Bitcoin’s Mainstream March: Steak n Shake Pioneers Crypto Employee Rewards

In a landmark move for cryptocurrency adoption within traditional sectors, the iconic American fast-food chain Steak n Shake has announced a groundbreaking Bitcoin-based bonus program for its hourly employees. This initiative, set to commence on March 1, represents a significant corporate endorsement of bitcoin as a legitimate store of value and a forward-thinking component of employee compensation. The program will see hourly workers accrue $0.21 in Bitcoin for every hour worked, with the accrued value distributed after a two-year vesting period through the Fold rewards application. Covering approximately 400 locations across the United States, this program is not merely a pilot but a substantial, nationwide implementation that positions Steak n Shake at the vanguard of integrating digital assets into everyday business and workforce incentives. From a bullish cryptocurrency perspective, this development is profoundly significant. It signals a maturation phase where Bitcoin transcends its speculative and investment-asset origins to become embedded in payroll and human resources frameworks of established, mainstream companies. The two-year vesting period is particularly noteworthy, as it incentivizes employee retention while simultaneously fostering long-term exposure to and education about Bitcoin. By channeling the rewards through the Fold app, Steak n Shake is leveraging existing fintech infrastructure to simplify the user experience, lowering the barrier to entry for thousands of employees who may be new to digital assets. This move effectively transforms a portion of wages into a forced, long-term savings plan in a deflationary asset, contrasting sharply with traditional fiat-based bonuses subject to inflationary erosion. Looking ahead to 2026 and beyond, this corporate adoption trend is expected to accelerate. Steak n Shake's program could serve as a blueprint for other service-industry giants, potentially creating a domino effect. As more companies integrate Bitcoin into compensation packages, it drives consistent, recurring demand from a non-speculative source—the payroll cycle. This creates a powerful, underlying buy pressure that complements investment demand. Furthermore, it accelerates financial literacy and ownership of Bitcoin among a broad demographic, strengthening the network's decentralization and societal embeddedness. For the finance sector, this underscores Bitcoin's evolving role as a dual-purpose asset: a high-potential investment and a practical tool for corporate treasury management and human capital strategy. This real-world utility is a key driver for long-term value appreciation, making such adoption stories critical indicators of a robust, maturing ecosystem poised for sustained growth.

Steak n Shake Introduces Bitcoin Bonus Program for Hourly Employees

Steak n Shake has unveiled a pioneering employee rewards program leveraging Bitcoin, marking a significant step in cryptocurrency adoption within traditional industries. Starting March 1, hourly workers will accrue $0.21 in BTC for every hour worked, with payouts distributed after a two-year vesting period via the Fold rewards app.

The initiative covers approximately 400 U.S. locations, positioning the fast-food chain as an early adopter of crypto-based compensation in its sector. Full-time employees could accumulate nearly $437 annually in Bitcoin at current prices—a figure that may appreciate substantially given BTC's volatility.

While framed as a long-term wealth-building opportunity, the program faces skepticism from critics who argue hourly workers may prefer immediate cash compensation over deferred crypto rewards. The MOVE reflects growing corporate confidence in Bitcoin's store-of-value proposition, despite its inherent price fluctuations.

Bitcoin Advocate Urges Federal Reserve to Include BTC in Stress Tests

Pierre Rochard, CEO of The Bitcoin Bond Company, has formally requested the Federal Reserve to incorporate Bitcoin as a distinct variable in its 2026 supervisory stress tests. The proposal highlights BTC's extreme volatility and increasing institutional adoption as key reasons for standalone treatment in banking risk assessments.

The January 20 submission challenges current practices of grouping Bitcoin with other cryptocurrencies, advocating instead for quantitative calibration based on historical price behavior dating back to 2015. This move comes amid ongoing regulatory uncertainty surrounding Bitcoin holdings in the U.S., particularly following confusion about the disposition of seized assets from the Samourai Wallet case.

Rochard's argument centers on national interest, stating that "it is in the United States' national interest to become the Bitcoin Superpower." The Department of Justice recently clarified the status of 57.5 BTC involved in the Samourai case, confirming their transfer complied with Executive Order 14233 requiring seized Bitcoin to be placed in the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve.

Bitcoin's Paradox: Search Interest Wanes Despite Price Records

Bitcoin's 2025 rally to $126,080 failed to sustain public interest, with Google Trends data showing a 50% year-over-year decline in searches for the cryptocurrency. Social media chatter mirrored this trend—X (formerly Twitter) posts containing "Bitcoin" dropped 32% to 96 million mentions, per developer Jameson Lopp.

Short-lived spikes occurred around political events: President Trump's inauguration, the Ulbricht pardon, and the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve announcement. Yet these failed to reverse the broader disengagement. Even Bitcoin Pizza Day—typically a retail investor favorite—drew tepid participation.

The divergence between price action and public attention suggests maturation. As institutional players dominate flows, retail traders appear less reactive to milestones. "This isn't 2021," says Lopp. "The market moves when BlackRock tweets, not when Reddit memes."

Dutch Crypto Securities Holdings Surge to $1.4B Amid Institutional Adoption

Dutch investors have dramatically increased exposure to crypto-linked securities, with holdings soaring from $94 million in 2020 to $1.4 billion by October 2025 according to central bank data. The growth reflects broader institutional adoption, though crypto still represents just 0.03% of the Netherlands' total securities market.

Households and pension funds are driving demand through ETFs, ETNs, and treasury shares of companies holding crypto assets. Bitcoin's 72% price appreciation during the study period contributed to valuation gains, despite recent volatility bringing prices down from 2025 highs.

The central bank emphasized these figures represent indirect exposure through regulated securities - not direct token ownership - suggesting a maturation of crypto investment channels within traditional finance frameworks.

Strategy Now Holds 3.4% of Bitcoin Supply as Holdings Top 700,000 BTC

Strategy has cemented its position as the dominant institutional holder of Bitcoin, crossing the 700,000 BTC threshold. With 709,715 BTC acquired at an average price of $75,979, the company now controls 3.4% of the total supply—a staggering concentration for a single entity.

The latest purchase of 22,305 BTC for $2.13 billion marks Strategy's largest weekly acquisition since November 2024. This aggressive accumulation continues despite Bitcoin's recent dip below $90,000, which dragged Strategy's stock down 8% in a single session.

CEO Michael Saylor's playbook remains unchanged: diluting MSTR shares to fund Bitcoin purchases. Last week's sale of 10.4 million shares financed this latest buying spree. The strategy appears undeterred by short-term volatility, betting instead on Bitcoin's long-term scarcity narrative.

Mastercard's Crypto Infrastructure Bet Fuels Bitcoin's $1 Million Speculation

Bitcoin's 3% retreat to $88,200 belies a structural shift as payment giants like Mastercard pivot from experimentation to infrastructure integration. The potential Zerohash investment—a regulated custody and settlement platform serving Interactive Brokers and Stripe—signals institutional adoption is accelerating beyond token speculation.

Wall Street's pattern holds: capital flows to rails, not rallies. With BlackRock and Franklin Templeton already embedded in Zerohash's ecosystem, Mastercard's move suggests digital assets are becoming financial plumbing. This raises the stakes for Bitcoin's 2026 trajectory—can infrastructure adoption propel it toward seven figures?