South African investment firm Altvest Capital Ltd. has unveiled plans to raise $210 million to buy Bitcoin, marking a bold shift in strategy as it rebrands to Africa Bitcoin Corp.
Key Takeaways:
- Altvest plans to raise $210 million to buy Bitcoin and rebrand as Africa Bitcoin Corp.
- The firm will hold BTC as a treasury reserve asset, similar to cash or gold.
- Institutional investors can now gain Bitcoin exposure by buying shares in a regulated, equity-based structure.
The move positions Altvest as the first listed company in Africa to adopt Bitcoin as its primary treasury reserve asset, according to a Monday report by Bloomberg.
The company, currently valued at around $3 million, is looking to mirror the playbook used by MicroStrategy and Japan’s Metaplanet, firms that boosted valuations by aggressively accumulating Bitcoin.
Altvest to Hold Bitcoin as Reserve Asset Like Cash or Gold
Altvest will hold BTC directly on its balance sheet, treating it as a long-term store of value akin to cash or gold.
Founder and CEO Warren Wheatley said the strategy offers regulated exposure to Bitcoin through equity markets, a route not typically available to many institutional investors in the region.
“Pension funds, retirement annuities, unit trusts and others usually cannot directly buy Bitcoin,” Wheatley noted.
“But by buying our shares they will now be able to get exposure in a regulated way through equity.”
Altvest is seeking capital from both international and African investors, with plans to list on exchanges in Namibia, Botswana, and Kenya to expand regional access. An international listing is also under consideration.
As of Thursday morning, Bitcoin was trading at $110,942, up 95% over the past year, while Altvest shares have declined 25% during the same period.
The company’s crypto initiative will be managed through its unit Altvest Bitcoin Strategies Pty Ltd., which is authorized via CAEP Asset Managers Pty Ltd. to offer crypto services under the oversight of South Africa’s Financial Sector Conduct Authority.
As reported, Public companies now hold over 1 million Bitcoin, marking a major milestone in corporate adoption of the digital asset as a reserve currency.
Strategy Tops Corporate Bitcoin Holdings with 636,505 BTC
Strategy now holds 636,505 BTC, making it the largest corporate holder by a wide margin.
Bitcoin mining firm MARA Holdings remains in second with 52,477 BTC, after adding 705 BTC in August.
But new entrants are gaining ground. XXI, founded by Strike CEO Jack Mallers, has amassed 43,514 BTC, while the Bitcoin Standard Treasury Company holds 30,021 BTC.
Other major players include crypto exchange Bullish (24,000 BTC), Metaplanet (20,000 BTC), and publicly listed names like Riot Platforms, Trump Media & Technology Group, CleanSpark, and Coinbase.
This wave of accumulation has fueled speculation around a supply shock. With just 5.2% of Bitcoin’s fixed 21 million supply left to be mined, continued corporate demand could drive prices even higher.
Some firms are aiming much higher. Japan’s Metaplanet and U.S.-based Semler Scientific have set targets of 210,000 BTC and 105,000 BTC by 2027, ten to twenty times their current holdings.
Outside the US, 120 public companies now hold Bitcoin. Canada, the UK, Hong Kong, Mexico, South Africa, and Bahrain are among the countries where corporate BTC ownership is growing.
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