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Bitcoin Ownership in The U.S Surpasses Gold as More Americans Hold BTC – Report

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Bitcoin is steadily cementing its place in mainstream American finance, with a growing number of U.S. citizens now choosing the world’s largest cryptocurrency over one of history’s most trusted stores of value.

According to a recent report from River Financial, an estimated 49.6 million American adults hold Bitcoin, representing about 18.6% of the adult population. This surpasses the 28.8 million adults who own gold, or roughly 10.8% of U.S. adults.

The numbers come from data compiled by the Nakamoto Project and Consumer Affairs, highlighting Bitcoin’s rapid rise as a preferred store of value, highlighting a significant shift in how American investors are preserving wealth in the digital age.

Notably, the report comes as a recent Bank of America survey, disclosed that gold has emerged as the most undervalued asset among fund managers for the first time in more than three years.

The findings mark a notable shift in institutional sentiment toward the precious metal amid ongoing economic uncertainties and market volatility. The survey reveals that the net percentage of respondents viewing gold as overvalued has dropped to its lowest level since March 2023.

Bitcoin, which launched in 2009, has achieved in roughly 17 years what gold took thousands of years to accomplish in terms of widespread personal ownership in the world’s largest economy.

The United States alone accounts for a significant portion of global Bitcoin holdings, with Americans controlling around 40% of the total supply in some estimates.

This crossover reflects broader trends in wealth preservation. Younger investors, particularly men aged 31 to 45, have driven much of Bitcoin’s adoption.

Factors such as ease of digital storage, accessibility through apps and exchanges, spot Bitcoin ETFs, and growing institutional interest have lowered barriers that once made cryptocurrency seem complex or risky.

Gold, while still valued for its tangibility and long history as a hedge against inflation, requires more effort in terms of secure storage and physical handling. The implications extend beyond individual portfolios.

With trillions of dollars sitting in U.S. retirement accounts like 401(k)s, even modest allocations toward Bitcoin could create substantial demand. Recent regulatory adjustments by the Department of Labor have also opened the door for more retirement plans to include crypto options, potentially accelerating the trend.

Critics point out Bitcoin’s volatility compared to gold’s relative stability, while supporters highlight its fixed supply cap of 21 million coins and growing utility as a medium of exchange and settlement layer. Regardless of perspective, the ownership data signals that Bitcoin has moved firmly into the mainstream financial conversation in America.

Bitcoin’s growing adoption in the United States is expected to receive another significant boost following the signing of the CLARITY Act, a landmark piece of legislation designed to provide long-awaited regulatory certainty for the digital asset industry.

By establishing clearer rules for cryptocurrencies and the companies that support them, the law is widely expected to strengthen investor confidence, encourage broader institutional participation, and make Bitcoin more accessible to everyday Americans.

As adoption continues, this milestone may encourage further integration of digital assets into traditional finance. For now, it stands as a clear indicator that a new generation is choosing code over metal when building long-term wealth.

Outlook

Bitcoin’s lead over gold in U.S. ownership could widen if regulatory clarity continues to improve and institutional participation deepens.

The implementation of the CLARITY Act, alongside the continued growth of spot Bitcoin ETFs, broader corporate adoption, and the inclusion of digital assets in retirement investment options, is expected to bring millions of new investors into the market over the coming years.

At the same time, Bitcoin’s fixed supply and increasing acceptance as a long-term store of value may continue to strengthen its appeal, particularly among younger investors seeking exposure to digital-native assets.

While price volatility is likely to remain a defining characteristic of the cryptocurrency, many market participants believe that greater regulatory certainty and expanding institutional infrastructure will help reduce barriers to adoption over time

Crypto Fear & Greed Climbs Out of Extreme Fear, Amid Bullish Optimism

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The cryptocurrency market is showing renewed signs of confidence as the Crypto Fear & Greed Index has climbed out of the “Extreme Fear” zone, reflecting a notable improvement in investor sentiment.

A Cointelegraph report showed that the Crypto Fear and Greed Index has risen to 33, a clear improvement from recent readings. Yesterday and last week, the index stood at 25, while it was 20 the previous month.

Historically, the index has been one of the most accurate predictors of market bottoms or tops. The index, which analyzes multiple factors including market volatility, momentum, social media sentiment, and Bitcoin dominance, now sits firmly in the “Fear” category.

The shift comes amid Bitcoin’s recent price recovery and growing optimism that the broader market could be entering a stronger bullish phase, encouraging traders to increase their risk appetite after weeks of uncertainty.

Earlier this week, Bitcoin reclaimed the $66,000 level, marking a significant milestone in its latest recovery. The crypto asset in the early hours of Tuesday, traded as high as $66,338, rising to a one-month high as risk appetite improves on hopes for a De-escalation in the U.S-Iran conflict.

The market however retraced slightly to $65,970 as of the time of this report. The crypto asset breakout puts the next technical hurdle around $67,400, where the previous swing high sits.

Strategy CEO Michael Saylor, says Bitcoin could be entering a new phase after months of weakness, suggesting that the market may have already found its bottom.

Speaking live on CNBC, Saylor said Bitcoin peaked near $125,000 in October before falling to around $60,000. He now believes the market is entering what he called the “spring phase.”

At the top in October, about 125, I think we bottomed at 60. I think we’re moving into the spring phase. We’ve got decent support here at these levels. I think we’ll rally from here.” He said. Saylor acknowledged that Bitcoin is still facing macroeconomic headwinds but the $60,000 region is providing solid support.

Also, cryptocurrency expert Michael van de Poppe, believes the world’s largest digital asset is setting up for a significant breakout in the coming months.

In a post on X, Poppe shared a bullish outlook for Bitcoin, suggesting that the leading cryptocurrency could rally toward the $80,000 to $85,000 range in the coming weeks. According to his analysis, this move would represent the first significant post-bear market advance and align closely with a key technical level.

The prediction centers on Bitcoin’s interaction with its 50-week moving average. Poppe notes that this indicator has historically served as notable resistance during the initial recovery phase after prolonged downturns.

Several other analysts have made their bullish forecasts recently. Standard Chartered believes that the coin will jump to $100,000, while Bernstein has placed a target of $150,000, representing a big jump from the current level.

Outlook

The Crypto Fear & Greed Index will remain a key gauge of market psychology, but its next move will likely depend on whether Bitcoin can sustain its recovery above key support levels and break through major resistance.

A continued rise in the index toward the neutral zone would suggest improving investor confidence and could attract fresh capital into both Bitcoin and the broader altcoin market

While the index at 33 does not signal euphoria or even neutral conditions, it indicates the market may be finding a bottom or preparing for a more balanced phase.

Investors should continue monitoring key levels, as sudden shifts in volatility or news events can quickly alter the sentiment picture.

For now, the move to 33 offers a modest positive signal in an otherwise cautious environment, reminding participants that sentiment can change rapidly in crypto markets.

The Unhatched Cost of AI Reliance on Engineering

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Two days ago, I went to the local BDC dealer to exchange 100 dollars to naira. After we had agreed on the exchange rate, I handed him over the 100-dollar bill. The first thing he did was raise it up in the direction of sunlight, then looked at me straight in the eye, then pocketed the note.

I was left wondering if he thought I must have facilitated it through a rogue means because of course, it looked very neat and clean.

This was his own local means of determining the authenticity of a note. It was very easy for him to determine if the note I had given to him was an original or a counterfeit. This is not a one-off event; it is a result of the knowledge accrued from years of interacting with several dollar notes, and as a result he can easily determine if a note is a counterfeit or not.

How do we determine if the output, performance or benchmark set by an AI agent is correct?

There has been a lot of speculations whether software engineers should now read AI generated code to verify its correctness and intent or, if it generally works, then let us hope and pray. I quite do not agree to this philosophy because it only sets a dangerous precedent for the underlying harm which would only take years before it is noticed; but cooperate tech giants doesn’t want you to look pass this direction because it is a win-win for them regardless.

AI has become so good at code generation which is a significant development to how we now write software. Currently, AI can write code as good as a senior engineer can, surprisingly, it can also spot and correct badly written code. This should be the peak of productivity as a software engineer.

But there is one problem which AI still doesn’t seem to understand, context.

The issue of code generation goes far beyond syntax and logic generation. It is in fact the cumulated understanding of the scope of which the business logic lies. This drives us back into the human factor. All software is written for human consumption, even for automated system or machine-to-machine integrations, the final output has to do something which humans desire to achieve, this in par means humans have to write concise specifications on what they intend to achieve in details for the machine to understand.

You see, I’ve decided to scratch the basics of context because context when it comes to engineering requirements slightly differs from that of business requirements. Requirements such as performance, reproducibility, extensibility, integration, several others which serve as a chain to the other for delivering a trustworthy solution.

When Andres Freund discovered a massive nation-state cybersecurity backdoor (later named the xz backdoor) in SSH of a particular linux distribution (which was later discovered to affect all distributions is deployed), this wasn’t any luck or coincidence. This was a result of years of professional experience and understanding of the fundamentals of how the system should look like and work. This includes years of professional development, debugging, benchmarking and finetuning. How would one know these things in today’s software development era?

A 500ms delay which Andres found in xz utils is such an insignificant timespan in most applications of software, and in fact, people almost always dismiss it when I mention a 1sec lag in execution of an event in end-user applications, because they see it as insignificant.

It is a disturbing trend today which leadership of big tech sell you the idea of AI reliance. It is of no doubt that AI is very smart considering the level of knowledge it is trained upon, but total reliance on AI to determine a benchmark, what is attainable, right, and conceived is the foundation to a generational system collapse which they are incubating.

Furthermore, who benefits when everyone becomes bad engineers? I guess you should know where this is heading to now. The very companies which sell you the dependability notion becomes the sole actor in the system who determines what is right, attainable, the terms which these can be achieved, infrastructural cost and lots of unpredictable outcomes.

AI is a very important tool in today’s workspace, it has transformed almost everything we do and given us the abilities to do the things we never thought of achieving, but total reliance on AI agents and systems to determine how our workspaces, ecosystem and future should be is only but a hatching trap we are walking straight into.

Early Investor Turns $1.66M Into $435M After 12-Year BTC Hold

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The cryptocurrency market has produced many legendary success stories, but few are as remarkable as the recent exit of a Bitcoin early adopter who turned a modest investment into hundreds of millions of dollars.

According to blockchain analytics platform Lookonchain, a long-dormant Bitcoin wallet has finally completed the sale of its remaining 1,000 BTC, closing a twelve-year investment journey that yielded one of the most extraordinary returns in financial history.

The investor originally acquired 5,000 Bitcoin when the digital asset traded at approximately $332 per coin. At the time, the total purchase cost amounted to just $1.66 million, a figure that seemed speculative and risky in Bitcoin’s early years.

The cryptocurrency ecosystem was still in its infancy, with limited institutional interest, uncertain regulations, and widespread skepticism regarding Bitcoin’s long-term viability.

Fast forward to 2026, and the story has become a testament to patience, conviction, and the transformative potential of emerging technologies. The whale began gradually selling portions of its holdings in November 2024, strategically reducing its position over several market cycles.

By the time the final 1,000 BTC were sold, the investor had achieved an average selling price of approximately $87,151 per Bitcoin. In total, the entire 5,000 BTC stack generated roughly $435 million in proceeds, translating into an astonishing profit of around $434 million after accounting for the original investment.

The return represents an incredible 262-fold increase, making it one of the most successful long-term trades ever recorded on-chain. This transaction highlights Bitcoin’s evolution from a niche experiment into a globally recognized financial asset.

Early Bitcoin investors endured multiple market crashes, regulatory fears, exchange collapses, and periods when many questioned whether the cryptocurrency would survive.

The wallet’s owner witnessed Bitcoin rise from a relatively obscure digital currency into an asset embraced by institutional investors, publicly traded companies, sovereign wealth discussions, and exchange-traded funds.

The timing of the final sale is noteworthy. Bitcoin has been experiencing renewed momentum, supported by growing institutional adoption, increasing demand for tokenized financial products, and expanding integration within traditional financial systems.

Selling into a mature market at significantly higher valuations demonstrates a disciplined approach rather than emotional decision-making.

For market participants, this story serves as a reminder that wealth creation in emerging technologies often rewards long-term conviction.

While many traders focus on short-term price movements, some of the largest fortunes in cryptocurrency have been built by investors willing to hold through years of volatility and uncertainty.

The story should not be interpreted as evidence that every cryptocurrency investment will generate similar returns. Bitcoin’s journey has been unique, benefiting from first-mover advantages, network effects, increasing scarcity, and growing global recognition as a store of value. Future investments in digital assets may follow very different trajectories.

The exit of this Bitcoin OG marks the end of an era. It symbolizes the completion of a trade that began when Bitcoin was still considered an experimental technology and concludes at a time when digital assets are increasingly becoming part of mainstream finance.

As blockchain observers continue to track major wallet movements, this historic sale will likely be remembered as one of the greatest examples of patience and conviction in financial markets—a twelve-year bet that transformed $1.66 million into more than $435 million.

Coca-Cola’s AI Rebrand Signals the Future of Marketing and Consumer Engagement

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Coca-Cola has demonstrated its ability to evolve with the times by unveiling a new AI-designed brand identity across more than 200 markets worldwide. The move represents one of the most ambitious uses of artificial intelligence in global branding and signals a new era where technology increasingly influences how companies communicate with consumers.

For decades, Coca-Cola has been recognized as one of the world’s most iconic brands. Its signature red color, cursive logo, and emotionally driven advertising campaigns have made it a cultural symbol rather than merely a beverage company.Mmm

Maintaining a consistent identity across hundreds of countries and diverse consumer groups has become increasingly complex in the digital age.

By integrating artificial intelligence into its branding strategy, Coca-Cola aims to create a more adaptive, data-driven, and globally synchronized identity. The new AI-powered rebranding initiative reportedly leverages machine learning models capable of analyzing vast amounts of consumer data, cultural preferences, visual trends, and market behavior.

Rather than replacing human creativity, the technology acts as an enhancement tool, enabling designers and marketers to test thousands of visual concepts and messaging variations in a fraction of the time traditionally required.

One of the key advantages of AI-generated branding is personalization. Consumer preferences vary significantly from region to region, and brands increasingly face pressure to create experiences that feel locally relevant while maintaining a unified global image.

Artificial intelligence enables Coca-Cola to tailor visual elements, campaign themes, and digital experiences to different markets without compromising its core brand identity. This creates a balance between global consistency and local relevance.

The rollout across more than 200 markets also reflects a broader transformation occurring within the marketing industry. Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming a strategic asset for multinational corporations.

Companies are using AI for content creation, consumer analytics, advertising optimization, and product development. Coca-Cola’s decision to implement AI at the heart of its branding efforts may encourage other global brands to pursue similar strategies.

The initiative highlights the growing intersection between creativity and technology. Historically, branding has been considered a deeply human endeavor driven by artistic intuition and cultural understanding.

The emergence of generative AI challenges this assumption by demonstrating that algorithms can assist in producing compelling visual narratives and strategic insights.

Human oversight remains crucial. Brand identity extends beyond aesthetics; it embodies emotions, memories, and values that require human interpretation and judgment. The announcement also arrives during a period of intense competition in the beverage industry.

Younger consumers increasingly engage with brands through digital platforms and expect immersive, personalized experiences. AI-driven branding gives Coca-Cola an opportunity to strengthen consumer engagement by delivering dynamic campaigns that can evolve in real time based on feedback and changing trends.

The adoption of AI in branding is not without concerns. Critics argue that excessive reliance on algorithms could lead to homogenized creativity or diminish the role of human designers.

Questions regarding data privacy, ethical AI usage, and authenticity also remain important considerations. Consumers often value genuine storytelling, and brands must ensure that technology enhances rather than replaces human connection.

Coca-Cola’s AI-designed brand identity represents more than a visual refresh; it symbolizes the next chapter in corporate marketing innovation. By embracing artificial intelligence on a global scale.

Coca-Cola is positioning itself at the forefront of a technological transformation that could redefine how brands are built, managed, and experienced. As AI continues to reshape industries, Coca-Cola’s bold initiative may become a blueprint for the future of global branding in the digital economy.