NYDIG

Bitcoin miner Greenidge signs $74M debt restructuring agreement with NYDIG

The deal, if executed, would essentially restructure the company into a hosting firm for Bitcoin mining rigs.

According to a Dec. 20 filing with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, Bitcoin (BTC) miner Greenidge has reached an agreement with its creditor, fintech firm NYDIG, to restructure approximately $74 million worth of debt. The deal, in the form of a non-binding term sheet, would result in a major change to Greenidge’s current business strategy, essentially transforming Greenidge from self-mining to hosting NYDIG’s mining rigs.

Under the agreement, NYDIG would purchase miners with approximately 2.8 exahashes per second (EH/s) of mining capacity to be hosted by Greenidge, which would facilitate NYDIG’s rights to a mining site within three months following the completion of debt restructuring and hosting agreements. In exchange for consideration amounting to the purchased miners and transfer of mining infrastructure and credits to NYDIG, the firm would agree to a debt reduction of $57 million to $68 million for Greenidge.

Additionally, Greenidge would collateralize a sizable portion of its unencumbered assets to secure the remaining balance of the NYDIG loan. The firm would retain ownership of miners with a capacity of 1.2 EH/s. As of Oct. 31, 2022, Greenidge had approximately 2.5 EH/s of mining capacity from roughly 24,500 miners in service.

However, the company also wrote that “there remains uncertainty regarding Greenidge’s financial condition and substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern.” Last month, Greenidge used approximately $8 million of its cash during operations, of which $5.5 million went to principal and interest payments. As of Nov. 30, 2022, the company’s cash balance amounted to approximately $22 million. Greenidge also warned that “NYDIG and Greenidge will endeavor to enter into definitive documentation reflecting the terms described in this release, but there can be no assurances made that such terms will not change materially nor can there be any assurances made that the transactions discussed in this release will be consummated.”

In September 2021, Cointelegraph reported that Greenidge completed a merger with Support.com, a provider of customer and technical support solutions, to become a publicly listed mining firm on the Nasdaq. Since then, shares have plunged over 99%, partly due to a combination of the ongoing crypto winter, higher electricity prices, higher mining difficulty and lower market prices for Bitcoin mining rigs. 

Asset management firm launches BTC Lightning Network startup accelerator

The startup accelerator will consist of four yearly 8-week programs, with successful applicants receiving $250,000 and one receiving an additional $500,000 at the end of the program.

Asset management firm Stone Ridge, the parent company of Bitcoin company NYDIG, has launched the first startup accelerator that focuses on the Bitcoin Lightning Network and the Taro protocol, called In Wolf’s Clothing (Wolf). 

The accelerator consists of 8-week programs in which the best founders and startup teams from around the world will be brought to New York City, with accommodation and travel costs covered.

The teams which apply and are accepted into the program will receive a guaranteed investment of $250,000. One team will be chosen by a panel of judges to receive an additional $500,000 of funding during the demonstration day at the end of each program.

The programs will occur four times per year, with the first now open to applications and set to kick off in April next year.

Kelly Brewster, the CEO of Wolf, pointed to one-on-one mentorships and access to a range of specialists as additional benefits of the program.

Despite macroeconomic headwinds and a huge drop in the price of Bitcoin (BTC), the Lightning Network has continued to see rapid growth in its capacity over the last year, recently breaching the 5,000 BTC threshold after having only hit 4,000 BTC in June.

Bitcoin Lightning Network capacity. Source lookintobitcoin.com

Related: CashApp adds support for Bitcoin Lightning Network

The Lightning Network is a layer-2 solution built on top of Bitcoin that allows users to send satoshis, the smallest amount of Bitcoin can be divided into, with greater speeds and lower fees.

The Taro protocol is a Taproot-powered protocol designed by the Bitcoin software firm Lightning Labs, which allows assets issued on the Bitcoin blockchain to be transferred to the Bitcoin Lightning Network.

In other words, Taro allows the Lightning Network to become a multi-asset network with Bitcoin at its core.

According to data from 1ml, at the time of writing, the network’s capacity is currently sitting at 5,140 BTC, representing a 5.43% increase over the past month, and median transaction fees are well under 1 millionth of a cent per satoshi.