Japan-based early-stage investment firm Metaplanet continues its Bitcoin (BTC) buying spree. The company announced today that it has purchased 619.7 BTC for $61 million – including fees and other expenses – making it the firm’s largest Bitcoin acquisition to date.
Metaplanet Increases BTC Holdings To 1,762
The recent crypto market downturn from its all-time highs (ATH) does not appear to bother Metaplanet, as the Tokyo-listed firm made its largest BTC purchase to date, buying 619.7 BTC worth $ 61 million at an average price of around $96,000.
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To recall, Metaplanet started buying BTC earlier this year in May with a purchase of 97.9 BTC. Since then, the company has purchased BTC every month, barring September, and crossed the 1,000 BTC milestone in November. The latest acquisition has pushed Metaplanet’s total Bitcoin holdings to 1,762, bought at an average price of $75,600 per BTC.
Notably, this $61 million purchase is nearly double the value of Metaplanet’s previous largest acquisition, which occurred in November and was worth close to $30 million. The company’s consistent BTC accumulation has earned it the nickname “Asia’s MicroStrategy,” in reference to the US-based business intelligence firm known for its aggressive Bitcoin buying strategy.
It is worth highlighting that today’s BTC purchase comes a week after Metaplanet raised $60.6 million through two tranches of bond issuance for the purpose of “accelerating BTC purchases.” Metaplanet’s latest purchase also makes its BTC reserves the 12th-largest among publicly listed firms globally.
According to Metaplanet’s official announcement, its BTC Yield – a proprietary metric used to measure the performance of its Bitcoin acquisition strategy – stood at 310% from October 1 to December 23. The firm emphasized that this strategy is designed to be “accretive to shareholders.”
Despite today’s significant BTC purchase, Metaplanet’s stock price saw little movement, closing at $22.5, down 0.98% for the day. However, on a year-to-date basis, the company’s stock has surged by an astounding 1,982%, reflecting the long-term benefits of its Bitcoin-centric strategy.
Bitcoin Supply Crunch To Hasten Adoption?
With Bitcoin’s total maximum supply capped at 21 million, the digital asset has solidified its reputation as an inflation-resistant store of value. A recent report highlights that BTC supply on crypto exchanges has hit multi-year lows, indicating that holders are increasingly withdrawing BTC from exchanges, reducing circulating supply and potentially driving prices higher.
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Bitcoin’s scarcity has triggered an unofficial race among corporations – and possibly even governments. For instance, Bitcoin mining firm Hut 8 recently purchased 990 BTC for $100 million, increasing its total holdings to over 10,000 BTC. Similarly, MARA, another Bitcoin mining company, acquired 703 BTC earlier this month, bringing its total holdings to 34,794 BTC.
Speculations surrounding a potential US strategic Bitcoin reserve are further strengthening BTC’s supply crunch narrative, which may fast-track its adoption. At press time, BTC trades at $94,003, down 1.5% in the past 24 hours.
Featured image from Unsplash, charts from Yahoo! Finance and Tradingview.com
