Strategy closes in on BlackRock’s IBIT, narrowing Bitcoin holdings gap to 21,102 BTC

BlockBeats reported on March 19, citing Bitcoin Treasuries, that Strategy has sharply expanded its Bitcoin stash and is nearing BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) in total holdings. As of March 19, 2026, Strategy holds 761,068 BTC worth about $56.2 billion, cutting the difference with IBIT’s 782,170 BTC position to 21,102 BTC. Over the past two weeks, Strategy bought 40,331 BTC for roughly $2.85 billion, its largest back-to-back accumulation since January, further tightening the gap with BlackRock. At the current buying pace, Strategy could overtake IBIT within one to two weeks. The latest purchases were funded mainly by strong demand for STRC preferred shares. STRC raised $1.18 billion for the larger tranche, covering about 75% of the cost and supporting the purchase of around 16,753 BTC. It also contributed roughly 30% (about $377 million) to the prior tranche, funding the acquisition of about 5,313 BTC. Strategy Bitcoin Strategy Manager Chaitanya Jain called the approach "the most aggressive financial engineering feat to date, expanding the boundaries of Bitcoin capital formation."