Michael Saylor’s Technique has reignited a long-running Bitcoin custody debate after co-founder and CTO of Casa Jameson Lopp challenged whether or not the agency can know its holdings aren’t being rehypothecated by third events. Saylor’s blunt response — “We purchase actual bitcoin. We don’t rehypothecate.” — rapidly was a broader argument about what “proof” appears to be like like for a public firm warehousing BTC at institutional custodians.
The change landed as Technique’s accumulation narrative is accelerating in early 2026. On Jan. 26, Saylor posted that Technique purchased 2,932 BTC for roughly $264.1 million at a median value close to $90,061 per bitcoin. He added that, as of Jan. 25, the corporate held 712,647 BTC acquired for about $54.19 billion at a median price of roughly $76,037 per coin.
That disclosure sparked commentary from Jesse Myers, who framed Technique’s tempo as structurally supply-tightening. Myers stated the corporate has acquired 40,150 BTC thus far in 2026, towards 11,700 BTC mined year-to-date. “Finally, the BTC value should go greater. A lot greater,” he wrote, leaning on a easy imbalance: one giant purchaser absorbing greater than new issuance.
No Paper Bitcoin?
Lopp pushed again on the implicit assumption that every one of these purchases translate into unencumbered, uniquely owned UTXOs. “Your thesis is smart… below the belief that he’s shopping for actual bitcoin,” Lopp wrote. “Does Technique truly confirm that their bitcoin solely belongs to them and isn’t rehypothecated? I’m skeptical.”
Saylor responded with a brief, definitive denial: “We purchase actual bitcoin. We don’t rehypothecate.” However Lopp widened the aperture from Technique’s personal conduct to the incentives and opacity of intermediaries. “However how have you learnt your custodians don’t? Presumably they put your BTC in segregated addresses you possibly can monitor,” he wrote. “Individuals ask for proof of reserves since they don’t even know what monitoring / assurances you set in place. A number of layers of trusted black bins make people nervous.”
We purchase actual bitcoin. We don’t rehypothecate.
— Michael Saylor (@saylor) January 28, 2026
Because the thread grew, some customers demanded Technique publish addresses. One account wrote, “Show it then. Present us the addresses.” Others argued that transparency cuts each methods. “Ever thought of that TradFi could possibly be extraordinarily frightened if Technique have been to do that, on condition that it opens up a number of assault Vectors?”
Defenders leaned on the mechanics of public-company controls somewhat than on-chain visibility. Legal professional Jesse Kobernick from Miller Nash LLP argued that Technique’s filings describe steps auditors take to confirm balances and management, and that a number of third events contact the method, together with the separation between BTC purchases and the fairness gross sales and money proceeds that fund them. Lopp rejected that consolation. “Trusted third events are safety holes…” he replied.
Bitcoin OG Adam Again, in the meantime, pointed to mainstream custodianship norms as a cause to low cost “paper bitcoin” fears. “Give it some thought. Their custodians are I believe Constancy and Coinbase,” Again wrote, including that giant auditors take verification and key-control requirements severely.
Lopp remained unconvinced that outdoors observers can know what, precisely, is being verified. “Are these auditors spinning up nodes, verifying balances at addresses, making certain that no purchasers maintain claims to the identical BTC?” he wrote. “I’m skeptical, however finally we simply don’t know – it’s a black field.”
Afterward Jan. 28, Saylor reposted the message extra broadly, escalating from denial to prescription: “We purchase actual bitcoin. We audit our custodians. We don’t rehypothecate.” He added: “You shouldn’t both.”
At press time, Bitcoin traded at $88,001.
Featured picture from YouTube, chart from TradingView.com
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