Brazilian fintech firm Méliuz introduced Thursday it had allotted 10% of its money reserves into bitcoin, changing into the primary publicly traded agency within the nation to undertake a bitcoin treasury technique.
Méliuz invested $4.1 million to amass 45.72 bitcoins at a mean worth of $90,926 per coin. The acquisition represents roughly 10% of the corporate’s complete money holdings primarily based on a brand new coverage accredited by its board of administrators.
In an announcement, Méliuz mentioned the bitcoin allocation seeks “long-term returns” on the funding as a part of its treasury administration. The corporate additionally created a Bitcoin Strategic Committee to review increasing its technique and making bitcoin a main treasury asset.
Méliuz Chairman Israel Salmen informed native media the transfer into bitcoin supplies an “clever different” to holding money reserves. “We see bitcoin as a long-term retailer of worth,” he remarked.
The $4.1 million bitcoin acquisition makes Méliuz the primary publicly listed Brazilian firm to carry bitcoin on its stability sheet. The technique mirrors these adopted by U.S. corporations like MicroStrategy, which holds over 500,000 bitcoins value over $46 billion.
Méliuz affords cashback and monetary companies to over 30 million customers in Brazil. However its inventory worth has plunged from highs close to $6 billion in 2021 down to simply $270 million presently.
Salmen mentioned the negligible buying and selling quantity makes Méliuz shares seem “irrelevant” in public markets. He hopes the pioneering bitcoin transfer renews investor curiosity.
Brazil’s bitcoin and crypto sector has expanded quickly with over $200 billion traded final yr. Méliuz is betting its bitcoin treasury allocation will ship larger long-term returns than Brazil’s benchmark rate of interest of 13.75%.