Corporate Bitcoin Reserves Lose Shine as Firms Pivot to New Digital Asset Strategies
Bitcoin’s corporate treasury moment fades as CFOs shift focus—was it ever more than a PR play?
Once hailed as 'digital gold,' BTC balance sheets now gather dust while companies chase higher-yielding crypto plays. The trend that peaked with MicroStrategy’s billion-dollar bets looks increasingly like a 2021 relic.
Behind the shift: brutal bear markets, regulatory gray zones, and that pesky volatility keeping auditors up at night. 'HODL' makes for great tweets—not so much for quarterly earnings calls.
Meanwhile, DeFi protocols and tokenized real-world assets siphon attention from Bitcoin’s store-of-value narrative. Even stablecoins—once dismissed as boring—now dominate corporate cross-border flows.
The takeaway? In crypto, today’s treasury darling is tomorrow’s bagholder. Just ask the guys still waiting for their El Salvador citizenship packages.
Shifts in Corporate Treasury Policies
Following the launch of spot Bitcoin and Ethereum
$3,640 exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in 2024, the inclination to incorporate cryptocurrencies like BTC and ETH into corporate treasuries became prominent. Some pioneering companies that placed Bitcoin at the Core of their treasury strategies, such as Michael Saylor’s MicroStrategy (formerly known as Strategy) and Japan-based Metaplanet, set a precedent for others. Their strategic choices influenced peers to consider similar approaches.
However, Novogratz commented that new entries in the use of crypto assets for corporate treasuries have peaked. He believes existing companies will continue to grow in the market, contributing significantly to the sector’s long-term potential. Novogratz expressed his views succinctly when he stated that the peak of corporate treasury issuances might have been reached.
Galaxy Digital operates as a financial services and investment firm focusing on digital assets and blockchain technologies. The company provides asset management and crypto-focused financial solutions for institutional clients.
Record Bitcoin Sales from Galaxy Digital
Recently, Galaxy Digital facilitated a large-scale sale of 80,000 Bitcoins on behalf of an undisclosed client, marking one of the industry’s most significant transactions. This entire sale was swiftly absorbed by major institutional buyers. Novogratz expressed satisfaction with the timing and the demand within the market, attributing the successful execution to what he described as fortuitous conditions of grace, luck, fortuity, or timing.
In addition, Novogratz pointed out that the presence of crypto assets in companies’ balance sheets plays a crucial role in enabling such large transactions.
Significant Outflows from US Spot Bitcoin ETFs
Bitcoin prices saw around a 3% decline over the past week, trading at approximately 113,937 USD. Meanwhile, US-based spot Bitcoin ETFs experienced consecutive selling over four trading days. Since early August, these funds have collectively sold BTC worth 1.2 billion USD, bringing a longstanding net inflow streak to an end.
Despite this, ETFs continue to hold 6.1% of the total Bitcoin supply. This translates to 1.2 million BTC, valued at roughly 146.7 billion USD. Developments related to the Istanbul stock exchange and the crypto markets are closely monitored by industry experts.
Analysts assess that the growth of existing companies and large-scale transactions could lead to long-term fluctuations in the sector. Novogratz’s comments suggest that changes in market structure are shaped by the evolving demand from individual and institutional investors alike.
In conclusion, the growth in the utilization of Bitcoin as a corporate treasury reserve has decelerated, while the role of institutional investors in the market continues to increase significantly.
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