- Reddit divested most crypto holdings before Bitcoin’s recent surge, raising questions about timing.
- A new investment policy limited future cryptocurrency purchases to approved assets only.
In one SEC filing on October 30, Reddit announced that it sold most of its cryptocurrency holdings during the third quarter.
Reddit has redeemed a significant portion of its Bitcoin [BTC] and ether [ETH] assets.
The platform noted that the financial impact was “immaterial” as the sale occurred before BTC’s surge in late October.
Reddit’s crypto sell-off
Reddit further clarified that it has acquired specific cryptocurrencies, primarily for its product and engineering teams, and is using them for targeted applications.
Previously, the platform invested excess money in Bitcoin and Ethereum. Now it is focusing on acquiring other altcoins for payments on certain virtual items.
On September 30, Reddit completely disposed of all BTC and ETH holdings designated for “treasury purposes.”
However, the company has indicated that it remains open to acquiring more cryptocurrencies in the future.
The company noted:
“We have held cryptocurrencies and experimented with blockchain technology, and may do so in the future, which may subject us to foreign exchange risk and additional tax, legal and regulatory requirements.”
The timing of the sell-off and its impact
This decision coincided with Bitcoin reaching $73,569 this week, just $168 below the all-time high of $73,737 in March.
But it should be noted that BTC was trading at $72,322.50 at the time of writing, according to CoinMarketCap.
Reddit liquidated its crypto holdings as Bitcoin fluctuated between $54,000 and $68,000. This raised questions about the timing of the divestment in light of the current market surge.
However, in recent months, the platform appears to be scaling back its crypto initiatives.
This is reflected in the new investment policy that requires board approval for future cryptocurrency purchases.
The company has limited its acquisitions to BTC, Ethereum, or assets that are unlikely to be classified as securities.
Is Reddit’s move part of a larger trend?
Currently, Reddit’s decision to divest its cryptocurrency holdings stands out as an exception in a market where no other major companies are liquidating their Bitcoin in the third quarter.
A recent report from Look at chain indicated that an Ethereum foundation had conducted an ETH sell-off, adding to the overall market pressure.
Furthermore, recent data from Whale Alert indicated a substantial transfer of Dogecoin [DOGE] to the Binance exchange on October 20.
While this could indicate a broader sales trend between different entities, the situation at BTC is different.
This comes as companies like MicroStrategy, Marathon, Riot Platforms and Tesla are actively expanding their Bitcoin portfolios, according to data from Bitcoin treasuries.
Therefore, it remains unclear whether Reddit’s decision to liquidate BTC was a strategic judgment or a misunderstanding about Bitcoin’s long-term potential.
