Firms Ride Bitcoin Wave to Raise Billions From Convertible Debt

  • MARA Holdings among followers of MicroStrategy’s playbook
  • Bitcoin has gained over 40% since the US presidential election

The MicroStrategy Inc. headquarters in Tysons Corner, Virginia.

Photographer: Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg
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A rally across cryptocurrencies has made winners out of a handful of firms in the sector that followed MicroStrategy Inc.’s playbook of selling convertible bonds, thanks to President-elect Donald Trump choosing a crypto-friendly financier to head the top US financial regulator.

Investors have been piling into companies with ties to the industry, opening the floodgates for fundraising. MicroStrategy’s $6.2 billion worth of convertibles issued this year is just the start, as part of its latest plan to raise $21 billion through fixed income issuance. Other firms also rode the wave, with MARA Holdings Inc. selling more than $2 billion worth — also to buy Bitcoin — and Core Scientific Inc. raising over $1 billion in the year to date.