DATs Face Challenges Amid Market Volatility

According to Odaily, DAT offers investors exposure to underlying digital assets by packaging them into securities regulated by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The aim is to outperform the underlying assets through strategies that maximize returns. A key metric for assessing DAT's performance is the market net asset value (mNAV), which compares the company's enterprise value to its digital asset holdings. Investment bank Macquarie highlights that the viability of DAT is closely linked to the equity premium relative to net asset value. If this premium erodes or turns into a discount, the model could face significant challenges. During crypto market downturns, mNAV may fall below 1, indicating that the company's trading price is lower than its crypto asset holdings, potentially forcing DATs to sell some tokens for liquidity. Carol Alexander, a finance professor at Sussex University, notes that the DAT model seems to attract participants driven by marketing, hype, and easy access to capital, rather than enduring business fundamentals, suggesting the sector is currently in a bubble. James Butterfill, head of research at CoinShares, also states that "the bubble has clearly burst," but anticipates that DAT may evolve in the future. Strategy has announced a $1.44 billion reserve to support dividend payments and debt repayment, aiming to shield itself from market downturns.