Marathon Digital announced a significant increase in its Bitcoin production last month, defying expectations surrounding the halving event. In its April operational report, the company disclosed the production of 850 BTC, marking a notable 21% surge compared to the previous year. This rise is primarily attributed to a 15% increase in its operational hash rate, which now stands at 21.1 exahash.

Despite the recent launch of the Runes Protocol and the Bitcoin halving event, which reduced miners' rewards to 3.125 BTC per block, Marathon's improved hash rate enabled it to capitalize on increased transaction fees inspired by the Runes Protocol. Transaction fees contributed approximately 16% to Bitcoin earnings in April.

Fred Thiel, Marathon's chairman and CEO, highlighted the company's achievements, stating, "In April, we achieved an all-time operating hash rate high of 25.9 exahash." He also noted the significant contribution of transaction fees to earnings, particularly around the halving event. Marathon sold 600 BTC in April to support monthly operations, manage its treasury, and for general corporate purposes, holding 17,631 unrestricted Bitcoin as of April 30.

In a separate development, Kenya's president, Williams Ruto, disclosed ongoing discussions between the African country and crypto miners regarding crypto regulations and mining. Ruto mentioned Marathon Digital's involvement in consulting with the National Treasury Kenya on cryptocurrency regulations and with the Ministry of Energy to discuss energy needs related to cryptocurrency mining in Kenya.

Marathon Digital confirmed its role as a consultant to the Kenyan government, highlighting discussions on how its digital asset data centers can contribute to energy development in the region and foster trade relations between the US and East Africa. This collaboration underscores Marathon's commitment to not only enhancing its own operations but also to contributing to the development of the cryptocurrency ecosystem in regions like East Africa.