Trump brothers seek $2.1B raise via share sales amid American Bitcoin’s volatile Nasdaq debut

The Trump Brothers filed for a $2.1B raise with the SEC following the ABTC Nasdaq debut, marked by a 91% price increase in one hour.

Cover art/illustration via CryptoSlate. Image includes combined content which may include AI-generated content.

American Bitcoin Corp. (ABTC), backed by Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Sept. 3 seeking to raise $2.1 billion through share sales.

The filing follows a volatile Nasdaq debut that saw ABTC stock surge 91% in one hour before crashing lower than the opening price by closing.

ABTC opened at $6.90 and climbed to $13.20, prompting five trading halts in the initial hours. However, the share price failed to sustain the momentum and fell back to its opening price before mounting a recovery at the end of the trading session.

As of press time, the stock was showing signs of upward momentum after hours and was trading at $8.06, up roughly 16% for the day.

American Bitcoin emerged from a stock-for-stock merger with Gryphon Digital Mining, creating a publicly traded Bitcoin accumulation platform under the ticker ABTC.

The transaction completed earlier this year positions American Bitcoin as the parent company, with former American Bitcoin shareholders owning approximately 98% of the combined entity.

Trump family mining venture

American Bitcoin launched in March as a majority-owned subsidiary of energy company Hut 8, which maintains an 80% ownership stake.

The Trump brothers hold minority interests in the remaining 20% alongside other founding partners, though exact ownership breakdowns remain undisclosed. Eric Trump serves as chief strategy officer while Matt Prusak, who previously sold COVID tests, leads the company as CEO.

Prusak positioned the merger as an opportunity to create a dominant player in the fragmented Bitcoin mining sector. The company operates an asset-light model through a strategic partnership with Hut 8, leveraging existing infrastructure for Bitcoin accumulation rather than building mining facilities from scratch.

Gryphon contributes operational mining assets, including 899 petahash per second of self-mining hash rate as of the second quarter 2024. The company focuses on renewable and low-cost energy sources, including the recent acquisition of natural gas assets in Canada.

Sector consolidation

The merger reflects broader consolidation trends in US Bitcoin mining following last year’s halving event, which reduced mining rewards and increased economic pressure on operators.

Companies seek greater scale and operational efficiency through mergers and acquisitions to remain competitive in the challenging post-halving environment.

The SEC filing advances the Trump family’s expanding crypto ventures, combining Gryphon’s mining operations with American Bitcoin’s capital market access and strategic vision for institutional-scale Bitcoin accumulation.

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