London BTC Company Ltd (LSE:BTC, OTCQB:VINZF) is positioning itself at the intersection of digital assets and traditional resources, as it looks to use gold exploration to support its Bitcoin strategy.
CEO Hewie Rattray outlined a capital-light approach aimed at generating early-stage value from gold assets and recycling it into Bitcoin holdings. In this interview, he discusses execution timelines, jurisdictional focus, and what investors should watch next.
Proactive: I’m joined by London BTC Company Ltd CEO Hewie Rattray. Hewie, great to speak with you again, Bitcoin is your core business, so can you remind us why gold and why now?
Hewie Rattray: I think gold gives us good optionality. Bitcoin remains the conviction that we have. But being partly a gold company gives us huge exposure to something that could happen over the course of the next few years. But remaining with Bitcoin as the core of the company stays with the original thesis and why our shareholders are here.
But we’re acting dynamic in a market that demands that we act dynamic. And I think the strategy that we’re implementing in the US and in Australia is exactly the journey that we want to go on.
Proactive: You’ve described this as a capital-light approach, Hewie, can you give investors a sense of how much you’re actually committing and what the triggers would be to deploy more?
Hewie Rattray: So what we’re committing right now is negligible, really. Whether we locate an asset and decide that we’re going to go with it, then we go through sampling and assays and different events like that, then the costs start to stack up.
But the ultimate goal of what we’re doing here is to generate some value from these prospects and turn that value back into Bitcoin. The long-term plan is to stick with our Bitcoin conviction; we’re just figuring out a way that’s not necessarily just constant dilution to build back up that Bitcoin balance sheet.
Proactive: The plan is to funnel gold profits back into bitcoin. But you’re starting from exploration which is early stage and uncertain. How long before the strategy can realistically move the needle on your Bitcoin holdings?
Hewie Rattray: We can flip an asset after assays, or sell a call option after assays. We can exercise and sell, or do a royalty vending. There are lots of ways we can monetise early exploration assets without seeing them through to production.
We’re figuring out ways to have an early monetisation strategy and prove the model. How can we pick up a gold asset from scratch, turn it into value, and put that value back into Bitcoin in the most efficient way possible in the shortest time frame possible?
Proactive: Nevada and Arizona are your launch states. What specifically about those jurisdictions gives you confidence?
Hewie Rattray: They are historically friendly mining jurisdictions, and there is a lot of promise in older assets that had been left behind. With the movement in gold prices, these assets are now much more promising than in the past.
Hewie Rattray: Gold moving higher has brought many assets back into scope as monetizable and profitable. We’re targeting those opportunities.
Proactive: What should investors watch for in the short to medium term?
Hewie Rattray: Mainly sampling and assays, or locating an asset in Nevada or Arizona. Then progressing through development stages and understanding what’s there.
We expect a news-rich period with activity in Australia and the US. I’m excited for the coming months and to see what happens with gold and Bitcoin.
Proactive: Hewie, thank you for your time.
Leave a comment