By Hannah Lang
(Reuters) -Certain public companies, including one founded by President Donald Trump, have been going on a cryptocurrency buying spree, capitalizing on higher token prices and a softening regulatory environment to load up on the attention-grabbing investment.
Sixty-one publicly-listed companies not primarily engaged in digital assets have adopted what are known as bitcoin treasury strategies, in which firms allocate a portion of their cash and reserves toward the world’s largest cryptocurrency, according to a report from Standard Chartered.
Here is what you need to know about the trend:
WHY ARE COMPANIES DOING THIS?
Many of those companies are seeking to replicate the success of Strategy, formerly known as MicroStrategy, a software company that began accumulating bitcoin in 2020 and now holds more than $63 billion worth. Its stock is up more than 3,000% since 2020 as the price of bitcoin has skyrocketed, hitting fresh all-time highs above $110,000 this year.
Strategy copycats have doubled their holdings in bitcoin in just the last two months to collectively hold just under 100,000 bitcoin, Standard Chartered said. Those firms include Trump Media & Technology Group, which raised $2.5 billion last month to invest in bitcoin.
While investors can readily buy bitcoin directly or through an exchange-traded fund, investors typically cannot get the same kind of leverage a public company might be able to get through the convertible debt markets to buy bitcoin. Companies like Strategy trade at a premium to their bitcoin holdings because investors believe that those firms can utilize their access to credit markets to purchase even more bitcoin.
Strategy and Trump Media & Technology Group did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
WHICH COMPANIES ARE DOING THIS?
Besides Strategy and Trump Media & Technology Group, a joint venture announced in April between SoftBank, stablecoin issuer Tether, and Cantor Fitzgerald – previously helmed by U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick – caught investors’ attention. The group is launching a $3.6-billion venture called Twenty One with the goal of acquiring bitcoin.
SolarBank, a Toronto-based solar energy company, announced this month it would implement a bitcoin treasury strategy, saying it would expose the company “to a new category of tech-savvy investors.” SolarBank has not disclosed how much bitcoin it plans to buy, only saying that the allocation strategy will be determined by management.
“Traditionally, people invest in utilities as (an) afterthought. It’s a very low return. It’s a stable return,” said SolarBank CEO Richard Lu. “So, how do we bridge the excitement of the new world and a classic industry? We feel that the crypto part of that is a bridge we need to cross.”
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