Crypto Journalist

Anas Hassan

Crypto Journalist

Anas Hassan

About Author

Anas is a crypto native journalist and SEO writer with over five years of writing experience covering blockchain, crypto, DeFi, and emerging tech.

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Last updated: 

September 12, 2025

Smarter Web Company is exploring acquisitions of distressed competitors to acquire their Bitcoin holdings at discount prices.

According to a Financial Times report, the UK’s largest corporate Bitcoin holder with over £200 million in crypto reserves made the revelation despite its shares plummeting 73% from their mid-June peak.

Founder Andrew Webley told the publication that “there’s one that’s very attractive, there’s one that I’ve got my sights on at the moment,“ though he declined to name the acquisition target.

The Bristol-based firm would “certainly consider” snapping up other companies for their Bitcoin at a discount, Webley explained, as some crypto treasury companies now trade below the value of their Bitcoin holdings.

Strategic Accumulation Amid Market Turbulence

Smarter Web has undergone a dramatic transformation from its origins as a website design business, pivoting heavily toward Bitcoin accumulation throughout 2025 under what the company calls “The 10 Year Plan.”

The firm currently holds 2,470 Bitcoin worth approximately £200 million, having crossed the 2,000 BTC milestone in July after purchasing 225 additional coins for £19.9 million.

This aggressive strategy has generated what the company describes as a 49,198% year-to-date Bitcoin yield, positioning Smarter Web among the top 25 global corporate Bitcoin holders despite maintaining just £500,000 in remaining treasury cash.

The company’s accumulation efforts have been financed through innovative debt structures, including the UK’s first Bitcoin-denominated convertible bond worth $21 million issued to Paris-based TOBAM in August.

Unlike traditional convertible bonds, this structure denominates the principal repayment amount in Bitcoin while keeping the conversion share price fixed at £2.05, representing a 5% premium to the stock’s closing price at the time.

Webley acknowledged the dramatic valuation swings, telling the publication that “we probably got overvalued and now we’re almost certainly undervalued,” while expressing concern for shareholders who have experienced the volatility.

Despite the share price correction, the company briefly achieved a £1 billion market capitalization over the summer and has gained approximately 150% year-to-date, outperforming all but one company in the FTSE 350.

The firm appointed Albert Soleiman, former CFO of trading group CMC Markets, as chief financial officer last week as it pursues institutional investor interest and FTSE 100 ambitions.

UK Treasury Company Wave Meets Market Skepticism

Smarter Web’s acquisition strategy emerges within a broader wave of UK-listed companies adopting Bitcoin treasury models, with at least nine firms announcing similar strategy in recent months.

These companies have followed the playbook pioneered by Saylor’s MicroStrategy, which has accumulated over 638,460 BTC and achieved a market capitalization exceeding $90 billion since first purchasing the cryptocurrency in 2020.

The UK movement includes firms ranging from AI services provider Tao Alpha, which disclosed plans to raise £100 million for Bitcoin purchases, to natural resources company Panther Metals, whose shares surged 81% after buying a single Bitcoin.

However, market analysts have raised concerns about the sustainability and strategic clarity of the crypto treasury trend as hundreds of companies worldwide race to accumulate digital assets.

Eric Benoist, tech and data research specialist at Natixis CIB, warned that “the story is starting to become less attractive to mainstream investors,” noting that “there’s still no clear end game to this strategy.”

The broader corporate Bitcoin treasury movement has seen over 325 entities accumulate 3.71 million Bitcoin collectively, as per BitcoinTreasuries data, even though some industry observers question whether the market has reached saturation.

Galaxy Digital’s Michael Novogratz had previously suggested that the market may have reached “peak treasury company issuance,” while VanEck’s Matthew Sigel warned that companies issuing shares near their Bitcoin net asset value risk creating “erosion” rather than capital formation.

If executed well, Smarter Web’s acquisition strategy could bring a new paradigm in the space, potentially allowing successful treasury companies to consolidate Bitcoin holdings from struggling competitors at favorable valuations.

The approach mirrors historical debt-financed asset acquisition strategies, where savvy investors have borrowed in depreciating currencies to purchase scarce assets during market downturns.

United Kingdom-based web design and marketing firm The Smarter Web Company has expanded its Bitcoin treasury, purchasing an additional 230.05 BTC for 17.97 million British pounds ($24.7 million) at an average price of 78,103 pounds ($107,126) per coin.

The London-listed firm now holds 773.58 BTC acquired at an average price of 78,022 pounds ($107,015), bringing its total Bitcoin (BTC) investment to over $82.6 million, according to a filing on Tuesday.

The purchase is part of Smarter Web’s “10 Year Plan,” a strategy launched in April to drive transparent growth through a Digital Assets Treasury Policy, which focuses on Bitcoin accumulation, to support “longer-term business value.”

The company said it still has approximately 38 million pounds ($52.3 million) in cash available to deploy into further Bitcoin buys.

Related: Kazakhstan plans to establish national crypto reserve

Smarter Web raises $62 million

The filing also detailed recent fundraising efforts that netted roughly 45 million pounds ($62 million) from a series of subscriptions and accelerated bookbuilds. These moves diluted existing shareholders’ stakes by 9%.

The update also disclosed current shareholdings for key directors following the fundraising, with CEO Andrew Webley and his family holding around 11.3% of the company.

Smarter Web began accepting Bitcoin as payment in 2023. “The Company believes that Bitcoin forms a core part of the future of the global financial system and as the Company explores opportunities through organic growth and corporate acquisitions,” the filing reads.

Related: Texas governor signs bill adding Bitcoin to official reserves

UK-based companies race to buy Bitcoin

Smarter Web’s recent purchase comes as UK-listed firms are piling into Bitcoin. Over the past week, at least nine small-cap companies on exchanges like Aquis have either announced Bitcoin purchases or plans to add the cryptocurrency to their treasuries.

These include AI services group Tao Alpha, which plans to raise 100 million pounds ($137 million) after unveiling a Bitcoin strategy, and Smarter Web Company, which purchased 196 Bitcoin to add to its growing holdings.

Furthermore, Panther Metals revealed it bought a single Bitcoin. Bluebird Mining Ventures secured 2 million pounds ($2.7 million) to purchase Bitcoin, while Vinanz attracted 3.58 million pounds ($5 million) in funding from investors.

Magazine: Secrets of crypto founders under 25 who are making bank

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The Smarter Web Company, a web design and digital marketing business based in the UK, has secured £41.2 million ($56.6 million) in new funding after buying a large amount of Bitcoin
BTC


$107,149.48

.

The company announced on June 26 that the funds came from institutional investors through a fast fundraising process called an accelerated bookbuild.

This method allows companies to raise money in a short time without promoting the offer in advance.

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The money was collected in two parts. The first raised £36.27 million ($49.8 million) through the main offer. The second part brought in another £4.97 million ($6.82 million) through a separate subscription offer.

Shares were sold at £2.90 ($3.98) each, and the company expects the new shares to begin trading on July 1.

On June 24, Smarter Web revealed it had spent over $20 million to purchase 196.8 Bitcoin at an average price of $103,290 per coin. This brought its total Bitcoin holdings to 543.52 BTC, with an average purchase price of $104,450.

The company has been actively adding to its Bitcoin position in June. Its holdings have grown from 83.24 BTC to 543.52 BTC since May 29, with five separate purchases in June alone. That represents a total increase of 460.28 BTC in less than a month.

Recently, ECD Automotive Design, known for rebuilding classic Land Rovers and Jaguars, signed a $500 million equity deal with ECDA Bitcoin Treasury LLC. What is the funding for? Read the full story.

Having completed a Master’s degree in Economics, Politics, and Cultures of the East Asia region, Aaron has written scientific papers analyzing the differences between Western and Collective forms of capitalism in the post-World War II era.
With close to a decade of experience in the FinTech industry, Aaron understands all of the biggest issues and struggles that crypto enthusiasts face. He’s a passionate analyst who is concerned with data-driven and fact-based content, as well as that which speaks to both Web3 natives and industry newcomers.
Aaron is the go-to person for everything and anything related to digital currencies. With a huge passion for blockchain & Web3 education, Aaron strives to transform the space as we know it, and make it more approachable to complete beginners.
Aaron has been quoted by multiple established outlets, and is a published author himself. Even during his free time, he enjoys researching the market trends, and looking for the next supernova.

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What you need to know

• Samsung is planning to upgrade the Galaxy Z Fold 7 Ultra’s camera with a new AI system.
• The new software will “understand what you’re looking at” and “respond,” according to the latest teaser.
• Samsung once again teases that the Galaxy Z Fold upgrade will include an “Ultra” camera.

Samsung continues to tease the launch of its next foldable, the Galaxy Z Fold 7, and today it revealed a bit about the phone’s planned camera upgrades. The company reinforced the need for hardware, software, and AI to work together to provide top-notch mobile camera experiences in 2025, as it wrote in a blog post. Specifically, Samsung previewed an intelligent camera system that can understand what you’re shooting and adjust on the fly to match any situation.

“As AI evolves from text-based prompts to multimodal understanding, Galaxy devices are becoming smarter — able to get what you’re looking at and respond to situations. The camera is at the heart of this transformation,” the company explained. “More than just a tool for capturing images, coupled with enhanced AI-powered features, the Galaxy camera is now part of the intuitive interface that turns what users see into understanding and action.”

We’ve already seen intelligent software use mobile cameras for object recognition and context awareness. The Samsung Galaxy S25 series was one of the first to get Gemini Live’s multimodal video streaming capabilities. With it, users can show Gemini their surroundings and converse with AI about them.

However, this teaser confirms Samsung has bigger plans for how AI can improve camera performance on foldable phones.

“When paired with the flexible, expansive screen of a foldable, this experience becomes even more powerful, dynamic and immersive,” Samsung writes. “Because innovation means nothing without trust, privacy is built into every layer helping to ensure that data is protected at all times.”

The teasers come as Samsung is expected to bring over the flagship 200MP camera sensor from the Galaxy Z Fold 6 Special Edition to the upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 7 this year.

“The camera will only get smarter — helping users capture life’s moments more vividly and make everyday experiences more seamless, personal and impactful,” the company adds.

The blog post concludes with a final message: “The Ultra experience is ready to unfold.”

Whether it’s called the Galaxy Z Fold Ultra, Galaxy Z Fold 7, or Galaxy Z Fold 7 Ultra, it’s clear we’re in for big camera upgrades when it comes to Samsung’s next-generation foldable.

Supra is aiming to rewrite the Oracle rulebook with its new AI-driven protocol to enhance decentralized reasoning.

Blockchain infrastructure firm Supra has introduced a new oracle system, “Threshold AI Oracles,” marking a significant leap in on-chain intelligence. Unlike traditional oracles that feed data into smart contracts, Supra’s system brings real-time, context-aware AI reasoning—enabled by domain-specialist agents operating in decentralized committees—directly onto its Layer-1 blockchain.

AI Committees, Not Just Data Pipes

Supra’s use of multi-agent AI committees is at the heart of the innovation. These agents don’t just retrieve data—they deliberate. Each committee comprises specialized agents trained in domain-specific knowledge such as finance, law, or technical infrastructure.

This allows dApps to ask complex, context-rich questions like whether a regulatory change has actually taken effect or if market sentiment supports a liquidation. The agents exchange arguments and build consensus before issuing a judgment—mirroring real-world expert panels in process design, as outlined in their technical whitepaper.

Verifiability Baked In

To establish trust, Supra has embedded threshold BLS cryptographic signatures into every AI decision. A quorum of decentralized AI agents must reach consensus before an output is signed and shared. This creates a verifiable trail and removes the need for centralized trust or opaque AI plugins—decisions are both transparent and tamper-proof.

Smarter, Cheaper, On Demand

The Threshold AI model activates only when summoned by a smart contract or when on-chain triggers occur. This just-in-time architecture significantly reduces gas fees and ensures scalability, providing intelligence only when needed.

Three-Phase Rollout

Supra is deploying the protocol in stages:

• Phase 1: Basic outputs like yes/no answers and sentiment scores

• Phase 2: JSON-structured commands for automating processes across DeFi and DAOs

• Phase 3: Full smart contract code generation, enabling dApps to evolve autonomously

Source: Supra

Real-World Impact

This protocol opens new horizons for applications in:

• Dynamic DeFi strategy execution – dApps could respond to evolving market sentiment in real-time, adjusting trading or lending strategies automatically.

• Automated DAO governance – Proposals can be evaluated by AI agents for relevance, feasibility, or legal implications before going to a vote, streamlining decision-making.

• Prediction market resolution – AI committees can assess nuanced, real-world events (e.g., election outcomes or policy changes) to settle markets accurately and fairly.

• Smart contracts triggered by off-chain events – External developments like regulatory shifts, supply chain disruptions, or news headlines can activate on-chain responses without manual input.

• Regulatory compliance checks in real-time – Financial applications can verify if a new rule has taken effect or applies to a transaction, helping prevent violations.

• Automated insurance claim assessments – AI agents could evaluate conditions and documentation to determine payout eligibility.

• Adaptive logic in on-chain gaming – Game mechanics can evolve dynamically based on player behaviour or broader community activity.

Beyond Traditional Oracles

While traditional oracles, like Chainlink, mainly supply raw data like prices or timestamps, Supra’s AI-driven oracles aim to go a step further—analyzing, interpreting, and verifying the information before passing it on. This approach would help dApps make better-informed decisions, without relying on off-chain systems or centralized services.

Fully Integrated Stack

Threshold AI Oracles are tightly integrated with Supra’s broader platform, which includes smart contracts, native price feeds, and cross-chain messaging. The protocol leverages a layered committee structure to ensure both scalability and resistance to manipulation.

Developers can explore features and access demos through the company’s Developer Hub. With Threshold AI Oracles, Supra is positioning itself at the forefront of intelligent blockchain automation—enabling a new era of smart contracts that don’t just act, but think.