Bitcoin's appeal is extending from institutional players to the world's unbanked population.

Roundtable anchor Rob Nelson led a conversation on this topic, joined by Steve Gutterman, CEO of Gryphon Digital Mining. The discussion explored the transformative potential of bitcoin and Gryphon's dual focus on cryptocurrency mining and AI computing as drivers of economic growth and technological innovation.

"Most things are a risk asset," said Nelson, emphasizing that while bitcoin does carry risks, it also "makes sense for the richest people in the world" as well as for "hundreds of millions of unbanked people around the world" without traditional banking services. He described bitcoin as a universal "makes sense" asset, suited to people at every economic level.

Steve Gutterman echoed this sentiment, connecting his background in high-growth sectors to Gryphon's mission. "As you pointed out, my career has really been around high-growth companies in high-growth industries," he said, adding that his previous experiences in online financial services and cannabis prepared him to navigate the complexities of cryptocurrency and AI.

Highlighting the scope of these innovations, Gutterman emphasized that Gryphon’s approach involves “transformational things,” particularly in mining and AI computing.

"It’s not hyperbole to say that the transformations in how we hold currency and the transformations in how we work…are maybe the biggest since the advent of the industrial era," he said, underlining the scale of change on the horizon.

As bitcoin miners face an increasingly competitive environment many are looking to capitalize on the need for computing resources with the rise of AI. JPMorgan estimates that miners have a certain window to secure these deals.

"We think select miners have around nine months to sign favorable deals with a handful of well-funded hyperscalers/AI startups, while data center applications remain in limbo, awaiting approval and or grid interconnections," analysts Reginald L. Smith and Charles Pearce estimated in a recent report, first covered by The Block.