Bitcoin price remained steady around $114,000 on Wednesday as Smarter Web Company, a UK-based technology firm, announced the launch of a groundbreaking $21 million Bitcoin-denominated convertible bond, marking another milestone in the growing institutional adoption of Bitcoin-based financial instruments.

The three-year convertible bond, denominated in Bitcoin, represents one of the first such offerings by a publicly traded company in the United Kingdom. The innovative financial instrument allows investors to participate in both Bitcoin’s potential price appreciation and the company’s equity growth.

“We have been building our Bitcoin-backed balance sheet with laser focus,…

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Satsuma Technology, formerly known as TAO Alpha PLC, has boosted its Bitcoin reserves to 1,126 BTC—valued at approximately $128 million—after closing a major funding round. The UK-based blockchain and AI infrastructure firm raised $218 million in a round led by ParaFi Capital, with participation from Pantera Capital, Digital Currency Group (DCG), Kraken.com, and several major institutional investors managing over £300 billion in assets.

A groundbreaking portion of the funding—1,097 BTC worth around £96.9 million—was settled directly in Bitcoin, marking London’s first-ever BTC-based subscription for such a round. The Bitcoin is being held by Satsuma’s Singapore-registered subsidiary, signaling a strong belief in crypto as a core financial asset. CEO Henry Elder called the oversubscribed round a “validation” of their vision to integrate a Bitcoin-native treasury with decentralized AI.

Proceeds from the raise will fuel team expansion and product development, while reinforcing Satsuma’s position as a crypto-forward leader in the UK tech sector. Elder emphasized that London is poised to become a global hub for innovation in decentralized AI and blockchain finance.

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In Bitcoin’s humble beginnings, it wasn’t possible to buy bitcoin, as there were no exchanges. There were no hardware wallets to store it and no influencers or the BlackRock marketing team even promoting it.

Just Satoshi, some cypherpunks, libertarians, geeks — and a protocol that most dismissed as a nerd experiment.

The tech was in its infancy. The code had numerous issues and the future was just a cypherpunk dream. The idea was absurd to most — and frankly, it still is… to most.

You see, bitcoin didn’t even have a price for its first year. It was mined, shared and bartered. The code was open, the incentive was to experiment, and try this thing out. 

That all…

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SBI Holdings, a leading financial group and Ripple’s key partner, has announced plans to launch two crypto-focused ETFs in Japan. One of the funds, the Crypto-Assets ETF, will feature direct exposure to XRP and Bitcoin, potentially marking a breakthrough for institutional acceptance of digital assets. If approved by Japan’s Financial Services Agency, this would be the first XRP-related ETF in the country—a move hailed by crypto enthusiasts as a game-changer.

The second fund, Digital Gold Crypto ETF, blends gold-backed securities with crypto exposure, allocating over 50% to gold ETFs. This hybrid strategy offers a unique mix of stability and growth, aiming to attract both cautious investors and crypto-forward participants. SBI’s move demonstrates its commitment to innovation by bridging traditional finance with blockchain-based assets.

XRP advocates see this as a crucial step toward broader legitimacy and market recognition. With Japan slowly shifting its regulatory stance on digital assets, approval of these ETFs could open doors for more financial institutions to follow suit—positioning XRP as a regulated investment product and deepening its role in cross-border finance.

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For a while, I was skeptical of bitcoin treasuries. All these bitcoin companies felt like another fiat-financial stunt, another way to play games with debt and derivatives while co-opting Bitcoin’s name. I didn’t want bitcoin financialized. I wanted it to flourish — cleanly, directly and outside the grasp of Wall Street.

But then I sat down for a conversation with Preston Pysh on my podcast “You’re the Voice.” That conversation changed everything for me.

Preston’s background is as unorthodox as his insight: an Apache helicopter pilot turned engineer and venture investor. And when he explained how bitcoin treasury companies function — not just structurally, but…

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MEI Pharma (NASDAQ: MEIP) has made history by acquiring 929,548 Litecoin (LTC) tokens at an average price of $107.58, launching a bold institutional treasury strategy now valued at approximately $110.4 million as of August 4, 2025. This move establishes MEI as the first publicly listed U.S. company to designate Litecoin as a primary reserve asset, signaling a new era of digital finance integration within corporate America.

Working closely with GSR and Litecoin creator Charlie Lee, who also serves on MEI’s Board, the company aims to leverage Litecoin’s strong track record, low transaction costs, and global adoption. Lee praised the move, calling it “a clear, institutional step” that acknowledges Litecoin’s role as both a sound store of value and an operational asset. Litecoin’s 13 years of uninterrupted uptime and integration into platforms like PayPal, Venmo, and Robinhood underscore its strength as a decentralized currency.

Looking ahead, MEI plans to expand this strategy with potential Litecoin mining operations and a refreshed corporate identity. The company also remains committed to advancing its pre-clinical pipeline, including research on its oral CDK9 inhibitor, voruciclib.

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