Marathon Digital marked a major milestone with a 168% annual Bitcoin hashrate growth, outperforming the Bitcoin network’s 49% increase.
Marathon Digital, a Bitcoin miner, achieved a significant milestone last year by completing a 168% increase in Bitcoin hashrate and thereby solidifying its status as an industry leader.
This is consistent with Donald Trump’s objective of establishing the United States as the primary location for Bitcoin production.
Nevertheless, the MARA stock is down 17% on the year chart, despite this development, and investors are anticipating a robust recovery.
Marathon Digital Records Increased Bitcoin Hashrate
Marathon Digital Holdings’ MARA Pool, which was operational in 2024, experienced a significant 168% annual increase in BTC hashrate, further solidifying its market position.
This figure significantly surpasses the 49% growth of the Bitcoin network as a whole during the same period, thereby establishing MARA Pool as a leader in the mining sector.
Consequently, the Bitcoin miner is making a substantial contribution to Donald Trump’s vision of increasing the United States’ influence in the global Bitcoin mining landscape.
The Bitcoin mining industry in the United States experienced a significant shift last year, as it was able to surpass the likes of prominent Asian entities such as Antpool.
The Foundry USA Pool experienced substantial growth, thereby extending its lead over Antpool by a substantial 100%, in addition to Marathon Digital.
Foundry’s hashrate increased from 157 EH/s in January 2024 to approximately 280 EH/s by December, as indicated by real-time Cloverpool data. In contrast, Antpool’s hashrate increased only slightly, from 130 EH/s to 147 EH/s, which was less than the 49% growth of the Bitcoin network.
Reasons For Decline In MARA Stock
Marathon Digital has been enhancing its market dominance; however, the MARA stock has failed to meet market expectations.
The stock closed the final year of 2024 with an 18% decline.
This occurred immediately after the Bitcoin halving event in March 2024, which resulted in a 50% reduction in mining rewards, causing a substantial decline in revenue for the Bitcoin miner.
This has been a significant challenge for the Bitcoin mining industry as a whole.
According to the Zacks Consensus Estimate, Marathon Digital is expected to report a quarterly loss of $0.32 per share, which represents a remarkable 1,500% decline from the previous year.
The consensus estimate for the entire fiscal year predicts an earnings loss of $0.29 per share, which represents a 270.6% decrease from the previous year.
Nevertheless, certain market analysts contend that MARA would be a more advantageous investment than MicroStrategy (MSTR) in the year 2025.
The reason for this is that the company has made strategic investments in the expansion of its Bitcoin mining operations and the consolidation of its market position.
Bitcoin Purchasing Spree Persists
MARA, a Bitcoin miner, maintained its BTC acquisition frenzy in December, acquiring nearly $1 billion in Bitcoin.
In his most recent interview, Fred Thiel, the CEO of Marathon, expressed his optimism regarding 2025 and recommended that investors allocate a small amount of money to Bitcoin on a monthly basis.
“We are very optimistic about this year. If the strategic Bitcoin reserves happen, lots of other countries will follow suit. Which means somebody has to acquire that Bitcoin from somewhere, because the little amount of Bitcoin that is mined every month, will not be enough. So, you’re going to see price increases there,” said Thiel.
The MARA CEO declined to provide a target price for Bitcoin; however, he underscored that the regulatory environment indicates a bullish outlook for BTC.
Thiel underscored the potential scarcity of Bitcoin supply in the current market, noting that the prices could be considerably inflated in 2025 due to the increasing demand.
