Investors of Bitcoin Satoshi’s Vision (BSV) — a hard fork of Bitcoin Cash (BCH), which itself is a hard fork of the Bitcoin (BTC) protocol, are attempting to revive a 2019 lawsuit against crypto exchange Binance for delisting the altcoin, which the litigants claim stunted the price of BSV.  

According to Law360, attorneys for the plaintiffs argued that a July 2024 decision from the UK Competition Appeal Tribunal dismissing the “loss of chance” claim made against Binance for delisting the token, should be reconsidered. The litigants demanded $9 billion in damages, in the original case.

The investors continue to claim that Binance’s 2019 delisting of BSV and similar major exchange delistings are the primary drivers of BSV’s long-term price decline and its failure to attract the investor attention enjoyed by Bitcoin.

BSV has been in a long-term price decline and has failed to capture investor attention. Source: TradingView

If the coalition of BSV investors manages to push through their legal argument and win in court, they could seek up to 10 billion British pounds (GBP), or roughly $13 billion, in damages from the exchange.

The price of BSV surged by approximately 15% following the news and is currently trading at around $42. However, the altcoin remains in a long-term downtrend and has failed to capture the vast majority of the economic or computing power from the Bitcoin network.

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Binance delists BSV due to founder Craig Wright’s behavior

Binance delisted BSV in April 2019 after announcing that the token failed to meet its listing standards due to the actions of BSV creator Craig Wright, who is infamous in the crypto world for falsely asserting that he is Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto.

Former CEO of the Binance exchange, Changpeng Zhao warned BSV of an impending delisting if Wright continued to make the claims that he was Bitcoin’s pseudonymous creator.

Since that time, BSV has suffered several 51% attacks, a type of exploit where malicious nodes control a majority of the computing power on the network and can double-spend funds — removing one of the core mechanisms that make digital currencies valuable.

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Strategy, a Bitcoin (BTC) treasury company, is accumulating Bitcoin at a faster rate than total miner output, giving the supply-capped asset a -2.33% annual deflation rate, according to CryptoQuant CEO and market analyst Ki Young Ju.

“Their 555,000 BTC is illiquid with no plans to sell,” the analyst wrote in a May 10 X post. “Strategy’s holdings alone mean a -2.23% annual deflation rate — likely higher with other stable institutional holders,” Ju continued.

Michael Saylor, the co-founder of Strategy, is an outspoken Bitcoin advocate who evangelizes the scarce digital currency to potential investors and has inspired many other companies to adopt a Bitcoin treasury plan.

The total BTC supply is shrinking due to Strategy accumulating Bitcoin. Source: Ki Young Ju

Additionally, Strategy acts as a bridge between Bitcoin and traditional financial (TradFi) markets by funneling funds from TradFi investors into Bitcoin through selling corporate debt and equity, which the company uses to finance more BTC purchases. According to Michael Saylor, over 13,000 institutions hold Strategy stock directly in their portfolios.

Bitcoin investors continue to watch the company and its effect on Bitcoin market dynamics. Strategy leads the charge toward institutional adoption of Bitcoin, further restricting the supply of available coins and raising BTC prices, while dampening volatility.

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Strategy and corporate institutions change the Bitcoin market dynamic

Adam Livingston, author of “The Bitcoin Age and The Great Harvest.” recently said that Strategy is synthetically halving Bitcoin by outpacing miner supply through high demand.

According to the author, the current collective daily miner output is approximately 450 BTC, while Strategy accumulates an average of 2,087 BTC per day — over 4 times the daily miner production.

Miner reserves are dwindling and are in a long-term decline. Source: CryptoQuant

Other institutions including hedge funds, pension funds, asset managers, and tech companies continue buying BTC as a portfolio diversifier or a treasury asset to hedge against fiat currency inflation.

ETF inflows have also helped to stabilize Bitcoin’s price by injecting fresh capital from traditional financial markets, smoothing out the volatility of Bitcoin and making downturns less severe.

However, the most august institutional players — sovereign wealth funds — will not ramp up Bitcoin purchases until clear cryptocurrency regulations are established in the United States, according to SkyBridge founder Anthony Scaramucci.

Once a comprehensive regulatory framework emerges in the US, it will trigger large blocks of Bitcoin purchases by sovereign wealth funds, increasing Bitcoin’s price, Scaramucci added.

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Opinion by: Kevin Rusher, founder of RAAC

It’s a volatile world out there. This year, we’ve seen stocks take a wild ride as gold has pumped and crypto has been caught somewhere in the middle. Investors have dumped risk assets and scrambled for safe havens. Gold is leading the charge.

While gold is safe, it is not very hard-working. Unlike cash and treasuries, the yellow metal does not generate income. Now, more than ever, investors need to be able to earn yield on gold — particularly in the decentralized finance (DeFi) sector.

The only way to make money from gold is to buy low and sell high. Most investors don’t tend to buy gold like this. That’s for good reason — over the long term, gold’s performance is typically consistent, if not without a few peaks and troughs here and there, as we have recently seen.

For example, after the 2008 financial crisis, the price of gold soared 148% but stagnated for nearly a decade before the COVID-19 pandemic triggered another rally, and it’s likely we will see gold hold, if not fall from it’s new record high once markets revive. While it remains an excellent hedge, gold’s long-term track record is not a growth story.

Investors prefer US Treasurys or high-yield savings accounts as part of a balanced portfolio. While gold may outperform these assets in uncertain times, it offers a better balance of security and predictable income over the long term. 

The DeFi solution 

This is where DeFi brings innovation to the world’s oldest asset. DeFi can significantly modernize gold investing, offering the speed and transparency of blockchain-based transactions and the ability to earn returns.

Currently, though, most tokenized gold is much the same as holding it in an exchange-traded fund (ETF). Stablecoin giants like Tether and Paxos have launched gold-backed tokens, which they say are fully backed by physical, audited gold reserves, yet offer no yield.

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Most DeFi investors prefer liquid, tradable assets like cryptocurrencies and stablecoins, which can generate attractive returns. Many would rather, for example, buy Tether’s USDt (USDT) stablecoin and stake it, earning rewards while still maintaining ownership.

Perhaps this is why the market capitalization of gold-backed tokens remains modest. Tether Gold, the world’s most significant gold token, has a market capitalization of just under $835 million, for example, while Paxos Gold sits at around $799 million. Combined, this is equivalent to just 1% of the market cap of USDT. 

Unlocking income from the world’s oldest asset 

To unlock gold’s full potential, we need to take tokenization a step further by creating a DeFi ecosystem where tokenized gold is actively put to work — borrowed, lent and integrated into yield-bearing strategies.

One possibility is for companies such as gold miners is to issue tokenized versions of their reserves that can be turned into stablecoins that can then be staked to earn a yield. Leveraging protocols whose liquidity mechanisms enable the trading of stablecoins and real-world asset (RWA) tokens, holders could take advantage of further yield opportunities throughout the DeFi ecosystem.

Beyond the benefits of yield opportunities, blockchain technology means investors in tokenized gold can benefit from the flexibility of 24-hour trading, near real-time price discovery and near-instant settlement without compromising the stability of the asset. 

The future of gold investing

It is, perhaps, ironic that — just as governments worldwide are starting to put their stamp of approval on digital finance — gold is becoming a highly desirable commodity again. The public’s interest in it will grow as governments essentially ratify digital finance. At the same time, the appetite for gold in these uncertain times will also increase. 

DeFi could bring these trends together and kickstart a natural evolution in gold ownership that provides a solid bridge between traditional and digital finance. While gold inside traditional markets attracts investors looking for stability, DeFi brings opportunities that don’t compromise that stability, as it presents new and unique yield opportunities. 

Gold has captivated humanity for thousands of years. It’s the foundation of myths, the standard of wealth and the ultimate hedge against uncertainty. But in today’s financial world, it needs an upgrade.

Through integrating gold into the DeFi ecosystem, we could unlock its true potential — not just as a store of value but as an income-generating asset. The world’s oldest safe haven asset is finally on the brink of a digital evolution.

Opinion by: Kevin Rusher, founder of RAAC.

This article is for general information purposes and is not intended to be and should not be taken as legal or investment advice. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph.