Connect with us

Published

on

A Square-powered bitcoin checkout is now live on the Vegas Strip, where Bitcoin 2025 attendees can scan and pay for merch in seconds using the Lightning Network.

Miles Suter

LAS VEGAS — Jack Dorsey’s latest bitcoin vision is hitting the checkout counter — starting with a merch truck parked just off the casino floor inside The Venetian.

This week at Bitcoin 2025, Square is piloting real-time bitcoin payments, letting attendees scan and spend crypto for T-shirts, hoodies, and hats at the BTC Inc. pop-up store. The system runs on Lightning, which settles transactions off the main blockchain and is faster and cheaper than traditional processing methods.

When customers scan the QR code at checkout, Square handles things behind the scenes, including real-time exchange rates and confirmation.

The Tuesday launch marks the public debut of Block‘s most ambitious move yet to make bitcoin “everyday money” — a pilot that’s expected to expand from the Vegas Strip to millions of merchants around the world.

Behind it all is Miles Suter, a longtime product leader at Block, who flew in early to oversee setup with his team.

Miles Suter, Bitcoin Product Lead at Block, helped oversee setup of the new Square bitcoin checkout — a pilot he calls a “significant milestone” in making bitcoin more accessible and usable.

Miles Suter

Suter joined the company in 2017, when Cash App’s bitcoin integration was still a hackweek experiment.

“They needed someone with deep familiarity with bitcoin and the community,” he said, calling himself “an early evangelist.”

Eight years later, he’s helping “connect the Blocks” — working across Cash App, Spiral, Bitkey, and Square to embed bitcoin into every layer of the company’s ecosystem. The Square rollout, he says, is a natural next step.

Block expects to begin offering bitcoin payments to eligible Square sellers later this year, with full availability targeted for 2026, pending regulatory approval.

The launch comes as bitcoin trades near all-time highs, a surge driven largely by the “digital gold” narrative that positions it as a long-term store of value rather than a day-to-day medium of exchange.

At the same time, stablecoin legislation is advancing in Congress, and more fintech giants are aligning behind tokenized dollars.

Block is taking a different path — one that centers on bitcoin.

Suter said the company’s strategy is rooted in the belief that a decentralized, permissionless currency remains critical to the future of the internet — and that bitcoin is still the best candidate to fill that role.

Asked about the lingering perception that bitcoin is better suited for holding than spending, Suter pointed to a familiar pattern. When Cash App first introduced bitcoin trading, he said, it was met with hesitation and doubt.

“But again, somebody’s got to be first,” he said. “And we feel like we have the right DNA to push things forward.”

Inside The Venetian, Block is testing real-time bitcoin payments at the BTC Inc. pop-up store — the company’s boldest move yet to bring the digital asset to everyday retail.

Miles Suter

He called the new Square rollout “a really significant milestone” in Block’s broader mission to make bitcoin more accessible and usable.

The product builds on Square’s “Bitcoin Conversions” tool, launched last year, which lets merchants automatically convert a portion of their daily sales into bitcoin. Block says it has rolled out the feature to more than 1,000 sellers so far — and those who opted in have seen their bitcoin holdings grow by roughly 70% over the past year.

This latest feature goes a step further, enabling sellers to accept bitcoin directly at the point of sale.

For businesses that don’t want to hold bitcoin, there’s no exposure risk. Payments can be instantly converted to dollars.

“If you just want to have it as another payment method — like Amex, MasterCard, or Visa — bitcoin is now potentially another option for you,” Suter said.

For those that do want to hold it, Block is building out what Suter calls a “Bitcoin for Business” stack — a full suite of tools to accept, convert, manage, and self-custody bitcoin.

“If you do want to accept it as bitcoin,” he said, “we give you a full suite of products to manage that as you see fit. That means being able to convert your daily sales, buy and sell from your U.S. dollar balance into bitcoin, and withdraw to self-custody at any time. It’s about giving our merchants more options and making sure they never miss a sale.”

Jack Dorsey’s Block is piloting bitcoin payments at Bitcoin 2025, turning a merch truck into a live Lightning-enabled checkout experience.

Miles Suter

The announcement comes amid renewed attention on corporate bitcoin strategy, as some publicly traded firms adopt the cryptocurrency as a treasury reserve asset. But Block is targeting a different segment of the market.

“There’s a lot of talk about corporate bitcoin right now,” Suter said. “But like we did on Cash App — which is very much about the little guy and bringing accessibility to everyone — we want small and medium-sized merchants to also be able to get the benefits of bitcoin.”

While Block hasn’t released specific metrics yet, Suter said merchants who participated in the Bitcoin Conversions pilot have all profited. “Every single seller is in the money and has made money based on converting a certain percentage of their daily sales,” he said.

Square’s bitcoin push joins a broader ecosystem at Block that includes Bitkey, its self-custody wallet; Proto, a line of bitcoin mining hardware and software; Spiral, its open-source development arm; and Cash App’s bitcoin trading functionality.

“We’re focused on making bitcoin everyday currency,” Suter said. “We believe that the internet needs a native currency, and that’s where all our focus has been today.”

Jack Dorsey-backed startup taps into geothermal, hydro and solar power to run bitcoin mines across Africa

Continue Reading

Environment

This new wireless e-bike charger wants to be the future of electric bikes

Published

on

By

This new wireless e-bike charger wants to be the future of electric bikes

Forget fumbling with cables or hunting for batteries – TILER is making electric bike charging as seamless as parking your ride. The Dutch startup recently introduced its much-anticipated TILER Compact system, a plug-and-play wireless charger engineered to transform the user experience for e-bike riders.

At the heart of the new system is a clever combo: a charging kickstand that mounts directly to almost any e‑bike, and a thin charging mat that you simply park over. Once you drop the kickstand and it lands on the mat, the bike begins charging automatically via inductive transfer – no cable required. According to TILER, a 500 Wh battery will fully charge in about 3.5 hours, delivering comparable performance to traditional wired chargers.

It’s an elegantly simple concept (albeit a bit chunky) with a convenient upside: less clutter, fewer broken cables, and no more need to bend over while feeling around for a dark little hole.

TILER claims its system works with about 75% of existing e‑bike platforms, including those from Bosch, Yamaha, Bafang, and other big bames. The kit uses a modest 150 W wireless power output, which means charging speeds remain practical while keeping the system lightweight (the tile weighs just 2 kg, and it’s also stationary).

Advertisement – scroll for more content

TILER has already deployed over 200 charging points across Western Europe, primarily serving bike-share, delivery, hospitality, and hotel fleets. A recent case study in Munich showed how a cargo-bike operator saved approximately €1,250 per month in labor costs, avoided thousands in spare batteries, and cut battery damage by 20%. The takeaway? Less maintenance, more uptime.

Now shifting to prosumer markets, TILER says the Compact system will hit pre-orders soon, with a €250 price tag (roughly US $290) for the kickstand plus tile bundle. To get in line, a €29 refundable deposit is currently required, though they say it is refundable at any point until you receive your charger. Don’t get too excited just yet though, there’s a bit of a wait. Deliveries are expected in summer 2026, and for now are covering mostly European markets.

The concept isn’t entirely new. We’ve seen the idea pop up before, including in a patent from BMW for charging electric motorcycles. And the efficacy is there. Skeptics may wonder if wireless charging is slower or less efficient, but TILER says no. Its system retains over 85% efficiency, nearly matching wired charging speeds, and even pauses at 80% to protect battery health, then resumes as needed. The tile is even IP67-rated, safe for outdoor use, and about as bulky as a thick magazine.

Electrek’s Take

I love the concept. It makes perfect sense for shared e-bikes, especially since they’re often returning to a dock anyway. As long as people can be trained to park with the kickstand on the tile, it seems like a no-brainer.

And to be honest, I even like the idea for consumers. I know it sounds like a first-world problem, but bending over to plug something in at floor height is pretty annoying, not to mention a great way to throw out your back if you’re not exactly a spring chicken anymore. Having your e-bike start charging simply by parking it in the right place is a really cool feature! I don’t know if it’s $300 cool, but it’s pretty cool!

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Continue Reading

Environment

Tesla launches new software update with Grok, but it doesnt even interface with the car

Published

on

By

Tesla launches new software update with Grok, but it doesnt even interface with the car

Tesla has launched a new software update for its vehicles that includes the anticipated integration of Grok, but it doesnt even interface with the car yet.

Earlier this week, CEO Elon Musk said that Tesla would integrate Grok, the large language model developed by his private company, xAI, into its vehicles.

Today, Tesla started pushing the update to the fleet, but there’s a significant caveat.

The automaker wrote in the release notes (2025.26):

Advertisement – scroll for more content

Grok (Beta) (US, AMD)

Grok now available directly in your Tesla

Requires Premium Connectivity or a WiFi connection

Grok is currently in Beta & does not issue commands to your car – existing voice commands remain unchanged.

First off, it is only available in vehicles in the US equipped with the AMD infotainment computer, which means cars produced since mid-2021.

But more importantly, Tesla says that it doesn’t send commands to the car under the current version. Therefore, it is simply like having Grok on your phone, but on the onboard computer instead.

Tesla showed an example:

There are a few other features in the 2025.26 software update, but they are not major.

For Tesla vehicles equipped with ambient lighting strips inside the car, the light strip can now sync to music:

Accent lights now respond to music & you can also choose to match the lights to the album’s color for a more immersive effect

Toybox > Light Sync

Here’s the new setting:

The audio setting can now be saved under multiple presets to match listening preferences for different people or circumstances:

The software update also includes the capacity to zoom or adjust the playback speed of the Dashcam Viewer.

Cybertruck also gets the updated Dashcam Viewer app with a grid view for easier access and review of recordings:

Tesla also updated the charging info in its navigation system to be able to search which locations require valet service or pay-to-park access.

Upon arrival, drivers will receive a notification with access codes, parking restrictions, level or floor information, and restroom availability:

Finally, there’s a new onboarding guide directly on the center display to help people who are experiencing a Tesla vehicle for the first time.

Electrek’s Take

Tesla is really playing catch-up here. Right now, this update is essentially nothing. If you already have Grok, it’s no more different than having it on your phone or through the vehicle’s browser, since it has no capacity to interact with any function inside the vehicle.

Most other automakers are integrating LLMs inside vehicles with the capacity to interact with the vehicle. In China, this is becoming standard even in entry-level cars.

In the Xiaomi YU7, the vehicle’s AI can not only interact with the car, but it also sees what the car sees through its camera, and it can tell you about what it sees:

Tesla is clearly far behind on that front as many automakers are integrating with other LLMs like ChatGPT and in-house LLMs, like Xiaomi’s.

Continue Reading

Environment

Robinhood is up 160% this year, but several obstacles are ahead

Published

on

By

Robinhood is up 160% this year, but several obstacles are ahead

Florida AG opens probe into Robinhood. Here's the latest

Robinhood stock hit an all-time high Friday as the financial services platform continued to rip higher this year, along with bitcoin and other crypto stocks.

Robinhood, up more than 160% in 2025, hit an intraday high above $101 before pulling back and closing slightly lower.

The reversal came after a Bloomberg report that JPMorgan plans to start charging fintechs for access to customer bank data, a move that could raise costs across the industry.

For fintech firms that rely on thin margins to offer free or low-cost services to customers, even slight disruptions to their cost structure can have major ripple effects. PayPal and Affirm both ended the day nearly 6% lower following the report.

Despite its stellar year, the online broker is facing several headwinds, with a regulatory probe in Florida, pushback over new staking fees and growing friction with one of the world’s most high-profile artificial intelligence companies.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier opened a formal investigation into Robinhood Crypto on Thursday, alleging the platform misled users by claiming to offer the lowest-cost crypto trading.

“Robinhood has long claimed to be the best bargain, but we believe those representations were deceptive,” Uthmeier said in a statement.

The probe centers on Robinhood’s use of payment for order flow — a common practice where market makers pay to execute trades — which the AG said can result in worse pricing for customers.

Robinhood Crypto General Counsel Lucas Moskowitz told CNBC its disclosures are “best-in-class” and that it delivers the lowest average cost.

“We disclose pricing information to customers during the lifecycle of a trade that clearly outlines the spread or the fees associated with the transaction, and the revenue Robinhood receives,” added Moskowitz.

Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev explains 'dual purpose' behind trading platform's new crypto offerings

Robinhood is also facing opposition to a new 25% cut of staking rewards for U.S. users, set to begin October 1. In Europe, the platform will take a smaller 15% cut.

Staking allows crypto holders to earn yield by locking up their tokens to help secure blockchain networks like ethereum, but platforms often take a percentage of those rewards as commission.

Robinhood’s 25% cut puts it in line with Coinbase, which charges between 25.25% and 35% depending on the token. The cut is notably higher than Gemini’s flat 15% fee.

It marks a shift for the company, which had previously steered clear of staking amid regulatory uncertainty.

Under President Joe Biden‘s administration, the Securities and Exchange Commission cracked down on U.S. platforms offering staking services, arguing they constituted unregistered securities.

With President Donald Trump in the White House, the agency has reversed course on several crypto enforcement actions, dropping cases against major players like Coinbase and Binance and signaling a more permissive stance.

Even as enforcement actions ease, Robinhood is under fresh scrutiny for its tokenized stock push, which is a growing part of its international strategy.

The company now offers blockchain-based assets in Europe that give users synthetic exposure to private firms like OpenAI and SpaceX through special purpose vehicles, or SPVs.

An SPV is a separate entity that acquires shares in a company. Users then buy tokens of the SPV and don’t have shareholder privileges or voting rights directly in the company.

OpenAI has publicly objected, warning the tokens do not represent real equity and were issued without its approval. In an interview with CNBC International, CEO Vlad Tenev acknowledged the tokens aren’t technically equity shares, but said that misses the broader point.

JPMorgan announces plans to charge for access to customer bank data

“What’s important is that retail customers have an opportunity to get exposure to this asset,” he said, pointing to the disruptive nature of AI and the historically limited access to pre-IPO companies.

“It is true that these are not technically equity,” Tenev added, noting that institutional investors often gain similar exposure through structured financial instruments.

The Bank of Lithuania — Robinhood’s lead regulator in the EU — told CNBC on Monday that it is “awaiting clarifications” following OpenAI’s statement.

“Only after receiving and evaluating this information will we be able to assess the legality and compliance of these specific instruments,” a spokesperson said, adding that information for investors must be “clear, fair, and non-misleading.”

Tenev responded that Robinhood is “happy to continue to answer questions from our regulators,” and said the company built its tokenized stock program to withstand scrutiny.

“Since this is a new thing, regulators are going to want to look at it,” he said. “And we expect to be scrutinized as a large, innovative player in this space.”

SEC Chair Paul Atkins recently called the model “an innovation” on CNBC’s Squawk Box, offering some validation as Robinhood leans further into its synthetic equity strategy — even as legal clarity remains in flux across jurisdictions.

Despite the regulatory noise, many investors remain focused on Robinhood’s upside, and particularly the political tailwinds.

The company is positioning itself as a key beneficiary of Trump’s newly signed megabill, which includes $1,000 government-seeded investment accounts for newborns. Robinhood said it’s already prototyping an app for the ‘Trump Accounts‘ initiative.

WATCH: Watch CNBC’s full interview with Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev

Watch CNBC's full interview with Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev

Continue Reading

Trending