Corporate BTC uptick reshapes crypto trading activity: Companies worldwide — many unrelated to crypto — are upping their BTC trading volumes, mirroring a strategy that ignited explosive stock rallies for early adopters. The uptick of holdings by institutions is evidenced through the decline in BTC trading transactions despite a sustained rise in settlement values, Bloomberg reports.

By the numbers: Network transactions this year are down from as much as 700k per day in 2024 to 500k per day, the business news information service said, citing data from Glassnode analysts. However, the value traded is roughly the same, with 2025 seeing about USD 7 bn traded everyday. This points to less people trading more, and signals institutional dominance.

“[A] lot of appetite from all types of institutions from family offices to asset managers to pension funds to sovereign wealth fund[s],” are behind the uptick, XBTO Trading LLC trader George Mandres said. Opting into an ETF is more likely when it comes to individual investors, he added.

The cryptocurrency has clawed back post-tariff losses from the spring and has climbed over 50% since US President Donald Trump’s inauguration, the Financial Times reports. The salmon-colored paper also noted its rising popularity and acceptance amongst investors and regulators, making the case for it being classified as a “mainstream asset.”

Elsewhere, the FT reported a 170% uptick over the past year in the number of BTC tokens held by firms, according to data from BitcoinTreasuries.net. A handful of companies, like software firm MicroStrategy, account for the majority of this, though it’s yet to be seen whether the holdings would weather a sustained price downturn. Companies using debt to buy BTC could be especially susceptible to potential price pressures.

The big names: Today, over 130 public companies hold USD 87 bn worth of the token, or about 3.2% of BTC’s eventual total supply. Tesla, Twenty One Capital, Metaplanet, and — predictably — Trump Media & Technology Group, which is planning a USD 2.5 bn BTC treasury, are also among the global firms with the largest numbers of BTC holdings.

MARKETS THIS MORNING-

Asian markets are firmly in the red amid fears of a wider conflict following the US’ attacks on Iranian nuclear sites. South Korea’s Kospi leads losses with a 1.05% decline, while Japan’s Nikkei lost 0.6% and China’s CSI 300 sank 0.4%. Over on Wall Street, futures are also declining following the weekend’s events.

EGX30

31,056

+2.7% (YTD: +4.4%)

USD (CBE)

Buy 50.73

Sell 50.87

USD (CIB)

Buy 50.75

Sell 50.85

Interest rates (CBE)

24.00% deposit

25.00% lending

Tadawul

10,574

-0.3% (YTD: -12.2%)

ADX

9513

+1.0% (YTD: +1.0%)

DFM

5352

+1.6% (YTD: +3.7%)

S&P 500

5968

-0.2% (YTD: +1.5%)

FTSE 100

8775

-0.2% (YTD: +7.4%)

Euro Stoxx 50

5234

+0.7% (YTD: +6.9%)

Brent crude

USD 78.29

+1.7%

Natural gas (Nymex)

USD 3.90

+1.4%

Gold

USD 3,397.20

+0.3%

BTC

USD 99,454.50

-2.0% (YTD: +6.3%)

S&P Egypt Sovereign Bond Index

878.77

+0.1% (YTD: +13.0%)

S&P MENA Bond & Sukuk

144.12

-0.1% (YTD: +3.0%)

VIX (Volatility Index)

20.62

-7.0% (YTD: +18.9%)

THE CLOSING BELL-

The EGX30 rose 2.7% at yesterday’s close on turnover of EGP 3.1 bn (33.9 % below the 90-day average). Local investors were the sole net buyers. The index is up 4.4% YTD.

In the green: EFG Holding (+6.6%), Beltone Holding (+6.3%), and Fawry (+5.9%).

In the red: Edita (-0.6%) and Emaar Misr (-0.3%).

CORPORATE ACTIONS-

MM Group for Industry and International Trade (MTI) will distribute bonus shares at a rate of 0.25 per share on its 2024 earnings, after its general assembly approved the move, according to a disclosure (pdf) to the EGX.

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