MSCI proposes to exclude high crypto holdings companies, which could trigger a $15 billion sell-off

The index provider MSCI has proposed to remove companies with digital assets accounting for 50% or more of their total assets from its global investable market indices. The final decision will be made on January 15, 2026, with changes potentially taking effect in February. Analysts expect this move could force 39 listed companies to sell $10 billion to $15 billion worth of crypto assets to maintain eligibility.
These companies have a total market value of approximately $113 billion, with Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy) accounting for 74.5% of the affected value. JPMorgan estimates that just Strategy could face $2.8 billion in MSCI-related fund outflows. To avoid being delisted, some companies may proactively liquidate their crypto holdings to below 50%, triggering market sell-offs and increased Bitcoin volatility. Over 1,268 people have signed a petition opposing the proposal, criticizing it for unfairly targeting digital assets.