CEA Industries Inc., listed on Nasdaq as BNC, announced today that it has purchased an additional 38,888 BNB tokens valued at approximately $33 million. The acquisition lifts the company’s total holdings to 388,888 BNB, worth about $330 million, leading the world as the largest corporate BNB treasury.
According to a press statement released by the company on Tuesday, the new purchase is one step towards its long-term strategy of consolidating reserves in the Binance ecosystem token. CEO David Namdar called BNB “the most compelling digital asset with massive, under-recognized potential.”
“Our mission couldn’t be clearer: every purchase amplifies our conviction, deepens our exposure, and accelerates us toward our bold target of owning 1% of the entire BNB supply,” Namdar surmised.
If the company executes its full treasury plan, including exercising warrants that could generate up to $750 million in proceeds, its BNB holdings could exceed $1.25 billion.
Agricultural business adopts BNB treasury
CEA Industries was originally known for designing and supplying environmental control systems for the controlled environment agriculture industry. It has provided architectural plans, mechanical and electrical engineering services, and climate control technology for cultivation facilities worldwide.
The business focused on becoming a corporate digital asset holder with a treasury concentrated in BNB. In early August, CEA acquired 200,000 BNB tokens in a deal worth $160 million. The purchase was funded through a landmark $500 million private placement led by investment firm 10X Capital in partnership with YZi Labs.
The announcement of that initial treasury allocation led to an uptick in the company’s stock. Shares of BNC skyrocketed more than 800% in a single trading session, climbing from under $9 to an intraday high of nearly $83.
Since that rally, shares of BNC have been mostly on a volatile trading run. In Tuesday’s US pre-market trading session, the stock was trading near $21, up slightly from the previous close.
The company’s shares have ranged from a 52-week low of $5.60 to a high of $82.88. Despite the recent pullback from August highs, BNC is more than 200% above where it traded at the start of the year.
More institutions join BNB accumulation spree
CEA’s BNB position has also inspired other companies and investment firms to acquire Binance Chain’s native token. Last week, digital asset firm B Strategy, founded by former Bitmain executives, announced plans to launch a $1 billion BNB-focused treasury.
Backed by YZi Labs, the family office of Binance co-founder Changpeng Zhao, the initiative is modeled on 10X Capital’s earlier partnership with CEA.
A spokesperson for B Strategy said the firm will collaborate with a publicly listed US company through a private placement. 10X Capital itself raised $250 million with YZi Labs’ support in July to accumulate BNB as a reserve asset.
Still in August, another Nasdaq-listed company, Windtree Therapeutics Inc. (ticker WINT), unveiled its own BNB-focused plans. Windtree announced two equity financing agreements totaling up to $520 million.
The deals included a $500 million equity line of credit and a $20 million stock purchase agreement with Build and Build Corp. The firm stated that 99% of the proceeds would be directed toward purchasing BNB.
However, Windtree’s attempt to replicate CEA’s model has been marred by regulatory problems, specifically from the US Securities and Exchange Commission. The biotech company fell out of compliance with Nasdaq’s listing requirements, specifically the rule requiring a minimum bid price of $1.00 per share.
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Source: https://www.cryptopolitan.com/cea-adds-38888-bnb-worth-33m-for-treasury/