Bitcoin Miner Bitdeer Dumps 244 BTC in a Week, Goes to Zero Holdings

As of July 20, 2026 (U.S. markets closed for holiday), MicroStrategy (MSTR) last traded at $94.85 (July 17, 2026 close), up 0.87% (+$0.82) from the prior close of $94.03. The session opened at $91.30, with a high of $95.97 and a low of $90.06. With U.S. equity markets closed for the holiday, the quote reflects the last regular-session close, with no pre-market or intraday movement.

Bitdeer Keeps Zero BTC Holdings, Sells All Weekly Output

Nasdaq-listed Bitcoin miner Bitdeer posted its latest BTC holdings on X on July 18. For the week ending July 17, the company mined 244.3 BTC but sold the same amount, adding zero to its balance sheet. It continues to hold no Bitcoin.^[Bitget]

This isn’t Bitdeer’s first time. According to Odaily Planet Daily, the company has repeatedly sold Bitcoin immediately after mining it, keeping zero BTC on its books. This “mine-and-sell” model contrasts sharply with miners that hoard coins for price appreciation. Bitdeer’s zero-holdings strategy completely shields it from Bitcoin price swings — but it also forgoes any potential upside from holding the asset.

Polygon Cuts Jobs After Coinme Acquisition, Pivots to Payments

Polygon Labs CEO Marc Boiron announced layoffs after closing the acquisition of crypto exchange Coinme. “We are in the final stages of closing the Coinme acquisition and integrating its team into Polygon Labs,” Boiron said.^[WEEX]

The cuts are part of a broader restructuring to shift from a “blockchain-based services organization” to a “payment company leveraging blockchain.” Boiron stressed the layoffs aren’t performance-related but a matter of organizational fit — the two business models require completely different talent and structures. The move aims to cut costs and focus resources on the profitable payments business, targeting profitability by 2027.

Polygon Labs announced in January 2026 that it would acquire Coinme and wallet infrastructure platform Sequence for a total of over $250 million. Boiron noted that the biggest barriers to mass crypto payments are regulatory compliance and fiat on/off ramps. By integrating Coinme — which holds a U.S. money transmitter license — Polygon gains a smooth channel linking bank accounts, cash, and on-chain stablecoins.

Data shows Polygon’s network is already active in stablecoins, with a stablecoin supply of about $3.37 billion and monthly transaction volume hitting a record $9.12 billion, providing a solid base for expansion. However, entering a highly regulated financial sector while cutting staff means system and team integration could take several quarters, testing execution.^[WEEX]

Coinbase CEO: Self-Custody Is the Only Way to Reach 1 Billion Users

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong stressed on social media that self-custody wallets are critical for expanding crypto adoption beyond developed markets and reaching the next billion users. While the Coinbase app “works well” in developed countries with clear rules, the U.S. accounts for only 4% of the global population, he noted.^{[Bitcoin News]}

“To get more than a billion people benefiting from an open financial system, self-custody is the only way,” Armstrong said. “It lowers onboarding friction, is globally available, and scales like software — not by setting up regulated entities and local teams in every country.” He also argued that AI agent adoption — a future driver of blockchain use — is “a better form” for agents to get funds to complete tasks. “Even in developed countries, self-custody is critical for economic freedom,” Armstrong concluded.^{[Bitcoin News]}

The self-custody push comes after Base project lead Jesse Pollak stepped down, calling his previous focus on social features a “wrong bet.” He handed Base leadership to Jordan Fish (known in crypto as Cobie), saying: “We will make Base the blockchain for global finance, doing everything to become the place where the world’s money settles for the next century.” Under Cobie, Base is expected to pivot to three pillars: trading, payments, and agents.^{[Bitcoin News]}

ZachXBT Blasts Hardware Wallets, Reignites Self-Custody Debate

On-chain sleuth ZachXBT posted a blistering message on Telegram, calling hardware wallets “complete garbage” and advising against using them for signing transactions or storing funds. He argued that for people handling large sums, a spare iPhone as a signing device offers a better experience than any hardware wallet on the market, specifically calling out Ledger.^{[CryptoPotato]}

On X, ZachXBT listed problems hardware wallet users face in typical high-value, time-sensitive transactions: dead batteries, forced device and software updates, UI changes, and website vulnerabilities that block multi-sig transactions. The comments quickly drew responses from security researchers, wallet developers, and everyday crypto users.

Security researcher Axel Bitblaze agreed with ZachXBT’s criticism of hardware wallets but questioned whether a phone can truly replace them, noting that a phone still creates “a single point of failure with one device and one seed phrase.” He recommended a 2-of-3 Safe multi-sig setup with separate signing devices, storing seed phrases offline, testing before moving large sums, and separating daily-use wallets from long-term holdings. Tornado Cash co-founder Roman Storm also chimed in, agreeing with the logic behind ZachXBT’s proposal but pointing out that mobile wallets lack a key feature: BIP39 passphrase support.^{[CryptoPotato]}

Stripe Bids $53 Billion for PayPal, Could Reshape Global Payments

According to FinTech Magazine, Stripe, alongside private equity firm Advent International, has made an offer of roughly $53 billion for PayPal — a 28% premium over PayPal’s recent stock price. Although PayPal’s stock has fallen 19% over the past year, the offer is still well below its historical valuation highs. Early signs suggest PayPal’s leadership has been only marginally engaged, as the company pursues its own turnaround plan.^{[FinTech Magazine]}

If the deal goes through, Stripe would gain access to over 400 million active PayPal accounts, instantly extending its reach into consumer wallets and branded checkout experiences. Bitpace CEO Anil Oncu called the deal “one of the largest acquisitions in financial services history” and “a milestone moment for the global payments industry.” He noted that Stripe transformed digital commerce through merchant payment infrastructure, while PayPal did so through consumer wallets and branded checkout — combining them would create one of the most influential players in online payments.^{[FinTech Magazine]}

Oncu also warned the deal would almost certainly face “the most stringent antitrust scrutiny” in the payments industry. RS2 CEO Radi El Haj added that even if crypto isn’t the primary motive, a Stripe-PayPal combination would be “one of the most consequential developments” for driving crypto adoption in payments. Stripe previously acquired stablecoin platform Bridge for $1.1 billion, while PayPal has its own stablecoin, PYUSD. Their combined digital-asset infrastructure suggests the deal could accelerate the shift from traditional card processing to tokenized money, stablecoins, and programmable payments.^{[FinTech Magazine]}

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