BTC hit a 19-month high even as two CEOs are found guilty of money laundering USD bns. Starting out at USD 16.4k at the beginning of 2023, the currency hit USD 41.5k this morning at its peak before cooling down to USD 40.9, CNBC reports, citing Coin Metrics data.

The currency is up 145% year-to-date, which CNBC suggests is partially fueled by market expectations that the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) will approve a BTC exchange-traded fund. The SEC had initially blocked the conversion of bitcoin into an exchange-traded fund, but Grayscale, the largest crypto asset manager, challenged that decision in court and won.

This comes hot on the heels of three major scandals in the span of 13 months. The collapse of FTX in November 2022 kicked off the dethroning of two crypto kings: Sam Bankman-Fried being found guilty of seven counts of criminal fraud that cost customers USD 8 bn, and Binance CEO, Changpeng Zhao (known as CZ), pleaded guilty to money laundering, agreeing to pay a USD 4.3 bn settlement to the US government, and completely exit the US.

The continual rise doesn’t come as a surprise. While the trials of Bankman-Fried and CZ may have shattered trust in the once seemingly dependable image of monkish tech gurus, crypto bros chose to believe that FTX’s disintegration, the USD 8 bn in missing assets, and rife corporate crime were anomalies, doubling down on reinvesting.

France’s Lorraine has been sitting on a treasure trove of the “fuel of the future”:Scientists found an estimated amount of 260 mn tonnes of white hydrogen buried deep underground in the rocky soil of Lorraine, in northeastern France, reports The New York Times.

More drilling in Lorraine can begin in 2024, if things move smoothly. An advanced probe intends to be used to withdraw samples from the source that is roughly 2.9 km under the surface to determine the size of the white hydrogen pocket. The hope is that natural hydrogen can be extracted in 2027 or 2028.

White hydrogen is a naturally occuring form of hydrogen renowned for its purity and ability to burn cleanly, releasing only water as a byproduct, as opposed to other forms of hydrogen, which require some sort of chemical process (whether electrolysis or steam reforming) to create the energy source.

This clean energy source isn’t new, by the way. It was first discovered in 1987 in a small village in Mali, when a worker accidentally set fire to a water well by lighting a cigarette over it. The well was found to contain natural hydrogen which was then used to power shops and homes.

The newfound interest in natural hydrogen extends beyond France: Reserves have been detected in various parts of the world, including the US, Australia, Africa, Russia, and Europe.

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