- Bitcoin miners have released their monthly performance figures for the first time since the Bitcoin network’s fourth halving event last month, showing a small but noticeable impact on the mining industry.
- Despite pre-halving market fears, CleanSpark (CLSK), the second-largest Bitcoin miner, has shown efficient mining performance, while Marathon Digital (MARA) and Riot Platforms (RIOT) have shown less efficiency.
- Several Bitcoin miners saw their BTC revenue drop less than 15% month over month, despite the halving being in effect for roughly one-third of it, thanks in part to a temporary bump in transaction fee revenue spurred by the Runes protocol.
Bitcoin miners report their performance after the fourth halving event, with CleanSpark showing efficient mining performance and a less than 15% drop in BTC revenue for several miners.
Bitcoin Miners Still Performing Post-Halving
The second-largest Bitcoin miner by market cap, CleanSpark (CLSK), mined 721 BTC in April compared to 806 BTC in March, according to its monthly investor report. Despite pre-halving market fears, CLSK has surged 60% year to date, proving to be one of the best-performing Bitcoin mining stocks. The firm has shown efficiency in mining more BTC with a lower energized hash rate, which reached 17 exahashes per second (EH/s) in April.
Comparison with Major Rivals
By contrast, Marathon Digital (MARA), the largest Bitcoin miner, mined a comparable 850 BTC last month, even though its energized hash rate is 50% higher at 29.9 EH/s. Riot Platforms (RIOT) has proven even less efficient, mining just 375 BTC on a 12.5 EH/s energized hash rate. RIOT stock was one of the worst hit between early January and the Bitcoin halving on April 19 and has done little to recover post-halving, trading 30% down year to date.
Revenue From Runes and Transaction Fees
Several Bitcoin miners saw their BTC revenue drop less than 15% month over month, despite the halving being in effect for roughly one-third of it. Part of their performance was due to a temporary bump in transaction fee revenue last month spurred by the Runes protocol, a new standard for minting tokens on Bitcoin that temporarily drove fees to over $150 apiece. Marathon reported earning 16% of its revenue last month through transaction fees, while CleanSpark said it earned 48.3 BTC on one day in April, roughly double its monthly average.
Conclusion
The Bitcoin mining industry has shown resilience following the fourth halving event, with firms like CleanSpark demonstrating efficient mining performance. Despite a drop in BTC revenue for several miners, the impact of the halving has been less severe than anticipated, thanks in part to a temporary increase in transaction fee revenue spurred by the Runes protocol. The industry will continue to adapt and evolve in response to these changing dynamics.
