From Holding to Controlling: When Bitcoin Starts 'Buying Listed Companies'
From Holding to Controlling: When Bitcoin Starts "Buying Listed Companies"
In a landmark event, Bitcoin has entered the capital structure of a publicly traded company as a form of capital contribution for the first time. On February 4, Nasdaq-listed insurance brokerage Tianruixiang Holdings announced that an undisclosed investor would contribute 15,000 Bitcoin in exchange for equity in the company. Valued at approximately $1.125 billion (based on Bitcoin's price of $75,000 at the time), this transaction marks a historic shift.
This is not about buying a Bitcoin ETF, holding BTC, or issuing debt to purchase Bitcoin. It represents a direct exchange of Bitcoin for equity in a listed company.
Over the past two years, a profound change has been underway: Bitcoin is systematically entering the balance sheets of public companies. Companies like MicroStrategy (now Strategy) have fundamentally altered traditional corporate logic. They no longer operate solely based on their core business but function as financial vehicles, continuously issuing stock and convertible bonds to raise capital for purchasing Bitcoin.
This has given rise to a new type of entity: the **Bitcoin Treasury Company**. Other examples include Japan's Metaplanet, and U.S.-based firms like Twenty One Capital and Bitcoin Standard Treasury.
A significant阵营 (camp) of publicly traded companies now holds substantial Bitcoin, including:
* Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy): over 710,000 BTC
* Major miners like MARA, Riot, and Hut 8
* Exchanges like Coinbase and Bullish
* Bitcoin treasury companies
* Tech and payment firms like Tesla and Block
Their commonality is that they have integrated Bitcoin as a fundamental part of their capital structure.
The Tianruixiang deal represents an evolution of this trend. Upon completion, the company would hold more Bitcoin than Coinbase, making it a top-tier Bitcoin treasury. Crucially, this isn't a case of "using fiat to buy Bitcoin," but rather resembles using Bitcoin to effectively "acquire a Nasdaq-listed shell company."
This structure transforms the transaction from a simple investment into a form of **reverse merger by crypto assets into traditional capital markets**. Bitcoin is no longer merely held; it is being used to **restructure ownership itself**.
A clear path is emerging: from MicroStrategy's massive holdings to miners, exchanges, and treasury companies, and now to direct equity-for-Bitcoin swaps, **Bitcoin is reconstructing the "public company network."** When this system becomes large enough, Bitcoin will evolve beyond a "crypto asset" into a financial infrastructure embedded within the global capital system.
*Content is for informational purposes only and not investment advice. Markets are risky; investments should be made cautiously.*
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