Bitcoin Mining Industry Reflects on 13 Years Since First Halving Event

**XAUt/USD has gained 217% since the current bull run started**, marking a significant rally for the tokenized gold asset on Bitfinex. **Record-breaking momentum**: The pair has traded above its 200-day moving average for over 575 consecutive days - the second longest streak in its history. This sustained performance demonstrates strong market confidence in tokenized precious metals as an alternative digital asset class. [Track XAUt/USD on Bitfinex](https://trading.bitfinex.com/t/XAUT:USD)

Gold has achieved an unprecedented milestone, reaching a market capitalization exceeding $35 trillion - the largest for any asset in recorded history. The precious metal is currently trading at $5,107 per ounce. This represents a significant surge from September 2025, when gold hit what was then an all-time high of $3,600 per ounce. The 42% price increase over approximately four months reflects continued strong demand for the traditional safe-haven asset. The $35 trillion valuation surpasses all previous records for any single asset class, highlighting gold's enduring role as a store of value during periods of economic uncertainty.

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Ethereum has achieved unprecedented transaction throughput while simultaneously experiencing its lowest fee levels in years, creating what analysts are calling a "paradox" for the network. **Key Developments:** - Network capacity has reached all-time highs for processing transactions - Transaction fees have dropped to multi-year lows despite increased activity - This combination presents both opportunities and challenges for institutional adoption **Implications:** The low-fee environment makes Ethereum more accessible for everyday users and smaller transactions. However, reduced fees also mean lower revenue for validators and could impact network security economics long-term. For institutions, the improved throughput demonstrates scalability progress, while low fees reduce operational costs. The broader EVM ecosystem may see increased competition as other chains lose their fee advantage. [Read the full analysis](https://blog.bitfinex.com/education/ethereums-record-throughput-low-fee-paradox-implications-for-institutions-and-the-evm-ecosystem/)

Ethereum processed **2.88 million transactions in a single day**, setting a new record while keeping fees low. This marks a shift in the network's role: - Ethereum is evolving into a **settlement infrastructure layer** - Most execution activity is moving to **Layer 2 solutions** - The network demonstrates **predictability under high load** This development is particularly significant for institutional adoption, as consistent performance during peak usage provides the reliability that enterprises require. The combination of high throughput and low fees represents a maturation of Ethereum's scaling strategy, with L2s handling transactions while the main chain focuses on security and settlement.