VanEck's Sigel denies allegations that MARA bought BTC.

According to CoinWorld, Matthew Sigel, Head of Digital Asset Research at VanEck, denied claims that MARA Holdings purchased 1,000 Bitcoins, stating that the transaction was likely collateral being returned from Bitcoin-backed loans, rather than a new market acquisition. In a social media post on June 16, Sigel stated that speculation surrounding MARA's purchase of an additional 1,000 Bitcoins was incorrect. His comments were directed at the on-chain analytics platform Lookonchain, which had previously noted a 1,000 Bitcoin transfer involving FalconX and suggested it appeared to be a miner's purchase. MARA sold 20,880 Bitcoins in the first quarter for approximately $1.5 billion, at an average price of $70,137. Sigel stated that the transferred coins were returned loan assets, not new purchases. MARA is currently focused on its AI data center business, although it remains one of the largest corporate Bitcoin holders, holding over 36,000 Bitcoins. According to Yahoo Finance, MARA's stock is up over 63% year-to-date.