SEC greenlights Trump Media’s $2.3B Bitcoin Treasury deal
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) greenlighted the registration statement filed by Trump Media and Technology Group for its $2.3 billion Bitcoin (BTC) Treasury deal on June 13, an SEC filing shows. Trump Media, the company behind Truth Social, is a public company that U.S. President Donald Trump’s family significantly controls.
The SEC “declared effective” Trump Media’s S-3 registration statement, which was filed on June 6. Companies file Form S-3 to register the sale of securities with the SEC. Following the SEC’s approval, Trump Media filed a corresponding final prospectus with the agency on Friday.
According to the filing, Trump Media raised $2.3 billion from approximately 50 investors through the resale of around 56 million shares of equity and 29 million shares underlying convertible notes. Trump Media touted the deal, which was closed on May 30, as “one of the largest Bitcoin treasury deals for a public company.”
A Bitcoin Treasury is part of Trump Media’s aggressive expansion strategy
In a press release, Trump Media CEO and President Devin Nunes stated that the company is “aggressively” expanding with the aim of “transforming Trump Media into an indispensable company for the expanding customer base of the Patriot Economy.”
The establishment of a Bitcoin Treasury will place BTC in Trump Media’s balance sheet, alongside cash and cash equivalents, giving it shareholders exposure to BTC. Crypto.com and Anchorage Digital will handle custody of Trump Media’s Bitcoin Treasury holdings.
Announcing the deal on May 27, Nunes noted that a Bitcoin Treasury will allow the company to defend itself “against harassment and discrimination by financial institutions.” He added that it will also “create synergies for subscription payments, a utility token, and other planned transactions across Truth Social and Truth+,” a streaming platform.
The Bitcoin Treasury is just one of the avenues Trump Media is using to cement its place in the Bitcoin market. On June 5, the company filed with the SEC to launch a Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF): Truth Social Bitcoin ETF. Crypto.com will be the exclusive custodian for all BTC held by the ETF, which will reflect BTC’s price performance.
Don Wilson invested $100 million in Trump Media’s Bitcoin Treasury deal
According to a report by the Financial Times (FT), Don Wilson, founder and CEO of DRW Investments, one of the world’s largest trading firms, poured $100 million in Trump Media’s Bitcoin Treasury fundraising round.
According to the report, DRW Investments bought over 3.8 million shares in Trump Media, according to an SEC filing. This makes DRW among the biggest investors in Trump Media’s bet on a Bitcoin Treasury.
The investment raises concerns of conflict of interest with the current U.S. administration since Cumberland, a crypto liquidity provider controlled by Wilson, has clearly benefited under the second Trump administration. In March, the SEC dropped a lawsuit initiated under the leadership of former SEC Chair Gary Gensler against Cumberland, which had alleged that it was operating as an unregistered securities dealer by selling crypto assets.
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