According to a report from Kaiko Research, lower network fees and reduced Bitcoin mining rewards increase the risk that miners will be forced to sell their Bitcoin holdings.
Previous halving events have put miners under pressure to reduce revenue, with profits generated from mining falling while expenses such as energy, wages and rent remain largely unchanged, and reduced network fees further reducing revenue. Data shows that the average Bitcoin network fee has fallen from around $45 in January to between $3 and $5.
Marathon Digital, one of the leading Bitcoin miners, sold 390 BTC in May and plans to sell more holdings to manage its finances. According to Kaiko, the risk of miners being forced to sell Bitcoin may continue in the coming months.
The company also said that the revenue crunch will lead miners to seek mergers to "consolidate assets" and "improve efficiency." As the impact of the halving reverberates throughout the industry, consolidation is expected to continue.
For example, Riot Platforms Inc. attempted to acquire Bitfarms Ltd.; in addition, CleanSpark Inc. agreed last month to acquire Griid Infrastructure Inc. in an all-stock transaction worth $155 million. (Bloomberg)