Strategy Makes Biggest Bitcoin Buy Yet in 2026 as Preferred Share Demand Surges

Strategy bought $1.57 billion worth of Bitcoin last week, notching its largest purchase of the year so far with 22,337 BTC amid heightened demand toward STRC, its variable rate preferred share.

Last week, the Bitcoin-buying firm raised nearly $1.2 billion via the dividend-paying product. That marked a notable increase compared to $377 in proceeds from STRC the week before.

The Tysons Corner, Virginia-based firm now owns roughly 761,000 Bitcoin, according to a press release. With Bitcoin recently changing hands around $73,340, that sum was worth around $55.8 billion, CoinGecko data showed.

As Bitcoin has tumbled in recent months, Strategy’s stockpile has shown massive losses on paper. However, with Bitcoin drawing closer to the firm’s average purchase price of around $76,700 per Bitcoin, the firm’s Bitcoin holdings were just $1.7 billion down on Monday.

Strategy’s stock price jumped to a 45-day high of $148 on Monday, and was recently trading up 4% on the day at $145.40, according to Yahoo Finance. Still, shares have slipped more than 56% over the past six months.

Since STRC debuted in July, Strategy has embraced the preferred share as an alternative source of funding compared to its common equity. The product currently pays 11.5%, which translates to a monthly payout of approximately $0.9583 per STRC for investors.

Following Strategy’s latest purchase, STRC had a market capitalization of around $5 billion, representing a 30% increase in the product’s value over the past month. Previously, Strategy co-founder and Executive Chairman has dubbed STRC the company’s “iPhone moment.”

When the product trades above a $100 threshold, Strategy has signaled that it will issue more of the preferred share to keep its price aligned. Meanwhile, the company is able to take those proceeds and extend its lead as Bitcoin’s largest corporate holder.

With the company’s latest issuance of STRC, Strategy’s dividend burden has grown to over $1 billion monthly, according to its website. Investors have previously scrutinized the sustainability of those costs, leading Strategy to shore up $2.25 billion in cash reserves.

On Myriad, a prediction market owned by Decrypt’s parent company Dastan, traders penciled in a 17% chance that Strategy would sell Bitcoin this year. That marked a decrease compared to a 27% chance a month ago.