Bitcoin miners see mixed successes in tackling debt-fueled overexpansion crisis
In keeping with a current report by Hash Fee Index, publicly-listed Bitcoin (BTC) miners took on greater than $4 billion value of debt in the course of the run-up to the crypto bull market. Mesmerized by rising costs, business rushed hand over fist to buy Bitcoin application-specific built-in circuits miners on simple credit score.
Nevertheless, in as we speak’s context of Bitcoin value collapse, skyrocketing electrical energy costs, decrease market costs for mining rigs, and record-level mining issue, 2022 grew to become an especially troublesome 12 months for sector gamers. That stated, some are holding on higher than others.
Prime 10 publicly-traded Bitcoin miners by liabilities | Supply: Hashrate Index
On Jan 3, Bitfarms announced that the corporate bought 1,755 BTC throughout Dec. 2022 for whole proceeds of $29.9 million. The agency then used this quantity to pay down $16.5 million in its BTC-backed facility, together with $2.0 million in equipment-related indebtedness.
Bitfarms additionally managed to renegotiate miner buying agreements resulting in extinguishing $45.4 million with out penalty whereas establishing a $22.4 million credit score for pre-paid pre-paid deposits to be utilized in opposition to future buy agreements. The corporate mined 5,167 BTC ($86.1 million on the time of publication) for all of 2022 and had an impressive debt steadiness of $47.0 million on the 12 months’s finish.
The identical day, Stronghold Digital Mining announced that it reached an change settlement to transform $17.9 million of its debt into most well-liked inventory bearing a face worth of $23.1 million. The popular inventory would bear no curiosity nor dividends, and would, in flip, be convertible into frequent inventory (with negligible par worth) at a conversion value of $0.40 per share, which is close to the inventory’s market worth of $0.44 on the time of publication.
Others weren’t as lucky. Cointelegraph beforehand reported on Dec 21 that Greenidge signed a $74 million debt restructuring settlement with creditor NYDIG. The deal, if executed, would offer credit score reduction at the price of restructuring the corporate from an impartial Bitcoin miner right into a internet hosting website for NYDIG’s Bitcoin mining rigs. Equally, Core Scientific, one of many largest gamers within the sector, managed to safe a $37.4 million mortgage however nonetheless is present process chapter.
Not all Bitcoin miners launched into credit-fueled enlargement methods. On Jan 3., Digihost announced that it elevated BTC manufacturing by 60% 12 months over 12 months. The corporate stated it has no debt apart from a vendor-take-back mortgage on its Alabama facility within the quantity of $934,500. Cointelegraph additionally beforehand reported on Dec 21 that German Bitcoin miner Northern Knowledge stated the corporate had no monetary debt whereas anticipating $204 million in income for 2022.
