Beckham-Backed Prenetics Halts Bitcoin Purchases in Strategic 2026 Pivot

Prenetics, the health-tech firm with David Beckham's name attached, just pulled the plug on its Bitcoin treasury strategy. No more monthly buys. The move signals a dramatic shift in corporate crypto adoption—or a retreat.

The Great Unwind

Forget dollar-cost averaging into digital gold. The company's board decided cold storage wasn't cutting it for their balance sheet optics. They're reallocating that capital—probably into something with less volatility and more traditional spreadsheet-friendly projections. Because nothing says 'stable growth' like avoiding an asset that can swing 20% before lunch.

Portfolio Detox

This isn't a sell-off—yet. They're sitting on their existing stash, watching the charts like everyone else. But the buying spree is over. The message to shareholders? We're focusing on our core business. Translation: We'd rather explain a missed earnings target than a Bitcoin crash wiping out a chunk of our reserves.

The New Corporate Playbook

Prenetics joins a growing list of firms quietly backing away from aggressive crypto treasury strategies. The hype cycle of 2021-2023 has given way to pragmatic—some would say boring—capital management. It's a classic finance tale: chase the trend on the way up, cite 'strategic re-focusing' on the way down. The only thing more predictable than Bitcoin's cycles might be corporate boards following them a few quarters late.

TLDR

• Prenetics stops Bitcoin buying after acquiring 510 BTC worth $45 million.
• The firm raised $48M in 2025 to support its 1 BTC per day strategy.
• PRE stock fell 3.5% after the Bitcoin strategy halt was announced.
• IM8 brand, tied to Beckham, hit $100M revenue in under a year.

Prenetics Global Limited, a Nasdaq-listed health sciences company associated with David Beckham, has stopped its daily Bitcoin purchases as of December 2025. The company confirmed that it will not allocate any existing or new capital to further Bitcoin acquisitions in 2026.

LATEST:David Beckham-backed supplements firm Prenetics has abandoned its bitcoin treasury strategy less than three months after raising $48M for it, choosing instead to focus entirely on its IM8 brand. pic.twitter.com/hCKCxqDZVi

— CoinMarketCap (@CoinMarketCap) December 31, 2025

Prenetics had launched a “1 BTC per day” purchase plan in August 2025, which brought its total Bitcoin holdings to around 510 BTC, currently valued at $45 million. The firm’s revised approach comes as Bitcoin faced a sharp market decline in late 2025, raising concerns about short-term volatility in corporate treasury strategies.

Bitcoin Market Drop Triggers Strategic Shift

Bitcoin experienced a strong drawdown in November and December 2025. This negatively affected several public firms that held large Bitcoin reserves. Among them, MicroStrategy saw its stock fall more than 60% over six months, even more than Bitcoin itself.

The market downturn exposed the risks companies face when using equity-funded crypto strategies. These approaches can increase losses due to leverage and changing investor confidence. MicroStrategy’s situation drew attention from both analysts and corporate boards, highlighting the reputational and governance challenges linked to holding volatile assets like Bitcoin.

Amid these developments, Prenetics decided to shift its capital allocation focus to its Core business activities. The decision was supported by the company’s board, which agreed unanimously to stop Bitcoin purchases going forward.

IM8 Growth Takes Priority

The company now plans to prioritize the expansion of IM8, its health and nutrition brand co-founded with David Beckham. IM8 has generated $100 million in recurring revenue within 11 months of launch and is expected to reach between $160 million and $200 million in 2026.

CEO Danny Yeung said, “Operating from a position of strength, we are making disciplined strategic decisions that reflect our experience as operators and our commitment to maximizing long-term shareholder value.”

The revenue success of IM8 influenced the board’s strategy shift, placing more focus on product and market growth rather than financial asset holdings. The firm also stated it will retain its existing Bitcoin as a treasury reserve but will not expand that position further.

Broader Industry Pullback from Crypto Treasuries

Prenetics is not alone in this pivot. Several firms that previously adopted digital asset treasury strategies are scaling back. ETHZilla, backed by Peter Thiel, recently sold $74.5 million worth of ethereum and closed its crypto treasury division.

This trend indicates a growing reluctance among public companies to use Bitcoin as a CORE financial asset. For many firms, the risk outweighs the reward, especially during market corrections. Prenetics’ PRE stock dropped 3.5% following the announcement, but the company has still seen a 189% gain in 2025 overall.

While Prenetics is no longer purchasing Bitcoin, it remains one of the few non-crypto firms to hold a sizable digital asset reserve. The decision to shift away from daily Bitcoin accumulation is being seen as a tactical step to strengthen its position in the health science market.