Bitcoin Price maintained its position above $115,000 on Friday as Binance, the world’s largest Bitcoin and crypto exchange, partners with Spain’s BBVA Bank to provide third-party custody services and explores key steps towards institutional grade security.

The partnership allows Binance customers to store assets in US Treasury securities held by BBVA, Spain’s third largest bank, and the exchange accepts them as a margin of trading. This arrangement effectively separates trading activities from assets custody and provides an additional layer of security for investors involved in exchange risk.

The move comes as a $4.3 billion settlement with US regulators in 2023 continues to restructure the trust following the $4.3 billion settlement over money laundering violations. The exchange implements more stringent controls and clearer disclosures about fund management, such as allowing clients to use third-party custodians such as Sygnum and Flowbank.

BBVA is increasingly active in the Bitcoin and crypto sectors, launching crypto trading and custody services through this year’s mobile app. The bank also takes a bold attitude by advising private clients to allocate up to 7% of their portfolio to Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency, reflecting the growing institutional trust in crypto.

The custody arrangement addresses one of the main concerns that emerged following the collapse of FTX in 2022. Under the new structure, if Binance faces operational or regulatory challenges, Treasury securities under the control of the BBVA will safely insure customer funds.

This partnership represents a new standard for Bitcoin and crypto exchange security. The integration of traditional banking infrastructure with Bitcoin and crypto trading platforms could accelerate institutional adoption by providing a familiar, regulated framework.

The development is amid accelerating adoption of Bitcoin by companies, with the number of public companies holding Bitcoin on their balance sheets rising to over 200.

Market analysts suggest that the Binance and BBVA partnership can set precedents for similar arrangements between Bitcoin and Crypro exchanges and traditional banks. The move could effectively bridge the gap between traditional finance and Bitcoin and attract more institutional investors who are hesitant to enter the Bitcoin market due to custody concerns.

The volume of major Bitcoin and crypto exchanges remains stable following the news, with Bitcoin prices continuing to trade between $115,000 and $116,000. A calm response in the market suggests that as the Bitcoin and the crypto industry matures, the development of the institutions is increasingly normalised.

Merrill Lynch will have to shell out nearly $3.7 million in damages and other costs after arbitrators sided against the wealth management firm following a private equity complaint.

Two customers, Qun He and Haihui Zhang, filed a complaint against Merrill, Bank of America’s wealth management division, in late 2023, alleging the firm violated securities laws, industry standards and its fiduciary duty.

The complainants also alleged the firm acted with negligence and negligent supervision and breached its contract related to various unspecified securities. Merrill Lynch denied the allegations.

The U.S. Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) made an independent arbitration forum available, and a public panel of arbitrators decided Merrill Lynch should pay the claimants $2.73 million in compensatory damages, $2,002 in costs and $954,634 in attorneys’ fees.

Michael Bixby, a Florida attorney who represented the two customers, tells AdvisorHub that a broker recommended investments in illiquid proprietary feeder funds sold by Merrill. Bixby says that the feeder funds pooled capital into private equity investments overseen by institutional investors such as Apollo Global Management, KKR and Blackstone.

The lawyer says the recommended funds were advertised as having potential annual returns of 15% to 20%, but ended up recording annual returns around 3% after subtracting private equity fees and administrative charges from Merrill.

“We’re pleased with the result, and we think it reflects the arbitrator’s decision that Merrill was responsible for misconduct and held them accountable.” 

Follow us on X, Facebook and Telegram

Don’t Miss a Beat – Subscribe to get email alerts delivered directly to your inbox

Check Price Action

Surf The Daily Hodl Mix

&nbsp

Disclaimer: Opinions expressed at The Daily Hodl are not investment advice. Investors should do their due diligence before making any high-risk investments in Bitcoin, cryptocurrency or digital assets. Please be advised that your transfers and trades are at your own risk, and any losses you may incur are your responsibility. The Daily Hodl does not recommend the buying or selling of any cryptocurrencies or digital assets, nor is The Daily Hodl an investment advisor. Please note that The Daily Hodl participates in affiliate marketing.

Generated Image: Midjourney

Author

Sujha Sundararajan

Author

Sujha Sundararajan

About Author

Sujha has been recognised as Women In Crypto 2024 by BeInCrypto for her leadership in crypto journalism.

Share

Last updated: 

July 8, 2025

Stablecoin issuer Tether has built a gold vault empire worth around $8 billion, stored in a private vault in Switzerland, CEO Paolo Ardoino told Bloomberg in an interview.

The USDT issuer directly owns the vast majority of about 80 tons of gold stockpile outright. However, precious metals represent only 5% of Tether’s $112 billion reserve portfolio, per the company’s March attestation.

“We have our own vault. I believe it’s the most secure vault in the world,” Ardoino noted, declining to reveal the whereabouts of the Swiss vault due to security concerns.

USDT stablecoin reached a market cap of $159 billion last month, claiming 62.43% of the entire $255 billion stablecoin ecosystem.

The company’s gold reserves match the UBS Group’s total precious metals and commodities exposure, the report added.

Tether Gold Reserves Signals Pivot From Pure Fiat Exposure

In Ardoino’s books, gold’s safe-haven status helps buffer against fiat or regulatory turbulence. He said that the precious metal is a safer asset than any national currency.

“Eventually, I think that if people start to get concerned about the potential increase of the debt of the US, they might look at alternatives,” he told Bloomberg.

Further, the recent surge in gold prices is fueled by central bank buying and a return of investor interest in gold ETFs, according to a report from J.P. Morgan.

“Every single central bank in the BRICS countries is buying gold,” Ardoino added.

Gold Reserves Could Lower Custody Costs

Tether has been widely known for its association with gold, launching a gold-based token, Tether Gold, that recently showed stable gains.

According to Ardoino, the company’s decision to own its own gold vault is due to the high costs that precious metal vault operators charge.

If Tether’s gold token were to grow to $100 billion in circulation, “it’s a lot of money to pay 50 basis points,” said Ardoino.

“If you have your own vault, eventually with the size, it gets much cheaper to do custody.”

Avalanche’s native token Avax .CWP-Coin-Chart SVG Pass {Strokewid: 0.65! Important; }

price









24 hours volume

?
->


Price 7d

With the market attention following a breakout that outweighed serious resistance, and the launch of the Maplestory N was just around the corner, the momentum could only start.

Avax has recently surged over 10%, punching the $20.40 resistance and briefly touching on $22.40 before merging the nearly $21 integration.

The Avalanche ecosystem is hotter than ever, with its total value (TVL) locked at $1.29 billion, up 6.8% from last month’s $119 billion.

Native token, $ avaxDespite a 23.62% DIP over the past 30 days, the market capitalization is $20.99 and the market capitalization is $8.8 billion. Analysts predict… pic.twitter.com/smslkcegt8

-Xlikrypto (@ElikRypt) May 1, 2025

The move, backed by substantial trading volumes and bull flags in chart textbooks, shows a reversal of potential trends after months of integration. Currently, technical support is $19.50 and we can see $25 as our next upside test.

Avalanche Crypto pushes high with Gamefi’s wishes

But pushing avax beyond just a chart pattern is the high-stakes entry for Maplestory N, the Web3 revival of Nexon’s legendary RPG franchise.

The countdown has just begun to start.

✦ Get ready to mint new stories from MaplestoryN pic.twitter.com/ihu8zxvael

-Maplestory Universe (@maplestoryu) May 1, 2025

This isn’t just the Gamefi Fluff that powered nostalgia. Maplestory N boasts nearly 1 million registered wallets and over 31 million chain transactions since the testing phase. This is an eye-opening recruitment metric that is way above the average Web3 Game Rollout.

More importantly, this is not a side experiment. This is the launch of the flagship at Nexon’s Maplestries Universe. This pivoted from polygons to avalanches last year for scalability and performance.

Discover: Best New Cryptocurrencies to Invest in 2025

What is this problem for Avax Holders?

First, avalanches benefit from network-level value. Unlike many L1s that host generic GameFi projects, Avalanche custom subnets like Henesys allow gas pricing and trading activities to directly support Avax Economics. As activity at Henesys increases, Avax staking and gas demand could rise in parallel.

Secondly, this is a rare intersection between mainstream gaming IP and Crypto-Native infrastructure. Maplestory is not a Defi agricultural simulator. It is a globally recognized franchise with over 250 million lifetime players and now offers on-chain assets that can be traded through the avalanche infrastructure.

So of course, Maplestory N was able to redefine the Web3 game benchmark and spotlight Avalanche as the go-to chain of legacy game studios.

Discover: Buy Now 12+ Hottest Crypto-Precels

Avax Price Shifts Bullish: Everything you need to know

Price-wise, if Avax maintains its current bullish structure and volume trajectory, the $27 resistance will be a short-term breakout zone. That level of clear flip can ignite a move to $30-33, especially when macro-essence is advantageous, and Bitcoin maintains buoyancy of over $60,000.

–

price

Market capitalization

–

–

–

24 hours
7d
30D
1Y
everytime

log

Looking further, the Parabolic Association rally up to $50 in May is unbelievable, but it could require both a Maple Story Blowout launch and a broader altcoin surge.

Still, analysts are currently pegging the average trading corridor in May, ranging from $24-28, offering potential accumulation zones below $18.

Discover: Best Meme Coin ICO to Invest Today

For the latest market updates, please join us in the discrepancy in 99bitcoins news here

At the launch of Maplestory n GameFi, close to the launch of Maplestory n GameFi, Avalanche’s Avax Gear in the $30+ Rally first appeared in 99 Bitcoin.

Welcome back to the latest edition Substack Blog that focuses on labor and construction material costs. Engineering News Record (ENR) history that can be traced back to 1874. The publication has its roots in two separate publications, Engineer & Surveyor and The Plumber and Sanitary Engineer. The first issue of Engineering News-Record was published on April 5, 1917. On January 1st, 1987, the acronym ENR was adopted as the title of the bi-weekly magazine. The charts that follow use data that are courtesy of ENR magazine that is published 26 times a year. Historical data was pulled from microfiche copies of the magazine obtained from the New York Public Library. ENR magazine is only a small portion of the products offered by Engineer News Record and we recommend readers, particularly those with an interest in engineering and construction, take the time to view the ENR website to learn more at…

https://www.enr.com/

Setting aside the constant “chug” higher over the long-term and a normal seasonal boost in Common Labor Costs (often driven by volatile weather conditions) and considering the effects of potential shortages of the common labor pool driven by the current political climate, the Common Labor Index is up 3.12% from this time last year. The five-month moving average (red line) of the 12-Month Rate of Change in the lower panel is noteworthy.

The Skilled Labor Index has also seen a large “pop” in the 12-Month Rate of Change since last April. What economic or labor demand fundamentals that caused the sharp drop in the second quarter of last year is not my forte to explain, but there has been a sharp rebound as the ENR Skilled Labor Index is up 4.36% YoY.

After two years of declining prices, a sharp jump in the 20-City Average Price of 16 Guage Stainless Steel Sheet, up 11.71% since this time last year. At the risk of stating the obvious, “stock piling”?

Since Q3 of last year Asphalt prices have jumped sharply higher and are now up 52.70% over the past 12 months even with oil prices down from $95 in October of last year (currently in the low 60s). As can be seen below the move in the ENR 20-City Average Price of Cutback MC800 has been in concert with a higher move in Crushed Stone.

After a brief dip in the ENR 20-City Average Price of Crushed Stone in the 3rd quarter of last year the per ton price for Base Course has lifted off again and is up 40.06% since this time last year.

The ENR 20-City Price of Light Weight Concrete Block had moved sideways for the better part of a year and a half until it rose to new highs at the start of this year and is now up 10.93% over the past twelve months.

The 20-City Average cost of 36” Corrugated Steel Pipe has risen steadily since the second quarter of 2022 and last month it marked a all-time high. It is currently up 46.53% since this time last year.

Data is courtesy of Engineering News Record

Charts are courtesy of Optuma whose charting software enables anyone to visualize any price data. To receive a 30-day trial of Optuma charting software go to…

www.optuma.com/TMC.

As energy costs continue rising in 2025, crypto enthusiasts are turning to cloud mining more than ever to save money. Cloud mining allows people to mine cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin without having to invest in their machines or use a lot of electricity. Not only does it reduce their electricity bills, but it also provides an easy, low-cost way for those looking to start mining crypto.

This article will discuss the five best free cloud mining websites in 2025, including their special features, sign-up bonuses, and customer support.

1. HashBeat—Leading the Way in AI-Optimized Cloud Mining

HashBeat is now among the best cloud miners because it uses the latest AI algorithms to get the best mining power. It converts it into the most profitable coins and continues to make the best income for customers. One of the best advantages of HashBeat is that you don’t have to spend money on buying a machine initially. 

This means that customers can start mining immediately without any costs such as machine setup fees, maintenance fees, and electricity bills. Not only that, you can get money quickly 24 hours a day, so you can mine without any hassle and get help at any time.

Exploring HashBeat’s Mining Packages

• Investment Amount: $100,000

• Contract Duration: 3 Days

• Daily Rewards: $8,400.00

• Total Earnings: $125,200.00 (including principal)

• Principal Refund: Yes

This plan is tailored for investors aiming for substantial short-term gains. 

Sign-Up Bonus:

New users who register on HashBeat receive a $15 bonus upon registration, providing an immediate boost to their mining journey. 

Affiliate Program:

HashBeat offers an attractive affiliate program, providing up to 5% commission on referrals. This allows users to earn a passive income by inviting others to the platform. 

Features at a Glance:

• AI-Optimized Hash Power Allocation: Maximizes earnings with real-time algorithm adjustments targeting the most profitable coins.

• Zero Upfront Hardware Costs: Enables instant cloud mining without rig setup, maintenance, or electricity fees.

• 24/7 Instant Withdrawals: Allows users to transfer rewards to their wallets or reinvest for compound growth without hidden fees.

• 24/7 Expert Support: Provides fast, professional, and friendly assistance to ensure a smooth mining experience.

2. GlobePool: AI-Driven Mining with Attractive Bonuses

GlobePool cloud mining is making a big difference by using AI-powered technology to make mining easier for both beginners and experts. GlobePool’s cutting-edge AI algorithm automatically shifts investors’ hash rates to the most profitable ones by analyzing blockchain data, electricity costs, and the best way to operate the machines.

Exploring GlobePool’s Mining Packages

• Investment Amount: $100,000

• Contract Duration: 2 Days

• Daily Rewards: $8,100.00

• Total Earnings: $16,200.00

This plan is designed for investors seeking quick returns with a substantial investment. 

Sign-Up Bonus:

New users who sign up with GlobePool receive a $15 welcome bonus, allowing them to start mining immediately without any initial investment.

Affiliate Program:

GlobePool also has the best affiliate program in crypto mining. It allows users to earn up to 5% commission when they refer new people. Affiliates can get paid instantly, see all the details clearly, and work without limits on how much they can earn.

Features at a Glance:

• AI-Driven Smart Mining: Uses state-of-the-art AI algorithms to optimize mining efficiency and return on investment.

• Instant Payouts: Gives immediate withdrawals with zero delay.

• Transparent Tracking: Gives real-time analysis in a plain dashboard.

• Unlimited Earning Potential: It places no cap on commissions, and the user can earn whatever they desire.

3. MineRenew: Sustainable Solar-Powered Mining

MineRenew is a place that mines crypto using large solar panels in sunny areas. Their job is to do it in a green way without harming the environment. It works in a way that does not emit carbon and saves electricity, so it is good for those who love the environment.

Features:

• 100% Solar Power: All their mining operations are powered by renewable solar energy.

• Easy-to-use Dashboard: A beautiful dashboard with detailed energy usage information is provided.

• Eco-friendly Plans: Users are encouraged to choose mining plans that are good for the environment in the long run.

• Customizable: Plans can be easily modified, and additional features can be added to increase mining power.

4. NeoMine AI: Fully Automated AI-Driven Mining

NeoMine AI is all about doing everything on its own. That means AI-powered bots select coins, adjust investments based on market conditions, and reinvest. This is great for investors who want to stay hands-off. Because then they don’t have to do anything; the bot does it all.

Features:

5. StormGain: Accessible Free Bitcoin Mining for Beginners

StormGain is an easy-to-use website. It’s great for those who are new to crypto mining. StormGain, which launched in 2018, offers free Bitcoin mining through its app. That means you can start mining without spending any money at first. It’s like a one-stop shop for everything crypto, including trading and mining. Members can earn between $2 and $ and-5 per week. They can also withdraw their money once they reach a minimum of $10.

Features:

• Free Mining: You can mine Bitcoin without spending any money initially.

• Mobile App: You can manage both mining and trading with the same app.

• Daily Bitcoin Payments: Your profits are deposited directly into your account.

• Easy-to-use Menu: Suitable for both beginners and experienced users.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. How do AI algorithms in cloud mining services like HashBeat increase profits?

AI algorithms automatically look at market data, such as hash rate, electricity prices, and cryptocurrency prices, and choose the best mining method. The AI ​​looks at which cryptos are most profitable and focuses on them. This allows the user to earn more money.

2. What do cloud mining services do to protect users’ money and data?

Good cloud mining websites use things like two-factor authentication (2FA). This means that you have to enter your password twice. Also, personal and financial information is hidden. They also regularly check for security. Because of these things, no one can sneak into users’ accounts. Also, personal and financial information is safe.

3. Can cloud mining be done using renewable energy?

Really. There are places like HashBeat, where they only use electricity from water and sunlight. That reduces the environmental impact of mining. From a cryptocurrency perspective, it’s a good answer to the pressure to work in a way that doesn’t harm the environment.

4. Are there mobile apps, and if so, can you manage your cloud mining from the comfort of your own home?

Many cloud mining websites have mobile apps. Users can use those apps to monitor and control their mining remotely. They can see how much they’re earning, how their mining is going, and what the market is like all at once. That makes it very easy, and you can work from anywhere.

Final Thoughts: Mining Smarter in 2025 – Go Green, Go Free, Go Profitable

With the world struggling with rising electricity bills, 2025 could be a good time for cloud mining. Not only are places like HashBeat and GlobePool showing the way, but they’re also showing the way with AI-powered mining, free to start, and eco-friendly power sources.

Whether you’re a newbie who likes HashBeat’s $10 bonus and eco-friendly mining or you’re looking to protect your profits with GlobePool’s people-friendly design, there’s a mining plan that’s right for you.

So, if you’re looking to grow your crypto this year in a smart and environmentally friendly way, HashBeat is the way to go. GlobePool is also a good option. Don’t forget about smaller sites like StormGain, BitFuFu, and ECOS, which can help you maximize your mining profits. Start mining today. Because the future of crypto isn’t just about money; it’s about big business.

User Reviews: Insights from HashBeat Miners

Easy to join

“Joining HashBeat was a hassle-free process. The $10 free initial deposit was a great start for me. The easy-to-navigate menu on the website made it easy to navigate. I started mining within minutes of creating an account.”

AI algorithm boosts profits

“I’ve used a few cloud mining websites, but HashBeat’s AI is unique. It learns and adapts to market changes, which has helped me make more money than other websites.”

Commitment to environmentally friendly mining

“As someone who loves the environment, I appreciate that HashBeat uses renewable energy sources. It’s nice to know that my mining is profitable and good for the environment.”

Good customer support

“I had a few questions at first, but their 24/7 support team was great. They answered quickly and clearly, which made me realize how important they are to their customers.”

Very reliable, pays on time

“Trust is everything in cloud mining. HashBeat does what it says. Paying on time has never been an issue. That has made me have more confidence in them.”