As institutional adoption of Bitcoin accelerates globally, U.S. public companies have emerged as dominant players, collectively holding over 800,000 BTC as of May 2025. According to recent data compiled by industry sources, more than 116 listed firms in the United States now have Bitcoin on their balance sheets, representing a total market value of nearly $85 billion.
This marks a substantial increase from the previous year, when U.S. firms held just over 312,000 BTC. The most aggressive acquirer remains MicroStrategy, which owns over 570,000 BTC—more than 70% of all corporate-held Bitcoin.
In stark contrast, Korean listed companies are lagging far behind. As of Q2 2025, the combined Bitcoin holdings of all publicly traded companies in South Korea amount to just ~450 BTC, or roughly 0.1% of what their American counterparts control.
Analysts point to multiple factors behind this disparity:
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Korea’s regulatory conservatism, which has discouraged direct crypto holdings by corporations
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Accounting standards that do not favor marking digital assets on balance sheets
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And a risk-averse corporate culture that emphasizes compliance and stability over innovation
However, as global regulatory clarity improves and more jurisdictions define Bitcoin as a “strategic asset,” there is growing speculation that Korean firms may eventually follow the U.S. trend—albeit more cautiously.
