Greetings Bitcoiner,

Welcome to Issue #195 of Bitcoin Breakdown, where every Tuesday and Thursday, we bring you the latest must-read Bitcoin thought leadership articles and the newest tools and projects you should know about.

But first, today’s Top Stories:

• 🤝🏼 SEC Finally Plays Nice, Halts Requiring Firms to Register as Trading Systems

• 📜 Trump Plans EO to Crush Biden's 'Operation Chokepoint 2.0'

• 📉 DOJ Might Be Dumping Silk Road BTC Amid Market Dip?

TOGETHER WITH BLOCKSTREAM*

Blockstream Pushes Barriers w/ New Jade Plus Self-Custody Wallet

Blockstream has released its new Jade Hardware Wallet, Jade Plus, featuring an improved screen that’s 66% larger and 20% brighter.

The wallet also boasts a refined design with button-based navigation that is easier and more intuitive.

Air-gapped firmware and signing are now possible with Jade Plus via USB-C drives or SD cards.

Connecting the Jade Plus to Blockstream Green also verifies that Blockstream manufactured it.

This launch includes FREE INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING.

Additionally, you can get 10% off by using the code BITCOINBREAKDOWN at checkout.

*You can also advertise with us here.

Mar 11, 2025

TODAY’S TOP STORIES

🤝🏼 SEC Finally Plays Nice, Halts Requiring Firms to Register as Trading Systems

Acting Securities and Exchange Commission Chief Mark Uyeda announced the regulator will abandon a plan to force Bitcoin and crypto firms to register as trading systems. This is part of a broader shift under the Trump administration’s pro-Bitcoin and crypto stance, as seen with paused or dropped lawsuits against firms like Coinbase and Kraken. Watcher Guru

📜 Trump Plans EO to Crush Biden's 'Operation Chokepoint 2.0'

President Donald Trump is set to sign an executive order targeting the Biden administration's alleged 'Operation Chokepoint 2.0,' which limited Bitcoin and crypto firms' banking access. The order aims to reverse these restrictions, potentially impacting Federal Reserve policies on master accounts for Bitcoin and crypto-focused banks like Custodia. While the Fed operates independently, this move could grant these banks direct access to its services, marking a significant shift for the digital assets industry. Decrypt

📉 DOJ Might Be Dumping Silk Road BTC Amid Market Dip?

Bitcoin Magazine's CEO, David Bailey, suggests that the US Department of Justice might be liquidating Silk Road's BTC, despite President Trump’s recent EO establishing a Bitcoin-only Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, possibly causing the recent price drop. Some disagree, citing macroeconomic factors as more influential, but the speculation fuels the current market uncertainty surrounding Trump's policies. Crypto.news

POLL

OPINION & ANALYSIS

• Odell, a Bitcoin OG, VC and commentator, argues that the US strategic BTC reserve, based on seized assets, paradoxically validates Bitcoin's importance while undermining property rights and that digital freedom must be defended through technical and political means (Mar 10 | 3 min read).

• Samson Mow, CEO of JAN3, argues that despite the US Strategic Bitcoin Reserve creation, Bitcoin's subsequent price slump results from market psychology, trader actions, and low liquidity, not the news itself (Mar 10 | 4 min read).

• DarthCoin, an OG Bitcoin educator, highlights Lightning's underrated privacy tools like wrapped invoices and 0-conf channels, urging users and node runners to utilize these features for enhanced anonymity and encouraging broader adoption and innovation (Mar 10 | 7 min read).

• 028559d218, a pseudonymous Bitcoiner, highlights how the media's focus on sh!tcoin scams, like the Trump token, diverts attention away from Bitcoin and the Lightning Network's potential, hindering wider adoption and understanding of these technologies (Mar 8 | 7 min read).

• Girino, Bitcoiner and software developer, details how to repurpose an old Sapphire Block Erupter USB for BTC mining on Linux using CGMiner v3.4.3 (Mar 8 | 3 min read).

• Jimmy Song, an OG Bitcoin educator and developer, argues that free trade under fiat money results in US job losses and economic vulnerability, suggesting tariffs as a necessary defense for domestic industries (Mar 8 | 10 min read).

• Conor Chepenik of Bitcoin News writes that the US Federal Reserve undermines the constitution, advocating for Bitcoin as a solution to restore sound money and individual economic sovereignty, aligning with the US Founding Fathers' vision (Mar 8 | 5 min read).

• Dave Birnbaum, VP of product at Coinbits, explores how women in Bitcoin are driving adoption of sound money and elevating their financial influence through disciplined strategies and community-driven mindsets (Mar 8 | 8 min read).

• Will Yager, writing for Bitcoin Magazine, stresses that true digital ownership is only possible through encryption and private key control, amid Amazon's policy changes, ensuring exclusive possession and preventing unauthorized access or seizure (Mar 7 | 4 min read).

• Kirubai of Lightning News interviews Calvadev about Shopstr, a permissionless Bitcoin marketplace built on Nostr which he created, with goal of helping people who want to receive money over the internet for products and services in a censorship-resistant manner (Mar 6 | 10 min read).

• Carter Feltus of Bitcoin News highlights how Bitcoin's decentralized and secure nature offers more safety than traditional banks, which are prone to failures, hacks, and fund mismanagement (Mar 6 | 4 min read).

ANOTHER NEWSLETTER TO CHECK OUT*

*You can find more here.

TOOLS & PROJECTS

• Braiins, a Bitcoin mining company, tests its 'Bitcoin Silicon' mining chip, challenging Chinese dominance and aiming for greater decentralization in mining hardware production.

• Panopticon lets you monitor Bitcoin wallets and privately receive mobile notifications for new BTC transactions.

• LNscratch is a website that offers daily free scratch cards, helping users to win real Bitcoin.

• Parman, a Bitcoin developer, launches ParmaDrive, an encrypted data storage device integrated with Parmanode Bitcoin node.

• CowBolt is a Bitcoin-native cost-splitting app featuring non-custodial, P2P lightning and liquid settlement, team chat, and cross-border collaboration for managing shared expenses and group projects.

• Tianki Technology introduces the Individual Bitcoin Interface (IBI), a global payment ID that can connect everyday apps to the Lightning Network to make sending money as easy as sending a message.

• Blockstream announces a CHF 10,000 Grant to support Bitcoin layer-2 projects building on Lightning and Liquid Networks in their Lugano-based research hub.

• Breez launches a comprehensive nodeless SDK tutorial for React Native and Expo, covering payment integration, with videos, a demo repository, and detailed documentation.

• Bitcoin Takeover in Austin, TX is a 5-day event during SXSW, focusing on Bitcoin innovation, education, featuring keynotes, and networking, set to take place during Mar 11-15, 2025.

• Fuzzamoto is a fuzzing framework for Bitcoin protocol implementations, enabling coverage-guided testing through external interfaces like P2P and RPC.

• Boltz adopts ELIP 200, upgrading Liquid BTC swaps with marginally adjusted fees, enhancing affordability and privacy.

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