Bitcoin

when

Real

Shares in Bitcoin treasury company Empery Digital rose on Friday after the firm disclosed it had sold nearly half its Bitcoin holdings to fund an AI data center project and pay down debt.Empery Digital (EMPD) shares popped 4.2% to $3.95 within the first 35 minutes of Nasdaq trading on Friday after the company <a href="https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1829794/000168316826005429/empery_8k.htm" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">revealed</a> that it sold 1,400 Bitcoin (BTC) at an average of $62,200 a coin for roughly $87.1 million over the past two months.&nbsp;The Round Rock, Texas-based company, which previously operated as an electric powersports vehicle manufacturer, said some of the proceeds funded its 25% stake in a Hunt Properties-affiliated venture, which is acquiring an industrial site to be converted into an AI data center.&nbsp;Another $10 million was also used to pay off outstanding debt.While EMPD shares retraced to $3.86 — closing up 1.58% on the day — the initial pop suggests that investors viewed the BTC sale favorably at a time when confidence in Bitcoin treasury strategies is fading and capital is flowing toward AI instead.&nbsp;<img alt="" height="434" src="https://s3-images.ctmedia.io/media/content/pasted-image-1992.png" width="858">EMPD’s change in share price over the last five trading days. Source: <a href="https://www.google.com/finance/beta/quote/EMPD:NASDAQ" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Google Finance</a>Empery’s Bitcoin sales follow months of pressure from Tice P. Brown, a near-10% shareholder in the company, who called on the firm to <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/empery-digital-shareholder-demands-bitcoin-sale-ceo-resignation" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">abandon its BTC-buying strategy</a> and demanded that the CEO and entire board resign. Empery had pivoted to a Bitcoin-centric treasury strategy in mid-2025 when the biggest crypto by market cap was pushing toward its October all-time high of $126,080.The recent sales trimmed Empery’s Bitcoin holdings by 48% to 1,514 Bitcoin, worth $97 million at current prices.Related: <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/bitcoin-miners-ai-pivot-faces-investor-scrutiny-over-insider-sales" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Bitcoin miners’ AI pivot faces investor scrutiny over insider sales</a>&nbsp;Empery held a company-high 4,081 BTC at its peak before offloading some of the holdings in March and April.<h2 id="strategy-sold-more-btc-after-strc-par-break">Strategy sold more BTC after STRC par break</h2>Strategy sold 3,588 BTC worth $216 million earlier this month, parting from its previous “never sell your Bitcoin” position. The company's share price rose in the aftermath of that sale.The largest corporate Bitcoin holder said it used the proceeds of the sale to cover dividend payments for holders of its top perpetual preferred stock, Stretch (STRC), which broke from<a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/strategys-dividend-coverage-falls-14-months-cryptoquant" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> its $100 par value</a> to below $75 last month, raising fears that its dividend model was unsustainable.&nbsp;Features: <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/features/bitcoin-is-approaching-the-second-half-of-the-bear-market-jamie-coutts" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Bitcoin nearing late stages of bear market: Jamie Coutts, Real Vision</a>&nbsp;

Empery Digital shares rise after selling BTC to fund AI data center project

Table of Contents

Cointelegraph

Other articles published on Jul 12, 2026

Stablecoin Payments Guide: How to Use Digital Dollars Every Day

Leveraged Cup Awards $20,000 Grand Prize in Global Trading Competition

Wallet Withdraws $99.96M in ETH and WBTC From Binance Since June 30

XRP on-chain payment volume drops 97% to 40.5 million in one week

Bitcoin tests $55,000 support as dominance returns to 64%, analysts signal reversal

XRP Price Prediction 2026: 4 AIs on How High Ripple Can Go

Join our free newsletter for daily crypto updates!