Could Richard Branson shock the world by adding Bitcoin to Virgin’s balance sheet?

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Yes, I think Virgin will add Bitcoin to its balance sheet in 2021

Last year Michael Saylor shocked the world by not only putting Bitcoin on MicroStrategy’s balance sheet, but issuing debt to load up over $1.3 Billion worth. The stock price has absolutely surged. Microstrategy began BTC purchases in August of 2020 when MSTR’s stock price was roughly $150 a share. It’s now trading at $1273. Why? MSTR is being used as a vehicle to gain exposure to the underlying Bitcoin holdings via investment funds who can’t purchase Bitcoin directly due to their fund’s covenants. Let me give you a bit of history as to why I think Branson will be the first to backstop an airline with Bitcoin, maybe even the entire group, but Virgin Atlantic and/or Virgin Galactic seem like surefire targets in my mind. Without going too far back…let’s flashback to this moment on 12/20/2020 when the tectonic plates of Tesla moved.

If you follow Bitcoin or Crypto at all, this was pretty crazy and set the entire space on fire. Musk responded back…and it seemed as though the game was on. Saylor said he would give him his entire playbook.

The entire playbook must have been discussed. Rumor has it Tesla started buying early January. But, even more importantly, Saylor hosted an entire Bitcoin conference last week: MicroStrategy World 2021. It had thousands of representatives from corporations around the world attend virtually. The purpose? How do companies put this stuff on their balance. Why? Perception change in the wake of continued profligate spending worldwide: Cash is a liability not an asset you could say. Bitcoin is the scarce deflationary answer.

Tesla breaks the seal

Yesterday…it was announced that Elon Musk had used Tesla to purchase $1.5Billion of Bitcoin and will soon start accepting payments with Bitcoin for Tesla. The big message here to me…tectonic plates have shifted.  Acceptance and adoption just had a paradigm shift. No you can’t buy movie tickets and popcorn with your BTC yet, but the bridge just got built. Tesla will start building up even more Bitcoin through open market purchases, but also the exchange of fiat into Bitcoin by way of Tesla purchases.

Guess who already owns Bitcoin? That’s right Richard Branson

In 2014 Branson told CNBC that he already owned Bitcoin and that he would be accepting Bitcoin for Virgin Galactic flights. Back it was surprising, but honestly no one really cared. Plus, the market for VG is so slim, but if Branson was open to it 7 years ago…

Who is Chairman of Virgin Galactic? Chamath Palihapitiya

Chamath has been a vocal supporter and advocate of Bitcoin, in fact I’d say he is one of the spaces largest advocates often going against MSM’s characterizations. He may well be one of the largest single owners of BTC in the world with holdings estimated well into the Billions. How do you think those phonecalls are going with Branson post Tesla news?

Will Branson announce that Bitcoin is being put on Virgin or one of Virgin’s subsidiaries balance sheets this year?

Personally, I think it’s a when not an if. Just look at what happened to Microstrategy’s stock price after the announcement. Virgin could issue additional equity at higher prices to fund continued operations as Bitcoin moons. Branson went through an insane battle earlier in the pandemic and even offered to put up his Necker Island holding as collateral to secure a loan for continued operations of Virgin Atlantic. What would happen if an airline put Bitcoin on its balance sheet? I’m biased, certainly, because I think Bitcoin will gain further adoption, but I also think a move like this is right up Branson’s street. It’s bold. It’s trendsetting. If Bitcoin continues to moon it would take stress off of continued airline operations because investors would view the company as a potential play on the Bitcoin space. He would be the first in his industry to make this play, but also he has one of the biggest Bitcoin evangelists’s as Chairman of Virgin Galactic, Chamath Palihapitiya.

Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.

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