Bitcoin Bounces, Builder Gather: ETHCC Arrives

PLUS: Bitcoin spikes past $108K as ProCap BTC scoops up 4,900+ coins, Russia accelerates digital ruble rollout, Bitcoin miners brace for the biggest difficulty drop in years, and SoFi announces crypto comeback.

Author

Michael Stinson
June 27, 2025

Happy Friday, Maestros!

Welcome to the Bitcoin Renaissance!

This week, Bitcoin jumped past $108K after ProCap BTC bought over 4,900 coins following a $1B SPAC deal. Russia accelerates digital ruble adoption nationwide. Miners expect the biggest difficulty drop since 2021, and SoFi announces plans to bring back Bitcoin trading by late 2025.

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🚀 Featured Stories

Bitcoin surged from under $99K to over $108K in two days primarily due to aggressive institutional buying, led by ProCap BTC which purchased $514.5 million worth of Bitcoin (4,932 BTC) following their $1 billion SPAC merger announcement.

Russia is fast-tracking a nationwide digital currency revolution, mandating banks and major retailers to adopt the digital ruble in a sweeping payments system overhaul.

Bitcoin poised for biggest mining difficulty drop since July 2021 , A ~9% reduction expected as hashrate eased post-halving, offering relief to miners

SoFi to re-enter crypto with Bitcoin trading by end of 2025. The wealth platform plans crypto-enabled money transfers, staking, borrowing via blockchain integration.

Anthony Pompliano merges to form $1B Bitcoin treasury firm. ProCap Financial set to hold large-scale BTC reserves and generate yield via lending & derivatives.

💡Spotlight: ETHCC[8]

ETHCC (Ethereum Community Conference) is Europe’s longest-running annual Ethereum event, returning for its 8th edition in Paris from June 30 to July 3, 2025. Organized by Ethereum France, ETHCC is known for its community-first ethos—designed by and for the builders, researchers, and entrepreneurs shaping the Ethereum ecosystem.

What Makes ETHCC Stand Out

🔹 Developer-Driven Content: ETHCC prioritizes technical depth and practical knowledge-sharing over marketing fluff. The speaker lineup is curated for substance, featuring core protocol engineers, cryptographers, L2 pioneers, and ecosystem researchers.

🔹 Focused & Accessible: With over 250 talks across three days, ETHCC balances accessibility with depth, covering everything from zero-knowledge proofs to onchain governance to the future of rollups.

🔹 Low-Cost, High-Impact: ETHCC remains one of the most affordable major Ethereum conferences, thanks to its nonprofit model. It’s where founders, tinkerers, and early adopters converge to learn and push boundaries.

🔹 Side Events: ETHCC Week turns Paris into a crypto capital. From governance summits to rollup dev camps to after-hours social events, the ecosystem comes alive with over 100+ independent gatherings around the main event.

🎙 Top 5 Speakers

  • Vitalik Buterin – Ethereum co‑founder shaping the future of protocol fundamentals

  • Johann Kerbrat – Head of Robinhood Crypto, on mainstream scaling.

  • Sasha Tanase – Known for UX innovation via Thesis & Mezo.

  • Adam Levine – Fireblocks, discussing institutional DeFi infrastructure.

  • Charles Guillemet – Ledger expert, focusing on security & UX.

Looking Ahead

ETHCC[8] is shaping up to be a pivotal gathering for Ethereum’s future. With upcoming protocol upgrades like Purge and Scourge in active discussion, and the rise of account abstraction, MEV resistance, and modular L2s, many expect major announcements and ideation to take place here. For any team building on Ethereum—or bridging from other ecosystems like Bitcoin—it’s an essential touchpoint.

Check out more info here: ethcc.io

📣 Trending on X

Jack Mallers gave an important keynote on broken money, generational injustice and why Bitcoin is our moral imperative. Listen here.

BlackRock spot Bitcoin ETF bought 1,530 $BTC worth $163.7M on June 26, bringing its total inflows to over $1.15B this week.

Bakkt Holdings Inc. has filed an updated investment policy revealing plans to potentially acquire up to $1 billion in Bitcoin.

The White House’s top crypto official says comprehensive crypto market structure legislation is expected to be finalized by the end of September.