US bitcoin miners outstrip China after Beijing ban

The United States has overtaken China to account for the largest share of the world’s bitcoin mining, according to data published by Cambridge University. The figures demonstrate the impact of a bitcoin crackdown launched by Beijing in late May.

Bitcoin is created or “mined” by high-powered computers in a process that makes intensive use of electricity. The expansion of the industry in the US could therefore present an awkward question for President Joe Biden ahead of the Cop26 climate talks in Glasgow from 31 October.