Metaplanet and El Salvador Acquire Additional Bitcoin Following Market Speculation

The Japan-based investment firm Metaplanet and the government of El Salvador increased their Bitcoin holdings ahead of a significant market decline on February 25, when Bitcoin prices fell by nearly 5% within 10 hours.

Metaplanet announced that it had acquired 135 Bitcoin for approximately $13 million at an average price of $96,185.

Simultaneously, El Salvador purchased 7 Bitcoin, spending around $94,050 per coin, according to the country’s National Bitcoin Office.

Metaplanet and El Salvador Acquired Bitcoin Prior to Price Falling Below $91K

Both purchases took place just before Bitcoin’s price dropped below $91,000 in the early hours of February 25.

Despite the decline, Bitcoin has since seen a slight recovery, trading at $92,260. However, market sentiment has reached its lowest point in over five months.

Metaplanet’s recent acquisition raises its total Bitcoin holdings to 2,225 BTC, valued at more than $205 million.

With an average purchase price of $81,834 per Bitcoin, the firm, led by CEO Simon Gerovich, has realized a 12.7% gain on its investment since it began holding Bitcoin as a treasury asset in April.

The company also reported a 23.3% quarterly increase in its “BTC Yield,” moving closer to its 35% target for the first quarter of 2025.

Metaplanet has acquired 135 BTC for ~$13 million at ~$96,185 per bitcoin and has achieved BTC Yield of 23.2% YTD 2025. As of 2/25/2025, we hold 2235 $BTC acquired for ~$182.9 million at ~81,834 per bitcoin. pic.twitter.com/IxCCvR0zWC

— Simon Gerovich (@gerovich) February 25, 2025

According to data from BitcoinTreasuries.NET, Metaplanet ranks as the 14th largest corporate Bitcoin holder worldwide.

Despite the substantial acquisition, Metaplanet’s share price on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TYO: 3350) remained largely stable, declining 0.16% to 6,130 Japanese yen ($41.06) following the announcement.

Meanwhile, El Salvador’s purchase was significantly larger than its typical strategy of acquiring one Bitcoin daily.

This latest acquisition brings the nation’s total Bitcoin reserves to 6,088 BTC, valued at approximately $560.7 million at current prices.

The purchase occurred shortly before former U.S. President Donald Trump reiterated plans to impose a 25% tax on imports from Canada and Mexico, a move that coincided with the broader decline in the crypto market.

El Salvador’s ongoing investment in Bitcoin occurs amid discussions with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) regarding a $1.4 billion financial agreement.

As part of the deal, the government has agreed to relax several Bitcoin-related policies, including eliminating the requirement for merchants to accept Bitcoin as payment.

Bitcoin ETFs Experience $357.8M Outflows Amid Crypto Market Volatility

The wider crypto market also faced volatility, with eight spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) from seven issuers experiencing total outflows of $357.8 million on February 24.

The Fidelity Smart Origin Bitcoin Fund was the most affected, with $247 million in withdrawals, while the BlackRock iShares Bitcoin Trust saw $159 million in outflows, according to data from Farside Investors and HODL15Capital.

It is noteworthy that several U.S. states, including Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, and Texas, have also introduced bills that would allow them to hold Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies as reserve assets.

Recently, lawmakers in Ohio introduced House Bill 116, which aims to prevent the state from imposing additional taxes on digital assets when used for payments.

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