Cash App Flips The Script ⚡️, Institutional Bitcoin Rush Brewing 🏦, Bundestag Blocks Anti-Bitcoin Tax Plan 🇩🇪

Greetings Bitcoiner,

Welcome to Issue #403 of the daily Bitcoin Breakdown, where we have some excellent Opinion & Analysis pieces and Tools & Projects for you today!

You currently have 0 referrals. Refer a friend and you both get 4,000 sats (currently worth $4.12) sent directly to both of you!

Here’s your unique link to share: https://www.btcbreakdown.com/subscribe?ref=PLACEHOLDER&utm_source=BTCPLACEHOLDER

Now for today’s Top Stories:

• 🤯 Cash App Unleashes Lightning for 58M Users Without Bitcoin Ownership

• 🏢 Bitcoin's Sideways Dance Signals Institutional ‘Gold Rush’

• 🚨 German Left and Greens Target Bitcoin Tax Haven

TOGETHER WITH THE ROUNDUP

While crypto Twitter chases Zcash's 12x pump, few are asking the most important question: Why is it still down 99.92% when priced in Bitcoin?

This is the analysis you get from The Roundup - where 15,000+ investors get institutional-grade Bitcoin analysis every Tuesday at 8 AM ET.

COO Hector Alvero cuts through the noise with real math (no altcoin distractions or moonboy predictions).

"My new favorite account on Twitter. No propaganda, just numbers" - @eemi666 on 𝕏

Nov 13, 2025

TODAY’S TOP STORIES

🤯 Cash App Unleashes Lightning for 58M Users Without Bitcoin Ownership

Block just revolutionized Bitcoin adoption by letting 58M Cash App users pay merchants via Lightning Network using their USD balance, which auto-converts to BTC at checkout with no taxable event or dent to their stack. This flips the adoption model – merchants now have incentive to request Bitcoin payments to dodge 2-3% card fees, making Lightning the preferred payment method while bypassing Visa and Mastercard's expensive oligopoly entirely. Let that sink in! Bitcoin Magazine

🏢 Bitcoin's Sideways Dance Signals Institutional ‘Gold Rush’

Bitcoin's recent sideways trading isn't boring – it's institutional money flowing in. Bitwise's Matt Hougan argues Bitcoin's sideways price action signals its transition from risky early-stage asset to mature institutional investment, similar to a post-IPO stock. With reduced volatility since spot ETF launches, he recommends investors shift from an ‘outdated’ 1% Bitcoin allocation to 5% as a starting point. Hougan maintains Bitwise's $1.3M Bitcoin price target by 2035, suggesting the current consolidation phase presents a buying opportunity. Benzinga

🚨 German Left and Greens Target Bitcoin Tax Haven

Germany's Left and Green parties are resentfully pushing to eliminate the country's tax-free holding period for Bitcoin, which currently lets investors avoid capital gains taxes after holding bitcoin for one year. Their proposals were voted down in the Bundestag, maintaining the existing tax exemption. Meanwhile, the pro-Bitcoin AfD party wants to protect cryptocurrency from excessive government taxation, creating a clear political divide over crypto policy. Crypto Briefing

POLL #403

PREVIOUS POLL RESULTS

OPINION & ANALYSIS

• Nunchuk, a self-custodial Bitcoin wallet, defies a Canadian court order to freeze Freedom Convoy protest funds, declaring their commitment to financial sovereignty and announcing a new trust-minimized Bitcoin inheritance solution designed to outlive governments and corporations (Nov 13 | 3 min read).

• Satoshi Pacioli Accounting, a Bitcoin-focused CPA firm, responds to Square’s BTC payment rollout by offering a practical FAQ that explains how merchants handle bitcoin transaction taxes, record-keeping, sales tax, employee payments, volatility, and reporting under IRS property rules (Nov 12 | 5 min read).

• Kudzai Kutukwa, author of the Exit The Matrix newsletter, argues the EU's new cash restrictions over €10,000 and digital euro rollout represent a silent coup against financial freedom, weaponizing anti-money laundering laws to create surveillance infrastructure while failing to stop actual criminals who operate outside regulated systems (Nov 12 | 5 min read).

• Control-Plane Capital, software engineer turned investor, argues Bitcoin faces a lose-lose situation with BIP-444 soft fork where both activation and failure push the network away from sovereign medium-of-exchange toward sanitized store-of-value through wrappers, as consensus restrictions or policy perimeter controls ultimately benefit regulated institutions over cypherpunk ideals (Nov 12 | 17 min read).

• Liam 'Akiba' Wright, Editor-in-chief at CryptoSlate, examines Chinese accusations that the US government hacked $13B in bitcoin from LuBian wallets, finding that open-source forensics and DOJ filings instead point to weak cryptographic keys rather than state-sponsored theft (Nov 11 | 4 min read).

• Early Riders, a Bitcoin VC firm, analyzes how Bitcoin's transition to a global monetary standard will fundamentally reshape capital allocation, arguing that sound money principles will restore disciplined investing similar to the Classical Gold Standard era while creating lucrative opportunities during Bitcoin's current monetization phase (Nov 11 | 16 min read).

• Colin Harper of Blockspace investigates how bitcoin lending app Lava quietly transitioned from its non-custodial discreet log contracts model to full custody without clearly informing users, sparking backlash over transparency concerns following the company's recent $200M funding round (Nov 11 | 7 min read).

• Boaz Sobrado, a London-based fintech analyst, argues that small businesses using Bitcoin as savings rather than speculation represents genuine institutional adoption, contrasting Brandon Karpeles' Sovereign approach of converting 5-10% of profits to bitcoin with Strategy's leveraged treasury strategy which Boaz warns will fail (Nov 10 | 7 min read).

• ICYMI: Daniel Batten, a sustainability and Bitcoin analyst, in an 18 month old research paper released only recently, argues that Bitcoin mining companies possess crucial advantages when converting to hybrid BTC/HPC datacenters, including understanding cheap power contracts and datacenter operations, while warning that most HPC operators overlook critical risks like declining GPU pricing and end-customer payment ability (June 2024 | 19 min read).

• Spiral's Creative Director argues that bitcoin advocacy should shift from online theory to in-person merchant outreach, emphasizing how bitcoin payments can eliminate 3% credit card fees that consume half of small businesses' typical 6% profit margins through the new Bitcoin Merchant Community initiative (Nov 12 | 4 min read).

• Liam 'Akiba' Wright, Editor-in-Chief at CryptoSlate, analyzes how Trump's promise to upgrade America's 'ancient' financial system with Bitcoin and crypto shows policy momentum through the GENIUS Act framework, but warns that a true replacement of legacy payment rails remains incomplete with final implementation likely extending beyond 2026 (Nov 12 | 7 min read).

• Bradley Peak of Cointelegraph argues that Tether, once a simple stablecoin issuer, now operates like a private central bank through its $181B Treasury-heavy reserves, $10B+ annual profits, address-freezing capabilities, and policy-style decisions affecting the broader crypto economy (Nov 11 | 5 min read).

• Jason Maier, author of 'A Progressive's Case for Bitcoin,' in an excerpt from his book, argues that bitcoin surpasses traditional money by excelling in durability, portability, divisibility, scarcity, and verifiability, making it the best form of money humanity has ever created (Nov 11 | 8 min read).

• Incognito Cat, an NBTV community member, argues that governments and Big Tech are building a digital surveillance cage disguised as convenience, urging readers to reclaim digital sovereignty through privacy-preserving tools, passkeys, credit freezes, and resistance to government overreach like digital IDs and CBDCs (Nov 11 | 6 min read).

• Protos profiles pseudonymous developer Dathon Ohm proposing a controversial bitcoin soft fork limiting data storage to 83 bytes, sparking community speculation about his identity while potentially splitting BTC into two distinct assets if mining pools reject illegal content (Nov 11 | 3 min read).

• Thomas Voegtlin from Electrum proposes a novel spam filter for Nostr that requires users to attach bitcoin fees to social media posts, creating proofs-of-burn that can be redeemed by Bitcoin miners and establishing a market-based price for attention (Nov 10 | 11 min read).

• Protos investigates Wall Street veteran Jim Chanos, founder of Chanos & Co, closing his controversial pair trade shorting Strategy while holding bitcoin, reportedly doubling his money as MSTR's premium to its BTC holdings collapsed from over 3x to just 1.23x (Nov 10 | 2 min read). 

• Conor Chepenik of Bitcoin News argues that Bitcoin mirrors Steven Pinker's concept of 'Mentalese' by encoding value in pure mathematical structure rather than ambiguous language, making digital payments feel like direct settlement instead of promises about payment (Nov 10 | 7 min read).

• Dilip Kumar Patairya of Cointelegraph examines whether Bitcoin or gold will benefit more from the traditional 'Christmas rally' seasonal pattern, comparing their historical fourth-quarter performance amid current macroeconomic conditions including Fed rate cuts and inflation trends (Nov 10 | 4 min read).

• Agata Ferreira, assistant professor at the Warsaw University of Technology, argues that regulators must embrace privacy-preserving technologies as digital infrastructure rather than compliance obstacles, as zero-knowledge proofs enable accountability without surveillance, replacing shared observation with shared verification to protect fundamental rights (Nov 9 | 4 min read).

• LNbitcoin of Bitcoinlearning argues that seemingly rude phrases like 'study more' and 'have fun staying poor' from Bitcoin enthusiasts aren't arrogance but compassionate wake-up calls urging people to understand monetary corruption and escape financial serfdom through Bitcoin education (Nov 9 | 4 min read).

• Kudzai Kutukwa, author of the Exit The Matrix newsletter, also argues that the criminalization of privacy tools like Samourai Wallet while banks launder billions with impunity reveals a two-tiered system where financial privacy is reserved for elites while ordinary citizens face surveillance disguised as crime prevention (Nov 8 | 5 min read).

• Joakim Book, copy editor at Reason and the managing editor for Bitcoin Magazine Print, argues that Trump's administration continues prosecuting Bitcoin and crypto developers despite campaign promises to end such crackdowns, as evidenced by Samourai Wallet co-creator Rodriguez receiving maximum sentencing while wealthy figures receive pardons (Nov 7 | 3 min read).

• Jack Ronaldi of the VLS project argues that most 'non-custodial' Lightning wallets actually use blind signing - a shared custody model that doubles attack vectors while marketing itself as true self-custody, advocating for validating signers like VLS instead (Nov 7 | 10 min read).

• James of Lightning News explains how nonprofits and charitable organizations can easily accept bitcoin donations using Lightning Network solutions like Blink Wallet, Flash donation widgets, and Lightning Addresses to enable instant, borderless fundraising (Nov 7 | 4 min read).

• Start9, a Bitcoin node service provider, clarifies they're not a 'Bitcoin treasury company' but prioritize building decentralized infrastructure over HODLing, recently selling BTC at $117k anticipating market headwinds while maintaining their mission (Nov 5 | 2 min read).

• Corynne McSherry, Legal Director at EFF, warns that Google's new worldwide developer registration program requiring personal identification and fees creates dangerous censorship pathways by enabling governments to pressure app store gatekeepers and potentially exposing vulnerable developers to surveillance and prosecution (Nov 3 | 3 min read).

• Juan Galt of Bitcoin Magazine demonstrates how building your own hardware wallet using the open-source SeedSigner and Satochip combo offers a DIY solution for under $50 that empowers users in developing nations or those seeking maximum sovereignty over their bitcoin security (Nov 11 | 5 min read).

REFERRAL PROGRAMME TOGETHER W/ OSHI*

REFER A FRIEND & STACK 4000 SATS EACH

1. Share your unique link: https://www.btcbreakdown.com/subscribe?ref=PLACEHOLDER&utm_source=BTCPLACEHOLDER (need to be subscribed and logged in to see your unique link)

2. New subscriber joins and optimally engages by opening ≥ 50% of issues received and making 2 unique link clicks within 15 days.

3. Boom: 4000 sats to you and them. We’ll automatically email both of you the moment it lands.

*T&Cs: One real human ↔ one inbox. Duplicate or bot sign ups = nuke & lose sats. Fraud flags void payouts. We may adjust rewards if a God candle melts charts. Max 50 referrals per individual. Questions? Hit [email protected]. Ready? Copy, paste, orange pill, stack sats. 🚀

TOOLS & PROJECTS

• New on Geyser: Bitcoin in the Wild harnesses bitcoin donations to fund wildlife conservation education in Africa, connecting students with elephants while supporting sustainable projects through self-custody wallets and trusted local partnerships.

• New on Geyser: Reckless Systems launches Satoshi Starter, an open-source Bitcoin miner featuring Intel's Bonanza Mine 2 ASIC with full documentation and educational components for schools.

• MeshLightning enables Bitcoin Lightning payments over Bluetooth mesh networks when internet connectivity fails, using React Native and Lightning Development Kit to route transactions through nearby devices until reaching online nodes.

• Nunchuk launches version 2.0 with autonomous Bitcoin inheritance featuring on-chain timelocks and Miniscript technology, combining assisted guidance with failsafe recovery that operates independently of the platform's survival.

• Neutron, a global Bitcoin Lightning infrastructure company, partners with FinFan, a licensed Vietnamese cross-border payment provider, to distribute Lightning Network infrastructure across Vietnam's financial institutions.

• Miles Suter of Cash App says they have transitioned from internal peer-to-peer bitcoin payments to open Lightning Network rails, now integrating cashtags with LNURL's LN Address standard.

• Bitcoin Merchant Community helps small businesses defeat 3% credit card fees by accepting bitcoin payments through Square and other point-of-sale solutions, offering merchants instant settlements with lower processing costs.

• LN-ZapBoard is a tool that transforms bitcoin payments into interactive message boards for live events, Q&A sessions, and community engagement.

• Awesome-ark-protocol curates Ark protocol resources, libraries, tools and applications.

• Stacker News founder k00b launches a new micropayment engine enabling mixed asset payments, instant territory revenue distribution, and enhanced transaction tracking with detailed analytics.

• NosFabrica announces first Web of Trust hackathon on Nostr with a 50M sat reward pool, inviting developers and builders to participate weekly from November 2025 through April 2026.

• Calle unveils redesigned Cashu.me wallet featuring browser-based Bitcoin onboarding that bypasses app stores and permissions.

• ZmnSCPxj proposes a private key handover protocol optimization for Bitcoin Taproot transactions, enabling single beneficiaries to claim shared funds unilaterally while supporting RBF and batching capabilities without additional protocol complexity.

• Bitcoin Data Labs provides data analytics, tools, and insights for the Bitcoin and Lightning Network ecosystems

• Liberty International launches the Digital Nomad Tax Freedom Initiative, ranking 38 countries by tax policies for remote workers seeking location independence and financial freedom.

• Auradine, a California-based mining rig designer, unveils its next-generation Teraflux bitcoin mining systems achieving 9.8 J/TH efficiency across multiple cooling configurations.

• NiceHash launches Hashrate TradeView platform enabling real-time hashrate market tracking, analysis, and commodity-style trading with transparent price movements and FPPS payrate comparisons.

• BTC Map, a platform helping users find places to spend bitcoin, launches Android app v1.0.0 with Material 3 theming, event listings, and enhanced language support.

• 0xB10C maintains a dataset of stale Bitcoin blocks and headers observed on the network, enabling researchers to analyze blockchain fork events and network behavior.

• 603BTC is a Bitcoin community platform that features live content, merchandise shop, community engagement tools, and multi-channel social media presence across major platforms.

• Shawn Yeager, host of the Trust Revolution podcast, releases a Nostr UX research study identifying 6 critical design patterns to improve 30-day user retention from 0% through better onboarding and cross-client consistency.

• Grasp enables distributed Git hosting through Nostr-signed authorization, allowing multiple compliant servers to host repositories for enhanced resilience and censorship resistance.

• Shosho, a live streaming app on Nostr, releases version 0.10.0 featuring picture-in-picture mode, lock screen controls, camera settings, profile editing, and push notifications for iOS and Android users.

• Bigbrotr offers an open-source, modular infrastructure for archiving and monitoring Nostr across clearnet and Tor relays, providing real-time insights into network behavior and event distribution.

• Cashu4Community develops private, censorship-resistant payment systems for communities under authoritarian regimes in Latin America and Africa, providing sovereign Bitcoin infrastructure through Cashu mints, LNbits instances, and offline-capable mobile access to protect financial freedom.

• PlebLab promotes Bitcoin Builder Meetups as the next wave of community gatherings focused on shipping products rather than price speculation, highlighting active builder hubs in Austin, Miami, San Francisco, and Vancouver that connect developers and founders.

MEME OF THE DAY

Bitcoin Breakdown has the highest signal-to-noise ratio in its class. If you find our work useful and want to see the publication grow, consider supporting us on Geyser.

Every contribution is a sign that we’re on the right track. We know your time is valuable, and we’re here to help you make the most of it. Thank you for your support.

Thank you for reading!

If you received it from a friend and would like to subscribe, you can do so here:

Until our next transmission,

P.S. Looking to start your own newsletter? Use this link to sign up for beehiiv and get a 30-day free trial plus a 20% discount.