Q: What was the original minimum relay fee for a Bitcoin transaction in the early network?

The U.S. Senate reached a deal on crypto regulation, resolving a key dispute around stablecoin yield that had stalled progress for weeks. The agreement clears a path forward for broader market structure legislation, including the CLARITY Act, which aims to define how digital assets are regulated across agencies. This marks a meaningful step toward reducing regulatory uncertainty for DeFi and yield-bearing products.

The SEC and CFTC issued joint guidance clarifying how digital assets are classified and regulated, including distinctions between commodities and securities, as well as how activities like staking and mining are treated. The framework introduces a more formal taxonomy for crypto assets and signals a coordinated approach between regulators, providing clearer boundaries for builders operating in DeFi.

The CFTC issued a no-action letter tied to wallet-based access to regulated derivatives markets, signaling a cautious but notable shift in how regulators view DeFi interfaces. While limited in scope, the guidance suggests growing recognition of non-custodial infrastructure and may serve as an early indicator of how decentralized access points are treated within existing regulatory frameworks.

Hemi is making steady progress on zk provability and the MinerFi system, with recent upgrades improving proof efficiency and scalability. Core components are nearing audit, and a private beta for the zk proof network is expected soon, with broader testing likely in April. These updates move key infrastructure closer to production readiness. 

veHEMI is being upgraded to support onchain voting and delegation, enabling holders to restake into protocols like MinerFi and participate in network operations. This expands veHEMI beyond governance into a broader economic security layer that will support future components like sequencing and zk infrastructure. 

The ecosystem is expanding through L3 development and deeper integration with Ethereum, allowing Bitcoin liquidity to access the best opportunities across DeFi while reinforcing Hemi’s role as a central coordination layer. Stay tuned for updates.

Hemi is working with BTCS S.A., a digital asset company listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange, to deploy 50-100 BTC into strategies operating on Hemi’s network.

Read more.

This primary installment in the Testing Hemi series examines the use of a Localnet to run automated, isolated, effective tests to surface known bugs.

Read more.

Watch the recap.

Join Hemi’s Discord and catch each Midweek with Max episode live.

Featuring Jeff Garzik, Jeremy Nation, and Ryan Charleston, the discussion frames AI as a force multiplier that shifts advantage to those who can coordinate humans and intelligent systems into productive outcomes.

See the full AMA.

A: In Bitcoin’s early days, nodes required a minimum relay fee of 0.01 BTC to prevent spam. As the network matured and BTC gained value, this fee was reduced dramatically to allow smaller, practical transactions.