MSTR holders just funded a $1.59 billion cash pile that may never become Bitcoin

Strategy, the Bitcoin treasury company formerly known as MicroStrategy, raised $2.0065 billion by selling common shares from Aug. 17 through Aug. 23 and bought no Bitcoin. The transaction left its $1.59 billion USD Cash balance at the center of a wider capital-allocation contest.

The company sold 18,261,118 shares of MSTR, its common stock, then used $136.4 million to repurchase 1,431,212 shares of STRC, a variable-rate preferred stock. It transferred another $300 million to its separately designated USD Reserve. The remainder, $1.5701 billion, went into USD Cash, according to Strategy's Aug. 24 filing.

Strategy reported ending balances of $5.10 billion in the reserve and $1.59 billion in USD Cash. Those balances included expected proceeds from ATM shares that had not yet settled. The company held 840,447 BTC after making no Bitcoin purchase or sale during the week, with an aggregate cost of $63.36 billion and an average cost of $75,385 per coin.

The two dollar accounts serve different purposes. The USD Reserve remains designated for preferred dividends and interest on outstanding debt. USD Cash is flexible: Strategy may use it to acquire Bitcoin, cover those obligations, repurchase MSTR or preferred stock, repay, repurchase or redeem convertible notes, increase the reserve, or pursue similar Bitcoin Treasury Company purposes.