Strategy Sells $216M Bitcoin; Trump Signals Support

Strategy Inc. ($MSTR) revealed it sold $216 million worth of Bitcoin to fund preferred stock dividends, marking a significant shift from its multi-year accumulation strategy. The sale represents approximately 17% of the company's Bitcoin sale capacity and follows a 22.4% rally in MSTR shares last week as the company slowed new stock issuance to raise cash. Grayscale stated that the Bitcoin sale could reduce financing risk and support BTC price stability across markets, though cryptocurrency analyst Ali Martinez drew parallels between Strategy's current situation and the 2022 FTX collapse, noting how rumors create doubt and selling pressure. Trump made supportive comments about Bitcoin, calling himself a "big crypto guy" and indicating Bitcoin could join Trump Accounts, which sent the cryptocurrency sharply higher.

Coinbase Global ($COIN) closed at $168.87, up 2.05% from its prior session, outperforming the broader market upswing. The exchange faced a separate incident when its AI system incorrectly reported the outcome of a Norway-Brazil World Cup match before kickoff, prompting the company to update its systems. Circle Internet Group faces a new stablecoin rival with OpenUSD, which could represent an existential threat to USDC, according to market analysis. Meanwhile, HIVE Digital upsized its private offering of exchangeable senior notes from $75 million to $100 million due in 2031.

Robinhood ($HOOD) shares jumped 4.6% in the afternoon session after consumer confidence data showed an uptick. The company tapped 1inch and other protocols to power stock token trading on its public mainnet, a move that 1inch CFO described as proof that crypto is booming. Robinhood CEO predicted that AI agents will catch up to human traders "soon," noting the company has already launched agentic trading and credit card accounts that allow AI agents to trade stocks and make purchases on users' behalf. The company's business momentum is strengthening despite lower 2026 earnings estimates, with results scheduled for July 29 poised to test whether growth can shift sentiment.

Securitize completed its NYSE debut under the ticker SECZ via a SPAC deal, raising more than $400 million. The company moved to tokenize its own common stock on the Solana and Avalanche blockchains, marking a significant step in institutional adoption of blockchain infrastructure. The development comes as traditional financial institutions continue exploring tokenization and digital asset custody solutions.