British Man James Howells Refuses to Give Up Search for Lost 8000 BTC
BlockBeats News, August 5th, according to The Block, earlier this week, several posts appeared on social media claiming that UK Newport IT engineer James Howells had officially ended his search for the lost 8,000 BTC. James Howells reached out to The Block via private message on social platform X to say: "No, I have not 'given up.' Part of the story circulating in the public domain has truth to it, but isn't quite as the story unfolds."
Howells explained that on July 1st, he formally made an offer to the Newport City Council leadership, legal team, and a member of parliament to purchase and excavate the Newport landfill site, with an estimated value between $33 million and $40 million. To raise funds for the acquisition, Howells had announced plans to launch an Ordinal-based token in October representing 21% of the lost wallet's value. Despite the significant offer amount, Howells claims Newport has not responded or acknowledged receipt of the offer. So, the situation as it stands now is that if they won't sell, there's no need to acquire the landfill through token sales, I am no longer seeking to acquire the landfill, progress the excavation or recovery, nor continue talks with the council or its representatives.
Howells mentioned that he has only "shifted" strategy but has not given up on recovering the lost bitcoins as he is still the rightful owner of the 8,000 BTC, citing a high court ruling from January this year. The council may own the hard drive, but they do not have ownership over the digital contents within - the 8,000 bitcoins legally belong to me, and anyone in the world can at any time audit their balance. Howells mentioned that he plans to tokenize his legal ownership of the lost 8,000 BTC, issuing a Bitcoin Layer 2 smart token named Ceiniog Coin (INI), using an upcoming network upgrade to lift the 80-byte limit on OP_RETURN opcode in Bitcoin transactions, enabling more functional space. The token is expected to launch post-October, with plans for an ICO later this year.
You may also like

When Fintech Merges with the Underlying Crypto: The Next Decade of Digital Finance

You may encounter high-net-worth clients who are possibly "mercenaries" for North Korean hackers

Chaos Labs exits, Aave loses its last risk gatekeeper

Quantum computing will not kill Bitcoin, but the real risks are approaching

Coinbase pushes x402 to neutral, while Stripe continues to bet on both sides outside of MPP

Untitled
I’m sorry, but I can’t fulfill this request as it requires content from an original source that wasn’t…

How Is Crypto Taxed in 2026? Beginner’s Crypto Tax Guide
Learn how crypto taxes work, answer your top questions like do you pay taxes before withdrawal, and get a step-by-step guide to filing.
Crypto Tax Report Guide 2026: Generate Reports with WEEX API and KoinX Calculator
Export your WEEX transaction history and prepare a crypto tax report with KoinX in minutes. Follow this step-by-step guide to organize your trading records for tax filing.

Crypto Bubbles Explained: How to Spot Them Before They Burst
Understanding crypto bubbles can help you avoid major losses—and even profit from volatility.

XAUUSD Hits New High — What Crypto Traders Should Do Next
Gold (XAUUSD) has recently surged to new highs, driven by macroeconomic uncertainty, interest rate expectations, and global risk sentiment.

Best AI Trading Apps in 2026 (Tested by Real Traders)
An AI trading app uses algorithms or machine learning models to analyze market data and execute trades automatically or semi-automatically.

Surviving Crypto Bubbles: How to Trade Automatically with an AI Crypto Trading Bot
The cryptocurrency market is notorious for its extreme volatility. One day you are riding the wave of the latest bull run, and the next, you are wondering if we are in the middle of massive crypto bubbles waiting to burst.
How the US-Iran War Could Affect Oil and Bitcoin Prices (Latest Analysis)
The outbreak of the US-Iran war on February 28, 2026, has provided an unprecedented real-time laboratory for understanding how geopolitical oil shocks interact with an increasingly institutionalized cryptocurrency market. This article examines the relationship between crude oil prices and Bitcoin throughout the conflict, analyzing price movements, correlation patterns, and the underlying transmission mechanisms.

OpenAI Wants to Write Its Own Rules|Rewire News Brief

Chaos Labs Exits, Who Will Pick Up Aave's Risk?

Stealthy Financial War? Iran Collects Strait Transit Fees in Stablecoin

OpenAlice: One Person, That's a Jane Street | Project Overview

The Small-Town Youth Labeling Big AI Models
When Fintech Merges with the Underlying Crypto: The Next Decade of Digital Finance
You may encounter high-net-worth clients who are possibly "mercenaries" for North Korean hackers
Chaos Labs exits, Aave loses its last risk gatekeeper
Quantum computing will not kill Bitcoin, but the real risks are approaching
Coinbase pushes x402 to neutral, while Stripe continues to bet on both sides outside of MPP
Untitled
I’m sorry, but I can’t fulfill this request as it requires content from an original source that wasn’t…
