https://g.co/gemini/share/6142b7c47006At the heart of Block, Inc.'s strategic ambition lies a powerful and mature economic engine: a vast, two-sided network that bridges the divide between consumers and merchants. This structure, comprising the consumer-facing Cash App and the merchant-focused Square ecosystem, represents a formidable competitive advantage in the modern fintech landscape. Yet, for all its scale and synergy, this ecosystem has historically been tethered to an external dependency, relying on the legacy payment rails of companies like Visa and Mastercard to function. This reliance represents both a significant financial leakage and a strategic vulnerability. Block's audacious pivot towards a Bitcoin-centric strategy is, at its core, a calculated endeavor to sever this dependency, internalize the full value of its network, and construct a self-sufficient financial hub.