BTC Daily Intelligence Bulletin (DIB)

Block: 827,144

DTG/ICOD: 0800EST 24Jan24

Precedence: Routine (RR)

Controls: Public Release

QQQQ

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BLUF: Russian plane with 65 Ukrainian POW crashes / US missile strikes Hezbollah in Iraq / Trump wins NH primary / BIS to push CBDCs in '24 / SEC says it was 'sim-swapped / 5th Gen. Warfare in high gear

Market Data: Price: 1 BTC= $40,047, 19.74oz Gold

24hr Hi: $40,483 / Lo: $39,105

Vol: $26.4B (Down 17%)

Mkt Cap: $785B (Up 2.9%)

HashRate: 520 EH/s

Avg Fees: 16,819 sats/tx (Down 78%)

Nodes: 17,215

---Reports---

-International Events-

1. A plane that Russia says was carrying 65 Ukrainian POWs crashed. An official says all aboard died: A military transport plane that Russia said was carrying 74 people, including 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war to be swapped, crashed Wednesday in a border region near Ukraine. All aboard were killed, according to the governor. It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the crash. (AP)

2. Iraq condemns 'irresponsible' US air strikes on Iran-backed groups: The Iraqi government has strongly condemned US strikes which targeted sites used by Iranian-backed groups in Iraq on Wednesday. The US said its "proportionate" attacks had targeted "Iran-affiliated groups". US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said the strikes on three facilities belonging to the Kataib Hezbollah militia and other groups were "in direct response to a series of escalatory attacks" against US and other international forces in Iraq and Syria. (BBC)

-US Events-

1. Trump wins New Hampshire primary as rematch with Biden appears increasingly likely: The result was a setback for former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, who finished second despite investing significant time and financial resources in a state famous for its independent streak. (AP)

-Regulatory and Legal-

NSTR

-Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDC)-

1. BIS to focus on tokenization, CBDC as part of 2024 strategy/: The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) has revealed its strategic priorities for 2024, with a particular emphasis on CBDCs and tokenization. The 2024 roadmap points to a continuation of the watchdog’s engagement with digital financial technologies. The BIS has taken a heavily pro-CBDC stance and has published a comprehensive framework for countries looking to create their own localized digital currencies. (CryptoSlate)

-Institutional Concerns-

1. European Bitcoin ETP Providers Slash Fees in Response to U.S. ETF Competition: Two prominent asset management firms, Invesco and WisdomTree, have taken a bold step by slashing fees on their European-listed ETPs by over 60%. (CryptoIntelligence)

-Economic Indicators-

NSTR

-Technological Updates-

1. Binance Survey Shows 55% of Europeans Use Crypto for Everyday Purchases: Binance has recently conducted a survey in Spain, France, Sweden, and Italy, to get insights into the habits of cryptocurrency users. Revealing quite an astonishing trend, the results highlight the behaviors and preferences of the European cryptocurrency community. A total of 10,498 individuals participated in the survey on the Binance Survey Platform (blockchainreporter) (AC-Note the survey was conducted only with Crypto 'users', most likely Binance customers in those countries. This is a highly biased report and misleading headline)

-Security Incidents and Concerns-

1. SEC Got SIM Swapped: How Hacker Gained Control of SEC's X Account: The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has admitted that a SIM swap attack compromised its X account, where a fake announcement about the approval of spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) was posted. “The unauthorized party obtained control of the SEC cell phone number associated with the account in an apparent ‘SIM swap’ attack,” the regulator said. (Bitcoincom)

-Bitcoin Community-

1. Bitcoin Mining Sustainable Energy Usage Reaches 54.5%: Daniel Batten, co-founder of CH4 Capital, reported that bitcoin mining has reached all-time high levels of sustainable energy usage and emissions mitigation. According to Batten, 54.5% of the energy used for this activity is sustainable, and the industry is mitigating 7.3% of all its emissions directly, which constitutes a new record for any industry without offsets. (Bitcoincom)

2. Number of Crypto Owners Globally Reached 580 Million in 2023, Report Shows: The number of global crypto owners surged 34% in 2023, reaching 580 million by December, a new report from Cryptodotcom shows. In particular, bitcoin ownership surged 33% (to 296M) while Ethereum saw an even steeper rise of 39% (to 124M). The report pinpoints the approval of spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and the Bitcoin Ordinals protocol as key drivers of bitcoin adoption growth, alongside strong institutional interest. (Bitcoincom)

-Bitcoin Sentiment-

1. Fear(0)/Greed(100) Index: 48/100 (Down 2 pts)

Analyst Comments (AC): There is a report that is out from the Univ. of Michigan stating that Americans are upbeat about the economy due to lower inflation and higher wages. It is being carried by most major outlets, alongside of other reports of increased defaults and inabilities to pay basic expenses. The war of narratives (5th Gen. Warfare) is in high gear and it is ovbious that most media outlets are sharpened tools in this war of ideas, designed to influence the population's actions. Today's news reporting seems very high in narrative influence and lower in facts.