Semler Scientific Plans to Hold 105,000 Bitcoin by 2027

Holding 105,000 BTC would mean that Semler will control about 0.5% of Bitcoin’s fixed supply. The healthcare tech firm plans to achieve this through equity offerings, debt financing, and cash flow, with the goal of holding 10,000 BTC by the end of 2025 and 42,000 by 2026. To lead the initiative, Semler appointed Bitcoin researcher Joe Burnett as director of Bitcoin strategy. While the move aligns with the broader corporate trend of accumulating Bitcoin as a treasury asset, analysts also raised concerns about potential risks if the firm’s stock declines further. Meanwhile, Kraken launched a Bitcoin staking product via Babylon Labs that will allow users to earn rewards without leaving the exchange. Additionally, XBTO and Arab Bank Switzerland introduced a Bitcoin yield product targeting institutional clients looking for non-speculative BTC income strategies. Semler Scientific Targets 105,000 Bitcoin Semler Scientific Inc., a healthcare technology firm, unveiled an ambitious plan to expand its Bitcoin holdings nearly 28-fold over the next two-and-a-half years. The company currently holds 3,808 BTC, and plans to reach 105,000 BTC by 2027. Semler plans to hold 10,000 BTC by the end of 2025, increase that to 42,000 BTC by the end of 2026, and ultimately achieve its target using a mix of equity offerings, debt financing, and operational cash flow. Announcement from Semler Scientific To spearhead this strategy, Semler appointed Bitcoin researcher Joe Burnett as its new director of Bitcoin strategy. Burnett brings experience from his previous roles at Unchained and Blockware Solutions, as well as a background at Big Four firm EY. He pointed out that the movement among public companies to adopt Bitcoin as a treasury asset is gaining more momentum. Semler’s commitment to Bitcoin began in 2024 and already earned it the 13th spot among public companies with the largest Bitcoin holdings, based on data from BitBo. The company’s plan mirrors the growing trend of businesses prioritizing Bitcoin accumulation, sometimes even ahead of their core operations. Japanese investment firm Metaplanet, for example, also announced its goal to acquire 210,000 BTC by the end of 2027. If Semler achieves its target, it will control 0.5% of Bitcoin’s fixed 21 million supply. However, this aggressive strategy isn’t without its critics. VanEck researcher Matthew Sigel recently warned that firms heavily dependent on Bitcoin purchases and at-the-market equity programs could face challenges if their stock prices fall too close to their net asset values. In such scenarios, issuing more shares could result in shareholder dilution rather than value creation. Sigel specifically pointed to Semler as it is nearing this critical point. This is because its stock declined almost 41% year-to-date and is approaching pre-Bitcoin purchase levels. Semler Scientific YTD share price (Source: Google Finance ) Despite this, Semler’s Bitcoin bet has so far been profitable. On June 3, the company reported an unrealized gain of $177 million on its Bitcoin holdings, which is a 287% yield. Among public firms holding Bitcoin, Semler boasts the fourth-highest Bitcoin-per-share ratio at 0.00034. Kraken Launches Bitcoin Staking with Babylon Buying is not the only way companies are taking advantage of Bitcoins current momentum. Kraken launched a new Bitcoin staking service through an integration with Babylon Labs, offering users a way to earn rewards on their Bitcoin without relying on bridging, wrapping, or lending mechanisms. The service was introduced on 19 June, and it allows Kraken users to stake their BTC directly from the exchange. Instead of moving their assets to external wallets, users can lock their Bitcoin in a secure vault on the Bitcoin blockchain, which is then delegated via the Babylon protocol to support proof-of-stake networks. In return, participants receive rewards in the form of Babylon’s native BABY token , which saw a nearly 5% price increase after the announcement was made. Kraken’s global head of consumer, Mark Greenberg, explained that a large portion of Bitcoin on the exchange sits idle, which is a missed opportunity both for clients and the broader ecosystem. He stated that the Babylon integration makes it possible for clients to put their Bitcoin to work while also supporting emerging PoS blockchains by contributing Bitcoin’s economic weight to their security and validation processes. This initiative is part of the trend known as BTCFi, or Bitcoin-based decentralized finance, which aims to bring more utility to Bitcoin beyond its traditional role as a store of value. While early BTCFi efforts include the now-legacy Omni Layer used to move Tether before Ethereum, newer projects like Babylon are allowing Bitcoin holders to participate in staking through native, time-locked mechanisms that don’t require intermediaries. The BABY token accrues from 8% annual inflation split equally between BTC and BABY stakers. It also enables participation in governance and pays for transaction fees. BTCFi TVL growth (Source: Binance ) Other BTCFi examples include Bitcoin sidechains like Rootstock, the Liquid Network, and Bitcoin’s Lightning Network combined with Taproot Assets for tokenization. Recent developments showed that there is growing traction for these protocols. In early May, Rootstock saw a major uptick in network security and mining activity, while Binance reported in April that the total value locked in Bitcoin-based DeFi had surged over 2,700% in the past year. XBTO and Arab Bank Launch Bitcoin Yield Product Crypto investment firm XBTO recently partnered with Arab Bank Switzerland to launch a Bitcoin yield product that is tailored for the bank’s wealth management clients. The offering is an answer to the growing institutional demand for structured yield strategies that allow Bitcoin holders to generate returns without liquidating their assets. XBTO will apply its proprietary “diamond-hands” strategy, which combines the sale of Bitcoin options to collect premiums with a long-term accumulation approach during market dips. This strategy, used in XBTO’s regulated Bitcoin yield fund in Bermuda, has produced annualized returns of approximately 5% with comparatively low volatility. Javier Rodriguez-Alarcon, XBTO’s chief investment officer, shared that institutional clients are no longer satisfied with just price exposure and are looking for more sophisticated digital asset solutions. Romain Braud, head of digital assets at Arab Bank Switzerland, pointed out that their clientele has increasingly shown interest in yield-generation strategies that are implemented in a controlled risk environment. Traditionally, Bitcoin was seen only as a buy-and-hold asset, with yield generation largely inaccessible outside of speculative trading or lending. However, the maturation of the crypto market and the evolution of financial tools like derivatives and staking models allowed holders to earn income from their BTC positions. Despite the appeal, Bitcoin yield products are not without risks. As pointed out by OneSafe , these products can be impacted by impermanent loss, uncertain regulatory frameworks, high volatility, and vulnerabilities in smart contracts. Nevertheless, a number of firms are entering the space with similar offerings, including Hilbert Capital’s Bitcoin Yield Solution, Purpose Investments’ Purpose Bitcoin Yield ETF, NEOS’ Bitcoin High Income ETF, and Coinbase’s recently launched Bitcoin Yield Fund.

Source: Coinpaper