable money while maintaining security guarantees [Github]
    • The open-source Arkade ecosystem includes a compiler for Bitcoin-native smart contracts, a mobile wallet with PassKey authentication, and a custom script interpreter featuring over 30 new opcodes.
    • Arkade’s implementation demonstrates how core components like VTXOs, presigned transaction trees, and batch settlements serve as building blocks for future functionality beyond payment optimization.
  • 00:50:09 Swift Bitcoin: Pure-Swift Bitcoin library and full node implementation with minimal dependencies [Github]
    • Swift Bitcoin is a cross-platform fully-featured Bitcoin development framework for Swift projects
    • It includes a standalone network client daemon as well as a command line utility for on-chain and off-chain operations
  • 00:50:36 Pythia: Rust implementation of p2p-derivative-oracle for DLC trading [Github]
    • DLC Markets open sources Pythia, its dedicated price oracle system under MIT Licence
    • Pythia provides real-time, reliable BTC/USD price attestations.
  • 00:50:45 Arcana Seed Lodge: A Bitcoin wallet experience shaped by memory, mystery, and map-based entropy [Github] (WIP/Experimental wallet)
    • Arcana Seed Lodge is a location-based Bitcoin wallet generator that lets you create secure, human-friendly seeds by selecting six meaningful locations on a map.
    • Features
      • Generate deterministic Bitcoin seeds from 6 memorable places
      • Optional lore-driven story mode with Freemason vibes
      • Supports offline PSBT signing (Sparrow-compatible)
      • Built for privacy-first, device-free recovery
      • Includes a demo wallet (not secure—just for testing)
  • 00:50:54 BIP47 Message Verifier: A verifier for messages signed with BIP47 notification address [Github]
    • A tool to verify messages signed with a PayNym
  • 00:51:02 Traxe: An iOS app to track your bitcoin home miners [Github]
    • Features:
      • Automatically discover and manage your home miner devices on your network
      • Monitor miner stats and performance in real time
      • Support for Light and Dark mode
      • StandBy support for always-on at-a-glance monitoring
  • 00:51:08 Censorship Resistant: A website offering an overview of Bitcoin’s security model, attack vectors economic incentives, potential attack vectors, and decentralization of mining.
  • 00:51:21 Bitcoin-4-All: A comprehensive open-source Bitcoin course with 10 lessons in Portuguese, English and Spanish [Github] (Developed by AreaBitcoin and supported by OpenSats)
    • The course covers Bitcoin fundamentals, wallet setup, and Bitcoin advantages

Vulnerability Disclosures

  • 00:51:38 Coinbase data breach: Rogue support agents expose KYC details of ~1 million customers [Bleeping Computer]
    • Cybercriminals with rogue overseas support agents steal personal data of approximately 1% of Coinbase’s user base, demanding a 20 million ransom, which has not been granted.
    • The stolen data includes names, addresses, government IDs and account information.
    • The data breach allegedly occured on Dec 26, 2024 and discovered May 11, 2025.
  • 00:54:07 Ledger Donjon: Vulnerability in Tangem’s Android genuine check process [Disclosure]
    • A code flaw in Tangem’s Android app allows counterfeit hardware wallets to pass verification checks. The bug occurs when the app incorrectly checks attestation status, which allows cards with invalid signatures to appear genuine.
    • Exploiting this vulnerability requires obtaining a genuine card’s ID and public key, then creating a counterfeit card that sends these credentials while providing an invalid signature.
    • Tangem addressed the issue in version 5.18.3 by fixing the code to properly check attestation status.
  • 00:54:46 CVE-2023-21563: BitLocker encryption bypassed in minutes with Bitpixie vulnerability [CyberSecurity News] 00:55:59 - A critical software-only vulnerability called “Bitpixie” enables attackers to bypass Microsoft’s BitLocker encryption in under five minutes without physical tampering.
    • The attack exploits the Windows bootloader’s failure to clear the Volume Master Key from memory during PXE soft reboot.

Privacy & Other Related Bitcoin Projects

Software Releases & Project Updates

  • 00:57:14 SimpleX
    • v6.4.0-beta.0
      • “knocking”: review members prior to admitting them to your group
      • Talk to your group members directly via chats between all group admins and members
    • v6.3.4
      • Recognize domain names as links (e.g., simplex.chat)
      • Forward compatibility with “knocking”
      • iOS improvements:
        • Opening the links in the browser/any other apps now requires confirmation in all cases
        • Secrets in messages (e.g., #hidden secret#): shown on tap one by one, new design
  • 00:57:15 NomadNet v0.7.0
    • Add interface management and statistics
    • Add ability to specify page background and foreground colors to Micron parser
    • Add transfer speed to progress bar
    • Improve memory consumption when serving or downloading large files
  • 00:57:16 Sideband v1.6.1
    • Update included RNS to version 0.9.6 to use AES-256 by default
    • Add option to configure shared instance access
  • 00:57:17 Mullvad introduces Mullvad VPN Loader: An application that automatically verifies integrity and authenticity of downloaded app installations on Windows and macOS systems
    • The loader utilizes global third-party CDNs rather than solely Swedish servers, increasing download speed by accessing content delivery networks closer to customers.
  • 00:58:17 Signal Desktop Update
    • Signal Desktop now implements “Screen security” setting on Windows 11 by default to prevent Microsoft Recall from capturing screenshots of private conversations.
    • Signal uses DRM technology to block Recall, which takes screenshots every few seconds and stores them in a searchable database.
  • 00:58:20 Have I Been Pwned v2.0 (HIBP is a tool to check if your email address is in a data breach)
    • Interface rebuild
    • Unify user tools into central dashboard
    • Remove username/phone number search from the web interface (email remains the sole supported search identifier)
    • Add dedicated breach pages: streamlined information and tailored post-breach advice, including future support for passkeys and localized resources
    • Redesign dashboard and domain search tools: introduce client-side filtering and improved domain verification
  • 00:58:22 KYCnot.me Update (A directory of trustworthy alternatives for buying, exchanging, trading, and using bitcoin and cryptocurrencies without having to disclose your identity)
    • New features include a point system, automated ToS scraper for KYC/AML detection, full-text search functionality, and public discussions now on GitLab.
    • Complete rewrite in Golang after previous versions in Python/Flask and SvelteKit, now using MariaDB instead of JSON files
    • The website is now mostly JavaScript-free (except for request forms) and now officially available on Tor and I2P networks

Project spotlight

  • 01:00:26 Oniux: A tool that utilizes various Linux namespaces(7) in order to isolate an arbitrary application over the Tor network [GitLab] (A tool by the Tor Project. Considered experimental software)
    • Oniux is a command-line utility that uses Linux namespaces to isolate applications over the Tor network, preventing data leaks by placing apps in their own network namespace with a custom interface. [Blog post]
    • Unlike torsocks, which uses SOCKS proxying through libc, oniux works on all Linux applications including static binaries and can prevent malicious applications from leaking data through direct system calls.

Lightning + L2+

Project spotlight

  • 01:00:39 Routstr: A decentralized LLM routing marketplace powered by Nostr and Bitcoin [Github]
    • The platform features a Smart Client SDK that finds optimal models, self-hosted proxies for OpenAI-compatible endpoints, and built-in privacy routing through SOCKS5 and Tor.
    • Routstr facilitates micropayments between AI Model Providers and End Users through Cashu ecash tokens and BOLT12 Lightning invoices.
  • 01:01:31 LNemail: Fast anonymous email accounts powered by Bitcoin Lightning Network payments [Github]
    • LNemail offers anonymous email accounts for 1000 sats per year, requiring no personal information and operating on LN payments.
    • Service limitations: receiving only, no IMAP access (web interface or API), attachments not supported, and plain text only.
    • No IMAP Access: Emails can only be accessed through our web interface or API.
  • 01:02:22 Lightning Blinder: Trick an LSP into thinking one wallet is the sender or recipient when it’s really some other wallet [Github]
    • The software aims to improve privacy on the Lightning Network by enabling mobile users with intermittent connectivity to route payments
  • 01:02:32 Phoenixd MCP Server: Connect a phoenixd bitcoin lightning wallet to your LLM using Model Context Protocol [Github]
    • This tool helps integrate LN payments and node management into your AI workflows
  • 01:03:27 Amboss Rails: A liquidity provider service allowing Bitcoin treasuries and custodians to earn yield while maintaining self-custody of their assets [Announcement]
    • The service generates returns through payment routing fees and liquidity leases on the Magma Marketplace.
    • “Amboss handles node operations with strictly limited permissions (receive lightning, open channel, close channel), using AI-driven insights derived from over five years of network data”
  • 01:03:48 Sixty Nuts: A NIP-60 Cashu Wallet in Python [Github]
    • A lightweight, stateless Cashu wallet implementation following NIP-60 specification for Nostr-based wallet state management.
    • Features:
      • NIP-60 Compliant: Full implementation of the NIP-60 specification
      • NIP-44 Encryption: Secure encryption using the NIP-44 v2 standard
      • Stateless Design: Wallet state stored on Nostr relays
      • Multi-Mint Support: Can work with multiple Cashu mints
      • Async/Await: Modern Python async implementation
      • LNURL Support: Send to Lightning Addresses and other LNURL formats
  • 01:03:54 BTCNutServer: A Cashu plugin for BTCPayServer allowing merchants to use Cashu Ecash as payment method [Github] (This plugin is in early beta and its cryptography has not been reviewed. Cashu is still experimental and not production-ready.)
    • BTCNutServer enables BTCPay Server to accept Bitcoin payments via Cashu tokens, offering two flexible payment models: ‘Trusted Mints’ (Swap) and ‘Melt Immediately’

Software Releases & Project Updates

  • LND v0.19.0-beta
    • New Features
      • Add support for archiving channel backup in a designated folder which allows for easy referencing in the future. A new config is added disable-backup-archive, with default set to false, to determine if previous channel backups should be archived or not.
    • Protocol Updates
      • lnd now supports the new RBF cooperative close flow
      • Add support for experimental endorsement signal relay
      • Add initial support for quiescence. This is a protocol gadget required for Dynamic Commitments and Splicing that will be added later.
      • Fixed a case where the initial historical sync may be blocked due to a race condition in handling the syncer’s internal state
      • The max fee rate is now respected when a coop close is initiated
    • Functional Enhancements
      • Add ability to paginate wallet transactions
      • Make MaxWaitNumBlocksFundingConf configurable, allowing integration/development tests to set a lower value for faster funding confirmation timeout while keeping the default of 2016 blocks for production stability
      • Add validation to ensure that MPP parameters are compatible with the payment amount before attempting the payment
    • And more: RPC Additions, lncli Additions, Functional/RPC/lncli Updates, Code Health, and Performance Improvements
  • Core Lightning v25.05rc1
    • Features for Users
      • Reduced latency of commit and revoke messages
      • Reckless can update existing reckless-installed plugins via reckless update
      • Fixed routing of AskRene via high capacity channels
      • More accurate anchor fees
    • Features for Developers
      • listhtlcs pagination support with index, start and end parameters
      • The wait api now supports the listhtlcs subsystem
      • The beginnings of LSPS client and server plugins so far implementing the LSPS0 transport protocol
      • New signmessagewithkey rpc to sign input messages with our wallet keys
      • sendonion is now compatible with sendpay with addition of total_amount_msat parameter
    • Protocol Updates
      • Peer storage graduates from experimental to default feature while bringing performance improvements
      • Splicing interoperability with Eclair and splice RBF capability
  • Cashu v0.17.0
    • New Features
      • Blind Authentication
        • Limit mint access using Clear and Blind Authentication. Nutshell now supports NUT-21 and NUT-22, enabling the use of OAuth 2.0 identity providers like Keycloak (or any compatible provider).
        • NUT-22 introduces Blind Authentication, which enhances user privacy by anonymizing authentication within the set of registered users
      • Improved Multi-Nut Payments
        • Multi-nut payments via LND are now more reliable. Nutshell queries multiple routes before failing, significantly improving payment success rates
    • Removed Features: The wallet REST API has been removed from the project due to a low utility to maintenance cost ratio
    • Additional Protocol Updates
      • SIG_ALL Multisig Flag: Users can now lock ecash to specific destinations (outputs)
      • Mint and Melt Quote Enhancements: The update to NUT-04/05 introduces new fields (amount, unit, request) to mint and melt quotes
  • CDK v0.9.2
    • HTLC from hash support
    • Optional transport and NUT-10 secret on payment request
    • Multi-part payments support in cdk-cli
  • Phoenix Wallet v2.6.0
    • Stateless offers with custom description: Phoenix can now generate any number of Bolt12 offers (a.k.a. reusable invoices)
    • Custom feerate in channel closing: It’s now possible to set a feerate when closing a channel mutually
    • (android) Manual import/export of the payments database: On Android a new export option is available in the Export screen
    • Lightning addresses in contacts: You can now associate a Lightning address to a contact. In fact, a contact can have multiple Lightning addresses or Bolt12 offers attached.
  • Zeus v0.11.0-beta2
    • Highlights:
      • Experimental Cashu ecash wallet
      • Swaps: LN -> on-chain, and vice versa
      • Import and export wallet configs
      • UTXO labeling
      • Activity: filter for keysends
      • CLN: support for generating Taproot addresses
      • CLN: view closed channels
  • LDK v0.1.4 - “Careful Validation of Bogus States”
    • Security: 0.1.4 fixes a funds-theft vulnerability in exceedingly rare cases
  • Breez SDK - Nodeless (Liquid Implementation) v0.9.0
    • Receive via BOLT12 & BIP353
    • Support LNURL-Verify
    • Add on-chain transaction ID when sending to a BTC address
  • Misty Breez v0.1.5 (A hybrid Lightning and Liquid network wallet built with the Nodeless Breez SDK)
    • Receive via BOLT12 & BIP353
    • Support LNURL-Verify
    • Add on-chain transaction ID when sending to a BTC address
  • Alby
    • Hub v1.17.0 - Sean Hastings
      • Improve Friends & Family
      • Auto-swaps
      • Sub wallet improvements
      • Verify package signatures in install/update scripts
      • Add onchain transactions to node page
      • Add update banner
      • Add info page to settings
    • Go v1.13.0
      • Payments now show more information about recipient, payer and zaps
      • Option to switch wallets in NWA flow
      • Performance improvements and fixes in Send screen
    • lightning-browser-extension v3.12.0 - Herbig-Haro 24
      • Better onboarding for both master key and Nostr key
      • “Batteries” removed from the extension
      • New Wallet Settings menu for easier access and configuration
    • js-sdk v5.1.0
      • feat: add hold invoice NWC methods and notification type
      • chore: add recipient_data to tx metadata
      • chore: add LN paywall esm example
  • LNbits v1.1.0 - Alan Bits
    • New Features
      • i18n support for reset password messages
      • Fetch all payments for a user
      • Preimage handling for incoming payments
      • Add verify_preimage utility
      • Superuser setting no longer reset on delete
  • BlitzWallet v0.4.5-beta
    • Contact payments are now more private:
      • Previously: One address was stored and rotated weekly
      • Now: 7 addresses are stored, and one is rotated out weekly
      • Payments randomly select one of the 7 addresses to improve privacy
    • Add Items to POS Checkout: Admins can now save items and prices directly in their wallet
    • Liquid Payments: Reduce minimum send amount for Liquid transactions to 100 sats
    • Contact Experience:
      • You can now share someone else’s contact directly from their profile page
      • Switch currency on contact page
      • Uploaded contact profile images now appear during search
  • BitBanana v0.9.5
    • Simplify UTXO consolidation
    • Add extended connection info via connection status indicator
    • Core Lightning: Channel rebalancing feature added
    • Core Lightning: Pick first hop on lightning payments
    • Core Lightning: Reserved UTXOs now displayed as locked
    • Improve compatibility with NWC
    • Log view enhancements: Add sorting and auto-scroll options
    • Add full Polish language support
  • Aqua Wallet v0.3.0
    • New Features:
      • The Dolphin Card is here for beta testing
      • New text scanner for addresses using Optical Character Recognition (OCR)
      • Lower minimum peg-out amount from 0.001 to 0.00025 BTC (excluding fee)
      • Reduce minimum amount for sending Liquid Bitcoin to 100 sats
      • Addresses now have colored numbers
      • Improve transaction tracking and fee estimates for BTC to L-BTC swaps
      • Add the USDt swap order ID in the transaction detail page
      • Lightning refunds are now specifically marked in the transaction list
  • RGB v0.12.0-rc.1.1
    • The 0.12 version has brought zk-STARK readiness to the RGB, a huge performance boost, and a lot of simplification and security improvements.
    • The release candidate is for all developers working with RGB, so they can integrate it into their software, having guarantees of consensus and low-level API freeze
    • What’s new:
      • The version 0.12 of RGB represents a result of 7 months of protocol re-design, aimed at the following:
        • Make protocol ready for zk-STARK compression;
        • Simplify the protocol as much as possible, reducing any potential attack surface and helping protocol adoption;
        • Ensure security of the protocol with thorough unit and integration test coverage, including tests for potential attacks;
        • Make protocol fully production-ready by freezing consensus level changes and ensuring robustness and performance.
  • SimLN v0.2.4 - Let BOSSies eat Eclairs (A payment activity generator for the Lightning Network)
    • Minor release: adds support for running simulations on Eclair nodes, bringing sim-ln’s implementation support up to 3/4 major implementations.
    • Changes:
      • Add Eclair node support
      • Add Scorer to SimNode
      • Unit tests for validate_activity and validate_node_network
      • Do not allow defined activity with zero amount
      • Parse address detecting if starts with https
      • Validate channel policy and enforce unique scid

Nostr

Project spotlight

  • Emptio P2P: A project to allow the purchase and sale of bitcoin p2p in a decentralized way through nostr [Github]
    • The application integrates with mempool.space for Bitcoin network transactions and wallet data display
  • TENEX: A context-first development tool built on Nostr [Github] (A project by Pablof7z)
    • TENEX stores projects and tasks as nostr events, with each project receiving its own nsec key.
    • It features context-first development, voice-to-code transcription, AI-powered orchestration with specialized modes, intelligent task management, project-specific nsec keys, real-time collaboration via Nostr, multi-column interface, extensible architecture, and smart context awareness.
  • Compass: An ansible configuration for setting up an indexer relay [Github] (A project by Coracle)
    • Ansible playbook to deploy a strfry nostr relay tailored to indexing kind 10002.
  • Publsp: A command-line tool that enables LN nodes and LSPs to advertise their liquidity offers through Nostr using kind 39735 events [Github]
    • LSPs advertise liquidity as addressable Kind 39735 events. Customers just pull and evaluate all those structured events, then NIP-17 DM an LSP of their choice to coordinate a liquidity purchase.
  • liquiditystr: A gateway to the Nostr P2P Lightning liquidity marketplace [Github]
    • A single-page app that plugs into the customer-side publsp API to provide streamlined access to LSPs that advertise liquidity through Nostr
  • js-eventstore-benchmark: Browser benchmarks comparing different methods for storing Nostr events in the browser [Github] (A tool by fiatjaf)
  • Nostratui: A terminal user interface (TUI) for browsing Nostr posts, written in Rust [Github]
    • Nostratui is a minimalist, responsive, and highly efficient terminal client for the nostr protocol
  • NIPs on Nostr: A website for viewing official Nostr Implementation Possibilities (NIPs) and publishing custom NIPs on the Nostr network [Gitlab]
  • Shosho: A mobile app that enables live streaming over RTMP with Nostr integration, similar to Facebook Live but built on the Nostr protocol [Github]
    • Features:
      • RTMP Broadcasting: High-quality live video streaming
      • Nostr Integration: Use your Nostr npub, announce your stream live on Nostr clients like Zap.stream and Amethyst
      • Live Chat: See your mentions and stream chat live and respond in the app
      • Zap Integration: Receive zaps from your viewers and get paid to stream
  • YakBak: Voice message social platform [Github]
    • YakBak is a modern social platform built on the Nostr protocol that allows users to share and interact with voice messages
    • Features:
      • Voice message recording and playback
      • Threaded voice message conversations
      • Lightning Network zaps for voice messages
      • Reactions and engagement tracking
      • Nostr protocol integration

Software Releases & Project Updates

  • rust-nostr
    • v0.42.1
      • nostr: add detailed error handling for NIP-47 response deserialization
    • v0.42.0
      • Breaking changes
        • nostr: rework nip46 module
        • pool: drop support for deprecated negentropy protocol
        • connect: encrypt NIP-46 events with NIP-44 instead of NIP-04
        • connect: drop support for NIP-46 event decryption with NIP-04
      • Added
        • nostr: add UnsignedEvent::id method
        • nostr: add TagKind::single_letter constructor
        • nostr: add NIP-73 blockchain address and transaction
        • blossom: add new crate with Blossom support
        • mls-storage: add new crate with traits and types for mls storage implementations
        • mls-memory-storage: add an in-memory implementation for MLS
        • mls-sqlite-storage: a sqlite implementation for MLS
        • mls: add new crate for implementing MLS messaging
        • pool: add relay monitor
        • sdk: add Options::pool
        • relay-builder: add support for NIP-70 protected events
  • Primal
    • v2.2.20
      • Implement Redeem Code functionality
      • Implement notes image gallery per latest design
      • Implement loading and error states in ThreadScreen
      • Add support for parsing BUD-08 upload responses
    • Implement Primal Article Editor, a long form note editor interopable with other Nostr long form apps like Highlighter, Habla and Yakihonne.
  • Damus v1.14
    • Add safety reminder to wallets with higher balance
    • Add one-click Coinos wallet setup
    • Add notification setting to hide hellthreads
    • Add separated first aid option for relay lists that does not need a contact list reset
    • Add NIP-65 relay list support
    • Add Unicode 16 emoji reactions for iOS 18.4+ by upgrading EmojiPicker
    • Add a search interface to the settings screen
    • Add view introducing users to Zaps
    • Add new wallet view with balance and transactions list
    • Add copy technical info button to user visible errors, so that users can more easily share errors with developers
    • Add dismiss button to wallet high balance reminders
    • Zap receiver information now included for outgoing zaps
    • Add inline note rendering of invoices to pull up wallet selector sheet
    • Add route to profile page from wallet tx list
  • Coracle v0.6.17
    • Show web of trust badge on DM items
    • Make name on messages clickable
    • Reduce duplicate dependencies
    • Add relays to note options form
  • Zap.stream v0.8.0
    • Add translations for 30 languages
    • Add deep linking for all zap.stream links
    • Add push notifications
  • Futr v0.3.0
    • Rich Media Support
      • Image display and viewer: Images from URLs now display directly in posts with a dedicated image viewer
      • Video player with fullscreen support: Embedded video player with play/pause controls, progress bar, and fullscreen mode
      • Download images and videos: Save any image or video directly to your computer with a single click
      • Video controls: Full video playback controls including time display and seeking
    • Enhanced Social Features
      • Comments & Conversations
        • Nested comment threads: Comment on posts with full threaded conversation support
        • Comment trees: Visual indentation shows conversation hierarchy and reply relationships
      • Reposts & References
        • Referenced post display: Reposts and quote reposts now show the original post content inline
        • Nested post references: Support for complex post reference chains
        • Quote repost support: Create and view quote reposts with your commentary
      • Profile Integration
        • Smart profile rendering: npub addresses automatically display as profile names and pictures
        • Clickable profile links: Click any profile reference to view that user’s feed
        • Profile pictures everywhere: User avatars displayed consistently across the app
    • User Experience Improvements
      • Navigation & Interface
        • Improved scrolling: Smooth scrolling behavior across all feeds and chats
        • Collapsible sidebar: More screen space when you need it
        • Auto-scroll intelligence: Feeds automatically scroll to new content when appropriate
      • Chat & Messaging
        • Message anyone: Send private messages without requiring a follow relationship
        • Better chat interface: Improved message display and input handling
        • Enhanced scroll behavior: Smooth chat scrolling that remembers your position
      • Cross-Platform Support
        • Windows support: Full Windows compatibility with native installer
        • Better performance: Reduced memory usage and faster loading
        • Improved reliability: Better connection handling and error recovery
  • Nostr-PHP v1.8.0
    • feat: Implement NIP-05 lookups
    • Add extra metadata fields for profile
    • Finish implementing methods Relay and RelaySet
    • Implement NIP-17 Private Direct Messages
    • NIP 44 implementation fix and test improvements
    • Remove CLI tool from library
  • Keychat v1.32.6
    • [Ecash] Updated Keychat_rust_ffi library. Supports paid mint servers
    • [Ecash] Added mint information page
    • [Ecash] Added fee for Ecash billing
    • [Browser] Enabled viewing of image URLs in WebView
    • [Browser] Enabled PDF viewing on desktop
    • Redesign the login page
  • Yumyume v0.7.0 - Mezze Platter with Labneh, Olives & Spiced Lamb
    • Version 0.7.0 brings together bookmark insights, URL context, smarter tagging, and improved flows for new users
    • Features:
      • Bookmark detail page: Click on a timestamp to open the new bookmark detail page
      • URL detail page: Click the info icon in the feed or bookmark detail to open a dedicated page for the URL
      • Update Bookmarklet to Kind 39701
      • Nstart integration: “Create a Profile” button now supports dynamic return URLs
      • Tags feed: Popular tags now only reflect the last 30 days
  • Nostur v1.21.0
    • Support Follow Packs
    • Support Blossom servers (uploading and mirroring)
    • Post Preview for Picture-only posts
    • Audio-only bar
    • Drag unread counter anywhere, tap to go to next unread post
    • Show media info in iOS Now Playing control center
  • 0xChat App v1.4.10
    • Add support for creating MLS private groups
  • Samiz v0.0.5-alpha (BLE mesh for nostr notes when the internet is down)
    • Add Logs view
    • Add Help view
  • Runstr v0.4.7 - Bug Squashing 🐛
    • Step tracking: Improve step tracking and pedometer precision
    • Nostr & Privacy:
      • NIP-101h: Choose what fitness details to share on Nostr (intensity, cadence, heart rate)
      • Remove fallback to public relays when using private relays for NIP-101h and NIP-101e events
    • Rewards System: Improve payouts reliability
    • UI & OS: GrapheneOS: Enhance location tracking with better permission handling and updated manifest requirements
    • Countdown Controls: “Skip Start Countdown” Check Box
  • Pokey v0.2.1-beta
    • Subscription feature: Additionally listen to all notes published by an NPUB, all notes under an NEVENT or any note including a specific #HASHTAG. Notes are fetched in user’s inbox relays.
    • If the note contains an image URL, it now displays
  • TollGate (Enables WiFi routers to accept Bitcoin payments for internet access)
    • v0.0.3
      • The router now automatically pays out accumulated funds to Lightning addresses
      • Add support for splitting payments between multiple Lightning addresses
      • Enhance configuration options for mints with more detailed settings for balance management and payout preferences
    • v0.0.2
      • Streamline build process with new GitHub Actions workflows, making it easier to create and publish releases
      • Enhance configuration management system, allowing for more flexible and robust setup options
      • The system now randomizes the LAN IP address on first boot
      • Update first boot script to configure the network settings more effectively, including setting DNS servers to CloudFlare DNS
      • Introduce new release.json file to manage module versions and dependencies
      • Add package management files (packages_dev.json and packages_stable.json) to define external and custom packages for the OS

Boosts

  • 01:07:13 Thanks to everyone who streamed sats, and shoutout to our top boosters:
    • [🏆 TOP BOOSTER] @AVERAGE_GARY (10,200 sats) “libbitcoinkernel maximalism” “That’s OSMU taking the bitaxe donations. Need more manufacturing implementations. Just like Core”
    • @hgw39 (10,000 sats) “As NVK said, we have the option to not update and run an older version. But Core encourage us to update to more recent versions for security. This sounds reasonable to me so what are the security ramifications if you run an older version? Also, could you explain more about the Lebitcoin kernel project Craig was talking about. That sounds interesting. Thanks.”
    • @Rod Palmer (5,000 sats) “scolding people who don’t run nodes wasn’t effective. telling people that running a specific flavor of node will make people they don’t like extremely mad may just work”
    • @Chris (5,000 sats) “Would still love the ability to export a Secure Note encrypted with bip85 entropy that can be decrypted at any point in the future by a coldcard running the same seed/passphrase combo. A stacker news poll showed over 50% of users would be interested in this feature.”
    • @Hech (1,000 sats) “Great episode”
    • @Bob the Cow (500 sats) “Mooooo”
    • @Plunger (343 sats) “Great panel, informative show.”
    • @Homer Hodl (120 sats) “For the block clock refresh.. how about the ability to set a threshold to update the display quicker than the default if the new value exceeds the adjustable threshold?”

Tech Tip of the Day

  • Signallama: Signal bot to chat with your ollama instance [Github]
    • Signallama enables users to interact with LLMs via the Signal messaging platform
    • It primarily supports Ollama but is compatible with various LLM providers through LiteLLM

Bitcoin Optech Newsletter

  • Highlights from recent Bitcoin Optech Newsletters
    • 356
      • Do attributable failures reduce LN privacy? Carla Kirk-Cohen posted to Delving Bitcoin an analysis of the possible consequences for the privacy of LN spenders and receivers if the network adopts attributable failures, particularly telling the spender the amount of time it took to forward a payment at each hop.
    • 354
      • Vulnerability disclosure affecting old versions of Bitcoin Core: Antoine Poinsot posted to the Bitcoin-Dev mailing list to announce a vulnerability affecting Bitcoin Core versions before 29.0.
        • An attacker could send an excessive number of node address advertisements to force a 32-bit identifier to overflow, resulting in a node crash.

News & Noteworthy

Bitcoin

  • Soft-fork proposal: Dust Expiry: Clean the UTXO set from spam [Delving Bitcoin]
    • Dust Expiry is a soft-fork proposal that prunes low-value, inactive UTXOs from the set unless the owner provides proof or pays an ongoing cost, effectively removing spam from those unwilling to maintain it.
  • BIP39 Extension for Manual Seed Phrase Creation [Bitcoin Dev discussion]
    • The proposal uses every eighth word from existing wordlists to create 16-word phrases with 128 bits of entropy.
    • The system encodes derivation paths in the least significant three bits of each word, allowing for specification of up to seven different paths or 48 bits of metadata.

Lightning + L2+

  • Wallet of Satoshi teases the upcoming launch of a fully non-custodial Lightning wallet in the U.S. market [Twitter post]
    • WoS ceased its operations in the U.S. in November 2023.

Business & Finance

  • Block Inc. announces bitcoin payment integration for Square merchants, reaching all eligible sellers by 2026 [Announcement]
    • Follow-up: Block reveals their LN routing node generates 9.7% annual returns with 184 BTC capacity [Atlas21]
  • Breez and Spark announce a new implementation of the Breez SDK built on Spark’s Bitcoin-native Layer 2 infrastructure, enabling developers to integrate self-custodial Lightning payments into apps [Announcement]
    • The implementation provides support for all major programming languages, LNURL, Lightning addresses, and mobile notifications without relying on bridges or external consensus.
  • Ledn announces a strategic shift to focus solely on bitcoin-backed lending, effective July 1, 2025, as 95% of their loan clients currently use bitcoin as collateral [Announcement]
  • Casa app now allows users to connect bank accounts and buy bitcoin directly through its Zero Hash partnership, supporting ACH and wire transfers [Announcement]
  • GameStop Corp. announces the purchase of 4,710 bitcoin [Press release]

Funding

  • OpenSats announces its Eleventh Wave of Bitcoin Grants to “support a diverse set of contributors advancing Bitcoin’s infrastructure, tooling, and accessibility.”
    • Three first-time projects have been choosen: BitShoka, Great Script Restoration, and 256 Foundation; alongside three renewed project grants for Payjoin, Mostro, and P2Pool v2.
  • Btrust awards a total of $1,004,010 to 10 grant recipients, including four for developer education, two for events, and four for conferences:
    • Summer of Bitcoin, Vinteum, Bitshala, LibrerĂ­a de Satoshi’s B4OS, Adopting Bitcoin Cape Town 2025, Bitcoin++ Florianopolis 2025, Dakar Bitcoin Days 2025, Africa Bitcoin Conference 2025, Africa Free Routing Lightning Bootcamps, and Base58’s LARP Tutor Session in Mauritius.
  • The Human Rights Foundation announces a 8 BTC donation to 22 projects and individuals working on Bitcoin and freedom tech [Bitcoin Magazine]
    • The recipients are: Mostro, SudaBit, Stringer News, Prices Today, Instamouse, Seedsigner, Spacebear, Padawan Wallet, Brink, Coin Center, Bitcoin Design Foundation, EmberOne, 2025 FROST Developer Support, Ecash UX Improvement Project, Summer of Bitcoin, Entropy, Evento, Brandon Odiwuor, Satoshi Sister Circle, Bitcoin Month, Bitcoin Pidgin & Bitcoin Anambra, and Bitcoin Boma.
  • Bitcoin educational project My First Bitcoin receives a $1 million grant from #startsmall initiative [Press release]
  • Maelstrom Fund announces a $100,000 open source developer year-long grant to Ben Allen for his work on the Payjoin Dev Kit [Coin Telegraph]

Bounty

  • Skibidi Wallet Bounty: A bounty to build the first brainrot Bitcoin wallet for Gen Z and Gen Alpha
    • Skibidi Cash announces a $6,500 bounty for developing a mobile-first, self-custodial Bitcoin wallet targeting Gen Z and Gen Alpha.
    • The wallet must feature a brutalist/meme/brainrot user experience, be open-source under the MIT license, and operate on mainnet.

Mining

  • Bitlayer Labs partners with Antpool, F2Pool, and SpiderPool for BitVM bridge implementation [Announcement]
    • Mining partners (which together represent nearly 40% of Bitcoin’s global hashrate) will provide interfaces accepting non-standard transactions.

Privacy

  • Telegram sees sharp rise in user data sharing with authorities in Q1 2025 [404 Media]
    • Telegram provided data on 22,777 users to authorities in Q1 2025, a significant increase from 5,826 users in the same period of 2024.
    • Telegram Transparency Data: A webpage of crowdsourced data on Telegram transparency, displaying how many requests were accepted by Telegram and where [Github]

Quantum

  • How to factor 2048 bit RSA integers with less than a million noisy qubits [ArXiv Research paper]
    • A new research reduces qubit requirements for factoring 2048-bit RSA integers from 20 million to less than a million, though increasing runtime from eight hours to less than a week.
    • The research maintains consistent assumptions about quantum hardware capabilities, including 0.1% gate error rate and specific timing parameters for surface code cycles.

Bitcoin Security Incidents

  • Attempted kidnapping of Bitcoin exchange executive’s daughter in Paris, France [Le Monde]
    • Four masked men attempt to kidnap the daughter of Paymium cryptocurrency exchange CEO and co-founder in Paris’ 11th district.
  • French police thwarts multiple kidnapping attempts targeting cryptocurrency entrepreneurs and their families [BFM TV]
    • Ten suspects were arrested Monday in Nantes just before attempting to abduct someone linked to cryptocurrencies.
    • Police conducted a second raid Tuesday, arresting the commando responsible for a May 13 kidnapping attempt in Paris’s 11th district.
  • Crypto investor arrested for torturing Italian businessman in NYC, U.S. extortion plot [CoinDesk]
    • John Woeltz is charged with kidnapping and assaulting a 28-year-old Italian businessman in a luxury SoHo apartment, attempting to extort cryptocurrency passwords through torture with electric shocks, drugs, and chainsaw threats.
    • The victim, held captive for two weeks, escaped on Friday 23rd May believing he would be killed.
  • Man kidnapped in Sofia, Bulgaria for 14 bitcoin by fake police officers on October 7, 2024 [BTV Novinite]
    • A 35-year-old man is kidnapped on October 7 by individuals posing as police officers in Lyulin district. The victim is threatened with a gun and forced to transfer 14 bitcoin.
    • Searches reveal fake police credentials, a CDCOC badge, an airsoft pistol, and a blue police lamp
  • U.S. tourist loses $123K in crypto after being drugged by fake Uber driver in London, UK following a night out [Decrypt]
    • The driver offers a cigarette believed to contain scopolamine, causing the victim to unwittingly reveal his phone passcode, which allowed the attacker to access his Revolut account, stealing $72k in XRP tokens and $50k in bitcoin.
  • Russian entrepreneurs running a cryptocurrency business kidnapped in Palermo, Argentina [TN]
    • The victims, found tied up by police, paid a $43,000 cryptocurrency ransom through a friend. The suspects flee Argentina to the United Arab Emirates and are now subject to an Interpol red alert.
  • South Korean police arrest a Russian suspect following an attempted $730,000 crypto robbery at a Seoul hotel [CoinTelegraph]
    • Two other suspects fled the country before authorities could prevent their departure.
    • The three Russians posed as crypto traders, luring 10 Korean investors to a hotel room where they ambushed victims with replica weapons and cable ties. One victim escaped, alerting police and causing the suspects to flee empty-handed.
  • Ugandan crypto founder abducted and robbed of $500,000 by armed men impersonating military officers [Decrypt]
    • Attackers forced him to transfer half a million USD in cryptocurrency and sell portions of his holdings under duress.
    • The victim’s company reports this incident as part of a larger trend, claiming over 48 similar crypto-related attacks have occurred in Uganda.
  • Three Chinese nationals are expelled from Paraguay after an attempted assault on a crypto-mining company that led to a police chase and shooting [Monumental]
    • The prosecutor confirmed the foreigners entered Paraguay illegally through Bolivia and Brazil, stating that “They came as programmers to work at the company”.

Protocol

  • Bitcoin Core #31622: psbt: add non-default sighash types to PSBTs and unify sighash type match checking [Merged]
  • Bitcoin Core #32155: miner: timelock the coinbase to the mined block’s height [Merged]
  • Bitcoin Core #31444: cluster mempool: add txgraph diagrams/mining/eviction [Merged]
  • Core Lightning #8140: Peer storage enable [Merged]
  • Core Lightning #8021: Splice: Interop Final (probably) with Eclair [Merged]
  • Core Lightning #8226: Signmessage: Add a new rpc called signmessagewithkey that can be used to sign messages using any key from our wallet [Merged]
  • LDK #3796: Do not dip into the funder’s reserve to cover the two anchors [Merged]
  • NIPs #1919: NIP-79: Passkey-Wrapped Keys a.k.a. Nosskey [Open]
  • NIPs #1934: Add NIP-XX: Static Payment Addresses [Open]
  • NIPs #1923: Create NIP-XX.md: Voice Messages [Open]

Government & Political

  • Bipartisan Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act reintroduced in U.S. Congress [Coin Center]
    • The bill aims to provide clarity for non-custodial crypto infrastructure developers and protect crypto developers from undue regulation and misapplication of licensing laws that have impeded privacy tech development in the U.S.
  • UK’s new strict crypto reporting requirements raise data security concerns [Lightning News]
    • Starting January 2026, UK implements extensive reporting requirements for all crypto firms serving UK customers, requiring collection of personal data and transaction details as part of OECD’s CARF initiative.
  • Pakistan announces creation of government-led Bitcoin Strategic Reserve, allocates 2,000 megawatts of excess energy to mining and establishes a Digital Asset Authority [Coin Telegraph]
  • Samourai Wallet’s defense releases its motion to dismiss
  • Roman Sterlingov’s defense requests the DOJ to drop charges, citing Todd Blanche’s memo against “victimless cryptocurrency regulatory prosecutions” [The Rage]
    • Defense argues prosecution lacks victims or eyewitnesses, noting “no victims testified at Mr. Sterlingov’s trial or sentencing” and jury was instructed to disregard awareness of illicit activity.
  • Roman Storm’s defense re-petitions court to compel FinCEN communications, claiming government “misled this Court with regard to the scope of Section 1960 under relevant FinCEN guidance” [The Rage]
    • Motion follows revelations in Samourai Wallet case where FinCEN officials indicated cryptocurrency mixing services without control are “NOT” money transmitting businesses, contradicting prosecution’s arguments.
    • Follow-up: SDNY abandons the theory that Tornado Cash was a financial institution, dropping unlicensed money transmission charges but continues to pursue charges under the Patriot Act.
    • Follow-up: Judge Failla rejects Roman Storm’s defense argument that non-custodial status matters, stating “You haven’t persuaded me that the custody issue is as important as you say.”
  • The SEC formally dismisses its lawsuit against Binance and Changpeng Zhao, ending one of the last remaining crypto enforcement actions [CNBC]
    • Binance forges ties with World Liberty Financial, which funnels 75% of profits to Trump family-linked entities and receives a $2 billion investment from MGX.

Events

Reads

  • Here’s a list of our top recently published reads:
    • UTXO Set Report, by orangesurf [Mempool Research]
    • The 2015 Spam Attacks, by BitMEX Research [Blog post]
    • Low Time Preference or Self-Neglect?, by Bitcoin Park [Blog post]
    • Seedless is safer, by Jonathan Pollack [Bitkey]
    • Nerd of the Month #3: Working on Longevity, by Nick Johnson [Spiral]

Episode submission ideas

  • We’re looking for ideas for interesting panel conversations. To send Bitcoin related questions, just go to bitcoin.review and follow the contact links at the bottom of the page.

Get in touch with the pod

Did I get anything wrong above? Help me correct it producer@coinkite.com