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MARA Holdings Sees $1.7 Billion Q4 Loss as Bitcoin Volatility Bites

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Mara Holdings BTC and Q4 2025 Report

MARA Holdings Inc. posted a $1.7 billion net loss in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2025, a sharp reversal from the $528 million profit it recorded a year earlier.

This report comes only hours after the Bitcoin miner entered a strategic partnership with Barry Sternlicht’s Starwood Capital Group.

MARA’s $1.7 Billion Loss Underscores Bitcoin Volatility — But AI Pivot Signals a New Playbook

MARA’s $1.7 billion Q4 loss came against the backdrop of a roughly 30% decline in Bitcoin’s price during the period. This forced the company to take a $1.5 billion non-cash fair value write-down on its digital asset holdings.

  • Revenue for the quarter slipped 6% year-over-year (YoY) to $202.3 million, down from $214.4 million in Q4 2024.
  • Adjusted EBITDA swung dramatically to negative $1.49 billion, compared with positive $796 million in the same period last year.
  • For the full year, MARA reported a net loss of $1.3 billion, compared with net income of $541 million in 2024.

This shows how mark-to-market accounting can amplify volatility for large Bitcoin treasuries. Despite the earnings hit, MARA ended 2025 with 53,822 BTC on its balance sheet, up 20% YoY.

Mara Holdings BTC and Q4 2025 Report
Mara Holdings BTC and Q4 2025 Report. Source: Mara Q4 2025 Report

At a year-end valuation of approximately $87,498 per Bitcoin, those holdings were worth roughly $4.7 billion. Of the total:

  • 38,507 BTC were unrestricted,
  • 9,377 were loaned, and
  • 5,938 were pledged as collateral.

This means about 28% of its Bitcoin stack is encumbered. The company generated $32.1 million in interest income from lending activities during the year.

Liquidity remained substantial. MARA reported about $5.3 billion in combined unrestricted cash and Bitcoin holdings, including loaned and pledged assets.

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It also raised $568.6 million in 2025 through its at-the-market (ATM) program but suspended usage in Q4, marking the first quarter since 2022 without tapping the facility.

Operationally, the miner continued to expand. Energized hashrate reached a record 66.4 exahash per second (EH/s) in Q4, up 25% from a year earlier. However, this was below its previously stated 75 EH/s target as management emphasized capital discipline.

AI Infrastructure Pivot Reshapes MARA’s Growth Strategy

Bitcoin production totaled 2,011 BTC in the quarter, down 6% YoY, reflecting higher network difficulty and seasonal energy pressures.

Purchased energy cost per Bitcoin rose to $48,611 in Q4, while cost per petahash per day improved 4% to $30.5. It points to efficiency gains from the deployment of newer equipment.

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Beyond mining, MARA is accelerating a strategic pivot toward energy and digital infrastructure, particularly AI and high-performance computing (HPC).

The company announced a joint venture with Starwood Digital Ventures to develop hyperscale, enterprise, and AI-capable data centers.

The partnership aims to deliver approximately 1 gigawatt (GW) of near-term IT capacity, with a roadmap exceeding 2.5 GW over time.

MARA can invest up to 50% in the projects, positioning itself for recurring infrastructure revenue and reduced exposure to Bitcoin price swings.

The company also highlighted its 64% stake in Exaion and the acquisition of a 42-megawatt data center in Nebraska as part of its AI/HPC expansion strategy.

Adding to market intrigue, MARA recently updated its executive compensation metrics in an 8-K filing. The company tied stock awards to megawatt capacity and contracted recurring revenue rather than solely to mining output.

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The filing also introduced a change-of-control provision under which performance targets would automatically be treated as achieved if the company is sold. This move has fueled takeover speculation among investors.

Taken together, MARA appears to be balancing a massive Bitcoin treasury with an ambitious infrastructure buildout.

If this is true, then its transformation from a pure-play miner to a diversified energy and AI platform may determine whether it can smooth earnings volatility in the next crypto cycle.

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Crypto World

CFTC Staff Share FAQ on Crypto Collateral

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CFTC Staff Share FAQ on Crypto Collateral

The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission has given more details on its expectations for the use of crypto as collateral amid a pilot program that the agency launched last year.

In a notice on Friday, the CFTC’s Market Participants Division and Division of Clearing and Risk responded to frequently asked questions that emerged from two staff letters issued in December that established a pilot allowing crypto to be used as collateral in derivatives markets.

The notice reminded futures commission merchants wanting to take part in the pilot that they must file a notice with the Market Participants Division “which includes the date on which it will commence accepting crypto assets from customers as margin collateral.”

The crypto industry has argued that crypto technology is best suited for 24-7 trading and instant settlement, and the CFTC’s guidance in December clarified what tokenized assets can be used as collateral, along with how to value them and calculate how much is needed for a trading position.

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CFTC aligns guidance with SEC

The CFTC made clear its guidance was to align with the Securities and Exchange Commission, as the two agencies work together on a regulatory framework for crypto.

The CFTC said that capital charges, the amount that must be held to cover losses, would be “consistent with the SEC” and that futures commission merchants should apply a 20% capital charge for positions in Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH), while stablecoins should get a 2% charge.

Source: Mike Selig

The notice added that futures commission merchants taking part in the pilot can only accept Bitcoin, Ether, or stablecoins for the first three months and must give prompt notice of any significant cybersecurity or system issues. They must also file weekly reports of the total crypto held across customer account types.

After the three-month period, other cryptocurrencies can be accepted as collateral and the reporting requirements will end.

Related: SEC interpretation on crypto laws ‘a beginning, not an end,’ says Atkins

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The notice also clarified that “only proprietary payment stablecoins may be deposited as residual interest in customer segregated accounts” and that futures commission merchants can’t accept other cryptocurrencies for that purpose.

The CFTC said that crypto and stablecoins cannot be used for collateral of uncleared swaps, but swap dealers can use tokenized versions of an eligible asset if it meets regulatory requirements and grants the holder the same rights in its traditional form.

Meanwhile, derivatives clearing organizations can accept crypto and stablecoins as initial margin for cleared transactions if they meet CFTC requirements regarding minimal credit, market, and liquidity risks.

Magazine: How crypto laws changed in 2025 — and how they’ll change in 2026

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