- Strategy, formerly MicroStrategy, renamed itself without altering its plan to accumulate more Bitcoin.
- In Q4 2024, the company posted lower revenue, incurred massive impairment losses on digital assets, and reported a net loss of US$670.8 million.
- New crypto accounting rules could boost reported income but trigger tax complications if Strategy never sells its BTC.
- To sidestep a heavy corporate alternative minimum tax, Strategy and Coinbase have asked the US Internal Revenue Service for relief.
Michael Saylor’s MicroStrategy just gave itself a new name and it’s not a far stretch from the current one: Strategy. Yes, it seems a bit unimaginative at first, just removing the word “micro” from the brand name, but Saylor is convinced the move “represents a simplification of our company name to its most important, strategic core”.
A press release stated that the re-brand is a “natural evolution of the company, reflecting its focus and broad appeal”. Saylor himself also pointed toward the strength of the word “Strategy” and how it aligns with their long-term goals.
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Strategy is one of the most powerful and positive words in the human language. […] After 35 years, our new brand perfectly represents our pursuit of perfection.
Apart from the name, nothing much in the…strategy of Strategy seems to change though, as the company plans to accumulate more Bitcoin.
At present, Saylor’s Tysons Corner, Virginia-based company HODLs around US$45 billion (AU$71.6 billion) worth of BTC and plans to raise many more billions to buy more.
Strategy Takes Further Losses
Strategy also announced its earnings for Q4 2024, with total revenues decreasing by 3.0% year-over-year to US$120.7 million (AU$192.1 million).
Gross profit also decreased to US$86.5 million (AU$137.6 million) with a gross margin of 71.7%, down from 77.3% in Q4 2023.
The company’s financial challenges were highlighted by a massive rise in operating expenses, which soared to US$1.103 billion (AU$1.75 billion), largely due to a US$1.006 billion (AU$1.6 billion) impairment loss on digital assets.
This led to a loss from operations of US$1.016 billion (AU$1.62 billion) and a net loss of US$670.8 million (AU$1.067 billion), a drastic fall from a net income of US$89.1 million (AU$141.7 million), in the same period last year.
Cash and cash equivalents also decreased to US$38.1 million (AU$60.6 million), down by US$8.7 million (AU$13.8 million) year-over-year.
New Accounting Rules Call for New Tax Strategy
Andrew Kang, Chief Financial Officer for Strategy, said they will adopt new accounting rules for crypto assets, which will transform the company’s “financial results and bring more transparency to the value generation and profitability of our treasury operations”.
Under the new rules, changes to the fair value of BTC will be recorded on the company’s income statement.
This increase could boost Strategy’s net income, likely triggering a taxable event. This complicates matters, as Saylor has no intention to sell the Bitcoin, which would help cover any resultant tax liabilities.
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Dave Zion, founder of Zion Research Group, told Bloomberg that Saylor and Co will have to find alternative means to cover the cost.
Unless they get some relief from the US Treasury, they could be looking at a pretty nasty tax bill.
According to Bloomberg, Strategy and exchange Coinbase requested the US Internal Revenue Service to grant them relief from the corporate alternative minimum tax.
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