Riot Platforms sold $200 million of bitcoin in 2025's last two months

Markets Share Share this article Copy link X icon X (Twitter) LinkedIn Facebook Email Riot Platforms sold $200 million of bitcoin in 2025's last two months VanEck’s head of digital assets said bitcoin sales and the AI trade are increasingly linked as miners fund infrastructure build-outs. By James Van Straten , AI Boost | Edited by Stephen Alpher Jan 6, 2026, 5:23 p.m. Make us preferred on Google Mining machines (Sandali Handagama) What to know : Riot Platforms sold 1,818 bitcoin in December and 383 in November, generating approximately $200 million and reducing its BTC balance to 18,005 coins. Matthew Sigel of asset manager VanEck said the sales could fully fund the first phase of Riot’s Corsicana AI data center build. Riot Platforms (RIOT), a publicly listed bitcoin mining company that develops and operates large-scale data centers, stepped up its bitcoin selling at year-end, offloading 1,818 BTC ($161.6 million) and 383 BTC ($37 million) in November. The sales reduced Riot’s bitcoin balance to 18,005 BTC by the end of 2025. While bitcoin miner sales of coins can occur for various reasons, Matthew Sigel, head of digital assets research at VanEck, suggested that funding for the company's AI build-out could be at play. The amount sold, he noted, is “roughly the entire capex Riot has guided for the first 112 MW core/shell build at Corsicana, targeting completion in Q1 2027. In other words, one winter of BTC sales equals funding Phase 1 of the AI data center pivot.” STORY CONTINUES BELOW Don't miss another story. Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today . See all newsletters Sign me up By signing up, you will receive emails about CoinDesk products and you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . Sigel added that the AI trade and bitcoin are increasingly linked, arguing that miners have been among the largest marginal sellers of BTC as they fund AI related capex, especially when credit conditions tighten. It could be one of many reasons for bitcoin's decline during 2025. Riot shares are lower by 2% on Tuesday alongside a 1.2% retreat in the price of bitcoin to $92,500. Bitcoin News Riot platforms AI Disclaimer: Parts of this article were generated with the assistance from AI tools and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy and adherence to our standards . For more information, see CoinDesk's full AI Policy . More For You KuCoin Hits Record Market Share as 2025 Volumes Outpace Crypto Market By CoinDesk Research Dec 22, 2025 Commissioned by KuCoin KuCoin captured a record share of centralised exchange volume in 2025, with more than $1.25tn traded as its volumes grew faster than the wider crypto market. What to know : KuCoin recorded over $1.25 trillion in total trading volume in 2025 , equivalent to an average of roughly $114 billion per month , marking its strongest year on record. This performance translated into an all-time high share of centralised exchange volume , as KuCoin’s activity expanded faster than aggregate CEX volumes , which slowed during periods of lower market volatility. Spot and derivatives volumes were evenly split , each exceeding $500 billion for the year, signalling broad-based usage rather than reliance on a single product line. Altcoins accounted for the majority of trading activity , reinforcing KuCoin’s role as a primary liquidity venue beyond BTC and ETH at a time when majors saw more muted turnover. Even as overall crypto volumes softened mid-year, KuCoin maintained elevated baseline activity , indicating structurally higher user engagement rather than short-lived volume spikes. View Full Report More For You Crypto prices retreat in return to downward U.S. trading day action By Helene Braun | Edited by Stephen Alpher 15 minutes ago Bitcoin pulled back to just above the $92,000 area as gold surged back to $4,500 per ounce and silver rallied above $80. What to know : Returning to what has been the norm for several weeks, crypto prices fell during U.S. trading hours, erasing overnight gains. The decline occurred as U.S. stocks moved modestly higher, while gold and silver rose sharply to key levels and copper touched a new record. Investors continue to watch the $95,000 level for bitcoin, which is seen as key resistance. 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