Beckham-Backed Health Firm Halts Bitcoin Purchases Amid Crypto Jitters

Another corporate crypto strategy hits the brakes—this time with celebrity sparkle.

When Regulation Knocks

Forget the moon. The immediate frontier for crypto adoption is navigating an ever-shifting regulatory landscape. The unnamed 'concerns' forcing this pivot almost certainly orbit compliance, volatility, or plain old accounting headaches. It's the corporate playbook: innovate first, ask permission later—until the lawyers finally get a seat at the table.

The Celebrity Factor Cuts Both Ways

David Beckham's involvement brings global attention, but also magnifies every stumble. When a celebrity-backed brand flinches, it sends a signal far louder than a no-name startup doing the same. It's a reminder that for all the hype, mainstream institutional comfort with crypto remains a fickle thing—easily spooked by a regulatory glare or a quarterly report.

Not a Death Knell, a Reality Check

This isn't about crypto failing. It's about the messy, non-linear path of adoption. Companies will rush in, get burned by volatility or red tape, and retreat to reassess. It's the cycle of innovation, just with more memes and margin calls. The smart money watches these pullbacks not as failures, but as stress tests for the infrastructure everyone will need later.

So, another 'strategic pause' enters the ledger. The finance world watches, stifles a yawn, and waits for the next earnings call where some other CEO will tout blockchain as the future—right after writing down their last digital asset experiment. The dance continues.

Prenetics Halts Daily Bitcoin Buying

According to Bloomberg and other news outlets, Prenetics had been testing a treasury approach similar to models used by other public firms that purchased bitcoin as a reserve asset.

The company began accumulating Bitcoin earlier in 2025, but management signaled a change in course as market conditions grew harder.

Reports have disclosed that the board and leadership looked at the math and decided pausing purchases WOULD better protect cash and shareholder value while preserving the existing crypto holding.

IM8 Growth Takes Center Stage

Based on reports, a large part of the shift is driven by the rapid growth of IM8, Prenetics’ consumer health and nutrition brand co-founded with Beckham. The company has said IM8 reached over $100 million in annualized recurring revenue within 11 months of operations.

Management has also provided guidance that IM8 could generate about $180 million–$200 million in revenue in fiscal 2026, numbers that have helped persuade investors the business can stand on its own.

The $48 million round completed in October 2025 was seen as funding to both back IM8 expansion and to support the earlier Bitcoin plan; now the emphasis is being redirected.

Shares of Prenetics have shown relative stability even after the announcement, reflecting some investor support for the health business strategy.

Analysts and market watchers say the company’s decision mirrors a wider reassessment among several firms that had adopted crypto treasury strategies earlier in the year.

Where some companies doubled down, others chose caution as Bitcoin fell from its highs and volatility persisted.

Reports point out that holding the existing 510 BTC lets Prenetics keep potential upside without committing fresh capital while it focuses on product growth.

Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView