What You Need to Know:
- MARA Holdings is lending out 7,377 BTC, which constitutes about 16% of its total bitcoin reserves.
- The company's bitcoin production decreased by 2% in December, totaling 890 BTC, but remains the second highest output since April.
- MARA, distinguished as the largest bitcoin miner based on market capitalization, presently holds 44,893 BTC with a valuation of approximately $4.2 billion.
MARA Holdings is strategically lending 7,377 BTC to external parties to enhance their return on investments and manage operational expenditures. In a production brief issued on Friday, the company refrained from revealing the identities of the borrowers or providing detailed insights about the lending initiative, which involves approximately 16% of its bitcoin assets.
Robert Samuels, the Vice President of Investor Relations, indicated on X that the lending program yields less than 10% returns.
Samuels noted, “Substantial interest has been generated in MARA’s bitcoin lending initiative. It emphasizes short-term contracts with credible entities, delivering a modest single-digit yield. This program has been in effect throughout 2024, aiming to generate enough returns to cover operational costs.”
Last month, the firm mined 890 BTC, which is a 2% drop from the previous month but still represents the second-highest amount mined since the reward halving in April.
“We succeeded in mining 249 blocks, which is the second-most recorded in a month,” stated Chairman and CEO Fred Thiel in the report. He also mentioned that the annual hash rate for MARAPool increased by 168% in 2024, surpassing bitcoin's network growth rate of 49%.
For the entirety of 2024, MARA acquired 22,065 BTC at an average price of $87,205 and mined an additional 9,457 BTC, culminating in a total of 44,893 BTC held. Presently, bitcoin is trading just under $100,000 and MARA stands as the second-largest public bitcoin holder, just behind MicroStrategy (MSTR).
MARA's share price increased by 2.60% in pre-market trades and has risen by 14% since the start of the year.
