Michael Saylor, chairman of Strategy, the largest corporate bitcoin holder, stated that rejecting bitcoin's integration with banks, corporations, custodians, exchanges, equity and credit markets, governments and currencies denies its benefits to 99% of the world and dooms it to 1% of its potential. Strategy holds 843,775 BTC bought for a total of $63.69 billion, an average cost of $75,482 per coin, currently worth approximately $55 billion. Saylor's argument aligns with developments among major US banks, as Citigroup announced in February plans to launch an institutional-grade bitcoin custody service in 2026, while Citi and Morgan Stanley have both moved to expand custody, trading and tokenization efforts for digital assets this year.
Saylor Argues Bitcoin Integration Scales Usefulness
Saylor used his X account to post: "To reject Bitcoin's integration with banks and corporations, custodians and exchanges, equity and credit markets, governments and currencies is to deny its benefits to 99% of the world and doom it to 1% of its potential." The comment did not name a specific event or policy. Saylor has repeated this argument in various forms since Strategy began accumulating bitcoin in 2020, positioning bitcoin's long-term value as dependent on plugging into the existing financial system rather than standing outside it.
Citi and Morgan Stanley Build Bitcoin Custody Infrastructure
Citigroup announced in February that it plans to launch an institutional-grade bitcoin custody service in 2026. Citi and Morgan Stanley have both moved to expand custody, trading and tokenization efforts for digital assets this year. Citi's plan would let institutional clients manage bitcoin holdings inside the same safekeeping account used for stocks and bonds, with unified reporting and cross-margining between digital and traditional assets.
Strategy Holds 843,775 BTC Below Average Cost
Strategy holds 843,775 BTC bought for a total of $63.69 billion, an average cost of $75,482 per coin. At current prices, that stack is worth roughly $55 billion, meaning Strategy is sitting on a paper loss relative to its own buy-in. On July 26, Saylor posted Strategy's bitcoin acquisition chart with the message "we're gonna need another color," a hint the company may need to add a new shade to its chart legend after another large buy. Strategy has continued this pattern through past drawdowns rather than trimming its position.
Strategy has positioned its holdings as collateral behind financial products like its STRC preferred stock, which Saylor has said is targeting a private credit market worth more than $3.5 trillion.
FAQ
Why does Saylor argue bitcoin needs bank integration?
Saylor stated that rejecting bitcoin's integration with banks, corporations, custodians, exchanges, equity and credit markets, governments and currencies denies its benefits to 99% of the world and dooms it to 1% of its potential. He has argued since 2020 that bitcoin's usefulness scales with how deeply it is woven into banking, credit and government systems.
What is Strategy's current bitcoin position?
Strategy holds 843,775 BTC bought for a total of $63.69 billion, an average cost of $75,482 per coin, currently worth approximately $55 billion. The company is the largest corporate bitcoin holder by a wide margin.
When will Citi launch bitcoin custody services?
Citigroup announced in February that it plans to launch an institutional-grade bitcoin custody service in 2026. The service would let institutional clients manage bitcoin holdings inside the same safekeeping account used for stocks and bonds.
