Smarter Web Company eyes FTSE listing after 19,900% stock surge fuels crypto treasury ambitions
A crypto-fuelled rally has propelled web design firm Smarter Web Company to a £1.1bn valuation, with plans to list on the London Stock Exchange after a staggering 19,900% rise in share price.
A little-known British web design agency has stunned financial markets after a Bitcoin-driven rally catapulted its value to over £1.1 billion—eclipsing established names like Aston Martin, Metro Bank and Wetherspoons. Now, the company’s outspoken founder is aiming for a spot on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) by October.
Andrew Webley, chief executive of The Smarter Web Company (SWC), is reportedly preparing to migrate the firm’s shares from the lightly regulated Aquis Exchange to the main market of the LSE, following a near-20,000% surge in its stock price in just under two months.
Speaking to The Mail on Sunday, Webley offered his views on traditional and digital currencies. “I do not believe in the value of the pound, or the dollar, or the euro,” he said. He also dismissed other digital tokens as “s**tcoins,” adding, “over my dead body” would his firm hold any non-Bitcoin crypto assets.
The Guildford-based company presents itself as a digital agency offering online marketing and website development services. However, its exponential rise in valuation is attributed not to client work, but to its aggressive Bitcoin treasury strategy—holding 347 Bitcoins currently worth an estimated £27 million.
SWC has raised millions from investors to pursue this strategy, where companies use share issuance to buy Bitcoin, betting that the rising value of the cryptocurrency will lift the stock price. As share values climb, firms can issue even more shares to acquire additional crypto holdings, creating a feedback loop of escalating valuations—provided Bitcoin’s price continues to rise.
Such strategies are not without precedent. MicroStrategy, the U.S. tech firm led by controversial entrepreneur Michael Saylor, has become the largest corporate holder of Bitcoin and is now worth over £76 billion after placing bold bets on the cryptocurrency.
Major firms including Tesla, led by Elon Musk, and Block, run by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, have also added Bitcoin to their balance sheets.
The timing of SWC’s astronomical rise coincides with renewed investor enthusiasm for Bitcoin. The digital currency has surged 937% over five years, receiving a fresh boost following Donald Trump’s re-election, with the former president describing himself as “the crypto president” and seen as a strong supporter of the industry.
The firm’s largest institutional backer is 210K Capital, a Bitcoin-focused hedge fund run by U.S. investor Tyler Evans. Evans also organised the high-profile Bitcoin 2025 conference in Las Vegas last month, which featured prominent speakers including Reform UK leader Nigel Farage and U.S. Vice President JD Vance.
Webley, a former digital head at investment platform Hargreaves Lansdown, founded SWC in 2009. He and his wife currently own a 12.4% stake in the business. When the firm debuted on Aquis in April at 2.5p per share, its market capitalisation stood at a modest £3.7 million. With shares now trading at 500p, the couple’s stake is worth an estimated £137 million.
From the outset, Webley has signalled even bigger ambitions. At the time of the firm’s listing, he declared his goal of turning SWC into “a FTSE100 company.” With its current valuation, it would already qualify for entry into the FTSE 250, marking a remarkable journey from start-up to stock market powerhouse.
