Institutional demand for BTC rises amid decline in retail investments

According to River's report, companies were the largest net buyers of bitcoin in 2025, adding 157,000 BTC to their total assets, the equivalent of $16 billion. Michael Saylor's company, MicroStrategy, accounted for 77% of this increase. The financial sector leads in terms of purchases, followed by IT and consulting firms.

Against the backdrop of increased interest from institutional players, retail investors, on the other hand, reduced their holdings by 247,000 bitcoins. This points to a structural shift in market dynamics. With only 450 BTC mined daily, River analysts warn of supply constraints and potential price increases.

Newcomers to the market include video platform Rumble and Hong Kong-based HK Asia Holdings and Ming Shing. According to Bitwise, more than 12 public companies added bitcoin to their reserves for the first time in the first quarter.

CryptoQuant estimates that the strategy of accelerated accumulation may already put deflationary pressure—about -2.3% per year. In such conditions, corporations are increasingly considering BTC as a hedging instrument and long-term preservation of capital value.