MARA Holdings, recognized as the largest Bitcoin miner by market cap, announced it is lending 7,377 BTC to various third parties aimed at generating returns and covering operational costs.

In a recent production update, the specifics about the borrowers weren't clarified, and further program details remain undisclosed. This move implies that approximately 16% of MARA's Bitcoin is being put to work. According to Robert Samuels, the company's Vice President of Investor Relations, the yield is reported to be less than 10%.

"There has been significant interest in MARA's bitcoin lending program," Samuels shared on X. "It focuses on short-term arrangements with well-established third parties. It generates a modest single-digit yield. It has been active throughout 2024 with a vision to offset operational expenses."

In December, MARA generated 890 bitcoins, which reflects a slight decline of 2% from November’s figures but remains the second-highest monthly output since April.

“We mined 249 blocks, marking the second most blocks recorded in a month,” commented CEO Fred Thiel. "MARAPool has shown a remarkable annual hash rate increase of 168% in 2024, surpassing Bitcoin’s network growth rate of 49%."

For the full year of 2024, MARA accumulated 22,065 BTC at an average cost of $87,205 each and mined an extra 9,457 BTC, summing up to 44,893 BTC, currently valued near $4.2 billion. Bitcoin's trading price stands just below $100,000. Notably, MARA is now the second-largest publicly traded Bitcoin holder, following MicroStrategy (MSTR).

Currently, BAT shares have increased by 2.60% in pre-market transactions and have gained 14% since the year commenced.