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Invest Independently confirmed2 publishers 2 min read Published

Strive overtakes MARA by 18 bitcoin after $515 million of purchases

Strive bought 2,822 bitcoin at about $83,266 each, lifting its treasury to 35,595 BTC, 18 more than MARA's 35,577. At $82,000 that margin is worth about $1.5 million, and Strategy still holds roughly 24 times as much.

The Investor · Invest desk

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Illustration accompanying Strive overtakes MARA by 18 bitcoin after $515 million of purchases
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Strive edges past MARA but trails Metaplanet Bitcoin held by each company as reported; Metaplanet's count is from bitcointreasuries.net stats cited by Bitcoin.com.

Strive's bitcoin holdings rose to 35,595 BTC. MARA Holdings holds 35,577 BTC. Metaplanet holds 44,000 BTC.

Strive edges past MARA but trails Metaplanet
FigureValueNoteClaim
Strive's bitcoin holdings35,595 BTC2
MARA Holdings' bitcoin35,577 BTC3
Metaplanet's bitcoin44,000 BTCper bitcointreasuries.net8

What happened

  • The 2,822 coins followed a 3,311 BTC purchase made Oct. 5 to Oct. 9 at about $84,500 a coin and announced Oct. 13.
  • Warrant holders exercised 273.49 million warrants on Oct. 12 and 13 for expected gross proceeds of $369.2 million.
  • On Oct. 13 Strive also proposed 5 million SATS preferred shares, a $500 million offering with a 15% cumulative annual dividend.
  • ASST closed Tuesday at $27.59 and had shed 8% by 11 a.m. Wednesday, according to Bitcoin.com.

Why it matters

  • Who's exposed exposure Fourth place changes hands on any MARA purchase above 18 coins, so the ranking tells little until one of the two stops buying.
  • What it costs cost Warrants dilute shareholders once; the preferred adds a dividend that recurs every year and is owed in dollars, not coins.
  • What it limits constraint Cole's year-end goal of second place means passing Metaplanet's 44,000 BTC, 8,405 coins away, or about 1.4 times the latest two purchases combined.

Strive had help getting there. It held 29,462 BTC before the two purchases, so the 6,133 coins it added [5] are a 20.8% increase [13], but MARA's 35,577 BTC is a post-sale figure [3], and MARA's own selling is part of why the ranking moved.

Strategy holds about 848,250 BTC [8], and the 6,133 coins Strive bought in a little more than a week equal 0.72% of that [21]. On those numbers Strive is a small holder growing quickly, and Strategy's lead is intact.

Warrants cover only part of the funding. The $369.2 million they are expected to bring in [6] is 72% of the roughly $515 million Strive spent on the two tranches [17], and the 3,311 BTC were bought Oct. 5 to Oct. 9 [4], before the Oct. 12 and 13 exercise [6]. Neither report says how that first purchase was paid for. On the reported figures, holders paid about $27 a share, roughly 2% under Tuesday's $27.59 close [18]. At the roughly $82,000 bitcoin price Crypto Briefing cites [11], the 6,133 coins cost an average of about $84,000 each, 2.4% above it [15].

The next money is the preferred. If all 5 million SATS shares sell, the dividend is $75 million a year, about 915 BTC at $82,000 [19]. Bitcoin.com wrote that investors are weighing the larger holdings against potential dilution and mounting preferred-stock obligations [12].

The two reports also disagree on warrants. Bitcoin.com says none from the PIPE remained outstanding after Tuesday's close, with 94% of traditional warrants exercised overall [7]. Crypto Briefing says 13.7 million of 15.3 million remaining warrants were exercised [22], which would leave 1.6 million [23]. The two may be counting different pools.

We think the 18-coin lead is a snapshot, and that the next leg depends on whether the preferred sells, since 94% of the traditional warrants are already used [7]. We would be wrong if the offering prices and Strive closes the gap to Metaplanet within weeks. The case against us is the pace it just showed: 6,133 coins in a little more than a week [5]. MARA could also widen Strive's lead by selling again, with Strive buying nothing [3].

What to watch

  • Whether the SATS preferred prices, and at what size against the proposed $500 million, since it carries a 15% dividend.
  • MARA's next holdings update against Strive's 35,595 BTC, because any purchase above 18 coins reverses fourth place.
  • Strive's next purchase disclosure, and whether ASST holds near the roughly $27 a share implied by the warrant proceeds.

Information, not investment advice. This story is general information about companies and markets, drawn from cited reporting. It is not a recommendation to buy, sell or hold any security; check the cited sources before acting.

Clarity's read

What the record supports and how the coverage leans. The claims behind it follow.

Reality

Evidence66
Adoption
Not scored
Hype gap+22
Incentives58
Confidence68
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Claim ledger

Ranked by verification strength, evidence, and original report placement.

  1. [1]

    CEO Matt Cole announced on Wednesday, Oct. 14 that Strive acquired 2,822 BTC between Oct. 12 and Oct. 13 for $235 million, an average of approximately $83,266 per coin.

    Reported Supported Source: Bitcoin.com, citing Strive CEO Matt ColeView cited source
  2. [2]

    Strive's bitcoin holdings rose to 35,595 BTC.

    Reported Supported Source: Bitcoin.com and Crypto BriefingView cited source
  3. [3]

    MARA Holdings holds 35,577 BTC, a figure that fell after a recent sale.

    Reported Supported Source: Crypto BriefingView cited source
  4. [4]

    Strive announced on Oct. 13 that it bought 3,311 BTC at an average price of about $84,500 per coin from Oct. 5 through Oct. 9.

    Reported Supported Source: Crypto BriefingView cited source
  5. [5]

    The two transactions together added 6,133 bitcoin to Strive's treasury in little more than a week, about $515 million in acquisitions.

    Reported Supported Source: Bitcoin.comView cited source
  6. [6]

    Per an Oct. 14 Form 8-K, investors exercised 273.49 million traditional warrants covering about 13.67 million Class A shares between Oct. 12 and Oct. 13, for expected gross proceeds of $369.2 million.

    Reported Supported Source: Bitcoin.com, citing Strive's Form 8-KView cited source
  7. [7]

    By Tuesday's close no traditional warrants from Strive's PIPE transaction remained outstanding, and 94% of traditional warrants had been exercised overall, according to Cole.

    Reported Supported Source: Bitcoin.com, citing ColeView cited source
  8. [8]

    Strategy holds approximately 848,250 BTC; Metaplanet holds 44,000 BTC and Twenty One Capital roughly 43,500 BTC, per bitcointreasuries.net stats.

    Reported Supported Source: Bitcoin.com, citing bitcointreasuries.netView cited source
  9. [9]

    On Oct. 13 Strive announced plans to offer 5 million shares of its new SATS preferred stock with a 15% cumulative annual dividend and a $100 stated value, a proposed $500 million offering before expenses.

    Reported Supported Source: Bitcoin.comView cited source
  10. [10]

    ASST closed Tuesday at $27.59, down 0.43%, and had shed 8% by 11 a.m. on Wednesday.

    Reported Supported Source: Bitcoin.comView cited source
  11. [11]

    Bitcoin was hovering around $82,000 at press time, valuing Strive's holdings at about $2.9 billion.

    Reported Supported Source: Crypto BriefingView cited source
  12. [12]

    Bitcoin.com wrote that investors are weighing Strive's expanding bitcoin holdings against potential dilution and mounting preferred-stock obligations.

    Reported Supported Source: Bitcoin.comView cited source
  13. [13]

    Strive held 29,462 BTC before the two purchases, so the 6,133 coins are a 20.8% increase.

    Derived Supported
  14. [14]

    Strive's lead over MARA is 18 BTC, worth about $1.48 million at $82,000 a coin.

    Derived Supported
  15. [15]

    The 6,133 coins cost an average of about $83,971 each, 2.4% above the $82,000 price.

    Derived Supported
  16. [16]

    Strategy's holding is about 23.8 times Strive's.

    Derived Supported
  17. [17]

    The expected warrant proceeds cover about 72% of the roughly $515 million spent on the two tranches.

    Derived Supported
  18. [18]

    Implied warrant proceeds are about $27.01 per share, roughly 2.1% under Tuesday's $27.59 close.

    Derived Supported
  19. [19]

    If all 5 million SATS shares sell, the 15% dividend is $75 million a year, about 915 BTC at $82,000.

    Derived Supported
  20. [20]

    Strive is 8,405 BTC short of Metaplanet's 44,000, about 1.4 times the 6,133 coins it just bought.

    Derived Supported
  21. [21]

    The 6,133 coins Strive bought equal 0.72% of Strategy's holding.

    Derived Supported
  22. [22]

    Strive disclosed that 13.7 million of its 15.3 million remaining warrants had been exercised, bringing in $369 million in gross proceeds.

    Reported Contested Source: Crypto BriefingView cited source
  23. [23]

    If 13.7 million of 15.3 million remaining warrants were exercised, 1.6 million would be left.

    Derived Contested
  24. [24]

    Cole wants Strive to finish 2026 as the second-largest publicly traded corporate bitcoin holder.

    Reported Insufficient Source: Bitcoin.comView cited source

Sources

2 independent publishers whose own reporting we read for this story.

  1. cryptobriefing.com

    1 article · October 14, 2026

    Strive stacks 2,822 more Bitcoin, edging past MARA in treasury rankings
  2. news.bitcoin.com

    1 article · October 14, 2026

    Strive Buys $235M in Bitcoin, Knocks MARA Out of Fourth Place

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