Institutional Bitcoin Adoption Advances as Charity Launches BTC Fund While Corporate Treasuries Slow Purchases

Humanitarian Organization Embraces Long-Term Bitcoin Strategy

Save the Children has launched what it describes as "the first Bitcoin fund of its kind" in partnership with crypto service provider Fortris, marking a significant expansion of institutional Bitcoin adoption into the humanitarian sector ^[1].

The fund aims to hold Bitcoin donations for up to four years to maximize their value, representing a departure from the typical practice among nonprofits of immediately converting cryptocurrency donations. According to Antonia Roupell, Head of Innovation and Partnerships at Save the Children US, "Many charitable organizations accept Bitcoin today, but only a few retain these donations or use the underlying peer-to-peer technology of the asset for their activities" ^[1].

"Our Bitcoin donors wanted the flexibility to decide for themselves when to convert their donations to maximize the impact of their generosity, and that's exactly what this fund offers," Roupell explained ^[1].

The initiative builds on Bitcoin's historical use as a donation tool. WikiLeaks began accepting Bitcoin in December 2010 after major payment platforms blocked donations, eventually receiving more than 4,000 BTC that generated returns exceeding 50,000% by 2017, according to founder Julian Assange ^[1].

Janti Soeripto, CEO of Save the Children US, said the innovation "combines the speed, cost efficiency and financial inclusion of blockchain-based tools to strengthen Save the Children's emergency measures and long-term development programs for children in the US and globally" ^[1].

Corporate Treasury Accumulation Shows Mixed Signals

While humanitarian adoption advances, corporate Bitcoin treasury activity has slowed in the fourth quarter, though the largest holders continue accumulating ^[2].

Strategy, the largest corporate Bitcoin holder, purchased $962 million worth of BTC on Monday in its biggest acquisition since July, bringing the company within $500 million of matching the $21.97 billion in Bitcoin it acquired throughout 2024, according to CryptoQuant data ^[2].

Public company treasuries now hold over 1 million Bitcoin worth $90.2 billion, representing 4.7% of the total supply, according to BitcoinTreasuries.NET ^[2]. An additional 1.49 million Bitcoin, or 7% of supply, is held by spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds ^[2].

Broader digital asset treasury acquisitions have decelerated significantly. Ripple-backed Evernorth Holdings has been inactive since late October when it acquired $950 million in XRP tokens ^[2]. BitMine Immersion Technologies, the largest corporate Ether holder, reduced its monthly acquisitions from a peak of $2.6 billion in July to just $296 million in December ^[2].

Cumulative investments from Ether treasury firms fell 81% over three months, from 1.97 million ETH acquired in August to 370,000 ETH in November ^[2].

Symbolic and Regulatory Developments

The New York Stock Exchange installed a statue of Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto, described by the exchange as representing "shared ground between emerging systems and established institutions" ^[3]. The installation, arranged by Bitcoin firm Twenty One Capital which began trading on the exchange this week, marks the sixth location for artist Valentina Picozzi's series ^[3].

According to data compiled by Bitbo, public companies, private firms, investment funds, and several governments collectively hold more than 3.7 million Bitcoin ^[3].

In the United Kingdom, Bitcoin firm B HODL announced its first ecosystem grant to Brink, a donation-funded organization focused on Bitcoin protocol development and developer education ^[4]. The company also joined CryptoUK's Advisory Board, which serves as secretariat for the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Crypto and Digital Assets ^[4].

"The security, stability and ongoing strength of the Bitcoin protocol is absolutely fundamental not just to our own business, but also to Bitcoin itself, and to the entire Bitcoin ecosystem," said Freddie New, CEO of B HODL ^[4].