Stock Markets March 26, 2026

MARA Holdings Cuts Convertible Debt by About $1 Billion; Shares Tick Higher

Company repurchases roughly 30% of outstanding convertible notes, funded by bitcoin sales totalling about $1.1 billion

By Maya Rios MARA
MARA Holdings Cuts Convertible Debt by About $1 Billion; Shares Tick Higher
MARA

MARA Holdings announced privately negotiated deals to repurchase approximately $1.0 billion in convertible note principal across 2030 and 2031 maturities, reducing its outstanding convertible indebtedness by about 30%. The transactions, financed by the sale of 15,133 bitcoin for roughly $1.1 billion, are expected to close at the end of March 2026 and coincided with a 5% rise in the company’s shares on Thursday morning despite weakness in bitcoin prices.

Key Points

  • MARA agreed to repurchase approximately $1.0 billion in aggregate principal of its 0.00% Convertible Senior Notes due 2030 and 2031 through privately negotiated transactions.
  • The deals are expected to close on March 30, 2026 (2030 notes) and March 31, 2026 (2031 notes), and are projected to capture about $88.1 million in cash savings before transaction costs, an approximate 9% discount to par.
  • To fund the repurchases, MARA sold 15,133 bitcoin between March 4 and March 25, 2026 for roughly $1.1 billion; total convertible indebtedness is expected to fall from $3.3 billion to about $2.3 billion.

MARA Holdings saw its shares rise 5% on Thursday morning after the company disclosed plans to repurchase about $1.0 billion of its convertible debt, a move the digital energy and infrastructure firm said will cut its convertible note obligations significantly.

The company reached privately negotiated agreements to buy back roughly $367.5 million in aggregate principal of its 0.00% Convertible Senior Notes due 2030 for approximately $322.9 million, and about $633.4 million in aggregate principal of its 0.00% Convertible Senior Notes due 2031 for approximately $589.9 million. MARA said the respective transactions are expected to settle on March 30, 2026 and March 31, 2026.

According to the company, the repurchases should generate approximately $88.1 million in gross cash savings before transaction costs, which MARA described as representing an approximate 9% discount to par value. The purchases will reduce the company’s outstanding convertible indebtedness by roughly 30%.

After the repurchases close, MARA will have $632.5 million in principal remaining on the 2030 Notes and $291.6 million in principal remaining on the 2031 Notes.

To fund the debt buybacks, MARA sold 15,133 bitcoin between March 4 and March 25, 2026, realizing an aggregate sale price of about $1.1 billion. The company indicated that the portion of proceeds not used for the repurchases will remain available for general corporate purposes.

MARA also disclosed the effect on its total convertible note indebtedness: a decline from $3.3 billion as of December 31, 2025 to approximately $2.3 billion after the transactions are completed.

J. Wood Capital Advisors served as financial advisor to MARA on the transactions, and law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison acted as legal counsel.


Context and implications

The repurchase program reduces principal outstanding across two zero-coupon convertible note series and is financed primarily through the company’s disposals of bitcoin holdings. The company quantified the immediate cash savings expected from the discounts to par and disclosed the post-transaction balances that will remain outstanding for each note series.

Share price movement on Thursday morning reflected investor reaction to the debt reduction plan, which occurred despite cited weakness in bitcoin prices during the period when MARA executed its bitcoin sales.

Risks

  • Timing and pricing risk related to bitcoin sales - the company sold bitcoin over a specified period while bitcoin prices were weak, which could affect proceeds available for corporate uses and debt repurchases.
  • Execution risk on closing - the transactions are subject to closing on the announced dates (March 30 and March 31, 2026), and any delay or failure to close could leave expected savings unrealized.
  • Residual indebtedness - although the repurchases reduce convertible note exposure by roughly 30%, material principal balances will remain outstanding ($632.5 million on 2030 Notes and $291.6 million on 2031 Notes), maintaining some leverage on the balance sheet.

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