Coin & Stock Barometer: Bitcoin Miner MARA Holdings Spends Over $860,000 on Bulletproof Vehicle Services for Executives; Bitmine Included in Preliminary List for FTSE Russell 1000 Index (May 19)

marsbitPublished on 2026-05-26Last updated on 2026-05-26

Abstract

Crypto Market Wrap & Key Corporate Updates (May 19) The crypto market saw a decline followed by a minor rebound, while U.S. crypto-related stocks fell broadly. In corporate news: **MARA Holdings**, a Bitcoin miner, disclosed spending over $869,000 on vehicle ballistic armor services for its CEO and CFO under its security program. The board cited higher risks associated with the company's public disclosure of holding substantial Bitcoin assets. According to BitcoinTreasuries.NET, Elon Musk's **SpaceX and Tesla** collectively hold 30,221 BTC ($2.3B), which would rank them as the fifth-largest public company holder if combined. **DDC Enterprise Limited** increased its Bitcoin holdings by 200 BTC, bringing its total to 2,583 BTC. The firm stated it plans to continue accumulating BTC based on liquidity, not short-term price movements. Bitcoin treasury company **Nakamoto** announced a 1-for-40 reverse stock split to regain compliance with Nasdaq's minimum bid price requirement. The company reported a Q1 2026 net loss of $238.8M, partly due to a $102.5M unrealized loss on its Bitcoin holdings. **Tether** acquired SoftBank's stake in **Twenty One Capital (XXI)**, increasing its control. Tether's CEO expressed strengthened confidence in XXI's long-term Bitcoin strategy. Fundstrat's **Tom Lee** stated that **Bitmine (BMNR)** has been included in the preliminary list for the FTSE Russell 1000 Index. Concurrently, two new wallets suspected to be linked to Bitmine withdrew 60,000 E...

Editor's Note: The broader crypto market experienced a decline followed by a slight rebound, while U.S. stock crypto-linked concept stocks saw a broad drop. Additionally, driven by Trump's previous investment in Intel, which yielded over $45 billion in returns, the recent move by the Trump administration to provide a total of $2 billion in grants to nine quantum computing companies has injected a shot of adrenaline into quantum computing concept stocks. This also provides upward momentum and price support to a certain extent for related stocks in strategic sectors such as semiconductors, AI, and quantum computing. It is recommended to pay long-term attention to individual stocks such as Infleqtion, RGTI, QUBT, QBTS, IONQ, and IBM. Furthermore, as SpaceX's IPO date approaches, the commercial aerospace sector may experience movement, presenting opportunities for short-term speculation. Finally, the U.S.-Iran situation has seen a stage of easing, with both sides likely to reach a ceasefire agreement; the market is gradually digesting the positive news. Potential interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve will also continue to impact the stock market.

For more information on the coin and stock market, please visit MSX.COM. (Odaily Planet Daily Note: The content of this article does not constitute investment advice and is for learning and communication purposes only.)

Viewpoint: Morgan Stanley Executive Believes AI M&A Wave Shows "Full-Spectrum" Development Trend

Wally Cheng, Global Head of Technology M&A at Morgan Stanley, stated that as companies race to fill technology gaps in areas such as chips, power, networking, and infrastructure, M&A deals in the artificial intelligence field are covering a range of company sizes and expanding into multiple industries. Cheng said, "I think deal activity will cover the full spectrum, including private and public companies." While semiconductors that provide computing power for AI attract significant attention due to their "tech miracle" nature, the infrastructure around these chips also holds immense value, including networks, storage, power, and real estate. Cheng mentioned that valuations in the AI industry remain "very challenging" as a balance must be struck between "dream unicorns and rainbows" and actual execution risks. Tammy Kiely, Senior Managing Director of Evercore's Technology Investment Banking business, expressed a similar view. She stated that potential acquirers must assess the potential value they can create while weighing the cost of missing opportunities.

Weekly Updates on Listed Crypto/Stock Companies

Representative BTC Treasury Public Companies

Michael Saylor: Bought bonds instead of Bitcoin last week

Michael Saylor, Founder and Executive Chairman of Bitcoin treasury company Strategy, stated in a post last week that he had bought bonds instead of Bitcoin, and the ₿itVac is charging.

Bitcoin Miner MARA Holdings Spends Over $869,000 on Bulletproof Vehicle Services for Executives

According to the latest DEF14A compensation table released by Bitcoin miner MARA Holdings, the company paid $4.30 million in personal security-related expenses for CEO Fred Thiel under its security program, including a one-time bulletproof vehicle armor expense of $430,000 and home security installation costs of $58,000. It also paid $3.946 million in personal security expenses for CFO Salman Khan, including a one-time bulletproof vehicle armor expense of $438,000.

The MARA Holdings board stated that due to the company's public disclosure of holding substantial Bitcoin assets, executives face significantly higher risks compared to other public companies. Therefore, providing the aforementioned security measures is commercially relevant and necessary.

Elon Musk's SpaceX and Tesla Combined Hold $2.3 Billion in Bitcoin, Ranking as the Fifth Largest Public Company BTC Holder

BitcoinTreasuries.NET posted that Elon Musk's SpaceX and Tesla currently hold a combined 30,221 Bitcoins, valued at $2.3 billion. If combined, they would become the fifth-largest public company BTC holder.

DDC Increases Holdings by 200 BTC, Total Bitcoin Holdings Rise to 2,583

NYSE-listed Bitcoin treasury company DDC Enterprise Limited announced an increase of 200 Bitcoins in its holdings, bringing its total holdings to 2,583, further strengthening its crypto asset allocation on the balance sheet.

The average purchase price for this transaction was approximately $79,496 per Bitcoin. The company stated that this increase did not involve the issuance of new shares. Without diluting equity, the Bitcoin holdings per 1,000 shares increased by 8.4% to 0.0543 BTC.

Disclosures show that DDC's year-to-date BTC yield has reached 36.6%, and its current scale places it among the top 30 global public companies in terms of Bitcoin holdings. The company emphasized that this "value-added financing + value-added allocation" closed loop has been completed and plans to continue accumulating BTC in the coming weeks and months. The specific pace will depend on liquidity and balance sheet conditions, rather than short-term price fluctuations.

Bitcoin Treasury Company Nakamoto Plans 1-for-40 Reverse Stock Split to Maintain Nasdaq Listing

Bitcoin treasury company Nakamoto plans to implement a 1-for-40 reverse stock split to push its share price back above $1, thereby meeting Nasdaq listing compliance requirements.

Under the plan, the number of outstanding shares will be reduced from approximately 696.1 million to about 17.4 million shares, expected to take effect on May 22.

Previously, Nakamoto reported a net loss of $238.8 million for Q1 2026. This included approximately $107.7 million from pre-acquisition option-related write-downs and about $102.5 million in losses from the book value decline of its 5,058 BTC holdings during a quarter when Bitcoin prices fell 23%.

Tether Acquires SoftBank's Stake in Twenty One Capital

Tether announced it has acquired the stake in Twenty One Capital (XXI) held by SoftBank Group, further increasing its controlling interest in the company. Following the transaction, the SoftBank-appointed board member at XXI has resigned in accordance with the shareholder agreement. Tether stated that this move reflects its continued confidence in XXI's long-term Bitcoin strategy and views XXI as one of the most significant opportunities to "build a public company from scratch around Bitcoin." Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino said SoftBank provided important institutional resources and strategic perspective during the company's early development stages, while Tether's confidence in XXI has "further strengthened."

Representative ETH Treasury Public Companies

Tom Lee: Bitmine Included in Preliminary List for FTSE Russell 1000 Index

Tom Lee stated that Bitmine has been included in the preliminary list for the large-cap FTSE Russell 1000 index. He added that BMNR's market cap has exceeded the $5.7 billion minimum threshold.

Two New Wallets Suspected to be Linked to Bitmine Withdraw 60,000 ETH Worth $126 Million from Bitgo and Kraken

According to Onchain Lens monitoring, two newly created wallets (0x9529...8B28, 0x59Ee...3fa5) suspected to be linked to Bitmine withdrew 60,000 ETH worth $126 million from Bitgo and Kraken.

SharpLink to be Included in Russell 2000 and Russell 3000 Indices on June 29

Nasdaq-listed Ethereum treasury company SharpLink announced on platform X that the company will be included as a component of the Russell 2000 and Russell 3000 indices, taking effect at the U.S. market open on June 29, 2026, coinciding with the Russell indices' semi-annual rebalancing.

Representative SOL Treasury Public Companies

Solana Treasury Company Solmate Announces $11.4 Million Equity Offering

Nasdaq-listed Solana treasury company Solmate Infrastructure announced a registered direct offering of an aggregate of 2,298,000 shares of Class B common stock. The offering price is $4.97 per share, with expected total proceeds of approximately $11.4 million. The transaction is expected to close around May 27, 2026, subject to customary closing conditions.

Representative Altcoin Treasury Public Companies

WLFI Treasury Company AI Financial Reports Net Loss of $271.5 Million for Q1 2026, Faces Going Concern Risk

WLFI treasury company AI Financial stated the company recorded a net loss of $271.5 million for Q1 2026, compared to a loss of $2.4 million in the same period last year. As of March 28, the company had a working capital deficit of approximately $5.5 million, with total liabilities of $391,000 and total assets of $322,000, raising substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern within one year.

As a WLFI treasury company, AI Financial held 7.3 billion WLFI tokens valued at $703.4 million as of March 28. Their value has fallen by one-third from over $1 billion at the end of last December, resulting in $348.3 million in unrealized losses. The company's cost basis for acquiring these tokens was nearly $1.46 billion. Additionally, the company borrowed nearly $15 million from WLFI in January. Its stock closed down nearly 6.3% at 85 cents on Tuesday.

SUI Group Discloses SUI Holdings Exceed 108 Million Tokens; Market Cap to NAV Ratio Falls Back to 0.91x

Nasdaq-listed company SUI Group disclosed its latest operational data. As of May 19, it holds 108,793,779 SUI tokens. Calculated at a unit price of $1.06, the corresponding market value is approximately $115 million, with a staking yield of 1.8%. The market cap to net asset value ratio is 0.91x, indicating a decline in valuation compared to previous periods.

Related Questions

QWhat significant security expenditure did the bitcoin mining company MARA Holdings incur for its executives, and what was the justification provided by the board?

AMARA Holdings spent over $869,000 on bulletproof vehicle armor services for its executives. Specifically, it paid $430,000 for CEO Fred Thiel's personal security, including a one-time $430,000 vehicle armor expense, and $394.6 thousand for CFO Salman Khan, including a one-time $438,000 vehicle armor expense. The board justified this as a necessary and commercially relevant security measure due to the uniquely higher risks faced by executives because the company publicly discloses holding large bitcoin assets.

QWhich index has Bitmine been preliminarily selected for inclusion in, according to Tom Lee, and what is the reported minimum market capitalization threshold for that index?

AAccording to Tom Lee, Bitmine has been preliminarily selected for inclusion in the FTSE Russell large-cap Russell 1000 index. He added that Bitmine's market capitalization has surpassed the minimum threshold of $5.7 billion for this index.

QWhat action did bitcoin treasury company Nakamoto plan to take to maintain its Nasdaq listing compliance, and what was the ratio of this planned action?

ABitcoin treasury company Nakamoto planned to implement a 1-for-40 reverse stock split to push its share price back above $1 and meet Nasdaq's listing compliance requirements.

QHow much Bitcoin do Elon Musk's SpaceX and Tesla collectively hold according to BitcoinTreasuries.NET, and what ranking would this give them among public company holders?

AAccording to BitcoinTreasuries.NET, Elon Musk's SpaceX and Tesla collectively hold 30,221 Bitcoin, valued at $2.3 billion. If combined, this would make them the fifth-largest public company holder of Bitcoin.

QWhat was the main reason cited for the $238.8 million net loss reported by Nakamoto for Q1 2026?

ANakamoto reported a net loss of $238.8 million for Q1 2026. Approximately $107.7 million of this loss came from a write-down related to pre-acquisition stock options, and about $102.5 million was an unrealized loss from its holding of 5,058 BTC during a quarter when the bitcoin price fell by 23%.

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What is $BITCOIN

DIGITAL GOLD ($BITCOIN): A Comprehensive Analysis Introduction to DIGITAL GOLD ($BITCOIN) DIGITAL GOLD ($BITCOIN) is a blockchain-based project operating on the Solana network, which aims to combine the characteristics of traditional precious metals with the innovation of decentralized technologies. While it shares a name with Bitcoin, often referred to as “digital gold” due to its perception as a store of value, DIGITAL GOLD is a separate token designed to create a unique ecosystem within the Web3 landscape. Its goal is to position itself as a viable alternative digital asset, although specifics regarding its applications and functionalities are still developing. What is DIGITAL GOLD ($BITCOIN)? DIGITAL GOLD ($BITCOIN) is a cryptocurrency token explicitly designed for use on the Solana blockchain. In contrast to Bitcoin, which provides a widely recognized value storage role, this token appears to focus on broader applications and characteristics. Notable aspects include: Blockchain Infrastructure: The token is built on the Solana blockchain, known for its capacity to handle high-speed and low-cost transactions. Supply Dynamics: DIGITAL GOLD has a maximum supply capped at 100 quadrillion tokens (100P $BITCOIN), although details regarding its circulating supply are currently undisclosed. Utility: While precise functionalities are not explicitly outlined, there are indications that the token could be utilized for various applications, potentially involving decentralized applications (dApps) or asset tokenization strategies. Who is the Creator of DIGITAL GOLD ($BITCOIN)? At present, the identity of the creators and development team behind DIGITAL GOLD ($BITCOIN) remains unknown. This situation is typical among many innovative projects within the blockchain space, particularly those aligning with decentralized finance and meme coin phenomena. While such anonymity may foster a community-driven culture, it intensifies concerns about governance and accountability. Who are the Investors of DIGITAL GOLD ($BITCOIN)? The available information indicates that DIGITAL GOLD ($BITCOIN) does not have any known institutional backers or prominent venture capital investments. The project seems to operate on a peer-to-peer model focused on community support and adoption rather than traditional funding routes. Its activity and liquidity are primarily situated on decentralized exchanges (DEXs), such as PumpSwap, rather than established centralized trading platforms, further highlighting its grassroots approach. 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