Crypto
Bitcoin
(Elise Hardy/Getty Images)

MARA has record-breaking bitcoin month, stock rises

The bitcoin miner is sitting on a pile of crypto worth over $5 billion.

MARA Holdings, the second-largest corporate bitcoin holder, had a record-breaking month in May, with 282 blocks won, a 38% month-over-month increase.

“Our total bitcoin holdings surpassed 49,000 BTC during May and the 950 bitcoin produced were the most since the halving event in April 2024,” CEO and Chairman Fred Thiel said in a press release.

The bitcoin miner now holds 49,179 bitcoin. Shares were up over 4% in early trading Tuesday.

MARA said that key drivers include its “fully integrated tech stack,” adding that MARA Pool, “the only self-owned and operated mining pool among public miners,” enables greater efficiency.

Fellow bitcoin miner Riot Platforms produced 514 bitcoin in May, an 11% month-over-month increase. It now holds 19,225 bitcoin and is the fourth-largest bitcoin holder. It was recently pushed down one spot by newcomer Twenty One, the bitcoin-native company launched in May.

Meanwhile, Strategy, the original and largest stockpiler, also added more bitcoin yesterday, buying 705 bitcoin for $75.1 million. The company now holds 580,955 bitcoin.

TD Bank analysts wrote that Strategy’s purchase was “a weekly first,” as the acquisition was “financed entirely via its two preferred stock ATM facilities.”

“Though weekly dollars raised was modest at $75 mil, issue price for both STRK and STRF shares hit new high water marks, with average prices well above stated value,” TD Cowen analysts wrote. “The transactions are likely to generate superior accretion for common stockholders, we believe, relative to the MSTR ATM.”

Strategy also announced that it will offer 2.5 million preferred shares of its 10.00% Series A Perpetual Stride Preferred Stock, dubbed the “STRD Stock,” to purchase more bitcoin.

Japanese company Metaplanet, the top Asian bitcoin corporate holder, acquired 1,088 bitcoin for $117.3 million. The company now holds 8,888 bitcoin, “a symbol of abundance” and “a number of fortune,” CEO Simon Gerovich posted on X.

This latest purchase propelled the company to the 10th global spot, overtaking Block.

 

More Crypto

See all Crypto
crypto

New bitcoin AfterDark ETF will be bitcoin at night, Treasurys by day

Tidal Trust II submitted form N-1A with the SEC to register a bitcoin ETF designed to systemically capture the cryptocurrency’s overnight return profile, a time window that delivered a significant portion of bitcoin’s upside last year.

The Nicholas Bitcoin and Treasuries AfterDark ETF provides long bitcoin exposure during US overnight hours, from the closing bell until the following morning’s market open, when the fund intends to unwind its positions, according to a document filed with the SEC on Tuesday. 

To gain that exposure, the ETF may use a number of methods, including bitcoin futures contracts, US-listed ETFs, or exchange-traded options on such bitcoin underlying funds. When the market is open and daytime trading is active, the fund’s portfolio will consist of US Treasury securities and other cash equivalents. 

In 2024, most of bitcoin’s gains occurred after-hours, senior Bloomberg ETF analyst Eric Balchunas reported:

The AfterDark ETF filing comes as bitcoin crossed $94,000 on Tuesday, rising 4.5% in the last 24 hours. Even though spot bitcoin ETFs saw nearly $60.5 million in outflows on Monday, the investment vehicles have a cumulative net inflow of $57.6 billion, per SoSoValue.

Latest Stories

Sherwood Media, LLC produces fresh and unique perspectives on topical financial news and is a fully owned subsidiary of Robinhood Markets, Inc., and any views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of any other Robinhood affiliate, including Robinhood Markets, Inc., Robinhood Financial LLC, Robinhood Securities, LLC, Robinhood Crypto, LLC, or Robinhood Money, LLC.