Publicly traded companies increased their Bitcoin holdings by 16.1% in the first quarter of 2025, signaling continued institutional interest in the leading cryptocurrency despite market volatility.

According to crypto asset manager Bitwise, total corporate Bitcoin holdings climbed to approximately 688,000 BTC by the end of Q1, with companies adding 95,431 BTC over the three-month period.

Bitwise reported the combined value of these holdings reached $56.7 billion, based on a Q1 closing price of $82,445 per Bitcoin—representing a 2.2% increase in value.

Public Companies Holding Bitcoin Rises to 79, with 12 New Entrants in Q1

The number of public companies with Bitcoin on their balance sheets also rose, from 67 to 79, with 12 firms making their first Bitcoin purchases during the quarter.

Among the new entrants was Hong Kong-based construction group Ming Shing, whose subsidiary Lead Benefit acquired a total of 833 BTC in two transactions.

Another notable buyer was video platform Rumble, which purchased 188 BTC in March.

Interestingly, Hong Kong investment firm HK Asia Holdings Limited bought just a single Bitcoin in February, yet saw its share price nearly double following the announcement.

Meanwhile, Japanese firm Metaplanet added 319 BTC at an average price of 11.8 million yen ($82,770) per coin, bringing its total holdings to 4,525 BTC—valued at approximately $383.2 million.

The company has spent nearly $406 million in total on its Bitcoin purchases to date.

Following the announcement, Metaplanet’s stock rose 3.71% on April 14, before edging slightly lower the next trading day.

With its recent acquisition, Metaplanet now ranks as the tenth-largest public holder of Bitcoin, just behind Block, Inc.—Jack Dorsey’s fintech company—which holds 8,485 BTC, according to Coinkite data.

Bitcoin’s price has remained relatively stable in April, trading around $84,440 as of April 15, according to CoinGecko.

The cryptocurrency has rebounded by about 2.3% since the end of March, following a temporary dip below $75,000 on April 7, which was triggered by renewed global tariff tensions.

The steady accumulation of Bitcoin by public companies suggests growing confidence in the asset’s long-term value, even amid ongoing regulatory and macroeconomic uncertainty.

47 Bitcoin Reserve Bills Emerge Across 26 States

The adoption of Bitcoin has also found momentum statewide in the U.S.

According to data from Bitcoin Law, 47 Bitcoin reserve bills have been introduced across 26 states, with 41 currently active.

Just recently, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear officially signed House Bill 701, known as the “Bitcoin Rights” bill, into law—making the state one of the latest to enact legislation protecting digital asset users and operations.

Other states are making similar moves. Oklahoma’s Strategic Bitcoin Reserve Act (HB 1203), introduced by Representative Cody Maynard, recently passed the House with a 77-15 vote and is awaiting a Senate decision.

According to Bitcoin Laws, Oklahoma now ranks alongside Texas in second place in the race to establish state-level Bitcoin reserves.

Missouri is also in the mix, with its Special Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs reviewing its own Bitcoin reserve proposal.

Likewise, two key Bitcoin bills in Arizona cleared the House Rules Committee on March 24.

The post Public Companies Boost Bitcoin Holdings by 16% in Q1 2025: Bitwise appeared first on Cryptonews.

Former president Barack Obama publicly supported Harvard University on Monday after the school refused to follow a long list of new federal demands sent by Donald Trump’s administration.

Obama posted on X, saying Harvard was doing what other schools should do when federal power overreaches. He said the university’s refusal to accept Trump’s terms set a standard for other institutions.

“Harvard has set an example for other higher-ed institutions—rejecting an unlawful and ham-handed attempt to stifle academic freedom, while taking concrete steps to make sure all students at Harvard can benefit from an environment of intellectual inquiry, rigorous debate and mutual respect. Let’s hope other institutions follow suit,” Obama said.

Obama made the comment in response to a statement from the Ivy League university that directly accused the government of trying to control the school’s values, its research, and the speech of students and faculty. 

Trump’s administration warned Harvard late Friday that it had to accept a federal agreement or risk losing its long-standing financial relationship with the government.

The warning came after weeks of political pressure over how universities have responded to antisemitism. Harvard confirmed in its letter that it had been threatened along with other campuses. But instead of working with them, Trump’s team delivered a new set of demands that the school said crossed a legal line.

Harvard said the demands were not just about addressing antisemitism. Most of them were about forcing the university to hand over control of its internal speech and hiring decisions.

Harvard says federal pressure breaks constitutional limits

The statement was signed by Alan Garber, who is serving as interim president. He said the demands violate the First Amendment, break federal law, and threaten academic independence.

“No government—regardless of which party is in power—should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue,” Garber wrote.

The university warned that caving to these demands would put millions of lives at risk. It said that for over 75 years, Harvard and other universities have received government grants and contracts to support research.

Those partnerships have produced medical treatments and scientific advancements that protect public health and national security. The school listed research on Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, diabetes, artificial intelligence, and quantum engineering as key areas that would be affected if the federal government ended cooperation.

Garber said the administration’s approach was not about constructive solutions. He said the demands amounted to an attempt to set the “intellectual conditions” under which students and professors could think and speak. The government, he added, was trying to control the Harvard community by force, not by law.

The letter said these new terms go beyond the government’s legal authority under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which bars discrimination based on race, color, or national origin.

Garber said the school is already following that law. He referenced the Students For Fair Admissions v. Harvard decision, which banned the use of race in college admissions. The school said it is complying fully with that ruling.

Garber also said Harvard has not ignored antisemitism. He said the university had already taken multiple steps in the past 15 months to respond to it and had plans to do more.

But he rejected the idea that the government could now dictate how the school functions, who it hires, or how it disciplines people. Garber said the administration was using a real problem as a tool to force a political agenda.

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