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Ripple CEO Challenges Saylor as Strategy Authorizes Bitcoin Monetization

Garlinghouse’s public critique highlights concerns that Strategy’s shift toward selling Bitcoin to shore up preferred obligations could raise market volatility and test the durability of balance-sheet driven demand.

Overview

  • Strategy moved in late June to a new Digital Credit Capital Framework that allows up to $1.25 billion of Bitcoin monetization and raised its STRC preferred dividend and protected cash reserve to cover payouts.
  • STRC preferred shares have fallen about 25% below their $100 reference, trading near the mid-$70s, and the company’s mNAV briefly dipped below 1, signaling strain in its capital structure.
  • Brad Garlinghouse publicly criticized Michael Saylor’s financing model in a CNBC interview and on X, saying financial engineering can become ‘‘negatively reinforcing’’ and arguing long-term value comes from utility rather than complex capital tactics.
  • Market analysts and reporters warned that corporate leverage and authorized Bitcoin sales can amplify downside pressure during price weaknes, making Strategy’s moves a potential transmission point for broader crypto volatility.
  • The exchange revives a wider industry debate over whether lasting crypto value will come from real-world payments and utility or from balance-sheet driven demand, a split that shapes investor risk and corporate strategy going forward.