China and Russia Turn to Bitcoin for Energy Trade Settlements Amid Dollar Shift

In a significant move away from the U.S. dollar-dominated financial system, China and Russia have begun settling select energy transactions using Bitcoin, as reported by investment firm VanEck. This development highlights Bitcoin’s evolving role beyond speculation into practical trade settlement, coinciding with rising global trade tensions. Meanwhile, Bolivia has also made recent announcements regarding cryptocurrency adoption.

China and Russia Settle Energy Trades in Bitcoin

China and Russia are reportedly settling select energy transactions using Bitcoin, according to a recent report by investment firm VanEck. The move marks a shift away from the U.S. dollar-dominated financial system and comes amid heightened global trade tensions. VanEck’s Head of Digital Assets Research, Matthew Sigel, confirmed that the adoption of Bitcoin (BTC) for trade settlement is evolving beyond speculation. In addition, Bolivia has announced plans to import power using cryptocurrency, while French utility giant EDF explores Bitcoin mining to monetize surplus electricity.

Trump Administration’s Desire for Weaker Dollar Bullish for Bitcoin - Bitwise

Bitwise, an asset manager, reported that President Trump’s administration wants a weaker dollar, which is positive for Bitcoin (BTC). Matt Hougan, Bitwise’s chief investment officer, wrote that the administration aims for a significantly weaker dollar. Following President Trump’s announcement of a 90-day tariff pause for non-retaliating countries, cryptocurrencies surged on Wednesday. Bitwise noted that Bitcoin has had a negative correlation with the U.S. Dollar Index (DXY) over the past five years, expecting this relationship to continue.

Bitcoin Soars as Trump Suspends Tariffs for 90 Days

Bitcoin crossed the symbolic threshold of $82,000 shortly after Donald Trump’s surprise announcement of a 90-day truce on reciprocal tariffs with several countries. The American president lowered customs duties to 10% for non-retaliatory countries while raising them to 125% for China. This decision acted as a jolt to the markets, which reacted in a chain reaction. Bitcoin’s rise highlights its emerging role as a barometer of geopolitical tensions, suggesting that it is far from being just a speculative asset.

Bitcoin-Backed Loans Expected to Get Cheaper Globally: Ledn Co-Founder

The Trump administration’s friendliness toward the crypto sector is expected to deeply change the Bitcoin (BTC) lending market over the next four years. Mauricio Di Bartolomeo, co-founder of Ledn, predicts a Cambrian explosion of bitcoin-backed loans as rates are going to drop, making them competitive with home equity or personal lines of credit. These rate drops will not be limited to the U.S. but will be seen globally due to bitcoin’s nature as a digital asset.

Crypto Stocks Soar on Trump Tariff Pause; BTC Up 6%

Under far heavier pressure than the modest decline in Bitcoin (BTC) over the past few days would suggest, crypto stocks are posting significant gains. Markets surged higher following President Trump’s tariff pause. Strategy (MSTR) led with a 25% increase, while Coinbase (COIN) climbed 21%. Marathon Digital (MARA) and Riot Platforms (RIOT) also posted double-digit gains. Other notable movers included Semler Scientific (SMLR) and Fold (FLD), with advances nearing 10%. The strong uptick aligned with the surge in U.S. stocks, with the Nasdaq rocketing over 10% higher and the S&P 500 up 8%. Bitcoin climbed above $82,000, marking a more than 6% increase over the past 24 hours.

EigenLayer Finally Ready To Launch Critical Missing Feature - The Protocol News

EigenLayer, the restaking protocol, has announced that it will finally introduce its long-awaited critical missing feature. This is one of the main stories in CoinDesk’s weekly wrap-up of the most important stories in cryptocurrency tech development. Other news includes RootstockLabs preparing to release SDKs for Bitcoin Layer 2s using BitVMX, insights into North Korea’s favorite crypto laundering tool THORChain, and a Bitcoin developer proposing a hard fork to protect BTC from quantum computing threats.