[Ripple CEO Criticizes Saylor's Bitcoin Financing Strategy, Calls STRC Discount a 'Severe Negative Signal'] Odaily Planet Daily News: Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse criticized Strategy and its chairman Michael Saylor's Bitcoin purchasing financing model during an interview with CNBC on Friday, stating that 'financial engineering cannot create long-term value' and that the long-term value of digital assets should ultimately be driven by real utility. Garlinghouse remarked that Saylor's team is not focusing in the right direction and believes this approach has already harmed the overall crypto market. He also emphasized that while he remains optimistic about Bitcoin, he opposes Strategy's strategy of continuously increasing BTC holdings through complex financing structures. His criticism specifically targeted Strategy's model of financing Bitcoin purchases through the issuance of preferred stock. STRC is one of the preferred stocks issued by Strategy, with an annualized dividend obligation of 11.5%. Recently, STRC has been trading at a discount of approximately 25% to 26% from its $100 face value. Garlinghouse stated that this performance is a 'severe negative evaluation' of Strategy's approach.