Publicly traded companies now collectively hold more than 800,000 bitcoin on their balance sheets, worth tens of billions of dollars at current prices, according to treasury tracking data.
What began as an experiment by a handful of pioneers has become a corporate movement. Dozens of firms across North America, Europe, and Asia now cite bitcoin as a hedge against currency debasement and a long-term store of value.
“The stigma is gone,” one treasury consultant said. “Five years ago a CFO would get laughed out of the room for proposing this. Today it’s a board-level strategy discussion.” Analysts expect the trend to accelerate as accounting rules for digital assets become more favorable.