Webus International, a Nasdaq-listed Chinese AI solutions company, announced today that it’s planning to invest up to $300 million in an XRP reserve. The firm claims that this strategy is primarily aimed at facilitating cross-border payments.
Additionally, Webus aims to use XRP to help expand an AI-native company’s other blockchain-related development ambitions. Depending on the investment’s success, the firm may incorporate on-chain solutions in several fields.
Webus is not the only Chinese company considering a massive crypto investment this month, but its XRP reserve plan seems more deliberate.
Two weeks ago, Addentax Group, a logistics firm, considered investing $800 million in BTC and TRUMP. This may have been an attempt to secure tariff relief, and Addentax barely mentioned its crypto ambitions.
On the other hand, Webus described a long-term vision for the XRP reserve in explicit detail:
“These strategic developments have the potential to create a powerful synergy between our domestic and international operations. The integration of an XRP blockchain integration has the potential to revolutionize how we handle cross-border payments for both partners and travelers worldwide,” claimed Nan Zheng, CEO of Webus.
In other words, Webus’ AI solutions cater to customers around the globe, and DeFi may help smooth over recurring problems. Chinese firms can experience difficulties with bank processing across borders, but XRP may provide a solution.
Webus mentions using the tokens for lending, shareholder guarantees, third-party credit, and other core financial interactions.
Furthermore, a $300 million investment could help an AI-specific firm access the other advantages of Web3. In addition to improving cross-chain payment operations, XRP integration will help develop the company’s blockchain infrastructure.
XRP Reserve Asset
Webus International Limited (NASDAQ: WETO), a recognized provider of AI-driven mobility solutions specializing in premium, customizable chauffeur services for travelers worldwide, today announced two complementary strategic developments that significantly… https://t.co/xTlYUiWWxNpic.twitter.com/kpmAHEmIsJ
— Chad Steingraber (@ChadSteingraber) May 29, 2025
Webus’ press release mentions a few concrete goals like on-chain record keeping, loyalty tokens, and customer wallets.
Meanwhile, the company’s stock price has surged over 60% in after-market prices since the announcement.
XRP is already a leading cryptoasset, but $300 million is a substantial amount of money by any metric. If Webus helps integrate the token into the Chinese AI ecosystem, it could prove highly beneficial for XRP and the company.
Depending on the success of this reserve strategy, Webus could be setting a new trend for crypto’s worldwide integration.
If Bitcoin reaches $119,000 by the end of August, MicroStrategy’s (now Strategy) third-quarter earnings could set a new record for a publicly traded company’s highest quarterly profit in financial history. This impressive figure would easily top Nvidia’s earnings and approach Apple’s record.
As Bitcoin gains widespread acceptance, it prompts the question of whether major players will adopt Strategy’s plan by the book. According to Brickken analyst Enmanuel Cardozo, it depends. Though Strategy’s current achievements are impressive, the quality of its long-term health comes into question.
Could MicroStrategy’s Bitcoin Gains Top Tech Giants?
Michael Saylor’s aggressive Bitcoin plan for Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy) continues to remain strong through sunshine or rain. For now, it shows no signs of slowing. With 592,100 Bitcoins on its balance sheet, Strategy is the biggest corporate holder worldwide.
As Bitcoin’s price continues to climb, so will Strategy’s overall earnings. This large-scale success has already led several publicly traded companies to follow suit. The question is whether other corporate giants will also take the leap and purchase Bitcoin.
If Bitcoin closes Q3 above $119,000, and Strategy has 592,100 bitcoins acquired at an average cost of $70,666 each, Strategy’s estimated quarterly net earnings would be approximately $28.59 billion.
Strategy’s most recent Bitcoin purchases. Source: Strategy.
This figure would exceed Nvidia’s highest reported quarterly net income of $22.091 billion, making it Strategy’s largest quarterly earnings and a significant outlier among many publicly traded tech companies.
Since Strategy uses fair value accounting for its Bitcoin, it directly reflects these gains in its net income. If Bitcoin’s price continues to rise beyond this level, Strategy’s earnings could potentially challenge Apple’s current record-setting quarterly net income of $36.33 billion.
Could this unprecedented success generate a fear of missing out among other competitors?
To Buy or Not to Buy
Cardozo expressed excitement over how such a scenario could generate further Bitcoin adoption by other corporate trailblazers.
“With [Strategy’s] 592,100 BTC holdings, other companies might feel the need to finally jump in, especially as Strategy’s performance is outpacing traditional metrics. That kind of success won’t go unnoticed and will eventually push their boards to at least explore Bitcoin to keep up,” he told BeInCrypto.
Some of Bitcoin’s advantages over assets may even appeal to companies with massive earnings, like Nvidia or Apple.
“There’s a solid case for tech giants like Apple and Nvidia to diversify into Bitcoin, and I’m loving the possibilities here. On the pro side, Bitcoin is built as a perfect hedge against fiat devaluation because of its limited supply and decentralized nature,” Cardozo added.
However, a playbook like Strategy’s comes with many risks, and it’s not a one-size-fits-all win—even for Strategy itself.
Strategy’s Financial Health: A Deeper Dive
While Strategy has seen significant profits from holding Bitcoin, these gains primarily stem from a tax advantage, not from its core business operations.
“These gains, driven by fair value accounting, aren’t cash in hand like Apple’s billions from iPhone sales, they are paper profits tied to Bitcoin’s price. Investors and analysts should see this as a speculative boost, not a sign of operational strength, and focus on cash flow and debt to gauge real business health,” Cardozo explained.
Effectively comparing Strategy’s net income to other characteristics like cash flow and debt indeed reveals more about the problems that may lie ahead for the company, especially if Bitcoin’s price were to decline steadily.
Changes in Bitcoin’s price over the past three months. Source: BeInCrypto.
According to the firm’s most recent SEC filings, Strategy reported its outstanding debt amounted to $8.22 billion as of March 2025. It also had a negative cash flow of -$2 million, representing a significant decline year over year.
Though these numbers make sense considering Strategy’s aggressive Bitcoin buying, they also demonstrate that the company’s core software business is not generating enough cash to cover its expenses. Strategy said so itself in its latest filing.
“A significant decrease in the market value of our Bitcoin holdings could adversely affect our ability to satisfy our financial obligations,” read the statement.
It must issue debt and new equity to raise capital to continue its strategy. The plan is risky, to say the least.
Is Bitcoin Right for Every Company?
Given that Strategy’s main income comes from its Bitcoin purchases, Cardozo argues that other companies should carefully consider their financial position before taking a similar approach.
“Analysts should weigh this against operational metrics; a company living on unrealized gains is riskier by nature. I think it’s an innovative strategy, but for long-term health, especially for traditional businesses, cash-generating operations beat paper profits any day, investors should keep that in mind,” he said.
However, as Bitcoin increasingly symbolizes technological innovation, companies aligning with this principle might feel pressured to embrace it. They wouldn’t need to acquire nearly 600,000 Bitcoins, like Strategy, to make such a statement.
They also have a resilient enough treasury to break a fall.
“I’m pretty confident that Apple and Nvidia will eventually invest into Bitcoin, especially with its current track record over the last 10 years,” Cardozo said, adding, “their treasuries could handle a small 1-5% allocation, and not only be hedged against inflation but also as a branding move since they represent the very image of innovation which will also pressure them to do so eventually.”
Yet, ultimately, companies like Apple and Nvidia cater to different customers. Adding Bitcoin to their balance sheets may cause them to lose clients.
The Sustainability Question for Bitcoin Adopters
It’s no secret that Bitcoin mining is extensively damaging to the environment. Strategy, through its Bitcoin acquisitions, directly contributes to the high energy consumption levels associated with the industry.
“Bitcoin’s annual energy consumption is equivalent to a mid-sized country and of course it’s a conflict right off the bat with Apple’s 2030 carbon neutrality target and Nvidia’s renewable energy push,” Cardozo told BeInCrypto.
These companies could risk damaging their public image by associating with an industry that conflicts with their own Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) goals.
“Customers and activists might pressure them, seeing it as greenwashing, especially with sustainability being a big part of their public image… they could align Bitcoin with their ESG goals and keep their image intact as Bitcoin mining becomes more sustainable than traditional banking’s legacy system,” Cardozo added.
Ultimately, while the allure of Bitcoin’s gains might pressure tech giants like Apple and Nvidia to follow Strategy’s lead, such a consideration may cause these companies more problems than profits.
Bitwise Asset Management has formally submitted a Form S-1 registration statement to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to launch the Bitwise NEAR exchange-traded fund (ETF).
The filing follows Bitwise’s earlier move on April 24, 2025, when the firm registered a trust entity for the Bitwise NEAR ETF in Delaware. The S-1 marks the natural next step in the process.
NEAR Joins the Altcoin ETF Race With Bitwise Filing
The proposed ETF aims to track the value of NEAR, the native token of the NEAR Protocol. It is a layer-1 blockchain focused on scalability and decentralized applications.
“The Trust’s investment objective is to seek to provide exposure to the value of NEAR held by the Trust, less the expenses of the Trust’s operations and other liabilities. In seeking to achieve its investment objective, the Trust will hold NEAR and establish its net asset value (“NAV”) by reference to the [CF NEAR-Dollar Settlement Price] (the “Pricing Benchmark”),” the S-1 reads.
Notably, the move did not impact NEAR’s price. Over the past day, the cryptocurrency has experienced a modest decline of 0.8%. At press time, it traded at $2.3.
BeInCrypto data shows that NEAR is the 44th largest cryptocurrency, with a market capitalization of $2.8 billion.
“Bitwise is betting big on altcoin legitimacy. Wall Street exposure to L1s is getting real,” an analyst wrote on X.
While the surge in filings suggests a broader strategy to expand its portfolio into altcoins, the path to SEC approval remains uncertain. The agency has recently delayed decisions on several cryptocurrency ETF applications, including those for XRP and DOGE, with deadlines pushed to mid-June 2025.
This pattern of delays aligns with the SEC’s cautious approach to crypto ETFs beyond Bitcoin and Ethereum, despite a more favorable regulatory climate under the Biden administration, which saw spot Bitcoin ETFs approved in January 2024 and Ethereum ETFs in July 2024.
