BTC Daily Intelligence Bulletin (DIB)
Block: 896,962
DTG/ICOD: 1200Z 15May2025
Precedence: Routine (RR)
Controls: Public Release
QQQQ
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BLUF: Russia-Ukraine Talks Proceed Without Putin / China Activity Up Near Taiwan / DHS Investigating James Comey Post / NYU Withholds Diploma Over Anti-Israel Speech / NJ Transit Strike Strands Many / GENIUS is Not Dead / WI Investment Board Sells BTC ETC at a Low / Abu Dhabi Sovereign Wealth Buys More BTC ETF / New Companies Start Bitcoin Treasuries / Markets Quiet / Coinbase Hacked for $400M / Cartels Using Drones For Recon / US-UAE Sign Deal for Huge New AI Center / Artists Price Works in Bitcoin / Global Population To Start Decline in 2085
Market Data: Price: 1 BTC= $103,636, 32.84 oz Gold, .24 Median US House
24hr Hi: $104,432 / Lo: $101,440
Volume: $50 (Up 15%)
Mkt Cap: $2.05T (Up 1%)
HashRate: 846 EH/s
Avg Fee Rate: 3 sats/vBtye (Down 25%)
---Reports---
-International Events-
1. Russians and Ukrainians meet in Turkey for first talks in 3 years: Live Turkish television pictures showed Russian and Ukrainian negotiators holding discussions together with a Turkish delegation. The meeting at the Dolmabahce Palace on the Bosphorus marks a rare sign of diplomatic progress between the warring sides, who had not met face-to-face since March 2022. It was Putin who proposed the direct talks in Turkey, but he spurned a challenge from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to meet him there in person. Instead, he sent a team of mid-level officials, and Ukraine responded by naming negotiators of similar rank. (Reuters)
2. Taiwan sees spike in PLA military activity as island stages defence drills: Taiwan has reported an increase in activity by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) near the self-ruled island over the past four days, as its own military has conducted a series of live-fire drills to test its amphibious defences. The island’s defence ministry reported on Thursday that 29 aircraft and nine vessels were operating near the island in the last 24 hours. (SCMP)
-US Events-
1. Noem says DHS, Secret Service investigating Comey over alleged ‘assassination’ threat: Former FBI Director James Comey posted an Instagram image on May 15, 2025, showing seashells forming the numbers '8647'. The number '86' often means to get rid of or refuse service, which some Trump administration officials interpret as a call for violence against the president. (GroundNews)
2. NYU denies diploma to student who criticized Israel in commencement speech: Logan Rozos delivered a pro-Palestinian speech at NYU's Gallatin School graduation on Wednesday, which received cheers and a standing ovation. The university announced it would withhold Rozos’s diploma and pursue disciplinary action amid nationwide pressure on universities to counter pro-Palestinian speech linked to possible federal funding risks. (GroundNews)
3. New Jersey Transit strike underway; some 350,000 commuters scramble for transportation: Members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) union had been threatening to go on strike unless NJ Transit officials and the union were able to agree on new contract terms and conditions for the workers who drive the trains. (ABC)
-Regulatory and Legal-
1. Stablecoin Legislation Is Moving in the Senate Again as Lawmakers Negotiate New Draft: Progress has been made on the Senate's GENIUS Act, with new language addressing national security, ethics, and Big Tech in stablecoin legislation. The bill still exempts the president and vice president from issuing stablecoins, but now prohibits executive special government employees from doing so. (Decrypt) (AC-GENIUS is apparently not dead.)
-CBDCs/World Currencies/Strategic Reserves-
1. Wisconsin Investment Board Liquidates $300M Stake BlackRock's Bitcoin ETF Amid Tariff Uncertainty: The State of Wisconsin Investment Board sold its $300 million stake in BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust during the first quarter of 2025, amidst market uncertainty caused by U.S. tariffs. The sale was completed before 'Liberation Day' on April 2, 2025, when comprehensive tariffs were imposed. (Decrypt) (AC-Even investment boards are subject to emotional transactions. Now that the BTC price is rising, maybe it's a good time to repurchase...)
2. Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund raised BlackRock Bitcoin ETF exposure to 8.7 million shares in Q1, valued at $408.5 million: An Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund added an extra 491,439 shares in BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETF in Q1, currently worth $28.8 million. The acquisitions bring Mubadala Investment Company’s total IBIT holdings to 8,726,972 shares, now valued at $512 million. (TheBlock)
-Institutional Concerns-
1. A1 Abraaj Becomes First Middle Eastern Public Firm to Adopt Bitcoin Treasury Strategy: Bahrain-based A1 Abraaj Restaurants Group has officially adopted bitcoin as its primary treasury reserve asset. (BitcoinCom)
2. Meliuz Purchases 274 BTC, Pioneering Bitcoin Treasury Strategy in Brazil: Meliuz, a Brazilian cashback business, has become the first public company in Brazil and Latin America to establish a bitcoin treasury strategy. (BitcoinCom)
-Economic Indicators-
1. Dollar Set to End Week Little Changed: The US dollar index eased to around 100.6 on Friday and was poised to end the week little changed, as early gains from the US-China trade truce were offset by softer US economic data. (TradingEconomics)
2. S&P 500 Extends Gains for Fourth Day: US stocks closed mixed Thursday as investors weighed earnings, economic data, and lingering trade uncertainty. The S&P 500 rose 0.4% for a fourth straight gain, lifted by Cisco’s 3.7% jump on an upbeat AI-driven forecast, while the Dow added 271 points and the Nasdaq 100 finished muted, as Amazon and Meta weighed. (TradingEconomics)
-Security Concerns-
1. Coinbase Hack: $400M Breach via Insider Threat: On May 11, someone sent Coinbase an email claiming they had accessed customer data. At first glance? Classic bluff. But this was different. Hackers had paid insiders—both employees and external collaborators—to get their hands on sensitive systems. From there, it snowballed: fake identities, direct manipulation of users, and theft of real crypto assets. Coinbase is already reinforcing internal controls, and the transparency around the breach might actually work in their favor long-term. Still, if you’re holding funds on centralized exchanges, this is your reminder: Not your keys, not your coins. (BitcoinSensus)
-Technology and Science-
1. Mexican Cartels Increasingly Using Drones to Replace Human Scouts: Mexican cartels are increasing their use of drones to replace human scouts to monitor the activity of U.S. Border Patrol agents along the border. The drones are reportedly replacing the human scouts who were frequently minors. (Breitbart)
2. Trump and Abu Dhabi ink partnership to build massive AI data center complex in UAE: The US and UAE will partner to build a massive data center complex in Abu Dhabi to advance artificial intelligence capabilities with 5-gigawatts of capacity — enough to power a major city. No companies were named in the Commerce Department’s announcement, although Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang was spotted at one of Trump’s UAE meetings. Nvidia declined to comment. (CNN)
-Bitcoin Community-
1. Creative Energy Priced In Sats: 12 Bitcoin Artists Preview Bitcoin 2025 Art Gallery and Auction: Since 2019, the Bitcoin Conference Art Gallery has invited artists to do something radical—at least by traditional art world standards: price their work in bitcoin—not as metaphor, but as method. (BitcoinMag)
-Bitcoin Sentiment-
1. Fear(0)/Greed(100) Index: 70/100 (Down 3 pts)
Analyst Comments (AC): FutureCast Friday: Global Population Is Projected To Begin Declining In 2085: As fertility rates fall and life expectancy rises, average ages are climbing in nearly every country, while population growth is steadily tapering off. The global population is projected to begin declining in 2085, as the average age rises to 42 years (from the current 33 years). By the year 2100, the average person is expected to be 43 years old, with population growth at -0.1%. Population aging carries several economic challenges. These include shrinking labor forces, slower productivity growth, and increased fiscal pressure on pension and healthcare systems. (ZeroHedge) (AC-Demographics are one of the key pillars for forecasting the future. Even though the variables are many, population and age are components of economic growth and demand on resources.)
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Analyst: BV2A
END REPORT
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*NSTR-Nothing Significant To Report