Few business topics are garnering more coverage than Michael Saylor's unconventional strategy at Strategy, the software purveyor turned Bitcoin treasury outfit he still controls as top shareholder and Executive Chairman (the firm was formerly known as MicroStrategy). But one big shift has gone almost entirely unnoticed. As Bitcoin prices plunged, Saylor has attempted to remediate the situation by unleashing a torrent of new shares, the size of which has never before witnessed by a big market cap U.S. company. This immense dilution is keeping his Bitcoin stash growing as a point of pride-but dragging shareholders into dangerous territory.
The company's Q4 2025 earnings, filed on February 5, 2026, showed a $12.44 billion net loss, driven by a $17.44 billion unrealized loss on digital assets. Shockingly, Strategy holds 713,502 bitcoins valued at $59.75 billion against a cost basis of $54.26 billion, leaving the company essentially underwater on its massive bet.
Crypto lender Ledn Inc. has sold $188 million in securitized bonds backed by Bitcoin-linked loans, marking a first-of-its-kind deal in the asset-backed debt market. The transaction includes two bond tranches, according to Bloomberg, one of which received an investment-grade rating and priced at a spread of 335 basis points over the benchmark rate, according to people familiar with the matter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. served as the sole structuring agent and bookrunner.
The past week's price action has been rather lackluster for Bitcoin. After seeing a big bounce from $60,000, the price failed to get above short-term resistance at $71,800 last week. Instead, the price tested the short-term support at $65,650 before bouncing back up to close the week out at $68,811. While the weekly chart is showing some buying strength below $66,000, the lack of follow-through for buyers on the bounces so far is a sign of weakness.
Bitcoin has failed to break out above the $70,000 threshold despite multiple attempts since last week, remaining pinned near its lowest levels of 2024. A convergence of risk factors, ranging from AI-related anxieties to a persistent higher-for-longer interest rate environment and the specter of conflict in the Middle East, is preventing liquidity from returning to the crypto market through its usual channels.
The latest upside followed January's Consumer Price Index report, which showed inflation rising 2.4% year-over-year, slightly under the 2.5% forecast. The softer print strengthened expectations that the Federal Reserve could begin cutting rates sooner than previously anticipated, a shift that typically benefits higher-beta assets like cryptocurrencies. Prediction markets reflected the change in sentiment. Traders on Kalshi increased the implied odds of an April rate cut to 23%, while Polymarket pricing also moved higher over the week.
Denmark-based Danske Bank will now allow customers to invest in cryptocurrency-linked products tied to Bitcoin, marking a shift for Denmark's largest lender after years of resistance to the asset class. The bank said customers using Danske eBanking and Danske Mobile Banking can now gain exposure through exchange traded products, or ETPs, that track the performance of Bitcoin or Ethereum. The offering includes three products at launch, with two linked to Bitcoin and one linked to Ethereum.
Bessent told host Maria Bartiromo that the recent volatility and developments in crypto markets really show the need for legal certainty. "What we're seeing in the crypto market over the past few months means more than ever that the U.S. needs market structure, we need clarity, and we need to get this across the line this spring," he said. Bessent acknowledged resistance from some quarters but said he remains optimistic that Congress can bring the bill back for a markup session.
Perhaps it's the future of digital commerce? As it turns out, none of those really stuck, as extreme price swings and fees make the crypto a bad fit for most practical commercial purposes. The horrifying abduction of Nancy Guthrie, however, highlights perhaps the one persistent utility Bitcoin has been able to maintain: its place as the de facto global currency of crime.
Documents published last week by the US Department of Justice reveal Epstein bankrolled the principal home and funding source for bitcoin, the world's largest cryptocurrency, during its nascent stages; he also invested $3m in Coinbase in 2014, the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the US, and cut a check that same year to Blockstream, a prominent bitcoin-focused technology firm. Both crypto startups accepted Epstein's investments in 2014 six years after his 2008 conviction in Florida for soliciting prostitution from a minor.
The U.S. stock market roared back on Friday, as technology stocks recovered much of their losses from earlier in the week and bitcoin halted its plunge, at least for now. The S&P 500 rallied 2% for its best day since May. The Dow Jones Industrial Average soared 1,206 points, or 2.5%, and topped the 50,000 level for the first time, while the Nasdaq composite leaped 2.2%.
Shares of Strategy ($MSTR) surged sharply Friday, lifting more than 25% at times, trading near $133, after a brutal prior session left the bitcoin‑linked stock deeply oversold. The jump comes as markets stabilized and bitcoin rebounded from multi‑week lows to around $71,000, injecting newfound demand into equities tied to digital assets. Friday's rally reversed a dramatic sell‑off on Thursday, during which MSTR shares plunged to multi‑year lows on earnings losses and renewed pressure in crypto markets.
The price of Bitcoin has fallen to its lowest level in 15 months despite US president Donald Trump's personal and public support of cryptocurrency. A single Bitcoin is now worth $66,000 (48,700), its lowest level since October of 2024, with the price down 24% since the start of this year. The drop followed months of surging Bitcoin prices, which saw the cryptocurrency hit an all-time high of $122,200 in October.
The original cryptocurrency dipped to under $68,000, its lowest level since October 2024, just before President Donald Trump's election. That marks a 46% decline since Bitcoin's all-time high of $126,000 just four months ago, according to Binance. Major crypto companies are being dragged down with it. Coinbase, the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the U.S., has seen its stock decline by 50% in the last three months and is currently trading around $151.
