Just Five Companies Control $42 Billion in Bitcoin

Four years ago, big players like MicroStrategy and Tesla set a new trend, bringing Bitcoin into the corporate treasury playbook.

Major corporations have been ramping up their Bitcoin (BTC) acquisitions, a trend that began in 2024 and accelerated last year.

Five of the largest publicly traded companies holding Bitcoin, including MicroStrategy, Marathon Digital Holdings, Riot Platforms, Tesla, and CleanSpark, now collectively own nearly 560,000 BTC, according to data presented by CryptoPresales.com. This marks a significant increase from the 226,680 BTC held by the top five companies in February last year.

Four years ago, companies like MicroStrategy and Tesla brought Bitcoin into the corporate treasury playbook. Since then, many other publicly traded companies have followed suit, pouring hundreds of millions and even billions into Bitcoin as a hedge against inflation and a way to diversify their cash reserves.

Improved regulatory clarity in major markets and Bitcoin ETF approvals last year further fueled investor confidence, driving the number of new investments to record highs.

According to Bitcoin Treasuries, which tracks public companies holding Bitcoin, the top five BTC-holding corporations collectively owned 226,680 BTC in February last year, valued at $11.6 billion.

Since then, these five companies have added a combined 332,000 BTC, bringing their total holdings to $53.7 billion, an increase of $42 billion in a single year.

MicroStrategy alone bought over 288,000 Bitcoins since last February. Statistics show the company now holds a massive 478,700 BTC, worth approximately $46.5 billion.

Other major players invested much less than that but still made billions in profits. Marathon Digital Holdings, the second-largest corporate BTC holder, acquired 24,600 BTC over the past year, bringing its total to 40,400 BTC, valued at $3.29 billion.

Riot Platforms ranks third with lifetime Bitcoin investments of $1.77 billion and 10,500 BTC purchased in the last year. CleanSpark follows with close to 7,000 Bitcoins bought since last February and a lifetime BTC holdings of over 10,500, now worth around $1 billion.

While Tesla wasn’t the first company to invest in Bitcoin, it played a crucial role in bringing Bitcoin into the corporate spotlight.

But despite the 2024 crypto rally, the company has been relatively conservative in expanding its BTC holdings. According to Bitcoin Treasuries, Tesla currently holds just over 11,500 Bitcoins, or 1,790 more than last February, with a total valuation of $1.11 billion.

While still an impressive sum, this places Tesla in fourth place among corporate Bitcoin holders, falling behind Riot Platforms after holding the third-place spot for three years.

Beyond the top five players, the number of corporate investors in Bitcoin has increased significantly during the 2024 crypto rally.

Last February, only 38 publicly traded companies had Bitcoin on their balance sheets, collectively holding $13 billion in BTC. Since then, their number has practically doubled to 66, with their total Bitcoin holdings now worth a staggering $60.5 billion.

In regional comparison, US and Canadian companies dominate corporate Bitcoin investment. Statistics show that nearly 40% of corporate BTC investors are headquartered in the United States, and another 25% are in Canada. Europe lags behind, accounting for just 10% of corporate Bitcoin investors.