Norwegian Block Exchange (NBX), a leading Nordic cryptocurrency exchange and digital asset platform, announced that it has added Bitcoin to its balance sheet, marking a national milestone as the first publicly listed company in Norway to hold Bitcoin as part of its treasury strategy.
The company has secured 6.0 Bitcoin and plans to increase its holdings to 10.0 within June. The assets, loaned from NBX’s largest shareholders, will be used as collateral to issue USDM, a MiCA-compliant stablecoin. NBX said it aims to generate yield through Bitcoin and the USDM ecosystems.
“NBX will not sell this Bitcoin or go short in any form,” the company said. “With reference to the latest POA notice with LDA capital, NBX will also use proceeds to buy additional Bitcoin.”
NBX is currently talking with HNIs, family offices, and others about raising more capital to buy additional Bitcoin. The company is also hosting a Bitcoin treasury event on June 11.
“Bitcoin is becoming an important part of the global financial infrastructure,” the company stated in the announcement. “The Bitcoin will increase operational efficiency, in addition to attracting capital that need exposure to Bitcoin yet only have a mandate to invest in Norwegian publicly listed companies.”
The adoption of Bitcoin as a treasury reserve asset has dramatically increased over the course of the last year, expanding globally. To date, there are 214 companies and other entities with Bitcoin in their balance sheets.
Méliuz, Brazilian fintech company, also recently announced on May 15th, that it purchased an additional R$160.8 million (approx. $30.5 million) worth of Bitcoin, adding 274.5 BTC at an average price of $103,600 each, after becoming the first Bitcoin treasury company in Brazil earlier this year. Combined with its initial R$24 million investment two months ago, Méliuz now holds 320 BTC, making it the 42nd largest corporate holder of Bitcoin globally.
Méliuz Founder and Chairman Israel Salmen noted that the move attracted a new wave of crypto-focused investors. In his words, translated from Portuguese, “a lot of new people started buying the stock because of this strategy. We caught the attention of the crypto crowd, which is a much larger audience than stock market investors. There are around 20 million people investing in crypto today and only about 5 million in the stock market.”
The investment, approved by Méliuz’s board, is part of a new treasury management policy focused on long-term returns. The company also formed a Bitcoin Strategic Committee to explore expanding the allocation and potentially making Bitcoin a primary treasury asset.
Salmen told local media the move into bitcoin provides an “intelligent alternative” to holding cash reserves. “We see bitcoin as a long-term store of value,” he said. The company, which offers cashback and financial services to over 30 million users in Brazil, is aiming to revive investor interest after its market cap dropped from $6 billion in 2021 to $270 million.
