FameEX Hot Topics | Slight Decline in Bitcoin Mining Difficulty After Recent Peak

Bitcoin’s mining difficulty has recently stabilized at around 126.4 trillion, according to CryptoQuant, marking a slight dip from its recent all-time high. Despite the marginal decline, this level still represents intense network competition and elevated production costs. As the difficulty metric remains historically high, it continues to push miners to deploy more advanced hardware and operate at larger scales to remain competitive.

These pressures have intensified following the April 2024 halving event, which reduced the block reward from 6.25 to 3.125 BTC. Coupled with rising energy prices and high operational expenses, many miners—particularly smaller or less efficient ones—are facing increasing challenges to stay profitable. Some have been forced to downsize or shut down, while others are reevaluating their strategies in order to survive in the current economic climate.

Despite these headwinds, certain publicly traded mining firms are not only weathering the storm but are actively expanding their operations. Marathon Digital Holdings (MARA), for example, reported a 35% increase in Bitcoin production in May. The company mined 950 BTC that month, even amid record network hashrates and price volatility. Instead of selling, MARA retained all of its newly mined Bitcoin, boosting its corporate treasury to 49,179 BTC—ranking it among the world’s largest BTC holders.

MARA’s CFO Salman Khan highlighted this strategic shift on June 3, stating on X, “Record production month for MARA — and we sold zero Bitcoin.” This signals a broader trend where mining companies prioritize long-term accumulation over immediate revenue. CleanSpark, another major miner focused on clean energy, also followed suit. It mined 694 BTC in May—a 9% increase from April—and increased its Bitcoin holdings to 12,502 BTC.

CleanSpark CEO Zack Bradford reported their end-of-month hashrate reached 45.6 EH/s, up 7.5% from April. The industry’s move toward holding Bitcoin as a treasury asset, rather than selling for operational funding, represents a significant shift in strategy—positioning Bitcoin as a long-term balance sheet asset rather than merely mined inventory.

Disclaimer: The information provided in this section is for reference only and does not represent any investment advice or the official views of FameEX.