MARA Holdings reported weaker second-quarter 2026 financial results on Aug. 6. Revenue fell 27% year over year to $174.9 million, while the Nasdaq-listed company recorded a $611.3 million net loss and negative adjusted EBITDA of $360.9 million, according to its official presentation.

The company ended June with 35,577 BTC, down 29% from 49,951 BTC a year earlier. However, that headline decline masks a small sequential increase from 35,303 BTC at March 31. MARA’s presentation also showed approximately $2.5 billion in combined cash and Bitcoin holdings at quarter-end. Shares closed Aug. 6 at $10.65, down 5.25%, according to Google Finance data.

Source: Google Finance

MARA’s Bitcoin holdings fell after heavy first-quarter sales

The annual decline in MARA’s Bitcoin treasury largely reflects sales earlier in 2026 rather than falling mining production. Its first-quarter filing showed the company sold 20,880 BTC for about $1.5 billion as it funded operations, repurchased debt and pursued new infrastructure investments. Earlier Q1 coverage detailed how the sales reduced MARA’s position from 53,822 BTC at the end of 2025.

During Q2, MARA sold another 2,213 BTC at an average price of $73,078 while producing 2,422 BTC. That left holdings slightly higher than at the end of March. The company’s treasury policy now permits opportunistic sales of balance-sheet Bitcoin, a change from its earlier emphasis on retaining mined coins.

At June 30, 4,742 BTC were loaned and 4,528 BTC were pledged as collateral, while 26,307 BTC were unrestricted. After the quarter ended, MARA pledged another 18,750 BTC as initial collateral for two Bitcoin-backed credit facilities, increasing the portion of its treasury being used to support financing.

Mining output rose despite weaker Bitcoin economics

Operational performance improved in several areas. Energized hashrate reached 70.3 EH/s, up 22% from 57.4 EH/s a year earlier. Bitcoin production increased 3% to 2,422 BTC, and blocks won rose 1% to 700. Cost per petahash per day improved 4% to $27.70 from $28.70.

Those gains did not prevent revenue from falling because the average Bitcoin price associated with mining revenue dropped sharply from the prior-year period. MARA reported an average price of Bitcoin mined of roughly $71,325, compared with $98,975 in Q2 2025. Purchased energy cost per Bitcoin at owned sites also rose, showing that greater hashrate alone did not remove profitability pressure.

The net loss was also affected by Bitcoin price accounting. The company recorded roughly $343 million of fair-value losses tied to digital assets and related receivables. That contrasts with the large fair-value gains that supported earnings in the year-earlier quarter and helps explain the swing from $808.2 million in net income to the latest loss.

MARA is using its Bitcoin balance sheet to fund an AI pivot

The company’s strategy increasingly links its Bitcoin reserves with expansion into power and computing infrastructure. After quarter-end, the company arranged two credit facilities that provide $600 million of incremental borrowing capacity and pledged 18,750 BTC as initial collateral. Proceeds may support general corporate purposes, including the planned Long Ridge acquisition.

The Long Ridge transaction is central to MARA’s effort to add AI and high-performance computing capacity. Earlier AI pivot coverage reported that the proposed $1.5 billion acquisition includes a 505-megawatt Ohio gas plant and a campus with potential for more than one gigawatt of computing capacity. The deal still requires regulatory approval before closing.

The firm is also pursuing a Texas project. Its Texas expansion plan covers a 1,200-acre powered site expected to provide up to 2 GW of grid capacity over time. Combined with Long Ridge and other assets, management says its potential power portfolio could reach about 4.8 GW.

What happens next for MARA

The main near-term milestones are financing execution, regulatory approval for Long Ridge and progress on the Texas development. Investors will also watch whether MARA continues selling or pledging Bitcoin as it funds infrastructure. The company has made clear that its treasury can serve as both a long-term asset and a source of liquidity.

Chief Executive Fred Thiel said Bitcoin mining provided the company’s foundation and that digital infrastructure and other initiatives “will expand the value we create from that foundation.” The statement is forward-looking, and the Q2 results show the transition remains costly. Mining output improved, but weaker Bitcoin pricing, higher per-coin energy costs and fair-value losses weighed heavily on reported results.

For now, MARA remains a major public Bitcoin miner and one of the largest corporate Bitcoin holders. Its next quarters will test whether expanding AI infrastructure can add steadier revenue while the company preserves enough Bitcoin exposure to benefit from a recovery in mining economics.

Bitcoin traded near $64,350 on Friday, unchanged on the week, as the whole market drifted ahead of the US payrolls report, per CoinDesk data. Ether held at $1,903 and the rest of the majors sat within a point or two, a market waiting on the data rather than moving on anything of its own.

The setup turned slightly less friendly overnight. Brent rose 1.4% to $83.61 after reports Iran will try to restrict US and Israeli ships through the Strait of Hormuz and demand compensation from countries it deems hostile before letting them pass, stalling the deal that had been pulling oil lower. Higher crude revives the inflation worry that keeps the Fed leaning tight, and the 10-year Treasury yield climbed seven basis points on it during the US session.

That macro chain is the one bitcoin has been stuck inside all summer. Oil up feeds inflation, inflation keeps yields and the dollar firm, and firmer financial conditions cap risk assets. The dollar just posted its best day in two weeks, which is the opposite of the easing setup bulls want.

Today’s jobs number is the release that matters. A soft print revives the case for the Fed to loosen and gives bitcoin room above its range. A strong one, stacked on climbing oil, hands the hawks another reason to hold, and the range that has held since May holds again. Watch the reaction in yields, not just the headline number.

Sui has added two NIST-approved post-quantum signature schemes to its blockchain roadmap as it prepares optional quantum-safe accounts and vaults for future network upgrades.

According to Sui’s latest announcement, the blockchain plans to introduce ML-DSA-65 as a native signature scheme for regular accounts and SLH-DSA-SHA2-128s for high-value smart contract vaults, giving users an optional way to protect accounts against future quantum computing risks without replacing their recovery phrases or moving assets.

Senate Republican leaders are expected to head into the August recess without bringing the CLARITY Act to a vote, according to a report from Politico. Senate Majority Leader John Thune confirmed the chamber would not vote before the recess, setting up a renewed push for consideration when senators return next month.

The delay leaves a major legislative milestone unresolved for the U.S. crypto sector’s most prominent push for a clearer market-structure framework. It also compresses the remaining calendar for lawmakers to secure enough support for a measure that—absent broader consensus—may face procedural hurdles that typically require a high voting threshold.

Key takeaways

• Senate Majority Leader John Thune said the CLARITY Act will not be voted on before August recess, with action expected when senators return next month.
• Politico reports Democrats have not yet provided sufficient support, and negotiations over timing arrangements have not closed.
• Without adequate backing, Republicans may struggle to reach the level of support often needed to overcome a filibuster.
• The CLARITY Act’s goal is to establish a federal framework for digital asset markets and clarify SEC vs. CFTC oversight.

Thune confirms no pre-recess vote

Thune’s position, as described in comments his office provided to Cointelegraph, centers on Senate scheduling and the current state of bipartisan agreement. He pointed to Democratic opposition to procedural timing and said the bill would be prioritized when senators return.

“The Dems are insistent on no Clarity vote,” Thune said, according to remarks his office shared with Cointelegraph. He also indicated that work with the bill’s sponsors is close enough to move quickly once the chamber is back in session, adding that Sen. Cynthia Lummis “was great” during the negotiations and that the effort is “queued up first thing when we come back.”

That matters for investors and developers because the CLARITY Act is intended to reduce uncertainty in U.S. digital-asset market oversight—particularly how regulatory responsibilities are divided between the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. While market participants have long navigated a patchwork of guidance and enforcement, a statutory framework would potentially offer a more durable basis for compliance planning and product design.

Republicans race a shrinking timetable

Politico’s reporting suggests Democratic support remains the central bottleneck. The outlet cited three people familiar with the matter in saying the CLARITY Act lacks Democratic support and that negotiations were still underway as the August schedule tightened.

In the reporting, the challenge is not only whether the bill can reach the floor, but whether Senate leaders can move the remaining pre-recess business without extending the session deeper into the next week—something Politico says would generally require unanimous consent from all 100 senators to complete outstanding items.

One possibility discussed in the reporting is whether Thune could file cloture before the recess. Cloture, if pursued, can be used to limit debate and set up a floor vote later; however, Politico reported that even if cloture were filed, it would not itself be a direct vote on the legislation before senators depart.

Cointelegraph also reported that it requested clarification from Thune’s office on whether he intended to file cloture before the Senate leaves for recess, but did not receive a response by publication.

What the CLARITY Act would change

The CLARITY Act would create a federal framework for digital asset markets and—importantly—clarify how oversight is allocated between the SEC and the CFTC. That division has been a continuing focus for the industry, as regulatory treatment can affect everything from token classification and custody rules to the structure of trading venues and derivatives products.

From an editorial perspective, this is the heart of why the scheduling matters: when lawmakers cannot align quickly enough to bring the bill forward, the U.S. regulatory timeline remains dependent on ongoing agency interpretations and enforcement actions. Those are often slower to resolve and can vary in application, increasing compliance uncertainty for market participants operating in a highly competitive global environment.

Industry reaction: urgency persists

Crypto Council for Innovation CEO Ji Hun Kim called the postponement “disappointing,” according to comments provided to Cointelegraph. He said the legislation’s direction has not changed, but warned that delays continue to impose real-world costs on U.S. users and builders.

“Every day without such a framework pushes American users and builders offshore and leaves consumers at risk,” Kim said.

That critique reflects a common argument within the industry: when legislative clarity stalls, companies may rationally consider relocating or prioritizing non-U.S. markets to reduce regulatory exposure and uncertainty. At the same time, policymakers opposing the bill may be concerned about how any statutory language would codify regulatory power or shift responsibilities between agencies.

Next steps after the recess

Thune’s statement, combined with Politico’s reporting, points to a renewed attempt to move the CLARITY Act when senators return in mid-September. Readers should watch whether Republicans can secure Democratic buy-in for procedural timing—especially any time agreements needed to reach the floor—and whether the chamber can gather the level of support likely required for the bill to advance without running into the most difficult Senate obstacles.