Hodler’s Digest, Feb. 1 – 7

Top Stories of The Week

Bitcoin difficulty drops by over 11%, sharpest drop since 2021 China ban

The Bitcoin network mining difficulty, a metric tracking the relative challenge of adding new blocks to the Bitcoin ledger, fell by about 11.16% in the last 24 hours, the worst drop in a single adjustment period since China’s 2021 ban on crypto mining.

Bitcoin mining difficulty is at 125.86 T and took effect at block 935,429, data from CoinWarz shows. The average block time is about 9.47 minutes, slightly under the 10-minute target.

Difficulty is projected to rise in the next adjustment on February 20 by about 5.63% to 132.96 T, according to CoinWarz.

Vietnam to tax crypto like stocks with 0.1% trading levy: Report

Vietnam is preparing to introduce a tax framework for cryptocurrency transactions that would align digital assets with securities trading, according to a draft policy circulated by the Ministry of Finance.

Under the proposal, individuals transferring crypto assets through licensed service providers would face a 0.1% personal income tax on the value of each transaction, local outlet The Hanoi Times reported. The structure mirrors the levy currently applied to stock trades in the country.

According to the report, the draft circular, released for public consultation, classifies crypto transfers and trading as exempt from value-added tax. However, the turnover-based tax would apply to investors regardless of residency status whenever a transfer is executed.

Companies operating in Vietnam would be taxed differently. Institutional investors earning income from crypto transfers would be subject to a 20% corporate income tax, calculated on profits after deducting purchase costs and related expenses, per the report.

Vitalik Buterin sells $6.6M in ETH after flagging planned withdrawals

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin sold about 2,961 Ether worth $6.6 million over a three-day period, after previously announcing plans to withdraw some of his holdings.

Blockchain tracker Lookonchain said in a Thursday X post that the transactions were executed at an average price of about $2,228 per Ether.

Ethereum’s native cryptocurrency traded at around $2,130 at the time of writing, down by more than 5% over the past day, according to CoinMarketCap.

Arkham Intelligence data shows that the ETH sales were routed through CoW Protocol, with multiple small swaps rather than a single block trade. Such transactions are commonly used to reduce market impact.

Telegram’s Durov slams Spain’s online age verification proposal

Pavel Durov, co-founder of the Telegram messaging platform, sounded an alarm about the Spanish government’s plan to usher in online age verification and restrict social media platforms for individuals under the age of 16.

The proposed law will lead to increased government-led censorship of online content, breaches of privacy through de-anonymizing users, and mass-surveillance, Durov said on Wednesday.

“Pedro Sánchez’s government is pushing dangerous new regulations that threaten your internet freedoms. Announced just yesterday, these measures could turn Spain into a surveillance state under the guise of ‘protection.”

Strategy records $12.4B loss in Q4, shares dip 17% as Bitcoin tumbles

The Bitcoin buying company Strategy reported a net loss of $12.4 billion in the fourth quarter of 2025, driven down by Bitcoin’s 22% fall over the quarter.

Bitcoin reached a peak high of $126,000 in early October, but tumbled over the quarter ending Dec. 31 to under $88,500. Bitcoin is down 30% so far this year to $64,500, below Strategy’s average cost per BTC of $76,052.

Strategy (MSTR) said on Thursday that, despite the loss, its Q4 revenues rose 1.9% year-on-year to $123 million, driven in part by its business intelligence arm. However, the recent Bitcoin sell-off saw its shares close 17% lower on Thursday to $107.

Winners and Losers

At the end of the week, Bitcoin (BTC) is at $69,184 Ether (ETH) at $2,085 and XRP at $1.41. The total market cap is at $2.37 trillion, according to CoinMarketCap.

Among the biggest 100 cryptocurrencies, the top three altcoin gainers of the week are MemeCore (M) at 43.53%, MYX Finance (MYX) at 32.17% and Decred (DCR) at 31.86%.

The top three altcoin losers of the week are Monero (XMR) at 29.01%, World Liberty Financial (WLFI) at 23.53%, and Pump.fun (PUMP) at 21.88%. For more info on crypto prices, make sure to read Cointelegraph’s market analysis.

Top Prediction of The Week

Coinbase premium hits yearly low, hinting at institutional selling

The Coinbase Premium Gap, which tracks the price difference between Bitcoin on Coinbase and Binance, has fallen to its lowest level in over a year.

An analyst said the move may point to weaker relative demand on Coinbase-linked venues, which are commonly associated with institutional trading.

The Coinbase Premium is the price difference between Coinbase’s BTC/USD pair and Binance’s BTC/USDT pair.

When it turns negative to this extent, it means that the price of Bitcoin on Coinbase Advanced Trade (formerly known as Coinbase Pro) — a platform mainly used by professionals, institutions and high-net-worth individual accounts — is lower than on Binance, a platform accessible to everyone and widely used by retail investors, CryptoQuant analyst Darkfost said on Thursday. 

Top FUD of The Week

Bitcoin Core dev Gloria Zhao quits maintainer role after six-year stint

Bitcoin Core developer Gloria Zhao has stepped down as a maintainer and revoked her Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) signing key, ending about six years as one of the project’s gatekeepers.

On Thursday, Zhao submitted her last pull request to the Bitcoin GitHub repository, removing her key from the trusted keys and withdrawing herself as one of the few maintainers able to update Bitcoin’s software.

Becoming the first known female maintainer in 2022, she focused on mempool policy and transaction relay: the rules and peer‑to‑peer logic that decide which transactions get into nodes’ waiting rooms and how quickly they propagate across the network.

Cathie Wood’s ARK dumps $17M in Coinbase stock as shares fall 37% YTD

ARK Invest, the asset manager led by prominent Bitcoin bull Cathie Wood, has shifted from buying to selling Coinbase stock, as the shares dipped 13% and hit multi-month lows.

On Thursday, ARK offloaded 119,236 Coinbase (COIN) shares, valued at roughly $17.4 million, according to a trade filing seen by Cointelegraph.

The sale comes just a day after a modest 3,510-share ($630,000) purchase on Tuesday, following a series of buys at higher prices earlier in 2026.

This marks ARK’s first Coinbase sale of 2026 and its first since August 2025, signaling a shift in trading strategy. The cryptocurrency exchange’s stock is down around 37% year-to-date, according to Nasdaq data.

Kyle Samani leaves Multicoin in ‘bittersweet moment’ to explore new tech

Multicoin Capital co-founder Kyle Samani said he is stepping down as managing partner of the crypto investment firm after 10 years in the industry. 

Samani called it a “bittersweet moment” in a post on Wednesday, adding, “I am excited to take some time off and explore new areas of technology,” which he later revealed would include AI and robotics.

He added that he is “more confident than ever that crypto is going to fundamentally rewire the circuitry of finance.”

“The Clarity Act will unlock a tidal wave of new entrants and spur adoption unlike anything we’ve seen,” Samani said, adding that he is particularly bullish on Solana and intends to continue making personal investments in the space and supporting Multicoin portfolio companies.

Top Magazine Stories of The Week

Bitcoin’s ‘biggest bull catalyst’ would be Saylor’s liquidation: Santiment founder

Santiment founder Makim Balashevich reveals the most bullish scenario that could play out for Bitcoin in 2026.

Big questions: Should you sell your Bitcoin for nickels for a 43% profit?

Viral posts claim that melting down American nickels is a guaranteed path to profit. We put that theory to the test.

South Korea gets rich from crypto… North Korea gets weapons

Crypto drives retail markets and electoral politics in South Korea. In North Korea, it props up a communist dictatorship.