MicroStrategy (Nasdaq: MSTR) has announced plans to raise $600 million through the offering of convertible senior notes due 2030, aiming to bolster its holdings of bitcoin.
The notes, which will be unsecured senior obligations of MicroStrategy, are set to bear interest semi-annually and will mature on March 15, 2030, unless redeemed or converted earlier. MicroStrategy also retains the option to redeem all or a portion of the notes from March 22, 2027, onwards, provided certain conditions are met.
Holders of the notes will have the right to require MicroStrategy to repurchase all or part of their notes on September 15, 2028. The terms of conversion into cash, shares of MicroStrategy’s class A common stock, or a combination thereof, will be determined at the time of pricing of the offering.
Proceeds from the offering are said to be earmarked for the acquisition of additional bitcoin, adding to MicroStrategy’s existing holdings of the cryptocurrency, and for general corporate purposes.
“Bitcoin is the exit strategy”
In an interview, MicroStrategy founder Michael Saylor did not mince words in his overall strategy for the digital asset.
“Bitcoin is the exit strategy,” he answered when asked about plans for the firm. “It is the strongest asset… Bitcoin is a trillion-dollar asset class.” He further asserted the belief that “capital will keep flowing from [other] asset classes to bitcoin, because bitcoin is technically superior than those asset classes.”
The company’s most recent Bitcoin purchase, announced on December 27th, solidified MicroStrategy’s position as the largest corporate holder of bitcoin.
Bitcoin has seen a resurgence since the so-called “crypto winter” in the last two years. The cryptocurrency climbed approximately 6% to surpass $67,500 by early Monday afternoon, marking its highest level since November 10, 2021.
With bitcoin now just 2% shy of its all-time high of nearly $69,000, achieved during a brief spike in 2021, analysts see the milestone as within reach, particularly as bitcoin has surged by over 50% in the past month alone.
Driving this latest rally is the ongoing bullish sentiment surrounding spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) launched earlier this year. According to Bernstein data, these ETFs now hold almost $50 billion in assets under management and own 4% of all bitcoins, fueling investor optimism.
As of Monday, Bitcoin’s total market capitalization stood at $1.29 trillion, according to CoinGecko, more than three times higher than its $320 billion market cap at the end of 2022 during the crypto winter.
While Bitcoin flirts with a record valuation, the overall crypto market’s total capitalization of $2.55 trillion remains below the late 2021 peak of over $3 trillion. Bitcoin’s dominance in the crypto market has grown from below 40% to around 50% over the past two years, reflecting the decline in value of other digital assets.
Similar publicly-traded stocks closely tied to bitcoin like MicroStrategy have outperformed the broader market this year, with shares of crypto exchange Coinbase and leading bitcoin miner Marathon Digital, reaching multiyear highs.
The bitcoin investment for MicroStrategy has so far been beneficial for the firm. In its Q1 2023 financials, the company reported its first profit in nine quarters after claiming a tax gain due to its bitcoin hoard.
MicroStrategy last traded at $1,334.01 on the Nasdaq, jumping 24% on the day following the news. It’s a 94% surge since the start for 2024.
Information for this briefing was found via Forbes and the sources mentioned. The author has no securities or affiliations related to this organization. Not a recommendation to buy or sell. Always do additional research and consult a professional before purchasing a security. The author holds no licenses.
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