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Strategy kickstarts 2026 with $116M Bitcoin buy as Q4 paper loss hits $17B

Strategy bought 1,283 BTC for $116 million, lifting holdings above 673,000 BTC, while reporting a $17.4 billion unrealized Q4 loss in an SEC filing Monday.

Strategy kickstarts 2026 with $116M Bitcoin buy as Q4 paper loss hits $17B
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Strategy, the world’s largest corporate holder of bitcoin, began the new year with its first purchase of 2026 while reporting a steep fourth-quarter paper loss as Bitcoin prices slid late last year.

Strategy acquired 1,283 Bitcoin (BTC) for $116 million, boosting its holdings to 673,783 worth $62.6 billion purchased at an average cost basis of $75,026 per BTC, according to a Monday filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

The coins were acquired at an average purchasing price of about $90,000 each using proceeds from the sale of shares of MSTR Stock under the company’s at-the-market (ATM) offering.

The company also increased its US dollar reserve by $62 million to reach $2.25 billion, Strategy co-founder and executive chairman Michael Saylor said in a X post on Monday. The cash reserve is used to support payments on dividends, preferred stock, and to pay interest on outstanding debts.

Strategy filing with the SEC. Source: Strategy

Related: $11B Bitcoin whale sells $330M ETH, opens massive $748M longs in top cryptos

While the latest purchase is larger than last week’s $108 million buy, it is small compared with some of Strategy’s biggest additions in 2025.

Strategy made its two largest Bitcoin purchases of 2025 on March 31 when it acquired 22,049 BTC for $1.92 billion, followed by a 21,021 BTC for $2.46 billion on July 29, according to data from SaylorTracker.com. 

The latest investment comes two weeks after Strategy added $747.8 million in net proceeds to its cash reserves, obtained from the sale of common stock, Cointelegraph reported on Dec. 22.

Strategy posts $17 billion paper loss for Q4 2025

Concerns over Strategy’s Bitcoin-focused business model persist as the company posted a $17.4 billion unrealized loss on its Bitcoin holdings during the fourth quarter of 2025, as Bitcoin’s price fell by more than 23%, Cointelegraph data shows.

Related: These three altcoins came back from the dead in 2025

The company also posted a $5 billion associated deferred tax benefit, which represents a potential future reduction in the company’s income tax liabilities, according to the filing.

MSTR stock price, one-day chart. Source: google.com/finance

Strategy’s stock price rose 3.88% in pre-market trading on Monday to surpass $157, but it’s down over 58% in the past year, Google Finance data shows.

Strategy’s advocacy for the world’s first cryptocurrency has inspired several companies to adopt Bitcoin-focused treasury strategies, such as Japanese investment company Metaplanet, which has grown to become the fourth-largest public Bitcoin holder, with 35,102 Bitcoin worth $3.25 billion on its books.

BTC in treasuries. Source: BitconTreasuries.net

Led by Strategy, public companies have amassed 1.09 million Bitcoin, or 5.21% of the total supply, according to Bitcointreasuries data.

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