Strive Eyes $7.9B Distressed Mt. Gox Bitcoin Claims to Accumulate Discounted BTC

Strive Enterprises is eyeing a calculated bet on bitcoin BTC discounts. The Ohio-based financial services firm said it struck a strategic partnership with 117 Castell Advisory Group to buy distressed bitcoin claims, specifically those with confirmed legal judgments and pending distributions.

Among the targeted claims are holdings from the infamous Mt. Gox bankruptcy in 2014, which total around 75,000 BTC, currently valued around $8 billion. While payouts from the decade-old collapse of the Japanese exchange are still trickling out, they represent one of the largest pools of locked-up bitcoin in history.

Strive’s plan: gain BTC exposure at a discount, with the goal of beating BTC’s price performance in the long run, according to a Monday filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The announcement comes amid broader plans for the company’s asset management unit to merge with Nasdaq-listed Asset Entities (ASST), a move that would make the combined company publicly traded. The firm would leave its operations under the Strive name.

The combined company also has plans to raise up to $1 billion through equity and debt offerings to accumulate bitcoin. The firm’s strategies are meant to enhance its BTC exposure per share.