Michael Saylor started it, but now everyone wants a slice of Bitcoin

^{By Maximiliaan Michielsen}

Bitcoin advocate and Strategy’s founder, Michael Saylor, kicked off the trend of incorporating Bitcoin into the company's balance sheet back in 2020, and now, it’s catching fire. This year, alongside institutional adoption and the rise of nation-state involvement, corporate Bitcoin holdings have surged dramatically. Companies have invested an estimated $25 billion in Bitcoin in just the first five months of 2025. This influx accounts for about 1.20% of Bitcoin’s total fixed supply, underscoring a supply-demand imbalance that’s fueling Bitcoin’s growing appeal as a treasury asset.

_{Figure 1: Annual Growth of Bitcoin Holdings by Entity (in Bitcoin)}

^{Source: 21Shares, BitcoinTreasuries, Data as of January 1, 2025.}

Which companies are betting on Bitcoin?

One prominent example of corporate Bitcoin adoption is GameStop, the American video game retailer, which recently raised $1.5 billion to build its Bitcoin reserve. Known for its role as a meme stock in early 2021, when retail investors on Reddit’s WallStreetBets forum triggered a massive short squeeze, GameStop survived the saga with spare capital. This resilience allowed the company to revamp its commercial strategy, positioning it to strategically deploy capital into Bitcoin and align with the growing trend of corporate crypto adoption.

Adding to this momentum, Strive Asset Management, backed by entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, announced plans to go public via a reverse merger with Nasdaq-listed Asset Entities, aiming to become a publicly traded Bitcoin treasury company. Strive targets up to $1 billion in capital through equity and debt offerings to accelerate its Bitcoin accumulation, with plans for equity-for-Bitcoin swaps for accredited investors, offering a novel approach to scaling corporate Bitcoin exposure.

Another notable player is MetaPlanet in Japan, which has accumulated over $700 million in Bitcoin, reflecting the broadening international interest in Bitcoin as a treasury asset. Similarly, 21 Capital is poised to become the second-largest corporate holder with 42,000 Bitcoin, while in Europe, the Blockchain Group has set an ambitious target to acquire up to 260,000 Bitcoin by 2033, aiming for $20 billion in holdings.

Michael Saylor’s Strategy is leading the institutional charge and has established itself as the benchmark for corporate Bitcoin accumulation. As of May 2025, Strategy holds 555,450 Bitcoin, representing approximately 2.6% of Bitcoin’s total fixed supply, making it the largest public holder of Bitcoin globally. Year-to-date, the company has added 109,050 Bitcoin at an average purchase price of roughly $94,000, bringing the total market value of its Bitcoin position to approximately $55 billion.

How can Strategy’s Bitcoin balance sheet change market dynamics? 

At the beginning of the year, Strategy held around 386,700 Bitcoin. Now, it has increased its holdings to over 550,000 Bitcoin. This imbalance underscores increasing structural pressure on Bitcoin’s supply. As a scarce and finite asset, such aggressive accumulation by a single entity signals potential supply-side constraints, particularly as more institutions seek long-term allocations.

_{Figure 2: The Effect of Strategy's Acquisitions on Bitcoin's Supply in 2025}

^{Source: 21Shares, BitcoinTreasuries, Data as of May 7, 2025.}

Beyond the sheer size of Strategy’s Bitcoin treasury, its growth also speaks to the company’s consistency and discipline. Since August 2020, Strategy has steadily added to its holdings every quarter, signaling a long-term, methodical strategy rather than short-term opportunism. 

Confident as ever, Strategy maintains that its outstanding convertible notes and preferred equity are significantly overcollateralized and is actively urging credit rating agencies to adopt a framework that recognizes Bitcoin as a viable, high-grade reserve asset. If realized, this framework could catalyze the development of a Bitcoin-native bond market, one in which corporations raise debt capital directly against Bitcoin reserves, while institutional investors gain exposure to a new, collateralized digital asset class.

More players join the Bitcoin club

Strategy’s proposal is rippling through the corporate world, hinting at the next phase of Bitcoin adoption: a Bitcoin-native financial market. Riot Capital and Coinbase have partnered to let companies use Bitcoin as collateral for working capital, turning idle reserves into active assets. Strike has rolled out Bitcoin-backed loans, while Europe’s Relai now lets users spend fiat without selling their Bitcoin. These early moves, echoing Strategy’s vision, mark a shift toward integrating Bitcoin directly into corporate finance, expanding its role as a macro asset, and attracting a new wave of institutional players.