Cointelegraph
Adrian Zmudzinski
Written by Adrian Zmudzinski,Staff Writer
Bryan O'Shea
Reviewed by Bryan O'Shea,Staff Editor

South Korean media firm to raise $500M for Bitcoin treasury

K Wave Media announced a $500 million securities deal to fund a Bitcoin-treasury strategy, aiming to become the “Metaplanet of Korea.”

South Korean media firm to raise $500M for Bitcoin treasury
News

South Korean entertainment company K Wave Media has entered into a securities purchase agreement worth up to $500 million to fund a Bitcoin-centric crypto treasury strategy.

K Wave reached an agreement with Bitcoin Strategic Reserve KWM for the sale of up to $500 million of ordinary shares to fund its Bitcoin treasury, according to a June 4 announcement.

“By embedding BTC into our core strategy, we’re reinforcing our commitment to decentralization, agility, and future-facing value creation,“ said Ted Kim, co-interim CEO of K Wave Media.

The company said it aims to become the “Metaplanet of Korea,” which saw its stock soar after adopting a similar Bitcoin-focused strategy inspired by business intelligence company Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy).

At the time of writing, K Wave Media’s stock was up 162% on Nasdaq, trading at $5.04.

K Wave Media stock price chart. Source: Google Finance

Related: Metaplanet becomes 8th largest Bitcoin holder with $118M buy

Financing the Bitcoin treasury

Proceeds from the deal will be used to fund K Wave Media’s “Bitcoin-centric digital asset treasury strategy,” suggesting it may purchase other cryptocurrencies in addition to Bitcoin.

K Wave Media also intends to use the funds for mergers and acquisitions to expand its content and K-POP-related businesses. Still, Bitcoin is front and center of those plans:

“Under this initiative, K Wave will, subject to certain limitations, allocate a significant portion of the proceeds received from the sale of any shares under the facility to the purchasing, long-term holding, and yield optimization of Bitcoin.“

Related: Metaplanet issues $21M in bonds to buy Bitcoin, a day after $50M raise

The company also plans to operate Bitcoin Lightning Network nodes and invest in infrastructure that facilitates onchain transaction rewards and decentralization.

K Wave Media is the latest in a growing list of public companies embracing Bitcoin as a corporate reserve asset, a trend that began with MicroStrategy in 2020 and has since gained traction among firms in Asia, including Metaplanet, according to data from Bitcoin Treasuries.

Magazine: Korea to lift corporate crypto ban, beware crypto mining HDs: Asia Express

Cointelegraph is committed to independent, transparent journalism. This news article is produced in accordance with Cointelegraph’s Editorial Policy and aims to provide accurate and timely information. Readers are encouraged to verify information independently. Read our Editorial Policy https://cointelegraph.com/editorial-policy