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
The large models in the United States are moving towards closure in the name of security
Morning Report | CoinEx becomes a key hub for Iran to evade sanctions, involving over $3.8 billion in funds; Kalshi seeks a new round of financing, with a valuation potentially rising to $40 billion
From the white-haired stock god to the billionaire fund mogul, the smart people shorting Nvidia are all getting rich using the same framework
Why do cryptocurrency projects always like to change their names?
Global Launch: As predictions become the most scarce asset in the AI era, Manadia is defining the next generation of the value internet
Who is footing the bill for the $64 billion accounting frenzy?
I never expected that the first application of AI x Crypto would be in security auditing
What is your view on Binance's competitive advantages?
ETH has entered a non-consensus phase, and the turning point is approaching!
The shift in the cloud of the air: from despising stablecoins a year ago to the high-profile entry of capital today
The survival dilemma of small and medium exchanges behind the withdrawal anomalies exposed by AscendEX
Why Is Bitcoin Falling Below $60K? 5 Key Market Drivers Explained
Bitcoin has dropped sharply amid ETF outflows, Strategy stock weakness, AI stock rallies, and changing Fed expectations. Explore the key forces driving BTC’s latest correction and what traders should watch next.
Bitcoin vs. Gold in 2026: Which Asset Performs Better in Different Markets?
Morning News | The draft amendment to the People's Bank of China Law aims to clarify the legal status of digital renminbi; South Korea will transfer about 40 unregistered virtual asset service providers to law enforcement agencies
The cryptocurrency industry has entered the "Show Me" era: merely relying on vision is no longer enough
Interpreting the Ethereum Foundation's new structure: Reaffirming self-sovereignty amid institutional trends
Former SpaceX engineer reconstructs the financial execution system using first principles
Standard Chartered Bank sings a 50x rhapsody again, aiming for AAVE to reach 3500 USD
The large models in the United States are moving towards closure in the name of security
Morning Report | CoinEx becomes a key hub for Iran to evade sanctions, involving over $3.8 billion in funds; Kalshi seeks a new round of financing, with a valuation potentially rising to $40 billion
From the white-haired stock god to the billionaire fund mogul, the smart people shorting Nvidia are all getting rich using the same framework
Why do cryptocurrency projects always like to change their names?
Global Launch: As predictions become the most scarce asset in the AI era, Manadia is defining the next generation of the value internet
Who is footing the bill for the $64 billion accounting frenzy?
