Bitcoin traded at $76,536 on Sunday, down 0.8% over the prior 24 hours, after briefly touching $77,468 earlier in the session. The cryptocurrency had peaked at $79,461 on Friday before paring gains. At 06:57 Brasília time, BTC was quoted at $76,586.20.
Mining economics improved as the hashprice—a measure of revenue per unit of computing power—rose 20.4% over four days to $38.29 per petahash per second on Saturday, up from $31.80 on August 18. The metric reflects the recent rebound in Bitcoin’s price, which has bolstered miner revenue despite persistently low transaction fee contributions. Miners accumulated $682.69 million in block subsidies and fees in August through Saturday, with fees accounting for just $5.14 million of the total.
The Bitcoin network’s computational power approached 922 exahashes per second, nearing the one zettahash threshold. This surge in hashpower underscores the network’s resilience and the ongoing investment in mining infrastructure despite regulatory and macroeconomic headwinds.
Other major cryptocurrencies showed mixed performance. Ether fell 0.09% to $2,411.01, while XRP declined 0.36% to $1.4793. Solana rose 0.57%, BNB dropped 0.21% to $689.48, and Cardano fell 0.99% to $0.2206. Dogecoin gained 1.73%, and the TRUMP meme token surged 88.12%.
Analysts cited structural factors supporting long-term Bitcoin adoption. Zach Pandl, head of research at Grayscale, highlighted continuous adoption, the maturity of the current bear market, and a favorable macroeconomic backdrop as key tailwinds. Grayscale attributed rising adoption to increasing public debt, expanded blockchain use in financial services, and generational shifts in portfolio construction.
Interest rates remain a primary risk, with the Federal Reserve maintaining its benchmark rate between 3.5% and 3.75% in July. A potential rate hike could pressure non-yielding assets like Bitcoin, Pandl noted.
A separate study linked higher European carbon prices to increased energy sector emissions in Russia tied to Bitcoin mining, suggesting miners are shifting operations across jurisdictions rather than relocating equipment. Regional mining bans introduced in Russia since 2025 may constrain this strategy.
The U.S. public debt approached $40.03 trillion on August 20, adding to the macroeconomic backdrop influencing risk assets.
