Less than a year ago, the Japanese company Metaplanet decided to adopt MicroStrategy’s strategy: the strategy of accumulating as many Bitcoins as possible as a company. To date, this decision has paid off fantastically, as Metaplanet shares have risen by 4,800% in the last 12 months.
The little brother of MicroStrategy
While this is an exciting development for Bitcoin, it should not be overstated. So far, Metaplanet has raised 1,762 BTC, worth about $171 million. That’s a significant amount, but it pales in comparison to MicroStrategy’s purchases.
By the way, it is worth mentioning that MicroStrategy is now called Strategy.
Metaplanet has ambitious growth goals. By the end of 2026, the company wants to own at least 21,000 BTC. This would mean it would hold 1/1000 of the total 21 million BTC that will ever exist.
For Metaplanet, this strategy has been very successful so far. The number of shareholders has increased by 500% in 2024, meaning that 50,000 people or companies are now investing in the company.
At least 32 listed companies with Bitcoin
According to data from Coingecko, there are now at least 32 publicly traded companies that hold BTC on their balance sheets.
MicroStrategy is the undisputed number one with 444,262 Bitcoin. Marathon Digital Holdings is in second place with 26,842, followed by Galaxy Digital Holdings with 15,449 BTC. Elon Musk’s Tesla is in fourth place with 11,509 BTC.
Collectively, publicly traded companies now own more than 555,346 BTC worth a total of $54 billion, giving them 2.80% of the total BTC supply, with Strategy holding the largest share at 2.116%.
It would be beneficial for Bitcoin if another major player emerged alongside MicroStrategy. This could mean the final and undisputed breakthrough of BTC.
At the moment, the impression remains that “that crazy Michael Saylor” is fully committed to BTC and that a few small companies are following him. But it is not really being taken seriously yet. This could change if a company of the size of Apple, Amazon or Google gets involved.
