INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
previous difficulty adjustment period.The Bitcoin mining difficulty level currently stands at roughly 126.4 trillion, according to data from
CryptoQuant.Higher mining difficulty and network hashrate, which is a separate but related measure of the total computing power securing the
Bitcoin protocol, both translate into increased miner competition and higher production costs.Miners continue to face financial pressures
from the reduced block reward following the April 2024 halving, rising operational costs, and increased mining difficulty, which have
Source: CryptoQuantRelated: Solo Bitcoin miner bags $330K block reward despite record difficultyDespite the challenges miners within the
highly competitive industry face, some publicly traded Bitcoin mining companies are expanding their operational capacity and choosing to
retain their mined BTC as a treasury asset.Mining firm MARA announced that it increased BTC output by 35% in May, amid a record-level
significant milestone for the decentralized monetary protocol.Despite this, MARA announced that it mined 950 Bitcoin in May and increased
its corporate treasury reserves to 49,179 BTC, making it one of the largest Bitcoin holders in the world.A growing number of companies,
including Bitcoin mining firms, are shifting to a Bitcoin treasury strategy
wrote in a June 3 X post.CleanSpark, a public Bitcoin miner focused on securing the network through clean energy, also increased its BTC
production in May 2025.The company mined 694 BTC during the month, a 9% increase over production in April, bringing its total reserves to
CleanSpark president and CEO Zack Bradford wrote in the May update.The growing trend of mining companies accumulating Bitcoin as a treasury
asset also represents a significant shift in business strategy for mining firms that have traditionally sold their coins to cover
operational costs.Magazine: Inside the Iranian Bitcoin mining industry
