Andrew Tate Demands Answers: Why Did MicroStrategy’s Massive Bitcoin Buy Barely Budge the Price?
Another whale-sized Bitcoin purchase hits the tape—and the market barely flinches. It's the crypto puzzle that has even the loudest voices asking questions.
The Big Buy That Didn't Boom
MicroStrategy, the publicly-traded company that's bet its entire treasury on Bitcoin, just added another massive chunk to its stack. The numbers are staggering, a figure that would make any traditional asset manager's head spin. Yet, when the news broke, Bitcoin's price chart looked more like a flatline than a moonshot. No explosive rally, no panic buying—just a collective shrug from the broader market.
Decoding the Disconnect
So what gives? For critics and skeptics, it's a gotcha moment—proof that institutional demand is a myth or that the market is too saturated. But the reality is more nuanced, and frankly, more bullish. This isn't a sign of weakness; it's a sign of staggering strength and maturation. The market is now so deep, so liquid, and so resilient that it can absorb a buy order that would have caused seismic shifts just a few years ago without breaking a sweat. The order book ate it up. It's the financial equivalent of a black hole absorbing a star—immense power, but no visible drama.
Institutional absorption is now a silent, background process, not a headline-driven frenzy. The real action has moved off the public exchanges, into over-the-counter desks and private settlements that don't slam the spot price. The buy pressure is real, but it's becoming institutionalized—efficient, quiet, and relentless. It's the boring, professional accumulation that builds the foundation for the next leg up, not the retail-fueled pump that blows off a week later. After all, what's more Wall Street than talking a big game about market-moving trades while quietly executing in the dark pools where it doesn't affect your own cost basis?
The new paradigm is clear: Bitcoin's market is growing up. It's developing the shock absorbers of a major asset class. The fact that a purchase of this size can be digested so calmly isn't a bear signal—it's the ultimate confirmation of staying power. The next bull run won't be shouted from the rooftops by influencers; it'll be built, block by block, in the quiet corners where the big money lives. The tape might be silent, but the message is deafening.
TLDR
- Andrew Tate questioned why MicroStrategy’s purchase of 10,000 Bitcoin did not move BTC’s price.
- MicroStrategy bought 10,624 BTC for $962.7 million last week, bringing total holdings to 660,624 coins worth $60 billion.
- Crypto experts explained that large institutional purchases happen through OTC (over-the-counter) desks, not public exchanges.
- OTC trades match buyers with sellers off-exchange, avoiding order books and preventing visible price spikes.
- Bitcoin price movement depends more on execution method than purchase size, with OTC trades settling quietly behind closed doors.
Andrew Tate posted on social media asking why MicroStrategy’s massive Bitcoin purchase failed to impact the cryptocurrency’s price. The former kickboxing champion expressed confusion about how the company could buy thousands of coins without moving the market.
MicroStrategy acquired 10,624 BTC for $962.7 million over the past week. The purchase brought the company’s total bitcoin holdings to 660,624 coins worth $60 billion at the time of reporting.
Despite the size of the acquisition, Bitcoin’s price remained stable. The cryptocurrency stayed between $88,000 and $92,000 during the purchase period.
Tate asked his followers to explain how such a large purchase could happen without affecting the price. His question sparked responses from several crypto industry figures.
How Large Bitcoin Purchases Work
Binance co-founder Changpeng Zhao responded to Tate’s question. He explained that buying 1/2000 of the market cap does not typically cause major price movements.
Buying 1/2000th of the market cap usually do not cause much waves. BTC is liquid.![]()
— CZ
BNB (@cz_binance) December 9, 2025
AcropolisBTC CEO Chase Palmieri provided more details about the purchase method. He said MicroStrategy uses algorithms designed specifically to avoid impacting the price.
Palmieri pointed out that the company bought Bitcoin over a full week. MicroStrategy only announced the purchase in a single day, which may have created confusion about the timeline.
Most people do not understand how OTC desks allow institutions to accumulate Bitcoin without moving the chart. Here is how it actually works.
OTC desks match buyers and sellers off exchange. If a fund wants 5,000 BTC, the desk starts hunting for miners, early whales, VCs, market…
— Quinten | 048.eth (@QuintenFrancois) December 9, 2025
Crypto analyst Quinten Francois offered a detailed explanation of OTC trading. He said large companies like MicroStrategy buy Bitcoin through over-the-counter desks rather than public exchanges.
OTC desks match large buyers with sellers who operate outside normal exchanges. These sellers include miners, early Bitcoin holders, corporate treasuries, venture capitalists, market makers, and distressed holders.
Why OTC Trades Don’t Move Prices
Francois explained that OTC transactions happen privately behind closed doors. None of these trades go through public order books where regular traders can see them.
This means the price charts never react to these purchases. An order for 5,000 BTC can take weeks to complete as the OTC desk collects coins gradually.
The desk accumulates Bitcoin piece by piece over time. It then sells the full supply to the buyer once collected.
This method avoids any visible price spike on public charts. The execution happens completely off-exchange where retail traders cannot observe it.
Tate’s purchase represents only about 0.05% of Bitcoin’s circulating supply. When sourced through negotiated block trades rather than spot exchanges, the effect becomes nearly invisible.
Bitcoin broke out of its sideways pattern only after the purchase announcement. The MOVE came from a combination of whale accumulation, short liquidations, and regulatory developments rather than MicroStrategy’s buy alone.
MicroStrategy continues to accumulate Bitcoin through these OTC methods. The company’s purchases settle quietly without triggering immediate market reactions visible to retail traders.