Strategy's Saylor Says He Has Never Sold His Personal Bitcoin as Company Offloads 5,225 BTC in 2026

Michael Saylor, executive chairman of Strategy, said he has never sold any Bitcoin from his personal holdings, describing himself as a "saver" even as the company has sold thousands of BTC this year. Saylor said his personal stance allows him to keep advising individual investors not to sell. He also reiterated that his long-running "never sell" message was intended for individuals, not for Strategy's corporate treasury, arguing that a publicly traded company must manage dividends, debt and other financial obligations. Strategy's regulatory filings have previously noted that Bitcoin sales may occur depending on liquidity needs and capital market conditions. Saylor's comments came after Strategy disclosed its third Bitcoin sale of 2026. The company, the largest publicly traded Bitcoin holder, reported it sold 1,638 BTC for $104.7 million in the week ending August 2. Strategy said it allocated roughly half the proceeds to fund dividends for its preferred STRC shares and the remainder to STRC buybacks. The company reported repurchasing 912,142 STRC shares for $81.2 million, funded with Bitcoin-sale proceeds and $28.5 million raised from a common stock sale. The repurchases fall under a capital framework announced in June 2026, which targets $1 billion of STRC buybacks. Strategy has completed two STRC repurchases so far, totaling $106.2 million. In contrast, Strategy has now sold Bitcoin three times in 2026: 32 BTC for $2.5 million in May, 3,555 BTC for $216 million in July, and the latest 1,638 BTC sale. Total BTC sold this year stands at 5,225, reducing holdings to 842,138 BTC. The two most recent sales raised $321 million and followed the June framework, under which Strategy can raise up to $1.25 billion through Bitcoin sales. Saylor's statement is drawing criticism across the crypto community, where users have circulated past remarks in which he urged people not to sell Bitcoin, including comments such as "sell a kidney if you must, but keep the Bitcoin," and suggestions that people could mortgage their homes to buy BTC. Others questioned whether Saylor's claim about his personal holdings can be independently verified. Helius Labs CEO Mert Mumtaz said Saylor could have transferred his BTC into Strategy and sold it through the company while maintaining he never sold it personally. Bitcoin was trading around $63,900, up about 1% over the past 24 hours. Strategy's MSTR shares rose 2% to $95.36, while STRC was up by a similar amount at $91.84.