Tether-backed Twenty One Capital jolted as Bitcoin slide hits DAT valuations

Tether-backed Twenty One Capital lists via SPAC as Bitcoin cools and DAT mNAV premiums compress, forcing the firm to prove it is more than a BTC hoard.

Twenty One Capital, a cryptocurrency treasury firm, experienced market turbulence following its public debut on Wall Street, according to market data.

The company, which holds over 43,500 Bitcoins, went public through a Special Purpose Acquisition Company (SPAC) deal backed by Cantor Fitzgerald, an investment banking and brokerage firm. Cantor Fitzgerald is currently chaired by Brandon Lutnick, son of U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick.

Twenty-one Capital sheds after going public

Twenty One Capital is majority-owned by Tether and cryptocurrency exchange Bitfinex, with Japanese technology investor SoftBank holding a minority stake. The firm’s Bitcoin holdings make it the third-largest corporate holder of the cryptocurrency globally, according to industry rankings.

The company’s market debut coincides with a decline in Bitcoin (BTC) prices from October all-time highs, placing pressure on the digital asset treasury (DAT) sector. The timing has created challenges for the newly public company as the broader cryptocurrency market faces headwinds.

Jack Maller, CEO of Twenty One Capital, stated that the company currently employs four full-time staff members. The firm has not yet disclosed a timeline or roadmap for product launches.

Maller indicated that Twenty One Capital aims to differentiate itself from other digital asset treasury companies by building business operations beyond simply holding Bitcoin reserves. The CEO mentioned potential future offerings including Bitcoin credit and lending products, though specific details were not provided.

“We were shocked, to put it lightly, that someone like MicroStrategy was just going to simply finance buying Bitcoin just with debt forever,” Maller stated, referencing a competitor in the space.

The digital asset treasury sector faces scrutiny as cryptocurrency market values decline. Market participants are focusing on mNAV (Market Net Asset Value), a metric that compares a company’s overall valuation to the value of its cryptocurrency holdings.

John Todaro, Senior Research Analyst at Needham, commented on the sector’s challenges. “It’s becoming harder for DATs to raise capital, and we are in an environment now where DATs need to show material differentiation to warrant the mNAV multiples they were trading at earlier in 2025,” Todaro said.

The company’s performance in coming months will be closely watched by investors as it works to establish operational business lines beyond its Bitcoin holdings.