Bitcoin Miners Shift Toward AI as Tokenized RWA Demand Rises

Bitcoin miners have long been treated as high-beta exposure to BTC’s price cycle, but the operating model is shifting. With margin pressure squeezing traditional mining economics and the demand for AI compute steadily rising, major miners and infrastructure players are increasingly looking at power, data center capacity, and machine-hosting as their primary differentiators.

That broader pivot received fresh reinforcement this week after reporting that Nvidia was preparing a roughly $20 billion bond sale to fund the next phase of its AI expansion—underscoring how long-term capital spending in AI infrastructure is shaping adjacent parts of the crypto ecosystem.

Key takeaways

• Bloomberg reports Nvidia is seeking to raise $20 billion via a multi-part bond offering tied to AI investment plans, highlighting sustained AI infrastructure spending.
• As mining margins tighten, Bitcoin miners are increasingly positioning their power and data center assets for AI hosting and high-performance computing rather than only hash-rate competition.
• Tokenized real-world assets continue to grow: Token Terminal data shows onchain financial assets have surpassed $43 billion, up 37% over six months.
• Ripple is expanding payments in Africa through an investment in Flutterwave, bringing its RLUSD stablecoin and XRP Ledger infrastructure closer to a cross-border remittance hub.
• Sam Bankman-Fried’s bid to overturn his FTX fraud conviction failed, with an appeals panel in Manhattan upholding the verdict.

Nvidia’s $20 billion bond plan signals the next AI buildout era

According to Bloomberg, Nvidia is pursuing a multi-part bond issuance intended to fund AI-related investments and refinance existing debt. The report also notes that the longest-dated bonds are expected to carry meaningfully higher yields than comparable US Treasuries.

While the bond sale itself is an equity-free financing event for a chipmaker, its relevance to crypto infrastructure is indirect but important: it reinforces that the AI buildout is not a short-term fad. For miners, the implication is that power availability and data center throughput may become more valuable than pure hash rate when AI workloads and hosting demand are sustained.

Many mining operators are already exploring that direction. Cointelegraph previously highlighted how some companies are repurposing energy-intensive infrastructure for AI and high-performance computing hosting as mining economics face ongoing headwinds (see crypto mining’s AI/data center infrastructure shift).

In that context, operators including HIVE Digital, Hut 8, CleanSpark, and TeraWulf are increasingly described as moving toward roles that resemble data center operators—leveraging their existing power relationships and site footprints to serve compute-hungry customers.

Tokenized real-world assets keep expanding despite broader crypto weakness

The tokenized real-world asset (RWA) sector is showing resilience even as the broader crypto market faces periodic downturns. Token Terminal data cited by Cointelegraph indicates that total value across onchain financial assets has surpassed $43 billion, up 37% over the past six months.

Tokenized funds make up the bulk of the category—nearly 80% of onchain financial assets—though commodities and tokenized stocks are gaining attention as additional use cases develop.

The trend matters for traders and builders because tokenized RWAs represent a different adoption pathway than speculative crypto trading. Instead of relying on market cycles alone, the sector’s growth is tied to institutional infrastructure, distribution, and compliance frameworks—often with longer-term capital planning.

Two major bank-style projections highlighted in the reporting also illustrate the scale investors believe could be possible: Standard Chartered forecasts that tokenization could help drive decentralized finance toward a $2.7 trillion market capitalization by 2030, while Citigroup projects tokenized RWAs could reach $5.5 trillion by the same point.

Ripple pushes deeper into African payments via Flutterwave investment

Ripple has invested in Flutterwave, one of Africa’s fastest-growing remittance and payments companies, in a deal valued at $3.3 billion. The investment amount was not disclosed, but Cointelegraph reports that it connects Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin, Ripple Payments platform, and XRP Ledger infrastructure with a payments provider operating across 35 countries.

The move aligns with a broader theme in cross-border finance: demand for faster and lower-cost transfers continues to rise as businesses and individuals look for alternatives to traditional remittance rails. By integrating into one of Africa’s major payment networks, Ripple is effectively betting that stablecoin-enabled settlement and ledger-based infrastructure will gain traction where payment friction has historically been higher.

Cointelegraph notes that the investment is also part of Ripple’s continuing expansion on the continent. Earlier, the company partnered with South Africa’s Absa Bank to provide institutional digital asset custody solutions, strengthening its presence in local financial infrastructure.

Court outcome: Sam Bankman-Fried’s conviction stands

In legal news with ongoing implications for the crypto industry’s regulatory trajectory, former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried failed to overturn his fraud conviction. A three-judge appeals panel in Manhattan upheld the verdict, concluding that he received a fair trial.

As quoted in the reporting, Circuit Judge Barrington Parker wrote that while Bankman-Fried was publicly reassuring customers, investors, and regulators that FTX customer funds were safe, he was also using FTX as a personal source of funds—spending customer money on real estate, political contributions, and investments.

Bankman-Fried was convicted on fraud and conspiracy charges tied to FTX’s collapse and sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2024. Cointelegraph also points out that he formally applied for a presidential pardon, with the request appearing on the Pardon Attorney website in early June.

For market participants, the practical takeaway is that the case remains an enforcement reference point. Appeals outcomes shape how regulators, courts, and legal teams evaluate fraud, custody, and customer-protection frameworks across the sector.

What to watch next

Miners will be watching whether AI compute demand translates into durable hosting contracts and stable power-utilization economics, while tokenized assets investors will look for continued growth in onchain financial asset totals and broader institutional participation. On the legal front, further filings tied to Bankman-Fried’s pardon process could keep FTX’s compliance lessons in the spotlight.