Minswap Plots to Cross the Bitcoin Bridge

PLUS: SEC and CFTC move fast on new crypto rules, Bitcoin mining difficulty hits new highs, a $14.5B BTC heist is unearthed, and Galaxy’s Novogratz signals peak hype in treasury-driven crypto buying.

Author

Michael Stinson
August 08, 2025

Happy Friday, Maestros!

Welcome to a new edition of the Bitcoin Renaissance!

This week, U.S. regulators take action as the SEC and CFTC push forward crypto policy reforms, including the launch of “Project Crypto.” Bitcoin mining difficulty hits a new high, underscoring rising competition. A massive 2020 BTC heist is uncovered, now worth over $14.5B, and Galaxy’s Novogratz suggests the treasury-buying crypto craze may be near its peak.

We’ve just released our State of BitcoinFi Q2 2025 Report! Check it out here!

🚀 Featured Stories

Galaxy Digital CEO Mike Novogratz warns that the recent hype around crypto-driven corporate treasury strategies, like those popularized by MicroStrategy, may be reaching a plateau, though his firm remains optimistic about their long-term relevance.

An intelligence firm has unearthed a massive 2020 heist from China-based mining pool LuBian. Hackers stole 127,426 BTC worth $3.5 billion at the time and roughly $14.5 billion today, making it the most valuable crypto heist on record.

CFTC and SEC Leap Into Crypto Regulation. Regulators are actually acting, both the CFTC and SEC are fast-tracking crypto rule changes in line with a recent federal working group report. The SEC even launched “Project Crypto,” signaling a policy shift.

Bitcoin Mining Difficulty Hits Record. Bitcoin’s mining difficulty climbed to an all-time high at 127.6 trillion (127.6 trillion times harder than the easiest possible difficulty (which was set at 1 when Bitcoin launched in 2009), with expectations to edge down slightly in the next adjustment. This underscores ongoing competition and pressure on miner profitability.

💡Spotlight: Minswap

Minswap is a decentralized exchange on Cardano known for its community-first design and utility-driven DeFi infrastructure. Since launching in early 2022, Minswap has secured a leading position in the ecosystem. The DEX currently holds over $112 million in Total Value Locked, which makes up more than 25% of Cardano’s total DeFi TVL. Its fair launch model, multi-pool automated market maker, and governance-led upgrades have sparked broad adoption. Now they plan on bringing this juggernaut to Bitcoin.

🛠️ Key Features

  • Multi-Pool AMM: Flexible trading with optimized pricing across dynamic liquidity pools.

  • Launch Bowl: A token bootstrap model that enables permissionless token listings and liquidity initiation- without KYC.

  • Staking & Farming Options: Users can stake $MIN and other native Cardano tokens for rewards and governance powered by smart contracts

  • Community Governance: MIN holders vote on protocol upgrades, fee structures, and treasury management. The community is in control.

  • Instant Swaps: They enable same block batching of transactions, making trading faster and more efficient.

Recent News

Minswap recently rolled out Instant Swaps, a major performance upgrade that uses same-block batching to minimize slippage and accelerate trade confirmations. The platform also introduced support for the Cardano-native stablecoin USDA, with dedicated pools for USDA–ADA and USDM–USDA, offering users more seamless and efficient stablecoin trading.

In July alone, Minswap processed over 130 million ADA in trading volume, with more than 13,000 unique active wallets participating. The platform also removed batcher fees, making it the most cost-effective place to trade on Cardano.

To further unify the ecosystem, Minswap launched a DEX aggregator, connecting liquidity across Cardano DeFi into a single streamlined trading experience.

The Future

Minswap is racing to become the first DEX on Cardano to support native Bitcoin trading, leveraging ongoing interoperability efforts like the the Sundial protocol, the Cardinal protocol and BitcoinOS. With strong infrastructure, active liquidity, and strategic timing, it’s well-positioned to capture emerging cross-chain liquidity, particularly once Bitcoin can move into DeFi environments like Cardano using eUTXO logic.

Check out more here!

📣 Trending on X

Eric Trump said American Bitcoin (ABTC) is headed for its next major milestone: listing on NASDAQ.

The Criminalization of Privacy: Tornado Cash Guilty Verdict Analysis. Coin Center Executive Director @valkenburgh joins @frankcorva to discuss the @rstormsf conviction and its implications for financial surveillance and open source development.

In 2025, institutions have accumulated 545,579 BTC, while only 97,082 new BTC have been mined. Supply can’t keep up with demand.

President Trump has signed an executive order permitting Americans to include Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies in their 401(k) retirement plans.