Michael Saylor, the founder and executive chairman of MicroStrategy, has made it clear that his company’s ultimate goal is to become the leading Bitcoin bank.
Over the last few years, MicroStrategy has aggressively accumulated Bitcoin, using a combination of debt and equity to fund its purchases. As of the company’s most recent acquisition last month, MicroStrategy holds a staggering 252,220 BTC, worth just over $15 billion, against a total purchase cost of around $9.9 billion and $4 billion in debt. This massive stockpile accounts for 1.2% of Bitcoin’s total supply of 21 million, making MicroStrategy the largest corporate Bitcoin holder in the world.
Saylor’s bold investment thesis is grounded in his belief that Bitcoin is the top-performing asset of the 21st century, surpassing traditional investments like stocks, bonds, and commodities. He views Bitcoin as revolutionary digital capital, an inflation hedge, and a superior long-term store of value. While Bitcoin’s volatility can be daunting to some, Saylor argues that this very characteristic will draw in investors seeking high returns. Over time, he envisions Bitcoin becoming a staple in both institutional and retail investment portfolios.
From Corporate Holdings to Bitcoin Banking
As MicroStrategy continues to pour billions into bitcoin, Saylor has offered a glimpse of the company’s long-term vision, The Block reported Friday. According to a note from Gautam Chhugani, a digital asset lead at Bernstein, Saylor sees MicroStrategy morphing into a “Bitcoin bank,” one that creates financial instruments such as equity, convertibles, fixed-income products, and preferred shares, all underpinned by bitcoin.
“This is the most valuable asset in the world,” Saylor declared. “The endgame is to be the leading Bitcoin bank, or merchant bank, or you could call it a Bitcoin finance company.”
Saylor outlined his future vision in grand terms. If the company can raise $100-150 billion in various financial instruments tied to bitcoin, Saylor believes it could transform MicroStrategy into a company valued at $300-400 billion “with the biggest options market, the biggest equity market.” He even hinted at aspirations for creating a trillion-dollar company, fueled by Bitcoin skyrocketing in value.
“Bitcoin is going to go to millions a coin, you know, and then we create a trillion-dollar company,” added Saylor.
For Saylor, MicroStrategy’s success hinges on its faith in Bitcoin as a deflationary asset. Currently, Bitcoin represents just 0.1% of global financial capital, but Saylor predicts that this could grow to 7% by 2045, which would imply a staggering price of $13 million per bitcoin. His long-term expectation is for Bitcoin to appreciate at a rate of 29% annually, a projection he believes will be achievable as U.S. capital markets begin to allow companies like MicroStrategy to raise additional funds through debt, equity, and other financial instruments, all while arbitraging between U.S. dollars and bitcoin.
When asked about the scalability of the company’s debt strategy, Saylor expressed unbounded confidence, saying,
“I think it’s infinitely scalable. I don’t have any problem seeing how we could raise $100 billion more capital and then $200 billion after that. It’s a trillion-dollar asset class going to $10 trillion and then going to $100 trillion.”
For Saylor, the primary risk is a binary one: “You either believe Bitcoin is something, or you believe it’s nothing.”
MicroStrategy is not alone in its corporate Bitcoin playbook. Mining company Marathon Digital Holdings (MARA)is currently the second-largest corporate bitcoin holder with 26,842 BTC, worth around $1.6 billion. Even Japanese investment firm Metaplanet, which has mirrored MicroStrategy’s approach, holds a much smaller amount of 748.5 BTC, valued at $45.7 million. However, Saylor sees a future in which more companies adopt Bitcoin as a treasury reserve asset.
Saylor has been vocal about his belief that every company operating in the cryptocurrency space—whether they are Bitcoin miners or exchanges—should follow MicroStrategy’s lead.
“They are destroying as much shareholder value with their balance sheets as they are creating with their P&L,” Saylor argued.