Meta shareholders reject Bitcoin treasury plan


Meta shareholders have voted against the plan to add Bitcoin to its treasury.

Key takeaways:

Investor Ethan Peck, representing the National Center for Public Policy Research, initially proposed to add Bitcoin as it can act as a better store of value, safe from inflation and low bond return.

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In Peck’s view, Bitcoin can offer a better reserve than Meta’s $72 billion cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities. He argued that Bitcoin’s fixed supply and past price gains can offer a hedge.

Shareholders, however, have almost unilaterally rejected the proposal, with less than 0.1% voting in favour, according to a SEC filing.

The board said there is no reason to consider Bitcoin and cited robust existing treasury management practices.

There a few reasons for the rejection:

  • First, Bitcoin is exceptionally volatile in comparison to traditional treasury assets, making it a risky option.
  • The lack of clear regulation around digital assets further increases the uncertainty.
  • The vote reflects a broader preference among shareholders for traditional treasury management practices.

The vote also highlights the overwhelming trend among tech corporations - which avoid volatile treasury strategies as a rule rather than the exception. This will likely continue until more constant rules governing Bitcoin (and similar digital assets) are introduced and until it can demonstrate a more stable risk profile.

Similar rejections have happened at Microsoft and Amazon, suggesting that a Bitcoin-centric approach is not popular among the tech giants.

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The move comes as Zuckerberg hopes for a 'pivotal' year for Metaverse, with AI-related "surprises" in store.

Marcus Walsh profile Izabelė Pukėnaitė
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