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Freedom251 › Blog › ATM equity

Bitcoin Treasury Companies: Debt vs. Equity Financing

By Freedom251 Team · · 13 min read

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Bitcoin treasury companies usually combine at-the-market (ATM) common-stock sales, convertible notes, other debt, preferred stock, credit facilities and operating cash to buy bitcoin. Debt can avoid immediate dilution and may carry a low cash coupon, but it creates interest, maturity, covenant, collateral and refinancing risk. Equity has no scheduled repayment and improves balance-sheet resilience, yet every new common share reduces existing holders’ percentage ownership. The right choice depends on the issue price, bitcoin price, conversion terms, coupon, maturity, seniority and whether bitcoin per share increases after the financing.

To judge a transaction, do not ask only how many bitcoin the company bought. Compare the post-financing bitcoin-per-share or issuer-defined BTC Yield result with the cost and risks imposed on shareholders.

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How a bitcoin treasury company finances purchases

A treasury company raises capital, converts the proceeds into bitcoin and holds that bitcoin as a major reserve asset. The funding can come from common equity, debt, securities that combine debt and equity features, preferred stock, a revolving or term credit facility, or cash generated by the operating business. Strategy Inc. describes the approach as issuing debt or equity securities, or carrying out other capital-raising transactions, with the objective of using proceeds to purchase bitcoin. It says acquisitions are intended to be funded primarily with common stock and fixed-income instruments, including debt, convertible notes and preferred stock.

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The financing decision is a capital-stack decision rather than a simple choice between “safe debt” and “expensive equity.” Each instrument has a different claim on cash flow and assets. Common shareholders are last in priority but retain the residual upside. Lenders and noteholders receive contractual payments and rank ahead of common equity in a liquidation. Preferred holders generally sit between debt and common stock, with rights that depend on the security’s terms.

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Proceeds may not all go directly to bitcoin. A company can use part of a raise to repay maturing notes, fund operations, pay fees, build liquidity or support mining and infrastructure. The use-of-proceeds statement and the company’s cash-flow disclosures therefore matter as much as the headline size of the offering.

Debt and equity compared

Feature Common-stock ATM or other equity Convertible notes Non-convertible debt or credit facility Preferred stock
Immediate dilution Yes. New common shares reduce existing holders’ ownership percentage. Usually no at issuance; dilution can occur if holders convert or if settlement requires shares. None at issuance unless the instrument includes warrants or an equity feature. Usually no common-share dilution at issuance, but preferred rights can reduce the value available to common holders.
Cash payments No mandatory dividend; any dividend is normally discretionary for common stock. Scheduled coupon payments, subject to the note terms. Interest, commitment fees or other charges under the facility. Often a stated dividend or distribution, with payment priority over common dividends.
Repayment and maturity No maturity or principal repayment. Principal is due at maturity unless converted, repurchased or otherwise settled. Drawn amounts and interest must be repaid under the facility or loan agreement. Terms may be perpetual or have a redemption date; redemption is not the same as debt repayment and depends on the issuer’s rights and liquidity.
Seniority and collateral Last in a liquidation. Ranks according to the note indenture; may be senior unsecured or otherwise secured. Typically senior to equity and may be secured by bitcoin or other assets. Ranks ahead of common stock but behind debt unless the terms say otherwise.
Main treasury advantage Flexible access to capital without scheduled repayment. Can provide lower cash interest than straight debt and defer dilution. Immediate borrowing capacity without issuing common shares. Raises capital without immediate common-share issuance and can be structured with investor-specific rights.
Main treasury risk Persistent issuance can dilute ownership and reduce bitcoin per share. Refinancing risk at maturity and possible conversion dilution. Interest, covenants, collateral calls and refinancing or liquidity pressure. Distribution obligations and a senior claim that can limit common-stock flexibility.

These are structural comparisons. The economic result depends on the actual security documents, the price paid for bitcoin, the company’s asset value per share and market conditions at each issuance.

Common-stock ATM programs

How an ATM works

An ATM program lets a company sell registered common shares into the market over time rather than completing one large marketed offering. The company can choose when to sell, how many shares to issue and, within the program’s constraints, whether market conditions are attractive enough to proceed. The proceeds can then be used for bitcoin purchases, debt repayment, operations or a combination of those uses.

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The flexibility is valuable when the common stock trades at a premium to the company’s underlying assets. Issuing fewer shares for each dollar raised can make it easier for the bitcoin-per-share ratio to rise. If the stock trades at a discount, the same raise may require many more shares and can be destructive to per-share value even if the bitcoin balance grows.

Why ATM equity avoids refinancing risk

Common equity has no contractual maturity and no requirement to return the proceeds. A company that funds bitcoin entirely with equity does not face a principal wall when a note matures, and it does not risk a lender seizing collateral after a covenant breach. That balance-sheet resilience can matter during a bitcoin drawdown, when the market value of the treasury assets may fall sharply.

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How dilution affects an existing holder

Suppose a company has S shares and B bitcoin before an ATM sale. It sells N new shares and buys X bitcoin with the net proceeds. The post-transaction bitcoin-per-share ratio is (B + X) / (S + N); the pre-transaction ratio was B / S. The raise is accretive on this narrow measure only when the new ratio is higher. A larger bitcoin balance by itself does not prove that existing holders benefited.

Shareholders also need to check fully diluted shares, not just basic shares. Options, warrants, restricted awards and convertible notes can increase the eventual denominator. An ATM can therefore create dilution in stages: the common shares sold today, followed later by shares issued when other securities convert or are exercised.

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Convertible notes

What shareholders receive and what they give up

A convertible note begins as debt. Investors lend money, receive a stated coupon and expect principal to be repaid at maturity unless they convert, the issuer repurchases the notes or the documents provide another settlement method. The conversion price determines how many shares could be issued if conversion occurs. A simplified estimate is principal divided by the conversion price; actual agreements can include make-whole provisions, anti-dilution adjustments, cash-versus-share settlement choices and other conditions.

Because the investor receives an equity option, convertible notes can carry a lower cash coupon than comparable straight debt. That can preserve more operating cash for bitcoin purchases. The trade-off is deferred uncertainty: the company may face a large maturity payment, and conversion can create substantial dilution precisely when the stock price has risen.

Conversion and maturity must be analyzed together

Review the conversion price, conversion window, settlement method, coupon schedule, call or repurchase rights, covenants and maturity date. A note that is unlikely to convert still leaves a principal obligation. A note that is likely to convert may look inexpensive in cash-interest terms but can transfer meaningful upside from existing holders to note investors.

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Refinancing risk is especially important for a bitcoin treasury company because its assets are volatile. If bitcoin and the company’s share price fall before maturity, refinancing can become expensive or unavailable. If the company cannot refinance or repay, it may need to sell bitcoin, issue stock at an unfavorable price or negotiate with creditors.

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Preferred stock

Preferred stock is an equity security with rights that are senior to common stock. Depending on its terms, it may carry a fixed or floating dividend, liquidation preference, redemption provisions, conversion rights, voting rights or participation in additional value. It generally does not create immediate common-share dilution, but it can reduce the amount of value and cash flow available to common holders.

Strategy’s 2025 filing says that, before 2025, it relied primarily on Class A common-stock sales and senior convertible notes, then issued five classes of preferred stock in 2025. The classes should not be treated as interchangeable: each series can have different distribution, conversion, redemption and ranking provisions. Read the specific designation and offering documents before comparing preferred capital with common equity or debt.

Credit facilities and other debt

A credit facility provides committed borrowing capacity or allows the company to draw funds as needed. It may be more flexible than a single note issuance, but unused commitments can carry fees and drawn amounts create interest expense. Covenants may limit additional borrowing, asset transfers, distributions or bitcoin-related activities. A secured facility can also give the lender rights over bitcoin or other collateral.

Debt seniority matters in a downside. If collateral values fall or a covenant is breached, the lender’s claim is paid before preferred and common equity. A company can therefore report a larger bitcoin balance while common shareholders face greater financial risk if that balance is encumbered.

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What company disclosures show

Company and period Disclosed financing or treasury figure How to interpret it
Strategy Inc., 2024 Form 10-K The company said its bitcoin strategy involved issuing debt or equity securities or other capital-raising transactions to purchase bitcoin, with acquisitions primarily funded by common stock and fixed-income instruments such as debt, convertible notes and preferred stock. This establishes a multi-instrument strategy rather than a commitment to one permanent funding source.
Strategy Inc., 2025 Form 10-K Before 2025, the company relied primarily on Class A common-stock sales and senior convertible notes; it then issued five preferred-stock classes in 2025. Preferred stock became an additional layer of the capital stack and should be analyzed by series.
Metaplanet Inc., official About page Management says it pivoted to a bitcoin treasury strategy in 2024 and uses “innovative equity and debt financing strategies.” It identifies BTC Yield, the percentage growth in bitcoin per share, as a key performance indicator. The issuer’s per-share metric is intended to show whether financing and acquisitions increased bitcoin exposure for each share, not merely in aggregate.
MARA Holdings, 2024 Form 10-K $4.0 billion financing cash flow; $1.9 billion of common-stock issuance under its 2024 ATM; $2.2 billion of net proceeds from 2024 convertible notes; and 22,065 bitcoin purchased with cash and convertible-note proceeds. The figures show how a company can use both ATM equity and convertible debt in the same year. The bitcoin purchase figure should be compared with the shares issued, note terms and the timing of purchases.
MARA Holdings, 2025 Form 10-K $1.6 billion financing cash flow; $1.0 billion net proceeds from August 2032 notes; $568.6 million of common-stock sales under 2024 and 2025 ATM programs; and a $150.0 million line of credit that was fully utilized, with $350.0 million outstanding at December 31, 2025. These are issuer-reported 2025 amounts. The line-of-credit disclosure and the stated outstanding balance require separate review of collateral, interest and repayment terms.

Amounts in the table are company-reported figures for the stated fiscal periods, not a forecast or an independent valuation. Current holdings, debt balances, ATM capacity, conversion prices and maturities can change after those filings.

BTC per share and BTC Yield: the central test

Calculate the basic ratio

Start with bitcoin held divided by the relevant share count. Use the same date for both numbers and state whether the denominator is basic shares, diluted shares or another issuer-defined measure. If a company has preferred stock, convertibles, warrants or options, calculate a separate fully diluted view so that potential claims on common equity are visible.

Measure the change caused by a financing

For a raise, record the bitcoin balance immediately before the transaction, bitcoin bought with the net proceeds, shares issued or potentially issuable, fees, and any debt repaid. Then compare pre- and post-transaction bitcoin per share. A transaction can be accretive when bitcoin is purchased below the value implied by the company’s share price, and dilutive when the company issues too many shares or adds claims that outweigh the bitcoin acquired.

Understand BTC Yield limitations

BTC Yield is a percentage growth measure for bitcoin per share, not a guaranteed investment return and not the same as bitcoin’s market-price return. Check the period, starting and ending share counts, treatment of convertibles and preferred stock, and whether the company adjusts for shares issued after the measurement date. A rising BTC Yield can coexist with a falling share price if the market applies a lower valuation multiple or if debt and senior claims increase.

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A step-by-step framework for comparing a proposed financing

  1. Identify the instrument. Determine whether the transaction is common equity, a convertible note, straight debt, preferred stock, a credit facility or a combination.
  2. Map the use of proceeds. Separate bitcoin purchases from debt repayment, operating expenses, fees, capital expenditure and liquidity reserves. Only the portion that buys bitcoin can increase the treasury asset directly.
  3. Calculate the share-count impact. Add common shares issued at closing and model shares issuable on conversion, exercise or settlement. Use the company’s fully diluted disclosure where available.
  4. Calculate the cash burden. Add coupon, interest, preferred distributions, commitment fees, original-issue discounts and other financing costs. Note whether payments are cash-pay, payable in kind or discretionary.
  5. List every maturity and trigger. Record principal due dates, investor puts, issuer calls, mandatory redemptions, covenant tests and events that could force repayment or collateral action.
  6. Check seniority and collateral. Identify which creditors rank ahead of common stock and whether bitcoin, mining equipment, cash or other assets secure the obligation.
  7. Run the per-share calculation. Compare pre- and post-financing bitcoin per share under basic and fully diluted assumptions. Include the actual net proceeds, not the gross headline amount.
  8. Stress-test bitcoin prices and access to capital. Consider a rising-price case, a flat-price case and a sharp decline. Ask whether the company could pay interest and refinance without selling bitcoin or issuing heavily discounted equity.

How the instruments behave in different bitcoin markets

Market condition ATM common equity Convertible notes Straight debt or credit Preferred stock
Bitcoin rises and the stock trades at a strong premium Issuance may raise substantial cash with fewer shares, potentially improving bitcoin per share if purchase prices and fees are favorable. Conversion becomes more likely; cash interest may have been efficient, but eventual dilution can be large. Asset values improve relative to principal, but interest and maturity obligations remain. Common holders may benefit from asset appreciation after preferred distributions, subject to the series terms.
Bitcoin is flat and the stock valuation is ordinary Per-share accretion depends heavily on the issue price and fees; repeated issuance can dilute. Coupons continue and the company must plan for maturity or conversion. Debt service consumes cash without a rising asset cushion. Distributions can absorb cash that might otherwise buy bitcoin.
Bitcoin falls and capital markets weaken No principal is due, but issuing shares at a depressed price can be severely dilutive. Refinancing and repayment risk increase; conversion may become less likely, leaving a debt obligation. Covenant, collateral and liquidity pressure can become acute, potentially forcing asset sales. Preferred claims remain senior to common stock and can restrict distributions to common holders.

The table describes directional effects, not guaranteed outcomes. A company with ample cash, long maturities and unencumbered bitcoin may withstand a downturn better than one with the same debt amount but near-term maturities and strict collateral tests.

What an ATM issuance means for shareholders

When an ATM sells common stock, an existing holder owns a smaller percentage of the company unless that holder buys a proportionate number of new shares. The holder may still gain if the proceeds purchase enough bitcoin, increase bitcoin per share and support a higher value for each share. The opposite can occur when issuance is frequent, the stock trades below asset value or proceeds are diverted to cover operating losses and debt service.

Look for the number of shares sold during the period, the weighted-average sale price, gross and net proceeds, remaining capacity and the stated use of proceeds. A large remaining authorization is not the same as an obligation to issue shares; it is potential future dilution that depends on management’s decisions and market conditions.

What debt does to common-stock risk

Debt can magnify common-stock outcomes. If bitcoin appreciates faster than the all-in financing cost, leverage can increase the residual value attributable to common equity. If bitcoin declines or stays below the level needed to cover interest and principal, leverage works in the opposite direction. The common shareholder bears the residual risk after contractual claims are paid.

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Review debt service against cash generated by operations, cash on hand and unencumbered assets. A company that must sell bitcoin to meet a maturity can lose treasury exposure at an unfavorable time. A company that issues stock to refinance debt may avoid default but impose dilution when its valuation is weak.

Questions to ask before buying the stock

  • How many bitcoin are held, and how many shares are outstanding on a basic and fully diluted basis?
  • What portion of the latest raise actually purchased bitcoin?
  • What were the ATM sale prices relative to reported bitcoin value per share?
  • Which convertibles can convert, at what prices and on what dates?
  • What principal maturities occur in the next 12, 24 and 36 months?
  • Are bitcoin or other assets pledged as collateral?
  • What covenants could restrict additional borrowing, bitcoin transfers or common dividends?
  • Are preferred distributions cumulative, and can the issuer redeem or convert the preferred shares?
  • How does management define BTC Yield, and does the definition include all potential dilution?
  • Could operating losses, mining investment or interest expense consume the cash intended for bitcoin purchases?
  • Is the company relying on continued access to an ATM or convertible market to meet obligations?
  • After a stress case, would common shareholders still own a meaningful residual interest?

Bottom-line interpretation

There is no universally superior debt-to-equity mix for a bitcoin treasury company. ATM equity maximizes flexibility and eliminates scheduled repayment but can steadily dilute holders. Convertible notes may lower cash interest and postpone dilution, while creating maturity and refinancing exposure. Straight debt and credit facilities add senior claims, interest and possible collateral pressure. Preferred stock avoids immediate common issuance but places a higher-ranking claim ahead of common equity.

The practical verdict comes from the per-share result after all claims are counted. Compare bitcoin per share or BTC Yield with the issue price, coupon, fees, conversion dilution, maturity schedule, collateral and actual use of proceeds. A larger bitcoin balance is not enough; the financing must leave each existing share with a stronger, sustainable claim on the treasury assets.

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