MSCI | Crypto

MSCI’s rule change on newly issued shares reshapes passive demand, raising questions over how Bitcoin-linked treasury companies fund future BTC purchases. Bitcoin (BTC) fell 2.30% on Wednesday, hitting an intraday low near $91,550. The decline came despite bullish signals, including a whale-linked $280 million BTC accumulation move and MSCI’s decision to keep crypto treasury companies in its benchmark indexes. In the Tuesday announcement, MSCI said it will no longer adjust index weightings to reflect newly issued shares. Read more

MSCI won’t drop firms like Strategy from indexes yet, but a broader rule change may still be on the table

MSCI announced it will keep digital asset treasury companies in its global indexes, citing investor feedback and the need for further study on non-operating firms. Shares in Michael Saylor’s Strategy rose 5% after Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) decided not to exclude digital asset treasury companies from its market index, for now. In a note published Tuesday, MSCI said digital asset treasury companies (DATCOs) would, however, be subject to broader consultations to distinguish between investment companies and other companies that hold digital assets as part of their core operations. The MSCI identifies DATCOs as companies in which digital assets make up 50% or more of their total assets. The continued inclusion ensures that DATs are still eligible for passive index funds, sustaining demand and liquidity while broadening institutional ownership of digital assets. Exclusion could have seen Strategy and other DATs lose billions of dollars in passive capital inflow. Related: Bitcoin advocate Machado i...

As leading index provider MSCI considers excluding digital asset treasuries (DATs) from its suite of indexes, it’s worth considering the risk profile of these investment vehicles to determine if they truly meet these benchmarks, says Nic Puckrin, co-founder of Coin Bureau.

The company argued that digital asset treasuries are operating companies and that MSCI indexes include businesses with a single-asset focus. Strategy, the largest Bitcoin treasury company, submitted feedback to index company MSCI on Wednesday about the proposed policy change that would exclude digital asset treasury companies holding 50% or more in crypto on their balance sheets from stock market index inclusion. Digital asset treasury companies are operating companies that can actively adjust their businesses, according to the letter, which cited Strategy’s Bitcoin-backed credit instruments as an example. The proposed policy change would bias the MSCI against crypto as an asset class, instead of the index company acting as a neutral arbiter, the letter said. Read more

Michael Saylor and team urged MSCI to maintain neutral index standards after a plan to exclude firms with significant digital asset holdings.

Strive CEO Matt Cole has urged the MSCI to “let the market decide” whether they want to include Bitcoin-holding companies in their passive investments. Nasdaq-listed Strive, the 14th-largest publicly-listed Bitcoin treasury firm, has urged MSCI to reconsider its proposed exclusion of major Bitcoin holding companies from its indexes.  In a letter to MSCI’s chairman and CEO, Henry Fernandez, Strive argued that excluding companies whose digital asset holdings comprise more than 50% of total assets would reduce passive investors’ exposure to growth sectors and would fail to capture companies it intends to. Losing a spot in MSCI indexes could be a significant blow to digital asset treasury firms. JPMorgan analysts had earlier warned that Strategy, a Bitcoin treasury firm listed in the MSCI World Index, could lose $2.8 billion if MSCI moves ahead with the proposal.  Read more

Strategy is urging MSCI to retain MSTR in its indexes, despite raising its Bitcoin holdings to 650,000 BTC as it has lowered its 2025 targets. Michael Saylor’s Strategy is not giving up on efforts to keep its common A stock (MSTR) part of the MSCI indexes after the stock entered the MSCI World Index during the Bitcoin rally in 2024. Amid MSCI Global Standard Indexes holding consultations on whether to delete MSTR and other digital asset treasuries (DATs) from its indexes, Strategy’s Saylor said the company is communicating with the index provider about the issue, Reuters reported on Wednesday. “We’re engaging in that process,” the Strategy founder said, adding that he “was not sure” about the accuracy of JPMorgan’s reported estimations that a potential exclusion from the MSCI could trigger $2.8 billion of outflows. Read more

If the MSCI decides to exclude digital asset treasuries, index-tracking funds would need to sell, and that alone “creates meaningful pressure on the affected names.” Digital asset treasury companies could face “meaningful pressure” if the stock market index MSCI decides to exclude them in January, according to an analyst, who told Cointelegraph that this is likely. The MSCI Index announced in October that it was consulting with the investment community about whether to exclude Bitcoin (BTC) and other digital asset treasury companies (DATs) that have a balance sheet with more than 50% crypto assets.  Some of the feedback has been that DATs can “exhibit characteristics similar to investment funds, which are currently not eligible for index inclusion,” according to the MSCI.  Read more