Strategy sells 32 Bitcoin as Saylor defends corporate treasury shift

Strategy Inc. sold 32 Bitcoin for $2.5 million to fund preferred stock dividend obligations, as Chairman Michael Saylor drew a sharp distinction between advice for individual holders and corporate treasury management at BTC Prague on June 16.

"I said to you, never sell your Bitcoin. I never said that the company wouldn't sell its Bitcoin," Saylor said from the Prague stage. "Anybody that's been listening to our earnings calls or reading our disclosures, or has half a brain, knows for the last five years, we've been very clear that of course we sell the Bitcoin if we have to."

The sale barely registers against Strategy's $62 billion Bitcoin reserve. The company then repurchased 1,550 Bitcoin at $65,332 per coin, increasing total holdings to 845,256 BTC and raising its cash reserve to $1 billion, per company disclosures.

The next test arrives June 30, when Strategy's preferred dividend payment comes due. The STRC preferred stock carries an 11.5 percent annual coupon with no natural exit, creating a recurring cash obligation that grows with each new issuance. Saylor described STRC as a "digital credit" instrument offering yields of up to 8 percent — three to four times traditional savings accounts.

Saylor's comments mark a shift from years of absolutist messaging. From a January 2022 Bloomberg interview where he said "Never. No. We're not sellers" to a February 2026 CNBC appearance where he stated "We're not going to be selling," the chairman had repeatedly described Bitcoin as a permanent treasury reserve asset. In March 2024, he told Yahoo Finance: "People that use fiat currency as a store of value, there's a name for them. We call them poor."

The contradiction drew sharp criticism. One X user wrote: "You fell for this grifter and his Ponzi scheme." Saylor's cryptic post of "32?" on X after the sale further fueled the backlash.

Saylor defended the strategy as necessary for long-term viability. "I refuse to destroy a $100 billion company so that I don't sell my Bitcoin," he said. He argued that demonstrating a willingness to sell allows Strategy to maintain credibility with credit investors and continue acquiring Bitcoin. The company is "dynamically balancing growth versus risk," accepting short-term dilution for long-term balance sheet strength.

Beyond the sale, Saylor offered a thesis for Bitcoin's underperformance this year. He pointed to AI fundraising rounds at OpenAI, Anthropic, SpaceX, Alphabet and Meta as pulling 1 percent to 2 percent of capital away from Bitcoin — a temporary cycle he expects to reverse. "Toward the end of the year, we should see a reversal trend," Saylor predicted, calling 2026 "the most exciting year in the history of Bitcoin."

MSTR closed at $120.15 on June 16, up 4.16 percent on the session. A death cross from October 2025 remains active, with the 20-day SMA at $147.65 and 200-day SMA at $197.34 stacked bearishly overhead. Key support sits at $118.50.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.