A key shareholder is pushing restaurant chain McDonald’s (MCD) to add Bitcoin (BTC) to its treasury.
The issue has arisen before McDonald’s annual shareholder meeting scheduled for May of this year.
The National Center for Public Policy Research (NCPPR), a Washington-based group and McDonald’s shareholder, wants the company to consider adding Bitcoin to its balance sheet.
“A company’s value, especially during inflationary times, is measured not only by how profitable its primary business is, but also by how wisely it invests its assets,” wrote the NCPPR.
The NCPPR added that companies such as MicroStrategy, now known as Strategy (MSTR), have seen big growth since adding Bitcoin to their balance sheets.
The shareholder argues that by adopting Bitcoin, McDonald’s could give its stock a boost. However, it looks unlikely that McDonald’s will even consider the Bitcoin proposal.
Lawyers for the quick service restaurant chain reached out to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in a letter to confirm that they could exclude the Bitcoin proposal from the annual shareholders’ meeting without triggering an enforcement action.
McDonald’s lawyers asserted that the Bitcoin proposal fell under ordinary business operations, or investment strategies, that are decisions for the board of directors, not shareholders.
The SEC agreed, responding to McDonald’s that, “There appears to be some basis for your view that the company may exclude the proposal.”
The National Center for Public Policy Research has a history of trying to get companies to adopt Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.
Last December, the NCPPR asked e-commerce giant Amazon (AMZN) to allocate 5% of its portfolio to Bitcoin. Amazon denied that request.
McDonald’s stock has risen 6% so far in 2025 to trade at $309.90 U.S. per share.