Today in crypto: Strategy’s Phong Le addresses why his firm raised a $1.44 billion USD reserve earlier this week, Polish lawmakers fell short of the votes needed to override President Karol Nawrocki’s veto of the Crypto-Asset Market Act and Italy’s markets regulator set a firm MiCA deadline requiring virtual asset service providers to obtain authorization or leave the market by Dec. 30.
Strategy raised $1.44B to dispel ‘FUD’ amid a Bitcoin down cycle: CEO
Strategy CEO Phong Le said part of the reason for establishing a $1.44 billion USD reserve was to alleviate investor concerns over the company’s health amid a Bitcoin slump.
“We’re very much are a part of the crypto ecosystem and Bitcoin ecosystem. Which is why we decided a couple of weeks ago to start raising capital and putting US dollars on our balance sheet to get rid of this FUD,” said Le during CNBC’s Power Lunch on Friday.
This afternoon, Phong Le, CEO of @Strategy, joined @CNBC @PowerLunch to discuss how $MSTR moves with bitcoin, how our USD reserve addresses recent FUD, the shifting Overton Window, key volatility drivers, and why bitcoin’s long-term outlook remains strong. pic.twitter.com/1t5hsfov0m
— Strategy (@Strategy) December 5, 2025
On Monday, Strategy announced the $1.44 billion US dollar reserve, funded through a stock sale. The reserve is intended to maintain an amount sufficient to cover at least 12 months of dividends, and will eventually expand to cover a runway of 24 months, the firm said.
“And it’s really this FUD,” Le said on Friday.
“We weren’t going to have an issue to be able to pay our dividends, and we weren’t likely going to have to tap into selling our Bitcoin, but… There was FUD that was put out there that we wouldn’t be able to meet our dividend obligations, which causes people to pile into a short Bitcoin bet,” he said.
“We just addressed that in eight and a half days we raised $1.44 billion — 21 months’ worth of dividend obligations, and we did it 1) to address the FUD, but 2) to show people that we’re still able to raise money in a Bitcoin downcycle.”
Polish lawmakers fail to revive controversial crypto bill after presidential veto
The lower house of Poland’s parliament failed to secure the required three-fifths majority to override President Karol Nawrocki’s veto of the Crypto-Asset Market Act, pushing the country further away from regulating its digital-asset sector at a moment when lawmakers argue that oversight is increasingly urgent.
As Bloomberg reported Friday, the legislation — advanced by Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s government — was intended to align Poland with the European Union’s MiCA framework for crypto markets. The bill was introduced in June but did not survive the president’s veto.
Nawrocki blocked the measure last week, arguing it would “threaten the freedoms of Poles, their property, and the stability of the state,” as Cointelegraph previously reported.
With the president’s veto upheld, the bill will not move forward, forcing the government to restart its crypto lawmaking process.
The proposal has sharply divided lawmakers and the crypto industry. Supporters framed the bill as a national security priority, saying that comprehensive rules are necessary to curb fraud and prevent potential misuse of crypto assets by foreign actors, including Russia, according to Bloomberg.
However, several crypto-industry groups opposed the legislation, warning that its requirements were overly burdensome and could drive startups out of the country.
Critics pointed to stringent licensing rules, high compliance costs and criminal-liability provisions for service-provider executives, arguing that the bill risked stifling innovation and creating an uncompetitive business environment.
Italy sets hard MiCA deadline for crypto platforms to comply
Italy’s securities regulator set a firm timetable for applying the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) in the country, warning that unlicensed crypto platforms face a deadline to either seek authorization or leave the market.
The move directly affects virtual asset service providers (VASPs) currently operating under Italy’s regime and the retail investors who use them.
In a news release published Thursday, Italy’s Commissione Nazionale per le Società e la Borsa (CONSOB) reminded the market that Dec. 30 is the last day VASPs registered with the Organismo Agenti e Mediatori (OAM) can operate under the existing national framework.
After that date, only entities authorized as crypto asset service providers (CASPs) under MiCA, including firms passporting into Italy from another EU member state, will be allowed to offer crypto‑asset services in the country.
