Corporate Bitcoin Buying During Slump Fulfills Satoshi Nakamoto's Prediction

As Bitcoin prices retreated in 2026, listed companies including MicroStrategy and Metaplanet, along with spot ETFs, continued accumulating the cryptocurrency against the market trend, further expanding the illiquid supply that has remained dormant over the long term. The phenomenon revived discussion of Satoshi Nakamoto's July 2010 remarks about cornering the market. Nakamoto said aggressive buying would absorb supply, make the asset scarcer and drive up its price, but warned that market forces could ultimately turn against the buyers.

By July 2026, about 200 listed companies worldwide held Bitcoin as a reserve asset, with combined holdings exceeding 1.27 million tokens, or more than 6% of total supply. Despite a price decline of as much as 33%, major buyers continued accumulating. In July 2026, the community resurfaced Nakamoto's 16-year-old post, which warned that large-scale attempts to corner the market would raise acquisition costs and intensify liquidity pressures.