MicroStrategy is still ranked as the largest corporate Bitcoin holder with 471,107 BTC. Companies like Metaplanet, Semler Scientific, and Rumble have also adopted Bitcoin as a treasury reserve asset, inspired by MicroStrategy’s approach. Meanwhile, BlackRock is expanding its Bitcoin investment offerings by launching a Bitcoin ETP in Europe after the massive success of its IBIT ETF in the US. The South Korean Financial Investment Association (KOFIA) is also pushing for crypto ETF approval because of strong investor demand.
MicroStrategy Rebrands to Strategy
MicroStrategy officially rebranded to "Strategy" and adopted a Bitcoin-themed visual marketing approach. The announcement was made on Feb. 5, and essentially confirms that the company will continue its focus on business intelligence software while maintaining its aggressive Bitcoin corporate treasury strategy. More details about the rebrand are expected during the company's earnings call later in the day.
The company was co-founded by Bitcoin evangelist Michael Saylor, and it has played a crucial role in popularizing Bitcoin as a corporate treasury asset. Data from SaylorTracker reveals that Strategy currently holds about 471,107 BTC that is valued at over $45.6 billion. As a result of this, it is ranked as the world’s largest corporate Bitcoin holder. Inspired by its success, other publicly traded companies followed suit by diversifying their treasury reserves with Bitcoin as well.
MicroStrategy Bitcoin holdings (Source: SaylorTracker)
Metaplanet, a Japanese investment firm focused on Web3 initiatives, adopted a Bitcoin treasury reserve strategy in April of 2024. The company’s CEO, Simon Gerovich, outlined an ambitious goal of increasing its Bitcoin holdings to 10,000 BTC by 2025.
Similarly, Semler Scientific implemented a corporate Bitcoin reserve strategy in 2024, which led to a 30% surge in its share price after the announcement. During the Bitcoin 2024 conference in Nashville, Tennessee, executives from both Semler Scientific and Metaplanet acknowledged that their companies were struggling financially before adopting Bitcoin as part of their treasury strategy.
Michael Saylor frequently points out some of the challenges faced by zombie companies, which are firms that remain operational but lack the financial flexibility to invest in growth. He believes that Bitcoin can provide these companies with a more robust financial foundation.
The trend of corporate Bitcoin adoption is still growing as Rumble, a video streaming platform known for its free speech, also recently announced a plan to allocate $20 million to Bitcoin as a hedge against inflation. Rumble made its first Bitcoin purchase in January 2025, just before the inauguration of President Donald Trump in the United States.
BlackRock Takes Bitcoin ETP to Europe
BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, is preparing to launch a Bitcoin exchange-traded product (ETP) in Europe, according to a Feb. 5 report by Bloomberg. This follows the huge success of BlackRock’s US spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund, iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT), which accumulated more than $57 billion in net assets since its launch in January of 2024. Overall, IBIT has become the most popular spot Bitcoin ETF in the United States.
A Bitcoin ETF is a regulated investment vehicle that tracks the price of Bitcoin, and it allows investors to gain exposure to Bitcoin without directly buying, storing, or managing it. These ETFs trade on traditional stock exchanges and make Bitcoin a lot more accessible to institutional and retail investors in regulated financial markets. Spot Bitcoin ETFs, like BlackRock’s IBIT, directly hold Bitcoin, providing investors with a way to invest in Bitcoin without dealing with crypto exchanges or wallets.
Key facts about IBIT (Source: BlackRock)
The new European Bitcoin ETP will reportedly be domiciled in Switzerland, and BlackRock is expected to begin marketing the fund as early as this month. This will be BlackRock’s first Bitcoin ETP offering outside of North America, which is an exciting milestone for people looking for crypto product offerings globally. Building on the momentum of IBIT, BlackRock already took some steps toward international expansion. In January, the company launched a Bitcoin ETF on the Cboe Canada exchange, that gives Canadian investors access to BlackRock’s flagship US spot Bitcoin fund.
The broader market for US Bitcoin ETFs saw an influx of over $35 billion in net inflows throughout 2024, averaging approximately $144 million in inflows per trading day. In November, total net assets in US Bitcoin ETFs surpassed $100 billion for the first time due to the growing investor interest in regulated Bitcoin investment vehicles.
Crypto analysts at Steno Research predict that Bitcoin ETFs could attract another $48 billion in net inflows in 2025. Investment bank JPMorgan also pointed out in a December report that Bitcoin has become a more major structural component of investors' portfolios, particularly as a hedge against geopolitical risk and inflation. The surge in institutional inflows could lead to a positive demand shock for Bitcoin, and could potentially drive its price up quite a bit higher in 2025, according to asset manager Sygnum Bank.
South Korea Pushes for Crypto ETF Approval
South Korea’s Financial Investment Association (KOFIA) recently announced its plan to push for the approval of cryptocurrency ETFs in the domestic stock market this year, according to local reports. KOFIA chief Seo Yoo-seok stated during a Feb. 5 news conference that while investor interest in cryptocurrencies is growing, particularly among those over 50, direct exposure to digital assets carries certain risks. Instead, regulated financial products like Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs could provide a much safer alternative for investors who are looking for exposure to the crypto market.
This move is happening during shifting global dynamics and increased crypto adoption after Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election. South Korea has seen a 450% increase in new crypto exchange registrations, and almost half of the applicants are aged 40 and above. However, the country’s Financial Services Commission does not currently recognize cryptocurrencies as underlying assets for securities under the Capital Markets Act, which limits the ability to introduce crypto-backed ETF.
KOFIA Chief Seo Yoo-seok’s statement
In October of 2024, South Korea launched a virtual asset committee to review regulations on corporate crypto accounts and the potential introduction of crypto ETFs. The latest committee meeting indicated that reviews on corporate trading accounts were nearing completion, signaling potential regulatory shifts. South Korea is still one of the most active cryptocurrency markets globally, and its local currency even surpassed the US dollar as the most traded fiat against cryptocurrencies in early 2024.
Despite this robust activity, institutional involvement remains very limited due to strict Anti-Money Laundering requirements. Exchanges have to establish official partnerships with local banks to provide crypto-to-fiat services, and investors are also required to open real-name accounts linked to their legal identity. These regulations effectively restricted corporations and institutions from directly trading cryptocurrencies. In fact, since the requirements were introduced in 2018, only five exchanges in South Korea have successfully established banking partnerships in the nation’s highly regulated crypto environment.
