Freddie New
@freddienew.bsky.social
140 followers 61 following 89 posts
General Counsel at The Little Car Company. Co-founder and Head of Policy at Bitcoin Policy UK www.bitcoinpolicy.uk
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Ha ha my fault. It was a reference to the BBC interview, where Bitcoin was called old and useless tech that just burnt coal.....
I agree with you - in case my tone of voice was not apparent!!
Square is literally in the process of rolling out the old, useless tech of the Lightning network to enable bitcoin payments on every single Square terminal:

Block to roll out bitcoin payments on Square share.google/qBxUkaUQz5qC...
Block to roll out bitcoin payments on Square
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Bitcoin Policy and also B HODL. Jillian is great - glad to have her as a contact in common. Please do DM me; would be delighted to find some time to chat through developments etc.
I'm a geek - I notice things!!
Also saying that other coins are 'HS2' is not the total dunk it might seem, given that HS2 is non-functional and may never be finished
Kate, I run a BTC Lightning infrastructure company (UK listed plc). Very happy to give you some time whenever you like to discuss growth, innovation and development in the Lightning network. You mention stablecoins - Tether itself will soon be running ON Lightning for example....
Anyone who has an irrational hatred of Bitcoin has any number of things which are not 'actual' facts with which to attack it.

I just move on now. We can't save everyone. Some people just like being angry; I'm not one of them.
Honestly, if it makes you this angry, that's cool. I don't need to convince you. Don't buy any, and all best to you.
Do have a read of that data on the link I shared if you are ever curious. A lot of my work is with the Human rights Foundation who simply use this as one of the tools in their tool kit for continuing work in very tough regimes and circumstances
Perhaps you could have saved some percentage points if you had 😜.

But I think you make exactly the right point - you don't use it because you haven't needed to. Many people do actually need it (but most of them don't live in the UK, or a stable democracy, or where inflation is still broadly ok)
I understand that the prevailing narrative has been that this is a tool for criminals - I once also believed that myself. But the data shows otherwise, and it's also really interesting data to read as well (if you are at all of a curious bent)
Sure, just one small example: the lightning network as a payment rail is already facilitating cheap, almost instantaneous cross border payments that don't even require sender or receiver to know that bitcoin is involved in the transaction. Real time conversion, and no huge fees.
As well as being a dull policy lawyer I also happen to be the CEO of a listed company with Bitcoin on the balance sheet and working in paytech. I'm likely prevented by market abuse regulations from indulging in 'breathless excitement'. Very happy to be dull & measured for you, whenever needed!
It's quite literally not - the latest data from the market leader analyst on crypto crime suggests that just 0.14% of payments are illicit. Primary use case is on the main entirely lawful.
Reposted by Freddie New
If you could pass this on to the expert you had on @moneybox.bsky.social . This is @freddienew.bsky.social sending members of the FCA at the Labour Party conference a bitcoin transaction, 'instantly' via Bitcoin's layer 2.0 Lightning network. Stephenson would have been proud. British innovation!
And what about this from a BBC colleague?

bsky.app/profile/joet...
Cambridge Uni has released it's fourth research report about Bitcoin mining. The first one since 2022 and the most comprehensive look at a controversial aspect of bitcoin - energy usage and energy mix. Overall the energy mix has improved a great deal since the last report. Key takeaways:
From the archives. Felicity's 12 year old now up over 200 per cent
I'm afraid to say it is honestly astonishing to hear material like this still being broadcast in 2025.
Open invitation from any of the Bitcoin Policy UK team to come on and discuss Bitcoin in depth.

Furthermore, I'm now also heading up a listed company in the space (admission date was only this week - bhodl.com). Very happy to come on and speak in my capacity as CEO there as well.
Home | B HODL
B HODL - A Bitcoin Treasury and Services Company
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Hello there!

Glad to see this is all totally 'unexpected' by the galaxy brains on this platform as well
Reposted by Freddie New
Cambridge uni is actually waaay behind the curve on this. The innovation sharp end is moving far more rapidly towards carbon neutral and even net beneficial via methane usage and heat co location.

A great resource to discover more www.da-ri.org
Reposted by Freddie New
Bitcoin in the bush - the crypto mine in remote Zambia. We visit a bitcoin project on the Zambezi river making use of 'stranded electricity'. The company behind it wants to start building its own renewable plants for mining and to spread electricity in Africa. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Bitcoin in the bush - crypto mining brings power to rural areas
Bitcoin miners will go to remote locations to take advantage of cheap electricity.
www.bbc.co.uk
Reposted by Freddie New
On my way back from a fascinating and exhausting assignment to Zambia about Bitcoin mining. 28 hours of driving in 3 days but worth it to report from locations like this.