The first quarter of 2025 turned out to be the worst Q1 bitcoin (BTC) has seen in seven years. The leading digital asset lost at least 12% of its value between January and March despite heavy accumulation from corporate entities.

The market analytics platform CryptoQuant explained that long-term holders’ on-chain activity is why BTC plummeted significantly despite major corporate buying.

Corporate Entities Accumulate Heavily

Public companies that have embraced Bitcoin acquired a total of 91,781 BTC in Q1 2025. The business intelligence firm Strategy (formerly known as MicroStrategy) made the highest purchases, totaling 81,785 BTC worth about $8 billion. The entity now holds 528,185 BTC worth $45.64 billion at press time.

CryptoQuant said the 8,888 BTC acquisition by the stablecoin issuer Tether was surprising. The purchase brought the company’s BTC stash to 92,646 BTC, valued at approximately $7.96 billion at bitcoin’s current price.

Besides Strategy and Tether, other companies that bought BTC include the venture capital firm Metaplanet, healthcare technology provider Semler Scientific, and The Blockchain Group, which develops blockchain technologies for business sectors. Between January and March, Metaplanet topped its bitcoin stash with 2,285 BTC, Semler Scientific acquired 1,108 BTC, while The Blockchain Group purchased 605 BTC.

In addition to the acquisitions, a few more companies have revealed plans to acquire BTC in the new quarter. One of them is the leading Bitcoin mining entity Marathon Digital, which unveiled a $2 billion stock sale geared toward buying BTC. Also, the electronics retail company GameStop has proposed a $1.5 billion convertible notes offering to buy BTC after adopting a Bitcoin reserve strategy.

Long-term Holders Sold

Amid all these acquisitions and BTC purchase announcements, BTC closed Q1 2025 with a negative return of 12%. CryptoQuant attributed the decline to selling activity by long-term holders. The supply of this cohort of investors dropped by 178,000 BTC, adding selling pressure to the cryptocurrency and offsetting the bullish momentum from corporate buys.

Moreover, the selling pressure was intensified by outflows from spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) – investors withdrew at least $4.8 billion from these funds in the first quarter.

As the second quarter begins, CryptoQuant sees an impending battle between fresh purchases stemming from corporate demand and selling pressure from existing holders cashing out. It remains to be seen if BTC will end Q2 on a positive note.

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