On May 12, the U.S. Senate confirmed Kevin Warsh to the Federal Reserve Board of Governors in a 51-45 vote, with a separate chairmanship vote expected Wednesday. Bitcoin stayed above $80,000 after the news, and as of May 13, 2026 at 07:00 UTC it traded at $80,955, down 0.1% over 24 hours. Warsh has previously called Bitcoin "the new gold for people under 40" and said he plans to divest most crypto-related holdings.

BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes argued on May 12 that heavy AI infrastructure spending and growing fiat liquidity are setting up conditions for another Bitcoin rally. He said BTC could retake $126,000 and highlighted $90,000 as a key zone, while BTC traded at $81,028.52 at press time on May 13.

Crypto exchange MEXC said it plans to expand its Guardian Fund to $500 million over the next two years and add 1,000 bitcoin to its reserves. The company described the move as a risk-management upgrade built around a dual reserve system using BTC and USDT to support liquidity and longer-term backing.

Strategy disclosed a 535 BTC purchase worth $43 million at an average price of $80,340 per coin, lifting the largest Bitcoin digital asset treasury total to 818,869 BTC. The firm said its 2026 BTC yield stands at 9.4%, while its average cost across holdings is $75,540, implying about $4.30 billion in unrealized gains at current levels. MSTR also rose to $195.94 after a 4.45% daily jump, as traders increasingly treat it as a high-beta, leveraged proxy for Bitcoin.

A Bitcoin wallet inactive since November 2013 moved its full balance on Sunday, sending 500 BTC to a new bech32 address. Whale Alert flagged the transfer at about 19:16 UTC, valuing the coins at roughly $40,717,094 at current prices and noting they were worth $482,898 in 2013. The receiving wallet was not identified as an exchange address, leaving the motive unconfirmed.

Bitcoin (BTC) is currently navigating a high-stakes tug-of-war between worsening macroeconomic headwinds and relentless institutional accumulation. After a brief surge toward $83,000, the premier digital asset has settled around the $81,000 mark, as markets digest a hotter-than-expected U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI) report.

Arthur Hayes argues Bitcoin's bull market has already started and says a renewed surge in US dollar and Chinese yuan liquidity could lift BTC back to $126,000. In his May 12 essay "The Butterfly Touch," he links the next crypto upswing to macro credit expansion driven by AI infrastructure spending, military escalation, and a shift away from just-in-time supply chains. At press time, Bitcoin was trading at $80,680.

Bitcoin's latest move higher is being attributed to stronger spot buying after demand indicators flipped from contraction to growth as markets processed U.S. economic data. BTC broke above $80,000 by early May, traded near $80,900 at publication time, and briefly approached $83,000 after clearing the $78,000–$79,000 supply zone. On-chain spot CVD jumped after May 8, while analysts say conviction buyers now hold roughly 4 million BTC.