Norwegian crypto brokerage K33 plans to join the growing number of public companies buying up Bitcoin after raising 60 million Swedish krona ($6.2 million) to buy and hold the cryptocurrency.

K33 said on May 28 that it secured financing through convertible loans and a new issue of shares and warrants, which “will be used in full to acquire Bitcoin in order to establish the Bitcoin Treasury Strategy.”

Warrants are zero-interest securities that investors can later convert into equity at the same price. K33 could purchase up to 57 Bitcoin (BTC) at BTC’s current price of just over $108,000. 

Source: K33

K33 CEO Bull Jenssen posted to X on May 28 that he thinks Bitcoin will be the “best-performing asset in the coming decade,” and his company will “accumulate as many as possible while unlocking powerful operational synergies with our brokerage operation.”

“Why wait for the government to build a Bitcoin reserve when you can build you own? Initial financing is secured and we are ready to accelerate from here!” he added in another post. 

The convertible loans total 45 million Swedish krona ($4.6 million), are interest-free and mature on June 30, 2028. The remaining 15 million Swedish krona ($1.5 million) will come through a new share issuance and warrants, according to K33. 

If investors convert their warrants before March 2026, they are entitled to additional free warrants at the same conversion rate. If fully exercised, K33 could raise up to 75 million Swedish krona ($7.7 million) for its Bitcoin buy. 

Bitcoin treasury part of expansion plans 

In K33’s interim report for the first quarter, released May 28, Jenssen said K33 is working with other Bitcoin treasury companies in the Nordics and hopes to use its treasury as a foundation to offer new services, such as BTC-backed lending. 

“For K33, Bitcoin is not only a high-conviction asset — it’s also a strategic enabler. With a sizable BTC reserve, we will be able to strengthen our financial position while unlocking new revenue streams, product capabilities, and partnerships,” he said. 

Related: Strategy bags 4,020 Bitcoin as price briefly breaks $110K

K33’s share price traded flat with the news of its Bitcoin treasury pivot and closed May 28 trading down 1.96%, according to Google Finance.

K33’s stock price wasn’t affected by the announcement of the firm’s Bitcoin strategy. Source: Google Finance

Some companies have seen their stock prices gain after announcing a Bitcoin buying plan.

Video game retailer GameStop shares jumped nearly 12% on March 26 after the company announced plans to purchase Bitcoin. However, it dropped 11% on May 11 after GameStop made its first purchase of 4,710 Bitcoin.

Meanwhile, when Paris-based crypto company Blockchain Group started buying Bitcoin on Nov. 5, its stock spiked 225% to 0.48 euros ($0.52).

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Former CFTC chair Rostin Behnam said the crypto market will remain unregulated unless the agency he led under President Joe Biden is given greater authority.

Crypto mining stocks fell on May 28 amid uncertainty stemming from the Federal Reserve’s minutes, while the broader crypto market remained relatively resilient.

Blockchain land record management firm Balcony has signed a five-year deal with officials in New Jersey’s Bergen County to tokenize 370,000 property deeds onchain.

Nvidia shares have jumped nearly 5% after-hours after the chipmaker’s Q1 results beat estimates on revenue but fell short on earnings.

A Manhattan federal court has frozen $57 million worth of USDC allegedly tied to the controversial Libra memecoin.

Key takeaways:

97% of ETH put options will expire worthless if ETH holds above $2,600.

A bullish ETH price outcome could be limited by macroeconomic factors and trading strategies that cap Ether gains.

On May 30, $2.4 billion in Ether (ETH) options will expire—an event that could support ETH’s attempt to break above the $2,700 mark for the first time in over three months. Despite the recent gains, Ether is down 21% in 2025, while the broader cryptocurrency market has seen a 5% increase.

Ether bulls are motivated to keep ETH above $2,600 ahead of the monthly expiry. However, weak network activity on Ethereum suggests that the upside potential may be limited.

Ether/USD (blue) vs. Total crypto capitalization (green). Source: TradingView / Cointelegraph

Analysts believe Ether’s underperformance stems from rising competition among blockchains focused on decentralized applications. Still, ETH holds a key advantage as the only altcoin with a spot exchange-traded fund (ETF) offering in the United States. These ETFs attracted $287 million in net inflows between May 19 and May 27, reflecting increased interest from institutional investors.

Even as demand for Ether-based investment products grows, deposits and onchain activity on the Ethereum network have declined. This trend is especially troubling as rivals like Solana, BNB Chain, and Tron continue to gain market share. Ethereum no longer ranks among the top ten protocols in terms of fees, creating a supply imbalance that contributes to inflationary pressure on ETH.

Sell (put) options ill-prepared for ETH prices above $2,600ETH options aggregate open interest, USD. Source: Laevitas.ch

Even though the $1.3 billion in call (buy) options dominate the May 30 expiry, that doesn’t necessarily imply that those traders will reinvest the proceeds in new bullish positions. Many option strategies involve multiple maturities and are structured in ways that don’t benefit from ETH rising above specific thresholds. Additionally, traders may hedge their exposure through futures markets.

The $1.1 billion in put (sell) options were clearly caught off guard, as 97% were set at $2,600 or lower. These contracts will expire worthless if ETH holds above that level at 8:00 am UTC on May 30. While this imbalance is unusual, a similar outcome could affect the overly optimistic call options with strike prices at $2,800 and above if ETH remains near current levels.

Related: SharpLink launches Ethereum treasury, taps Joe Lubin as board chair

Below are four likely scenarios based on current price trends. These outcomes estimate theoretical profits based on open interest imbalances and do not account for complex strategies.

Between $2,300 and $2,500: $420 million in calls (buy) vs. $220 million in puts (sell). The net result favors the call instruments by $200 million.

Between $2,500 and $2,600: $500 million calls vs. $130 million puts, favoring calls by $370 million.

Between $2,600 and $2,700: $590 million calls vs. $35 million puts, favoring calls by $555 million.

Between $2,700 and $2,900: $780 million calls vs. $10 million puts, favoring calls by $770 million.

Bulls are strongly incentivized to push ETH past $2,700, yet the broader context may override those efforts. Given the strong correlation between cryptocurrencies and the S&P 500, macroeconomic indicators and corporate earnings are likely to remain the primary forces shaping investor risk appetite—and ultimately, ETH’s price at the time of the monthly options expiry.

This article is for general information purposes and is not intended to be and should not be taken as legal or investment advice. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph.

The US Labor Department has officially rescinded guidance issued during the Biden administration that limited the inclusion of cryptocurrency in 401(k) retirement plans.

On May 28, the Labor Department revoked a 2022 guidance that had urged fiduciaries to be “extremely cautious” when considering cryptocurrency for 401(k) retirement plans. The move could give asset managers more flexibility to include digital assets in retirement investment options.

The government agency removed the guidance asserting that it represented a departure from the department’s “historically neutral, principled-based approach to fiduciary investment decisions.”

“We’re rolling back this overreach and making it clear that investment decisions should be made by fiduciaries, not D.C. bureaucrats,” said US Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer.

The Labor Department under Biden criticized the practice of marketing cryptocurrencies to 401(k) participants. At the time, the agency claimed cryptocurrencies posed “significant risks and challenges” to participants’ retirement accounts due to their “speculative and volatile” nature and “valuation concerns,” among other reasons.

The American Banking Association (ABA) criticized the 2022 compliance release, claiming that it did not make the guidance available for public comment and review prior to issuance.

Related: Fidelity introduces retirement accounts with minimal-fee crypto investing

Trump administration shifts crypto landscape

President Trump has pledged to make the United States “the world capital of crypto” during his 2024 campaign.Under his administration, the Securities and Exchange Commission has scaled back several enforcement actions and investigations involving Web3 companies such as Uniswap, Coinbase, and Kraken, while also engaging in policy discussions on topics like real-world asset tokenization and the regulatory status of certain tokens. At the same time, some lawmakers have expressed concerns about Trump’s involvement in the crypto space, including calls for greater scrutiny of his associated ventures.

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