Item 9A. Controls and Procedures
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures
Disclosure controls are procedures that are designed with the objective of ensuring that information required to be disclosed in our reports filed under the Exchange Act, such as this Report, is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time period specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. Disclosure controls are also designed with the objective of ensuring that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. Our management evaluated, with the participation of our principal executive officer and principal financial and accounting officer (our “Certifying Officers”), the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as of December 31, 2025, pursuant to Rule 13a-15(b) under the Exchange Act. Based upon that evaluation, our Certifying Officers concluded that, as of December 31, 2025, our disclosure controls and procedures were effective.
We do not expect that our disclosure controls and procedures will prevent all errors and all instances of fraud. Disclosure controls and procedures, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the disclosure controls and procedures are met. Further, the design of disclosure controls and procedures must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and the benefits must be considered relative to their costs. Because of the inherent limitations in all disclosure controls and procedures, no evaluation of disclosure controls and procedures can provide absolute assurance that we have detected all our control deficiencies and instances of fraud, if any. The design of disclosure controls and procedures also is based partly on certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions.
Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting
This Annual Report on Form 10-K does not include a report of management’s assessment regarding internal control over financial reporting or an attestation report of our independent registered public accounting firm due to a transition period established by rules of the SEC for newly public companies.
Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
During the years ended December 31, 2025, there have been no change in our internal control over financial reporting that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
Item 9B. Other Information
N o n e .
Item 9C. Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections
Not applicable.
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PART III
Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance
Directors and Executive Officers
Our current directors and executive officers are as follows:
Name
Age
Position
Robert I. Kauffman
61
Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board
Hassan R. Baqar
48
Chief Financial Officer
Stuart Kovensky
58
Director
Jonathan Marshall
62
Director
Meltem Demirors
38
Director
Charles E. Nearburg
75
Director
Robert I. Kauffman has served as Chief Executive Officer since August 2024. Mr. Kauffman has been the Chairman of the board of directors since October 21, 2024. Mr. Kauffman was a co-founder, principal and member of the board of directors of Fortress Investment Group LLC from its founding in 1998 until 2012. During his tenure at the firm, Mr. Kauffman served as a member of Fortress’s management committee and was responsible for the management of Fortress’s European private equity investment operations. While at Fortress Mr. Kauffman was primarily focused on financial services, real estate, distressed debt restructurings, and other asset based businesses. During his career, he has been involved in a wide variety of investment activities, including private fund raising, initial public offerings, primary and secondary public share offerings in multiple jurisdictions, take private transactions, as well as billions of dollars of bank and capital market debt financings and securitizations.
Prior to co-founding Fortress, Mr. Kauffman served as a managing director at UBS, from 1997 to 1998 in its Principal Finance area. Prior to that he was a principal at BlackRock Financial Management Inc., from 1993 to 1997 playing a key role in raising and investing their first Private Equity Fund, BlackRock Asset Investors. Previously, Mr. Kauffman worked at Lehman Brothers from 1986 to 1993 primarily focused on the mortgage and securitization markets both in the US and Europe.
Since his departure from Fortress in 2012, Mr. Kauffman has brought his extensive business experience to a variety of private and public investments, including the IPO of Aldel Financial Inc. and its successful merger with Hagerty Inc (HGTY), the largest specialty insurer of collector cars.
Mr. Kauffman serves on the board of directors of Hagerty Inc, Global Net Lease Realty, a publicly traded REIT, and an advisory board member of McLaren Racing LTD., a leading UK based Formula1 racing team. Mr. Kauffman is currently the chairman of the Race Team Alliance, an association of NASCAR Cup Series teams; and the owner of RK Motors, a leading restorer and reseller of classic cars.
Mr. Kauffman is also an investor and advisory board member of Off The Chain Capital, a cryptocurrency focused hedge fund. Mr. Kauffman earned a degree in Business Administration from Northeastern University in 1986.
Hassan R. Baqar has served as Chief Financial Officer of the Company since August 2024 and the Secretary since inception. Mr. Baqar has over 20 years of experience within financial services and other industries focused on corporate development, mergers & acquisitions, capital raising, investments and real estate transactions. Mr. Baqar has served as the founder and Managing Member of Sequoia Financial LLC, a management services and advisory firm, since January 2019. Mr. Baqar also serves as a Chief Financial Officer of FG Merger II Corp., a special purpose acquisition company in the process of completing its business combination since October 2023. Since November 2025, Mr. Baqar serves as Director of Capital Markets of Saltire Capital Ltd. (TSX: SLT). Since September 2023, Mr. Baqar serves as Chief Financial Officer of FG Merger III Corp., a special purpose acquisition company in the process of completing its IPO. Since September 2025, Mr. Baqar serves as Chief Financial Officer of FG Imperii Acquisition Corp, a special purpose acquisition company in the process of completing its business combination. Mr. Baqar serves as Chief Financial Officer and director of Greenland Exploration Limited since June 2025.
Previously, Mr. Baqar served as Chief Financial Officer from September 2024 to November 2025 of Saltire Capital Ltd. (TSX: SLT), Chief Financial Officer from August 2021 to February 2024 and Executive Vice President from December 2021 to February 2024 of FG Nexus Inc. (“FGNX”), formerly FG Financial Group Inc. (“FGF”)., which operates as a Ethereum Treasury Company and previously
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as a reinsurance and asset management holding company, as a director of Fundamental Global Reinsurance Ltd., a Cayman Islands reinsurance company from June 2020 to 2025, as Chief Financial Officer of FG New America Acquisition II Corp., a special purpose acquisition company in the process of going public and is focused on merging with a company in the InsureTech, FinTech, broader financial services and insurance sectors from February 2021 to October 2023, as Chief Financial Officer of Insurance Income Strategies Ltd., a former Bermuda based reinsurance company from October 2017 to December 2021, as a director of GreenFirst Forest Products Inc. (TSXV: GFP) (formerly Itasca Capital Ltd.), a public company focused on investments in the forest products industry from August 2019 to December 2021 and as Chief Financial Officer of GreenFirst Forest Products Inc. from June 2016 to December 2020, and as a director and Chief Financial Officer of Unbounded Media Corporation from June 2019 to September 2023, as a director, treasurer and secretary of Sponsor Protection Coverage and Risk, Inc., a South Carolina captive insurance company from October 2022 to April 2024. Mr. Baqar served as a director of FG Merger Corp. (Nasdaq: FGMCU) from December 2021 to August 2023, a special purpose acquisition company which merged with iCoreconnect Inc. (Nasdaq: ICCT), a market leading, cloud-based software and technology company focused on increasing workflow productivity and customer profitability through its enterprise and healthcare workflow platform of applications and services, and as Chief Financial Officer of Aldel Financial Inc. (NYSE: ADF) from January 2021 to December 2021, a special purpose acquisition company which merged with Hagerty, Inc. (NYSE: HGTY), a leading specialty insurance provider focused on the global automotive enthusiast market. From July 2020 to July 2021, Mr. Baqar served as Chief Financial Officer of FG New America Acquisition Corp. (NYSE: FGNA), a special purpose acquisition company, which merged with OppFi Inc. (NYSE: OPFI), a leading financial technology platform that powers banks to help everyday consumers gain access to credit. Previously, he served as Vice President of Kingsway Financial Services Inc. (NYSE: KFS) (“ Kingsway ”) from January 2014 to January 2019 and as a Vice President of Kingsway’s subsidiary Kingsway America Inc. from January 2010 to January 2019. Mr. Baqar also served as Chief Financial Officer and director of 1347 Capital Corp. from April 2014 to July 2016, a special purpose acquisition company which merged with Limbach Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: LMB). Mr. Baqar served as a member of the board of directors of FG Nexus Inc.from October 2012 to May 2015. He also served as the Chief Financial Officer of United Insurance Holdings Corp. (NYSE: UIHC), a publicly held property and casualty insurance holding company, from August 2011 to April 2012.
His previous experience also includes director of finance at Itasca Financial, LLC from 2008 to 2009 and positions held at Lumbermens Mutual Casualty Company (a Kemper Insurance company), a diversified mutual property-casualty insurance provider, from June 2000 to April 2008, where he most recently served as a senior analyst. Mr. Baqar earned a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Northeastern Illinois University in 2009 and a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting and Business Administration from Monmouth College in 2000. He also holds a Certified Public Accountant designation.
Jonathan S. Marshall has been a director of the Company since October 21, 2024. Since June 2018, Mr. Marshall has served as the Executive Director of the Race Team Alliance (RTA), a 501(c)(6) organization that represents the collective interests of the race teams that compete in the NASCAR Cup Series. As Executive Director, he works closely with the leadership of the member race teams with a mandate to advance their collective interests in the sport. He has served that role since 2018. Prior to the RTA, from November 2013 to April 2018, Mr. Marshall was the Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel of the World Surf League (“WSL”) having joined the WSL as its General Counsel before being promoted to COO. In addition to his legal background, Mr. Marshall has a wide range of experience in the fields of media distribution, financing, licensing and sales, mergers and acquisitions and corporate transactions.
Prior to joining WSL, from January 2011to October 2013, Mr. Marshall was SVP, Business Development & Strategy at USA TODAY Sports Media Group, where he oversaw the operations for USA TODAY High School Sports, sports digital properties and sports analytics. Prior to that, Mr. Marshall was President of Television at Westwood One. He began his professional career with the law firm, Shearman & Sterling before moving to work in the entertainment practice at Loeb & Loeb, LLP. Mr. Marshall has been a member of the California State Bar since 1988 and is a graduate of the Tulane Law School (J.D.) and the A.B. Freeman School of Business at Tulane University (B.A.). We believe Mr. Marshall is qualified to serve on our board of directors based on his extensive management expertise and legal experience.
Stuart Kovensky has been a director of the Company since October 21, 2024. Mr. Kovensky is an experienced C-Suite executive, investor and board member with over 25 years of experience in investment management, business development, fund-raising and corporate governance. Since 2023, Mr. Kovensky has served as the Managing Member of Cogent Advisory LLC, a firm he founded and where he focuses on providing corporate advisory and director services. Between January 2006 and December 2022, Mr. Kovensky was the Co-CEO, CIO and member of the board of directors of Onex Credit Partners, a firm that he co-founded in 2006 and was subsequently sold to Onex Corp. Onex Credit Partners is a multi-strategy investor in both public and private non-investment grade credit markets with assets under management in excess of $25 billion. In his role at Onex Credit, Stuart shared responsibility for all aspects of the firms’ operations with a focus on investment management and marketing as well as business development, in which capacity he spearheaded key areas of strategic expansion that helped the firm grow significantly, both organically and through strategic acquisitions.
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Prior to co-founding Onex Credit Partners, Mr. Kovensky was a Portfolio Manager and Co-Head of the opportunistic credit strategy at John A. Levin and Co. from 2001-2005. From 1995-2000 he was a Partner and Head of Research at Murray Capital Management. Mr. Kovensky began his career at Chase Manhattan Bank in 1989 where he gained experience in High Yield Finance, Structured Finance and International Trade Finance. Mr. Kovensky has served on the board of directors for Naviga, Inc, Artera Services, Smile Holdings, United Road Services, CWT Travel Services and At Home Cayman, Inc. He is also an advisory board member of meetperry, inc.
Mr. Kovensky earned a degree in Management from Binghamton University in 1989 and a Masters in Business Administration from the Stern School of Business at New York University in 1996. We believe Mr. Kovensky is qualified to serve on our board of directors based on his management and financial markets and banking experience.
Meltem Demirors has been a director of the Company since October 21, 2024. Since 2024, Ms. Demirors has served as the Managing Partner of Crucible Capital, an investment firm she founded which focuses on the intersection of cryptocurrencies, physical infrastructure, and commodities markets. From 2018 to 2023, Ms. Demirors served as Chief Strategy Officer at CoinShares, a publicly listed European investment company specializing in digital assets, where she oversaw investments to provide institutional investors with thematic, risk-managed exposure to the emerging crypto asset ecosystem and served as managing director of the firm’s US operations. From 2015 until 2018, Ms. Demirors led the Development team at Digital Currency Group, one of the largest digital asset investment firms in the world. Previously, Ms. Demirors was a strategy consultant in Deloitte’s Oil & Gas practice. She is a frequent contributor to broadcast and print media and is a Program Fellow at the Oxford Saïd Business School where she has been overseeing the Blockchain Strategy Program since 2017. Ms. Demirors holds a BA in Mathematical Economics from Rice University, and an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management. We believe that Ms. Demirors is qualified to serve on our board of directors due to her experience in public companies, financial markets and management skills.
Charles E. Nearburg has been a director of the Company since October 27, 2025. Founding Nearburg Producing Company in 1979, Charles grew it into one of the Top 100 Independent Producers in the U.S., and always operating in an environmentally conscious way, received two Environmental Awards from the Bureau of Land Management. Between 2016-2017 Nearburg Producing Company sold the majority of its producing assets to two firms backed by Warburg Pincus and Carnelian Capital. Mr. Nearburg also owns STOL Aviation LLC, which is developing a world class “back country” short take-off and landing airplane, and NRC Marketing, Inc. (“Nearburg Racing”) which prepares vintage Formula 1 cars for competition. Mr. Nearburg was also a minority owner and advisory board member of McLaren Racing LTD, a top Formula 1 and Indy Car Team.
In honor of his son, Rett, who lost an 11-year battle with Ewing’s at age 21, Mr. Nearburg devotes substantial time and resources in support of Ewing’s Sarcoma cancer research and was instrumental in founding the Rett Nearburg International Ewing’s Sarcoma Research Symposia, of which six have now been held ( www.rett.org ). In 2024, he launched the Ewing Sarcoma Institute which is dedicated to radically improving outcomes for Ewing Sarcoma patients by uniting the global community to accelerate collaborative scientific discovery and development of breakthrough treatments ( www.ewingsarcoma.org ).
A lifelong car racer, his career includes driving a 333SP Ferrari at Le Mans, finishing 4th and 10th overall at the Sebring 12-Hours, and driving the late Walter Payton’s Indy Car in the 1997 CART/FedEx Championship. In September 2010 at the Bonneville Salt Flats driving the “Spirit of Rett” streamliner, Mr. Nearburg set a 414 MPH FIA record with a top speed of 422 MPH. This made the “Spirit of Rett” the fastest single engine normally aspirated car in history, as well as the 3rd fastest internal combustion engine car in history. Mr. Nearburg is one of only six people in history to have set a piston engine car record at over 400 MPH. The “Spirit of Rett” was built in the Nearburg Racing shop.
A graduate of Dartmouth College, Mr. Nearburg, received AB, BE, and ME degrees at Dartmouth’s Thayer School of Engineering, where he has been on the Board of Advisors for 30 years. He is also a Trustee of University of Texas Southwestern Medical Foundation; the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles; the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena; and a Life Trustee of the St. Mark’s School of Texas in Dallas. He is a past Trustee of the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore; The Hockaday School in Dallas; and the Hood Museum of Art at Dartmouth College.
Number and Terms of Office of Officers and Directors
Our board of directors consists of five members. Approval of our Business Combination will require the affirmative vote of a majority of our board directors, which must include a majority of our independent directors. Subject to any other special rights applicable to the shareholders, prior to our Business Combination, any vacancies on our board of directors may be filled by the affirmative vote of a majority of the directors present and voting at the meeting of our board of directors. Our officers are appointed by the board of directors and serve at the discretion of the board of directors, rather than for specific terms of office. Our board of directors is authorized to
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appoint persons to the offices set forth in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association as it deems appropriate. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that our officers may consist of a Chairman of the Board, a Chief Executive Officer, a President, a Chief Operating Officer, a Chief Financial Officer, Vice Presidents, a Secretary, Assistant Secretaries, a Treasurer and such other offices as may be determined by the board of directors.
On October 27, 2025, Peter Early announced his resignation from the board of director of the Company effective October 27, 2025. Mr. Early, who has served as a member of the board since October 2024, indicated that his resignation was not the result of any disagreement with the Company regarding its operations, policies, practices or otherwise.
On October 27, 2025, the board appointed Charles E. Nearburg to fill the vacancy on the board created by Mr. Early’s resignation. The appointment of Mr. Nearburg is effective as of October 27, 2025. Mr. Nearburg was appointed to serve as a Class I director for a remaining term expiring at the Company’s 2026 Annual Meeting of Shareholders or until his successor is duly elected and qualified.
Director Independence
Nasdaq listing rules require that a majority of our board of directors be independent within one year of our IPO. An “independent director” is defined generally as a person that, in the opinion of the company’s board of directors, has no material relationship with the listed company (either directly or as a partner, shareholder or officer of an organization that has a relationship with the company). We have three “independent directors” as defined in Nasdaq rules and applicable SEC rules. Our board has determined that each of Stuart Kovensky, Meltem Demirors, and Charles E. Nearburg (previously Peter Early who resigned as board member in October 2025) is an independent director under applicable SEC and Nasdaq rules. Our independent directors will have regularly scheduled meetings at which only independent directors are present.
Committees of the Board of Directors
Our board of directors has three standing committees: an audit committee, a compensation committee; and a nominating and corporate governance committee. Subject to phase-in rules, Nasdaq listing rules and Rule 10A-3 of the Exchange Act require that the audit committee of a listed company be comprised solely of independent directors, and Nasdaq listing rules require that the compensation committee and the nominating and corporate governance committee of a listed company be comprised solely of independent directors. Each committee operates under a charter approved by our board of directors and has the composition and responsibilities described below.
Audit Committee
We established an audit committee of the board of directors, the members of which are Stuart Kovensky, Meltem Demirors, and Charles E. Nearburg, each of whom meet the independent director standard under Nasdaq listing standards and under Rule 10-A-3(b)(1) of the Exchange Act. Mr. Stuart Kovensky serves as chairperson of the audit committee.
Each member of the audit committee is financially literate, and our board of directors has determined that each of Stuart Kovensky, Meltem Demirors, and Charles E. Nearburg qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as defined in applicable SEC rules and has accounting or related financial management expertise.
We have adopted an audit committee charter, which details the principal functions of the audit committee, including:
● assisting board oversight of (1) the integrity of our financial statements, (2) our compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, (3) our independent auditor’s qualifications and independence, and (4) the performance of our internal audit function and independent auditors; the appointment, compensation, retention, replacement, and oversight of the work of the independent auditors and any other independent registered public accounting firm engaged by us;
● pre-approving all audit and non-audit services to be provided by the independent auditors or any other registered public accounting firm engaged by us, and establishing pre-approval policies and procedures; reviewing and discussing with the independent auditors all relationships the auditors have with us in order to evaluate their continued independence;
● setting clear policies for audit partner rotation in compliance with applicable laws and regulations; obtaining and reviewing a report, at least annually, from the independent auditors describing (1) the independent auditor’s internal quality-control procedures and (2) any material issues raised by the most recent internal quality-control review, or peer review, of the audit
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firm, or by any inquiry or investigation by governmental or professional authorities, within the preceding five years respecting one or more independent audits carried out by the firm and any steps taken to deal with such issues;
● meeting to review and discuss our annual audited financial statements and quarterly financial statements with management and the independent auditor, including reviewing our specific disclosures under “ Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations ”; reviewing and approving any related party transaction required to be disclosed pursuant to Item 404 of Regulation S-K promulgated by the SEC prior to us entering into such transaction; and
● reviewing with management, the independent auditors, and our legal advisors, as appropriate, any legal, regulatory or compliance matters, including any correspondence with regulators or government agencies and any employee complaints or published reports that raise material issues regarding our financial statements or accounting policies and any significant changes in accounting standards or rules promulgated by the Financial Accounting Standards Board, the SEC or other regulatory authorities.
Compensation Committee
We established a compensation committee of the board of directors, the members of which are Stuart Kovensky, Meltem Demirors, and Charles E. Nearburg. Under Nasdaq listing standards and applicable SEC rules, we are required to have at least two members of the compensation committee, all of whom must be independent. Stuart Kovensky, Meltem Demirors, and Charles E. Nearburg are independent and Meltem Demirors chairs the compensation committee.
We have adopted a compensation committee charter, which details the principal functions of the compensation committee, including:
● reviewing and approving on an annual basis the corporate goals and objectives relevant to our chief executive officer’s compensation, evaluating our chief executive officer’s performance in light of such goals and objectives and determining and approving the remuneration (if any) of our chief executive officer based on such evaluation;
● reviewing and making recommendations to our board of directors with respect to the compensation, and any incentive compensation and equity based plans that are subject to board approval of all of our other officers;
● reviewing our executive compensation policies and plans;
● implementing and administering our incentive compensation equity-based remuneration plans;
● assisting management in complying with our proxy statement and annual report disclosure requirements;
● approving all special perquisites, special cash payments and other special compensation and benefit arrangements for our officers and employees;
● producing a report on executive compensation to be included in our annual proxy statement; and
● reviewing, evaluating and recommending changes, if appropriate, to the remuneration for directors.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, no compensation of any kind, including finders, consulting or other similar fees, will be paid to any of our existing shareholders, officers, directors or any of their respective affiliates, prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate the consummation of a Business Combination. Accordingly, it is likely that prior to the consummation of an initial business combination, the compensation committee will only be responsible for the review and recommendation of any compensation arrangements to be entered into in connection with such Business Combination.
The charter will also provide that the compensation committee may, in its sole discretion, retain or obtain the advice of a compensation consultant, independent legal counsel or other adviser and will be directly responsible for the appointment, compensation and oversight of the work of any such adviser.
However, before engaging or receiving advice from a compensation consultant, external legal counsel or any other adviser, the compensation committee will consider the independence of each such adviser, including the factors required by Nasdaq and the SEC.
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Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee
We established a nominating and corporate governance committee of the board of directors, the members of which are Stuart Kovensky, Meltem Demirors, and Charles E. Nearburg. Charles E. Nearburg serves as chair of the nominating and corporate governance committee.
We adopted a nominating and corporate governance committee charter, which details the purpose and responsibilities of the nominating and corporate governance committee, including:
● identifying, screening and reviewing individuals qualified to serve as directors, consistent with criteria approved by the board, and recommending to the board of directors candidates for nomination for appointment at the annual general meeting of shareholders or to fill vacancies on the board of directors;
● developing and recommending to the board of directors and overseeing implementation of our corporate governance guidelines;
● coordinating and overseeing the annual self-evaluation of the board of directors, its committees, individual directors and management in the governance of the company; and
● reviewing on a regular basis our overall corporate governance and recommending improvements as and when necessary.
The charter also provides that the nominating and corporate governance committee may, in its sole discretion, retain or obtain the advice of, and terminate, any search firm to be used to identify director candidates, and will be directly responsible for approving the search firm’s fees and other retention terms.
We have not formally established any specific, minimum qualifications that must be met or skills that are necessary for directors to possess. In general, in identifying and evaluating nominees for director, the board of directors considers educational background, diversity of professional experience, knowledge of our business, integrity, professional reputation, independence, wisdom, and the ability to represent the best interests of our shareholders. Prior to our Business Combination, holders of our public shares will not have the right to recommend director candidates for nomination to our board of directors.
Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation
None of our officers currently serves, or in the past year has served, as a member of the compensation committee of any entity that has one or more officers serving on our board of directors.
Senior Advisor to the Board of Directors
Larry G. Swets Jr. acts as senior advisor to the Board of Directors. Mr. Swets assists our management team with sourcing and evaluating business opportunities and devises plans and strategies to optimize any business that we may acquire. We have not entered into any formal arrangements or agreements with Mr. Swets to provide services to us and he will have no fiduciary obligations to present business opportunities to us. Mr. Swets will not be paid any finder’s fees, reimbursement, or consulting fee prior to, or in connection with any services rendered in order to effectuate, the consummation of our Business Combination (regardless of the type of transaction).
Larry G. Swets, Jr. serves as our senior advisor. Mr. Swets has over 25 years of experience within financial services encompassing both non-executive and executive roles.
Mr. Swets founded Itasca Financial LLC, an advisory and investment firm, in 2005 and has served as its managing member since inception. Mr. Swets also founded and is the President of Itasca Golf Managers, Inc., a management services and advisory firm focused on the real estate and hospitality industries, in August 2018 and director of GreenFirst Forest Products Inc. (TSXV: GFP), a public company focused on investments in the forest products industry, since June 2016. Since September 2023, Mr. Swets has served as Chief Executive Officer of FG Merger II Corp., a special purpose acquisition company in the process of completing its business combination. Since September 2025, Mr. Swets has served as Chief Executive Officer of FG Imperii Acquisition Corp., a special purpose acquisition company in the process of completing its business combination. Since Februaury 2024, Mr Swets has served as Head of Merchant Banking of FG Nexus Inc.(“FGNX”), formerly FG Financial Group Inc. (“FGF”) which operates as a Ehereum Treasury Company and previously as a reinsurance and asset management holding company. From October 2021 to September 2024, Mr. Swets also served as Chief Executive Officer and a member of the board of directors of FG Acquisition Corp (TSX:FGAA.U), a special purpose acquisition company which merged with Strong/MDI Screen Systems, Inc. and was renamed as Saltire Capital Ltd. (TSX: SLT). Since September
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2023, Mr. Swets serves as CEO of FG Merger III Corp., a special purpose acquisition company in the process of completing its IPO and is focused on searching for a target company in the financial services sector. Since September 2024, Mr. Swets serves as Executive Chairman of Saltire Capital Ltd. (TSX: SLT). Since June 2025, Mr. Swets has served as Chief Executive Officer of Greenland Exploration Corp.
Previously, Mr. Swets served as a director of FG Merger Corp. (Nasdaq: FGMCU), a special purpose acquisition company which merged with iCoreConnect Inc. (Nasdaq: ICCT), a market leading, cloud-based software and technology company focused on increasing workflow productivity and customer profitability through its enterprise and healthcare workflow platform of applications and services, from February 2022 to August 2023, and as a director and Chief Executive Officer of FG New America Acquisition Corp. (NYSE: FGNA), a special purpose acquisition company which merged with OppFi Inc. (NYSE: OPFI), a leading financial technology platform that powers banks to help everyday consumers gain access to credit, from July 2020 to July 2021. From October 2021 to September 2024, Mr. Swets also served as Chief Executive Officer and a member of the board of directors of FG Acquisition Corp (TSX:FGAA.U), a special purpose acquisition company which merged with Strong/MDI Screen Systems, Inc. and was renamed as Saltire Capital Ltd. (TSX: SLT). Mr. Swets served as Senior Advisor to Aldel Financial Inc. (NYSE: ADF), a special purpose acquisition company which merged with Hagerty, Inc. (NYSE: HGTY), a leading specialty insurance provider focused on the global automotive enthusiast market, from April 2021 to December 2021.
Mr. Swets also served as Chief Executive Officer of FG Nexus (“FGNX”), formerly FG Financial Group Inc. (“FGF”). from November 2020 to February 2024, after having served as interim CEO from June 2020 to November 2020, Chief Executive Officer of GreenFirst Forest Products Inc. (TSXV: GFP) (formerlyItasca Capital Ltd.) from June 2016 to June 2021, Chief Executive Officer of Kingsway Financial Services Inc. (NYSE: KFS) from July 2010 to September 2018, including as its President from July 2010 to March 2017. He served as Chief Executive Officer and director of 1347 Capital Corp., a special purpose acquisition company which merged with Limbach Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: LMB), from April 2014 to July 2016. He was also a founder and served as Chairman of the Board of Unbounded Media Corporation from June 2019 to September 2023. Mr. Swets also previously served as a member of the board of directors of FG Nexus, formerly FG Financial Group Inc. from November 2013 to February 2024, FG Group Holdings, Inc. from October 2021 to February 2024, Harbor Custom Development, Inc. (Nasdaq: HCDI) from February 2020 to November 2023, Limbach Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: LMB) from July 2016 to August 2021, Kingsway Financial Services Inc. (NYSE: KFS) from September 2013 to December 2018, Atlas Financial Holdings, Inc. (OTC: AFHIF) from December 2010 to January 2018, FMG Acquisition Corp. (Nasdaq: FMGQ) from May 2007 to September 2008, United Insurance Holdings Corp. from 2008 to March 2012; and Risk Enterprise Management Ltd. from November 2007 to May 2012. Mr. Swets served as director of Insurance Income Strategies Ltd. from October 2017 to December 2021.
Prior to founding Itasca Financial LLC, Mr. Swets served as an insurance company executive and advisor, including the role of director of investments and fixed income portfolio manager for Lumbermens Mutual Casualty Company, formerly known as Kemper Insurance Companies. Mr. Swets began his career in insurance as an intern in the Kemper Scholar program in 1994. Mr. Swets earned a Master’s Degree in Finance from DePaul University in 1999 and a Bachelor’s Degree from Valparaiso University in 1997. He is a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.
Code of Business Conduct and Ethics
We have adopted a Code of Ethics applicable to our directors, officers and employees. We filed a copy of our Code of Ethics as an exhibit to the registration statement of the IPO. You are able to review this document by accessing our public filings at the SEC’s web site at www.sec.gov . In addition, a copy of the Code of Ethics and the charters of the committees of our board of directors will be provided without charge upon request from us. If we make any amendments to our Code of Ethics other than technical, administrative or other non-substantive amendments, or grant any waiver, including any implicit waiver, from a provision of the Code of Ethics applicable to our principal executive officer, principal financial officer principal accounting officer or controller or persons performing similar functions requiring disclosure under applicable SEC or Nasdaq rules, we will disclose the nature of such amendment or waiver on our website. The information included on our website is not incorporated by reference into this Form 10-K or in any other report or document we file with the SEC, and any references to our website are intended to be inactive textual references only.
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Item 11. Executive Compensation
None of our directors have received any cash compensation for services rendered to us. We have agreed to pay our Sponsor $20,000 per month for office space, secretarial and administrative services provided to members of our management team through the earlier of consummation of our Business Combination and our liquidation, we will pay our Sponsor. In addition, our Sponsor, executive officers and directors, or any of their respective affiliates will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations.
Our audit committee reviews on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our Sponsor, executive officers or directors, or our or their affiliates. Any such payments prior to a Business Combination will be made from funds held outside the trust account. Other than quarterly audit committee review of such reimbursements, we do not expect to have any additional controls in place governing our reimbursement payments to our directors and executive officers for their out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with our activities on our behalf in connection with identifying and consummating a Business Combination. Other than these payments and reimbursements, no compensation of any kind, including finder’s and consulting fees, will be paid by the company to our Sponsor, executive officers and directors, or any of their respective affiliates, prior to completion of our Business Combination.
We do not intend to take any action to ensure that members of our management team maintain their positions with us after the consummation of our Business Combination, although it is possible that some or all of our executive officers and directors may negotiate employment or consulting arrangements to remain with us after our Business Combination. The existence or terms of any such employment or consulting arrangements to retain their positions with us may influence our management’s motivation in identifying or selecting a target business but we do not believe that the ability of our management to remain with us after the consummation of our Business Combination will be a determining factor in our decision to proceed with any potential Business Combination. We are not party to any agreements with our executive officers and directors that provide for benefits upon termination of employment.
Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters
The following table sets forth information regarding the beneficial ownership of our ordinary shares as of the date of February 20, 2026, based on information obtained from the persons named below, with respect to the beneficial ownership of shares of our common stock, by:
● each person known by us to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of our outstanding shares of common stock;
● each of our executive officers and directors; and
● all our executive officers and directors as a group.
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The beneficial ownership of our common stock is based on 29,868,214 ordinary shares issued and outstanding as of February 20, 2026 of which 23,707,500 were Class A ordinary shares and 6,106,000 were Class B ordinary shares.
Unless otherwise indicated, we believe that all persons named in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all ordinary shares beneficially owned by them. The following table does not reflect record of beneficial ownership of the Public Warrants, Private Unit Warrants and $15 Private Warrants that are not exercisable within 60 days of February 20, 2026.
Class A ordinary shares
Class B ordinary shares
Number of shares
Approximate
Number of shares
Approximate
Approximate
beneficially
percentage
beneficially
percentage
percentage
Name and Address of Beneficial Owner (1)
owned
of class
owned
of class
of ordinary class
Aldel Investors II LLC (2)(3)
440,000
*
5,470,714
89.5
%
18.3
%
Robert I. Kauffman (3)(4)
440,000
*
5,558,214
91.02
%
18.5
%
Hassan R. Baqar
—
—
70,000
1.14
%
*
Peter Early (4)
—
—
12,500
*
*
Charles E. Nearburg (4)
—
—
25,000
*
*
Stuart Kovensky
—
—
25,000
*
*
Jonathan Marshall
—
—
25,000
*
*
Meltem Demirors
—
—
25,000
*
*
All officers, directors and director nominees as a group (6 persons)
440,000
*
5,740,714
93.2
%
19.2
%
5% or more owners
Magnetar Fund (5)
1,900,00
8.01
%
—
—
6.36
%
Harraden Fund (6)
2,351,288
9.92
%
—
—
7.87
%
LMR Partners LLP
1,200,000
5.1
%
—
—
4.1
%
AQR Fund
2,263,184
9.54
%
—
—
7.5
%
*
Less than one percent
(1) Unless otherwise noted, the business address of each of the following is 104 S. Walnut Street, Unit 1A, Itasca, IL 60143.
(2) Interests include founder shares, classified as Class B ordinary shares. Such shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares concurrently with or immediately following the consummation of our Business Combination, or earlier at the option of the holders thereof, on a one-for-one basis, Class A ordinary shares issuable pursuant to a private placement.
(3) Aldel Investors II LLC is the record holder of the shares reported herein. Robert I. Kauffman is the managing member of Aldel Investors II LLC. Mr. Kauffman has voting and investment discretion with respect to the ordinary shares held of record by Aldel Investors II LLC.
(4) On October 27, 2025, Peter Early resigned from the board of director of the Company and was replaced by Charles E. Nearburg. Peter Early transferred 12,500 Founder Share and Mr. Kauffman transferred 12,500 Founder Shares held in his individual name to Mr. Nearburg.
(5) As per 13 G filed on January 1, 2025, Magnetar Funds’ entities collectively own 1,900,000 ordinary shares. The principal address for Magnetar Funds is 1603 Orrington Avenue, 13 th Floor, Evanston, Illinois 60201.
(6) As per 13 G/A filed on November 14, 2025, Harraden Fund’s entities collectively own 2,351,288 ordinary shares. The principal address for Harraden Funds is 299 Park Avenue, 21st Floor, New York, NY 10171.
(7) As per 13 G/A filed on May 15, 2025, LMR Partners LP own 1,200,000 ordinary shares. The principal address for LMR Partners LLP is 9th Floor, Devonshire House, 1 Mayfair Place, London, W1J 8AJ, United Kingdom.
As per 13 G/A filed on February 14, 2025, AQR Funds’s entities collectively own 2,263,184 ordinary shares. The principal address for AQR Fund is One Greenwich Plaza, Suit 130 Greenwich, Connecticut 06830 our Sponsor, and our executive officers and directors are
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deemed to be our “promoters” as such term is defined under the federal securities laws. See “Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence” below for additional information regarding our relationships with our promoters.
Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence Conflicts of Interest
Under Cayman Islands law, directors and officers owe the following fiduciary duties:
i. Under Cayman Islands law, directors and officers owe the following fiduciary duties:
ii. duty to exercise powers for the purposes for which those powers were conferred and not for a collateral purpose;
iii. directors should not improperly fetter the exercise of future discretion;
iv. duty to exercise powers fairly as between different sections of shareholders;
v. duty not to put themselves in a position in which there is a conflict between their duty to the company and their personal interests; and
vi. duty to exercise independent judgment.
In addition to the above, directors also owe a duty of care which is not fiduciary in nature. This duty has been defined as a requirement to act as a reasonably diligent person having both the general knowledge, skill and experience that may reasonably be expected of a person carrying out the same functions as are carried out by that director in relation to the company and the general knowledge skill and experience of that director.
As set out above, directors have a duty not to put themselves in a position of conflict and this includes a duty not to engage in self-dealing, or to otherwise benefit as a result of their position. However, in some instances what would otherwise be a breach of this duty can be forgiven and/or authorized in advance by the shareholders provided that there is full disclosure by the directors. This can be done by way of permission granted in the memorandum and articles of association or alternatively by shareholder approval at general meetings.
Our officers and directors presently and in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to another entity pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a Business Combination opportunity to such entity. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a Business Combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then- current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such business combination opportunity to such entity, subject to their fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law: (i) no individual serving as a director or an officer shall have any duty, except and to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as us; and (ii) we renounce any interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any potential transaction or matter which may be a corporate opportunity for any director or officer, on the one hand, and us, on the other. However, based on the existing relationships of our sponsor, directors and officers, their level of financial investment in us and the potential loss of such investment if no business combination is consummated, the fact that we may consummate a Business Combination with a target in a broad range of sectors, and that the type of transaction that we would target would be of a nature substantially different than what they would target, we do not believe that the fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our officers or directors will materially affect our ability to complete our Business Combination.
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Below is a table summarizing the entities to which our executive officers and directors currently have fiduciary duties or contractual obligations:
Individual
Entity
Entity’s Business
Affiliation
Robert I. Kauffman
Hagerty Insurance
Insurance
Director
Global Net Lease Realty
Real Estate
Chairman and Director
Race Team Alliance
Motorsport
Chairman
RK Motors
Car dealership
Owner
Hassan R. Baqar
Saltire Capital Ltd.
Investment Company
Director of Capital Markets
Craveworthy LLC
Restaurant Portfolio Company
Manager
FG Merger II Corp.
Special Purpose Acquisition Company
Chief Financial Officer
Sequoia Financial LLC
Management Services & Financial Advisory
Managing Member
FG Imperii Acquisition Corp.
Special Purpose Acquisition Company
Chief Financial Officer
Greenland Exploration Limited
Energy company
Chief Financial Officer & Director
Stuart Kovensky
Cogent Advisory LLC
Investment Management
Manager
At Home Cayman, Inc.
Finance/Retail
Director
Meet Perry, Inc.
Investment Community
Advisory Board Member
Hermitage Member Club, Inc.
Leisure
Director
Guitar Centers, Inc.
Retail
Director
Jonathan Marshall
Parella Motorsports Holdings LLC
Motorsport
Director
TFI Properties, LLC
Hospitality
President
Meltem Demirors
Crucible Capital Management LLC
Investment management
Owner, managing member
Crucible Capital Fund I & I-A
Venture capital
Sole GP to the Fund
Crucible Capital GP I LLC
Venture capital
Sole GP
Crucible Capital Standard Nuclear Series A SPV
Venture capital
Sole GP to the SPV
Crucible Capital Liquid Opportunities GP LLC
Discretionary investments (internal hedge fund)
One of 3 GPs to the SPV
Crucible Capital Liquid Opportunities SPV LLC
Discretionary investments (internal hedge fund)
One of 3 members, all are employees of Crucible Capital
Spruce Pine Holdings LLC
Financing, developing, and operating compute infra
Managing Member
Shiny Pony LLC
Personal holding company
Owner, managing member
The Shrike LLC
Personal holding company
Owner, managing member
MK Studio LLC
Design services and materials
Managing Member
Compass Mining
Data center hosting
Board director
Sourceful Labs AB
Energy software startup
Board director
Nirvana Network Corporation, Inc.
Infrastructure startup
Board director
Potential investors should also be aware of the following other potential conflicts of interest:
● Our executive officers and directors are not required to, and will not, commit their full time to our affairs, which may result in a conflict of interest in allocating their time between our operations and our search for a business combination and their other businesses. We do not intend to have any full-time employees prior to the completion of our Business Combination. Each of our executive officers is engaged in several other business endeavors for which he may be entitled to substantial compensation, and our executive officers are not obligated to contribute any specific number of hours per week to our affairs.
● Our Initial Shareholders purchased Founder Shares prior to the IPO and have purchased Private Placement Securities in the Private Placement that closed simultaneously with the IPO. Our Initial Shareholders have entered into agreements with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any Founder Shares, Private Placement Securities and Public Shares they hold in connection with the completion of our Business Combination The other members of our management team have entered into agreements similar to the one entered into by our Initial Shareholders with respect to any Public Shares acquired by them in or after the IPO. Additionally, our Initial Shareholders have agreed to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to their Founder Shares if we fail to complete our Business Combination within the prescribed time frame or any extended period of time that we may have to consummate a Business Combination as a result of an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from assets outside the Trust Account. If we do not complete our Business
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Combination within such applicable time period, the proceeds of the sale of the Private Placement Securities held in the Trust Account will be used to fund the redemption of our Public Shares, and the Private Placement Securities will be worthless.
● Additionally, our Initial Shareholders have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their Founder Shares and any Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion thereof until the earlier to occur of: (i) one year after the completion of our Business Combination or (ii) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction after our Business Combination that results in all of our shareholders having the right to exchange their Class A ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property; except to certain permitted transferees.
● Our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such officers and directors was included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our Business Combination.
We are not prohibited from pursuing a Business Combination with a target that is affiliated with our Sponsor, officers or directors or completing the Business Combination through a joint venture or other form of shared ownership with our Sponsor, officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our Business Combination with a target that is affiliated with our Sponsor, executive officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, would obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking which is a member of FINRA or a valuation or appraisal firm, that such Business Combination is fair to our Company from a financial point of view. We are not required to obtain such an opinion in any other context. Furthermore, in no event will our Sponsor or any of our existing officers or directors, or any of their respective affiliates, be paid by the company any finder’s fee, consulting fee or other compensation prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate, the completion of our Business Combination. Further, we pay our sponsor (and/or its affiliates or designees) an aggregate of $20,000 per month for office space, secretarial and administrative services provided to members of our management team.
We cannot assure you that any of the above mentioned conflicts will be resolved in our favor
In the event that we submit our Business Combination to our Public Shareholders for a vote, our Sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to vote their Founder Shares and Private Placement shares, and they and the other members of our management team have agreed to vote their Founder Shares and Private Placement shares and any shares purchased during or after the IPO in favor of our Business Combination, aside from shares they may purchase in compliance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act, which would not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction.
Limitation on Liability and Indemnification of Officers and Directors
Cayman Islands law does not limit the extent to which a company’s memorandum and articles of association may provide for indemnification of officers and directors, except to the extent any such provision may be held by the Cayman Islands courts to be contrary to public policy, such as to provide indemnification against willful default, fraud or the consequences of committing a crime. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide for indemnification of our officers and directors to the maximum extent permitted by law, including for any liability incurred in their capacities as such, except through their own actual fraud, willful default or willful neglect. We have purchased a policy of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance that insures our officers and directors against the cost of defense, settlement or payment of a judgment in some circumstances and insures us against our obligations to indemnify our officers and directors.
Our officers and directors have agreed to waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies in the Trust Account, and have agreed to waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any services provided to us and will not seek recourse against the Trust Account for any reason whatsoever. Accordingly, any indemnification provided will only be able to be satisfied by us if (i) we have sufficient funds outside of the Trust Account or (ii) we consummate a Business Combination.
Our indemnification obligations may discourage shareholders from bringing a lawsuit against our officers or directors for breach of their fiduciary duty. These provisions also may have the effect of reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against our officers and directors, even though such an action, if successful, might otherwise benefit us and our shareholders. Furthermore, a shareholder’s investment may be adversely affected to the extent we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards against our officers and directors pursuant to these indemnification provisions.
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We believe that these provisions, the insurance and the indemnity agreements are necessary to attract and retain talented and experienced officers and directors.
Director Independence
Nasdaq listing rules require that a majority of our board of directors be independent within one year of our IPO. An “independent director” is defined generally as a person that, in the opinion of the company’s board of directors, has no material relationship with the listed company (either directly or as a partner, shareholder or officer of an organization that has a relationship with the company). We have three “independent directors” as defined in Nasdaq rules and applicable SEC rules. Our board has determined that each of Stuart Kovensky, Meltem Demirors, and Charles E. Nearburg is an independent director under applicable SEC and Nasdaq rules. Our independent directors will have regularly scheduled meetings at which only independent directors are present.
The following is a summary of fees paid or to be paid to Fruci & Associates II, PLLC (“Fruci”), for services rendered.
Audit Fees . Audit fees consist of fees billed for professional services rendered for the audit of our year-end financial statements and services that are normally provided by Fruci in connection with regulatory filings. The aggregate fees billed by Fruci for professional services rendered for the audit of our annual financial statements, review of the financial information for the respective periods, registration statement and other required filings with the SEC was $21,560 and 38,500 for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024 respectively The above amounts include interim procedures and audit fees and retainer for the annual audit, as well as attendance at audit committee meetings.
Tax Fees . We did not pay Fruci for tax planning and tax advice for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2025.
Pre-Approval Policy
Our audit committee was formed upon the consummation of our IPO. As a result, the audit committee did not pre-approve all of the foregoing services, although any services rendered prior to the formation of our audit committee were approved by our board of directors. Since the formation of our audit committee, and on a going-forward basis, the audit committee has and will pre-approve all auditing services and permitted non-audit services to be performed for us by our auditors, including the fees and terms thereof (subject to the de minimis exceptions for non-audit services described in the Exchange Act which are approved by the audit committee prior to the completion of the audit).
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PART IV
Item 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules
The following are filed with this report:
ALDEL FINANCIAL II INC.
INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Page
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm ( Fruci & Associates II. PLLC ,; PCAOB ID: 5525 )
F-1
Financial Statements:
F-2
Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2025 and 2024
F-2
Statements of Operations for the year ended December 31, 2025 and for the period July 15, 2024 (inception) to December 31, 2024
F-3
Statements of Shareholders’ Equity for the year ended December 31, 2025 and for the period July 15, 2024 (inception) to December 31, 2024
F-4
Statements of Cash Flows for the year ended December 31, 2025 and for the period July 15, 2024 (inception) to December 31, 2024
F-5
Notes to Financial Statements
F-6
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REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the Board of Directors and Stockholders of Aldel Financial II Inc.
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying balance sheets of Aldel Financial II Inc. (“the Company”) as of December 31, 2025 and 2024, and the related statements of operations, shareholders’ equity, and cash flows from July 15, 2024 (inception) to December 31, 2024 and for the year ended December 31, 2025, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the financial statements). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2025, and 2024 and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the period from July 15, 2024 (inception) to December 31, 2024 and the year ended December 31, 2025, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits, we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
Critical Audit Matters
Critical audit matters are matters arising from the current period audit of the financial statements that were communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that (1) relate to accounts or disclosures that are material to the financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. We determined that there were no critical audit matters.
Fruci & Associates II, PLLC – PCAOB ID #05525
We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2024.
Spokane, Washington
March 23, 2026
F-1
Table of Contents
ITEM 1. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS.
Aldel Financial II Inc.
Balance Sheets
(Audited)
December 31,
December 31,
2025
2024
ASSETS
Current assets
Cash
$
541,650
$
1,004,085
Prepaid expense
138,026
323,005
Total current assets
679,676
1,327,090
Investment held in trust account
243,045,615
233,166,502
TOTAL ASSETS
$
243,725,291
$
234,493,592
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Current liabilities
Accounts payable
$
28,145
$
22,027
TOTAL LIABILITIES
$
28,145
$
22,027
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
Class A ordinary shares; $ 0.0001 par value, subject to possible redemption, 23,000,000 shares at redemption value
$
243,045,615
$
233,166,502
STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Preferred shares, $ 0.0001 par value; 1,000,000 shares authorized; 0 issued and outstanding
—
—
Class A ordinary Shares, $ 0.0001 par value; 479,000,000 shares authorized; 707,500 issued and outstanding (excluding 23,000,000 shares subject to possible redemption)
$
71
$
71
Class B ordinary Shares, $ 0.0001 par value; 20,000,000 shares authorized; 6,160,714 issued and outstanding
616
616
Accumulated deficit
650,844
1,304,376
Total Stockholders’ Equity
651,531
1,305,063
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
$
243,725,291
$
234,493,592
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.
F-2
Table of Contents
Aldel Financial II Inc.
Statements of Operations
(Audited)
For the period
For the
from July 15, 2024
year ended
(inception) to
December 31,
December 31,
2025
2024
Operating expenses:
General and administrative expenses
$
653,532
$
132,836
Loss from operations
( 653,532 )
( 132,836 )
Other income:
Investment income on trust account
9,879,114
2,016,502
Total other income
9,879,114
2,016,502
Net income
$
9,225,582
$
1,883,666
Weighted average redeemable common shares outstanding basic
23,000,000
9,526,627
Basic income per share, redeemable shares
$
0.41
$
0.34
Weighted average redeemable common shares outstanding diluted
34,500,000
14,289,941
Diluted income per share, redeemable shares
$
0.27
$
0.21
Weighted average non-redeemable common shares outstanding basic and diluted
6,868,214
6,179,142
Basic and diluted loss per non-redeemable share
$
( 0.02 )
$
( 0.22 )
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.
F-3
Table of Contents
Aldel Financial II Inc.
Statements of Shareholders’ Equity
For the year ended December 31, 2025, and for the period from July 15, 2024 (inception) to December 31, 2024
(Audited)
Common
Common
Additional
Total
Stock
Stock
paid-in
Accumulated
Stockholders’
Shares
Amount
capital
Deficit
equity
Balance at July 15, 2024 (inception)
—
$
—
$
—
$
—
$
—
Issuance of founder shares
5,750,000
575
24,425
—
25,000
Issuance of additional founder shares
410,714
41
1,626
—
1,667
Sale of 23,000,000 units at $ 10 per unit in IPO
23,000,000
2,300
229,997,700
—
230,000,000
Sale of 477,500 units to Sponsor in private placement
477,500
48
4,774,952
—
4,775,000
Sale of 230,000 units to underwriters in private placement
230,000
23
2,299,977
—
2,300,000
Sale of 1,000,000 $ 15 strike warrants in private placement
—
—
100,000
—
100,000
Reclassification of deferred offering costs
—
—
( 4,613,768 )
—
( 4,613,768 )
Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemptions
—
( 2,300 )
( 231,147,700 )
—
( 231,150,000 )
Accretion of Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption
—
—
( 1,437,212 )
( 579,290 )
( 2,016,502 )
Net Income
—
—
—
1,883,666
1,883,666
Balance at December 31, 2024
29,868,214
$
687
$
—
$
1,304,376
$
1,305,063
Accretion of Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption
—
—
—
( 9,879,114 )
( 9,879,114 )
Net Income
—
—
—
9,225,582
9,225,582
Balance at December 31, 2025
29,868,214
$
687
$
—
$
650,844
$
651,531
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.
F-4
Table of Contents
Aldel Financial II Inc.
Statements of Cash Flows
(Audited)
For the period
For the
July 15
year ended
(inception) to
December 31,
December 31,
2025
2024
Cash flows from operating activities
Net income
$
9,225,582
$
1,883,666
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities:
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Accounts payable
6,118
22,027
Prepaid expenses
184,979
( 323,005 )
Net cash used in operating activities
9,416,679
1,582,688
Cash flows from investing activities
Investment in trust account
( 9,879,114 )
( 233,166,502 )
Net cash used in investing activities
( 9,879,114 )
( 233,166,502 )
Cash flows from financing activities
Proceeds from promissory note
—
178,333
Repayment of promissory note
—
( 178,333 )
Proceeds from issuance of Founder shares
—
26,667
Proceeds from sale of 23,000,000 units at $ 10 per unit in IPO net of offering cost
—
225,386,232
Proceeds from sale of 477,500 units to Sponsor in private placement
—
4,775,000
Proceeds from sale of 230,000 units to underwriters in private placement
—
2,300,000
Proceeds from sale of 1,000,000 $ 15 strike warrants in private placement
—
100,000
Net cash provided by Financing activities
—
232,587,899
Net increase in cash
( 462,435 )
1,004,085
Cash at beginning of period
1,004,085
—
Cash at end of period
$
541,650
$
1,004,085
Supplemental disclosure for non-cash financing activities:
Settlement of additional Founder Share issuance against the promissory note
—
1,667
Offering cost
—
4,613,768
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.
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Aldel Financial II Inc.
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
December 31, 2025 (Audited)
NOTE 1. DESCRIPTION OF ORGANIZATION AND BUSINESS OPERATIONS
Aldel Financial II Inc. (the “Company”) is a blank check company incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company on July 15, 2024. The Company was formed for the purpose of merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or other similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities (“Business Combination”)
Although the Company is not limited to a particular industry or geographic region for purposes of consummating a Business Combination, the Company intends to focus on businesses in the financial services industry. The Company is an early stage and emerging growth company and, as such, the Company is subject to all of the risks associated with early stage and emerging growth companies.
As of December 31, 2025, the Company had not yet commenced any operations. All activity through December 31, 2025 relates to the Company’s formation and the initial public offering (“IPO”), which is described below and target search for Business Combination. The Company will not generate any operating revenues until after the completion of its initial Business Combination, at the earliest. The Company will generate nonoperating income in the form of interest income from the proceeds derived from the IPO. The Company has selected December 31 as its fiscal year end.
The registration statement for the Company’s IPO was declared effective on October 21, 2024. On October 23, 2024, the Company consummated its IPO of 23,000,000 units (the “Units”) at $ 10.00 per unit including the 3,000,000 Units that were issued pursuant to the underwriters’ full exercise of their over-allotment option. Each Unit consist of one share of Class A ordinary share of the Company, par value $ 0.0001 per share (the “Public Share”) and one -half of one redeemable warrant ( “Public Warrant”), each whole Public Warrant entitling the holder thereof to purchase one share of Class A ordinary share for $ 11.50 per share. The Units were sold at a price of $ 10.00 per Unit, generating gross proceeds to the Company of $ 230,000,000 . The Public Warrants will become exercisable on the later of 30 days after the completion of Business Combination and 12 months from the closing of the IPO and will expire five years after the completion of Business Combination or earlier upon Company’s liquidation.
Simultaneously with the closing of the IPO, the Company consummated private placements (the “Private Placements”) in which (i) Aldel Investors II LLC (the “Sponsor”) and BTIG LLC (“Underwriter”) purchased 477,500 and 230,000 private units (the “Private Units”) respectively, at a price of $ 10.00 per Private Unit, generating total proceeds of $ 7,075,000 , and (ii) the Sponsor purchased an aggregate of 1,000,000 warrants (“$15 Private Warrant”) and, together with the Private Units, the “Private Placement Securities”) at a price of $ 0.10 per warrant, each exercisable to purchase one share of Class A common stock at $ 15.00 per share, for an aggregate purchase price of $ 100,000 .
Each Private Unit consists of one common share and one -half of one non-redeemable warrant (“Private Unit Warrant”). Each whole Private Unit Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one share of common stock at an exercise price of $ 11.50 per share.
Each $15 Private Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one share of Common Stock at an exercise price of $ 15.00 per each share, will be exercisable for a period of 10 years from the date of Business Combination, is non-redeemable, and may be exercised on a cashless basis. Additionally, $15 Private Warrants and the shares issuable upon the exercise of the $15 Private Warrants are not to be transferable, assignable or salable until after the completion of a Business Combination, subject to certain limited exceptions.
The Company’s Units are listed on the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations (“Nasdaq”). The Company’s management has broad discretion with respect to the specific application of the net proceeds of the IPO and sale of the $15 Private Warrants, and Private Units, although substantially all of the net proceeds are intended to be applied generally toward consummating a Business Combination. Nasdaq rules provide that the Business Combination must be with one or more target businesses that together have a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the net assets held in the Trust Account (as defined below) (excluding any deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on interest earned on the trust account). The Company will only complete a Business Combination if the post-Business Combination company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940 as amended (the “Investment Company Act”). There is no assurance that the Company will be able to successfully effect a Business Combination.
Following the closing of the IPO, an amount of $ 231,150,000 ($ 10.05 per Unit) from the net proceed of the sale of Units in the IPO and the sale of Private Placement Securities were placed in a trust account (“Trust Account”) and invested in U.S. government securities, within the meaning set forth in Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act, with a maturity of 185 days or less, or in any open-
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ended investment company that holds itself out as a money market fund meeting the conditions of Rule 2a-7 of the Investment Company Act, as determined by the Company, until the earlier of: (i) the consummation of a Business Combination or (ii) the distribution of the funds in the Trust Account to the Company’s shareholders, as described below.
The Company will provide its shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Public Shares upon the completion of a Business Combination either (i) in connection with a shareholder meeting called to approve the Business Combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. In connection with a proposed Business Combination, the Company may seek shareholder approval of a Business Combination at a meeting called for such purpose at which shareholders may seek to redeem their shares, regardless of whether they vote for or against the proposed Business Combination.
If the Company seeks shareholder approval of a Business Combination and it does not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, the Company’s amended and restated articles of incorporation will provide that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)), will be restricted from seeking redemption rights with respect to 15% or more of the Public Shares without the Company’s prior written consent.
The holders of Public Shares is entitled to redeem their Public Shares for a pro rata portion of the amount then in the Trust Account (including any pro rata interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to the Company to pay its tax obligations). There will be no redemption rights upon the completion of a Business Combination with respect to the Company’s warrants. As of December 31, 2025, the redemption value of the trust account was approximately $ 10.57 per share.
If a shareholder vote is not required and the Company does not decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other legal reasons, the Company will, pursuant to its amended and restated articles of incorporation, offer such redemption pursuant to the tender offer rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), and file tender offer documents containing substantially the same information as would be included in a proxy statement with the SEC prior to completing a Business Combination.
The Sponsor, officers, directors and advisors (the “Initial Shareholders”) and Underwriter have agreed (a) to vote their Founder Shares (as defined in Note 5) as well as any common shares underlying the Private Units, and any Public Shares purchased during or after the IPO in favor of a Business Combination, (b) not to propose an amendment to the Company’s amended and restated articles of incorporation with respect to the Company’s pre-Business Combination activities prior to the consummation of a Business Combination unless the Company provides dissenting public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their Public Shares in conjunction with any such amendment; (c) not to redeem any shares (including the Founder Shares as well as any common shares underlying the Private Units) into the right to receive cash from the Trust Account in connection with a shareholder vote to approve a Business Combination (or to sell any shares in a tender offer in connection with a Business Combination if the Company does not seek shareholder approval in connection therewith) or a vote to amend the provisions of the amended and restated articles of incorporation relating to shareholders’ rights of pre-Business Combination activity and (d) that the Founder Shares, the Private Units and $15 Private Warrants (including underlying securities) shall not participate in any liquidating distributions upon winding up if a Business Combination is not consummated. However, the Initial Shareholders will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to any Public Shares purchased during or after the IPO if the Company fails to complete its Business Combination.
The Company have 24 months from the closing of the IPO to complete a Business Combination. If the Company is unable to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period, the Company will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but no more than ten business days thereafter, redeem 100 % of the outstanding Public Shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including interest earned (net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding Public Shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of the remaining shareholders and the Company’s board of directors, proceed to commence a voluntary liquidation and thereby a formal dissolution of the Company, subject in each case to its obligations to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidation distribution with respect to the Company’s warrants, which will expire worthless if the Company fails to complete its initial Business Combination within the Combination period.
The Sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to the Company, if and to the extent any claims by a vendor for services rendered or products sold to the Company, or a prospective target business with which the Company has discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amounts in the Trust Account to below $ 10.05 per share, except as to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the Trust Account and except as to any claims under the Company’s indemnity of the underwriters of the IPO against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). In the
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event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, the Sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third-party claims. The Company will seek to reduce the possibility that the Sponsor will have to indemnify the Trust Account due to claims of creditors by endeavoring to have all vendors, service providers, prospective target businesses or other entities with which the Company does business, execute agreements with the Company waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to monies held in the Trust Account.
NOTE 2. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Basis of presentation
The accompanying financial statements are presented in U.S. Dollars and conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC.
Emerging growth company
The Company is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”), and it may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in its periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved.
Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such election to opt out is irrevocable. The Company has elected not to opt out of such extended transition period which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, the Company, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of the Company’s financial statements with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.
Inflation Reduction Act of 2022
On August 16, 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (the “IR Act”) was signed into federal law. The IR Act provides for, among other things, a new U.S. federal 1% excise tax on certain repurchases of stock by publicly traded U.S. domestic corporations and certain U.S. domestic subsidiaries of publicly traded foreign corporations occurring on or after January 1, 2023. The excise tax is imposed on the repurchasing corporation itself, not its shareholders from which shares are repurchased. The amount of the excise tax is generally 1% of the fair market value of the shares repurchased at the time of the repurchase. However, for purposes of calculating the excise tax, repurchasing corporations are permitted to net the fair market value of certain new stock issuances against the fair market value of stock repurchases during the same taxable year. In addition, certain exceptions apply to the excise tax. The U.S. Department of the Treasury (the “Treasury”) has been given authority to provide regulations and other guidance to carry out and prevent the abuse or avoidance of the excise tax.
Any redemption or other repurchase that occurs after December 31, 2022, in connection with a Business Combination, extension vote or otherwise, may be subject to the excise tax. Whether and to what extent the Company would be subject to the excise tax in connection with a Business Combination, extension vote or otherwise would depend on a number of factors, including (i) the fair market value of the redemptions and repurchases in connection with the Business Combination, extension or otherwise, (ii) the structure of a Business Combination, (iii) the nature and amount of any “PIPE” or other equity issuances in connection with a Business Combination (or otherwise issued not in connection with a Business Combination but issued within the same taxable year of a Business Combination) and (iv) the content of regulations and other guidance from the Treasury. In addition, because the excise tax would be payable by the Company and not by the redeeming holder, the mechanics of any required payment of the excise tax have not been determined. The foregoing could cause a reduction in the cash available on hand to complete a Business Combination and in the Company’s ability to complete a Business Combination.
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Use of estimates
The preparation of financial statement in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statement.
Making estimates requires management to exercise significant judgment. It is at least reasonably possible that the estimate of the effect of a condition, situation or set of circumstances that existed at the date of the financial statements, which management considered in formulating its estimate, could change in the near term due to one or more future confirming events. Accordingly, the actual results could differ significantly from those estimates.
Cash and cash equivalents
The Company considers all short-term investments with an original maturity of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents. The Company did not have any cash equivalents as of December 31, 2025.
Concentration of Credit Risk
Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist of cash accounts in a financial institution, which, at times, may exceed the Federal Deposit Insurance Company coverage of $250,000. The Company has not experienced losses on these accounts.
Marketable securities held in Trust Account
At December 31, 2025, substantially all of the assets held in the Trust Account were invested in a in short term U.S. Treasury obligations. During the year ended December 31, 2025, the Company did not withdraw any interest income from the Trust Account to pay for its taxes.
Common stock subject to possible redemption
The Company accounts for its common stock subject to possible redemption in accordance with the guidance in Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.” Common stock subject to mandatory redemption is classified as a liability instrument and is measured at fair value. Conditionally redeemable common stock (including common stock that features redemption rights that is either within the control of the holder or subject to redemption upon the occurrence of uncertain events not solely within the Company’s control) is classified as temporary equity. At all other times, common stock is classified as stockholders’ equity. The Company’s common stock features certain redemption rights that are considered to be outside of the Company’s control and subject to occurrence of uncertain future events. Accordingly, at December 31, 2025, common stock subject to possible redemption is presented as temporary equity at redemption value, outside of the stockholders’ equity section of the Company’s balance sheet.
The Company recognizes changes in redemption value using the “at redemption value” method and accordingly recognizes changes in redemption value immediately as they occur and adjusts the carrying value of redeemable shares to equal the redemption value at the end of each reporting period. Such changes are reflected in additional paid-in-capital and retained or accumulated deficit if additional paid in capital equals to zero.
Deferred offering costs
Deferred offering costs consist of legal, underwriter expenses and auditor cost incurred through the balance sheet date that are directly related to the IPO and that are charged to shareholders equity upon the completion of the IPO. Offering cost amounting to $ 4,613,768 (including $ 4,025,000 of underwriting fee) were charged to shareholders’ equity upon the completion of the IPO.
Income taxes
The Company complies with the accounting and reporting requirements of ASC Topic 740, “Income Taxes,” which requires an asset and liability approach to financial accounting and reporting for income taxes. Deferred income tax assets and liabilities are computed for differences between the financial statement and tax bases of assets and liabilities that will result in future taxable or deductible amounts, based on enacted tax laws and rates applicable to the periods in which the differences are expected to affect taxable income. Valuation allowances are established, when necessary, to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount expected to be realized.
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ASC Topic 740 prescribes a recognition threshold and a measurement attribute for the financial statement recognition and measurement of tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. For those benefits to be recognized, a tax position must be more-likely-than-not to be sustained upon examination by taxing authorities. The Company recognizes accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits, if any, as income tax expense. There were no unrecognized tax benefits as of December 31, 2025 and no amounts accrued for interest and penalties. The Company is currently not aware of any issues under review that could result in significant payments, accruals or material deviation from its position. The Company is subject to income tax examinations by major taxing authorities since inception. The company’s year-end is December 31 and no statutory tax deadline has yet occurred.
There is currently no taxation imposed on income by the Government of the Cayman Islands. In accordance with Cayman income tax regulations, income taxes are not levied on the Company. Consequently, income taxes are not reflected in the Company’s financial statements.
Reconciliation of Net Earnings (Loss) per Common Share
The Company complies with the accounting and disclosure requirements of ASC 260, Earnings Per Share. The Company utilize two class methodology in calculation of earning per share. The Company has redeemable shares referred to as Class A ordinary shares and non-redeemable shares referred as Class B ordinary shares of. Income and losses are shared pro rata between the redeemable and non-redeemable shares of common stock. Net income (loss) per share of common stock is calculated by dividing the net income (loss) by the weighted average shares of common stock outstanding for the respective period. Net loss for the period from July 15, 2024 (inception) to IPO was allocated fully to the non-redeemable shares of ordinary stock. Net income for the year ended December 31, 2025 was allocated to redeemable and non-redeemable shares of ordinary share. Diluted net income per share attributable to stockholders adjusts the basic net income per share attributable to stockholders and the weighted-average shares of ordinary share outstanding for the potentially dilutive impact of outstanding warrants.
The following table reflects the calculation of basic and diluted net income(loss) per share of common stock (in dollars, except per share amounts):
Net income for the year ended December 31, 2025
$
9,225,582
For the year ended December 31, 2025
Redeemable
Non- Redeemable
Shares
Shares
Total
Total number of ordinary shares – Basic
23,000,000
6,868,214
29,868,214
Ownership percentage
77
%
23
%
Total income allocated by class
$
7,103,698
$
2,121,884
$
9,225,582
Less: Accretion allocated based on ownership percentage
( 7,606,917 )
( 2,272,196 )
( 9,879,113 )
Plus: Accretion applicable to the redeemable class
9,879,113
—
9,879,113
Total income (loss) by class
$
9,375,894
$
( 150,312 )
9,225,582
Weighted average shares
23,000,000
6,868,214
Earnings (loss) per ordinary share - Basic
$
0.41
$
( 0.02 )
For the year ended December 31, 2025
Redeemable
Non- Redeemable
Shares
Shares
Total
Total number of ordinary shares – Diluted
34,500,000
8,221,964
42,721,964
Ownership percentage
81
%
19
%
Total income allocated by class
$
7,472,721
$
1,752,861
$
9,225,582
Less: Accretion allocated based on ownership percentage
( 8,002,082 )
( 1,877,031 )
( 9,879,113 )
Plus: Accretion applicable to the redeemable class
9,879,113
—
9,879,113
Total income (loss) by class
$
9,349,753
$
( 124,171 )
9,225,582
Weighted average shares
34,500,000
6,221,964
Earnings (loss) per ordinary share - Diluted
$
0.27
$
( 0.02 )
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Fair value of financial instruments
The fair value of the Company’s assets and liabilities which qualify as financial instruments under ASC Topic 820, “Fair Value Measurement,” approximates the carrying amounts represented in the accompanying balance sheet, primarily due to their short-term nature.
The fair value of the Company’s financial assets and liabilities reflects management’s estimate of amounts that the Company would have received in connection with the sale of the assets or paid in connection with the transfer of the liabilities in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. In connection with measuring the fair value of its assets and liabilities, the Company seeks to maximize the use of observable inputs (market data obtained from independent sources) and to minimize the use of unobservable inputs (internal assumptions about how market participants would price assets and liabilities). The following fair value hierarchy is used to classify assets and liabilities based on the observable inputs and unobservable inputs used in order to value the assets and liabilities.
Level 1: Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities. An active market for an asset or liability is a market in which transactions for the asset or liability occur with sufficient frequency and volume to provide pricing information on an ongoing basis.
Level 2: Observable inputs other than Level 1 inputs. Examples of Level 2 inputs include quoted prices in active markets for similar assets or liabilities and quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in markets that are not active.
Level 3: Unobservable inputs based on our assessment of the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability.
The fair value of the marketable securities held in Trust Account is determined using the level 1 input.
Operating Segments
ASC Topic 280, “Segment Reporting”, establishes standards for companies to report, in their financial statements, information about operating segments, products, services, geographic areas, and major customers. Operating segments are defined as components of an enterprise that engage in business activities from which it may recognize revenues and incur expenses, and for which separate financial information is available that is regularly evaluated by the Company’s CODM, or group, in deciding how to allocate resources and assess performance.
The Company’s CODM has been identified as the Chief Financial Officer, who reviews the assets, operating results, and financial metrics for the Company as a whole to make decisions about allocating resources and assessing financial performance. Accordingly, management has determined that the Company only has one reporting segment.
The CODM assesses performance for the single segment and decides how to allocate resources based on net income or loss that also is reported on the statement of operations as net income or loss. The measure of segment assets is reported on the balance sheet as total assets. When evaluating the Company’s performance and making key decisions regarding resource allocation, the CODM reviews several key metrics included in total assets, which include the following:
December 31,
2025
Cash
$
541,650
Cash held in Trust Account
$
243,045,615
Warrant Instruments
The Company accounts for the Public Warrants issued in connection with the IPO, the Private Unit Warrants and the $ 15 Private Warrants in accordance with the guidance contained in FASB ASC 815, “Derivatives and Hedging”. Under ASC 815-40, the Public Warrants and the Private Unit Warrants and $ 15 Private Warrants meet the criteria for equity treatment and as such will be recorded in shareholders’ equity. If the Public and Private Unit and $ 15 Private Warrant no longer meet the criteria for equity treatment, they will record as a liability and remeasured each period with changes recorded in the statement of operations.
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Recently issued accounting standard
In November 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-07, Segment Reporting (Topic 280): Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures. ASU 2023-07, which is applicable to entities with a single reportable segment, will primarily require enhanced disclosures about significant segment expenses and enhanced disclosures in interim periods. The guidance in ASU 2023-07 will be applied retrospectively and is effective for annual reporting periods in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023 and interim reporting periods in fiscal years beginning after December 31, 2024, with early adoption permitted. The Company adopted this guidance as of January 31, 2025. The adoption resulted in disclosure changes only.
NOTE 3. INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERING
The registration statement for the Company’s IPO was declared effective on October 21, 2024. On October 23, 2024, the Company consummated its IPO of 23,000,000 Units that were issued pursuant to the underwriters’ full exercise of their over-allotment option. The Units were sold at $ 10.00 per Unit, generating gross proceeds to the Company of $ 230,000,000 .
NOTE 4. PRIVATE PLACEMENT
Simultaneously with the closing of the IPO, the Company consummated Private Placements in which (i) Sponsor and Underwriter purchased 477,500 and 230,000 Private Units respectively, at a price of $ 10.00 per Private Unit, generating total proceeds of $ 7,075,000 , and (ii) the Sponsor purchased an aggregate of 1,000,000 $ 15 Private Warrants at a price of $ 0.10 per warrant, each exercisable to purchase one share of Class A ordinary share at $ 15.00 per share, for an aggregate purchase price of $ 100,000 .
Following the closing of the IPO on October 23, 2024, an amount of $ 231,150,000 ($ 10.05 per Unit) from the net proceed of the sale of Units in the IPO and the sale of Private Placement Securities were placed in the Trust Account and invested in U.S. government Securities.
NOTE 5. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
Founder Shares
On July 19, 2024, the Company issued an aggregate of 5,750,000 shares of common stock (the “Founder Shares”) to the Sponsor for an aggregate purchase price of $ 25,000 in cash. On August 13,2024 the Sponsor transferred an aggregate of 690,000 Founder Shares to members of the Company’s management and board of directors, resulting in the Sponsor holding 5,060,000 Founder Shares.
On September 25, 2024, the Company issued an additional 410,714 Founder Shares to the Sponsor for an approximate aggregate purchase price of $ 1,666 . The purchase price was satisfied against the promissory note between Company and Sponsor dated July 19, 2024. This resulted in Sponsor holding 5,470,714 Founder Shares.
The Initial Shareholders have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of the Founder Shares (except to certain permitted transferees) until, with respect to 50 % of the Founder Shares, the earlier of (i) twelve months after the date of the consummation of a Business Combination, or (ii) the date on which the closing price of the Company’s common stock equals or exceeds $ 12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations and recapitalizations) for any 20 trading days within any 30 -trading day period commencing after a Business Combination, with respect to the remaining 50 % of the Founder Shares, 12 months after the date of the consummation of a Business Combination, or earlier, in each case, if, subsequent to a Business Combination, the Company consummates a subsequent liquidation, merger, stock exchange or other similar transaction which results in all of the Company’s shareholders having the right to exchange their Public Shares for cash, securities or other property.
Company pays $ 20,000 a month in administrative services to the Sponsor. As of December 31, 2025. There was 20,000 payable to the Sponsor.
Promissory Notes
On July 19, 2024, the Company issued a promissory note to the Sponsor, pursuant to which the Company may borrow up to an aggregate principal amount of $ 180,000 . On September 25, 2024, the Company issued an additional 410,714 Founder Shares to the Sponsor for an approximate aggregate purchase price of $ 1,666 . The purchase price was satisfied against the promissory note between Company
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and Sponsor dated July 19, 2024. The promissory note was full paid after the IPO. As of December 31, 2025, there was no balance outstanding under the promissory notes.
Administrative Services Agreement
The Company entered into an administrative services agreement (the “Administrative Services Agreement”) with the Sponsor whereby the Sponsor performs certain services for the Company for a monthly fee of $ 20,000 .
Chief Executive officer and a director of the Company serves as the managers of the Sponsor at close of IPO.
NOTE 6. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
Registration Rights
Pursuant to the registration right agreement entered into on October 21, 2024, the holders of the Founder Shares, the Private Units, the $15 Private Warrants (and their underlying securities) are entitled to registration rights. The Company bore the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any registration statements pursuant to such registration rights.
Underwriting Agreement
The Company granted the underwriters a 45 -day option to purchase up to 3,000,000 additional Units to cover over-allotments at the IPO price. On October 21, 2024, the underwriters exercised the over-allotment in full, and the closing of the issuance and sale of the additional Units occurred simultaneously with the closing of the IPO on October 23, 2024.
The Underwriter received a $ 4,025,000 underwriting discount at IPO closing which represents 1.75 % of the gross proceeds of the IPO.
Additionally, the Underwriter has agreed to defer underwriting commissions equal to 3.75 % of the gross proceeds of the IPO upon completion of the Business Combination. The deferred underwriting commission consists of a spread comprised of the following component, each payable upon consummation of the Company’s Business Combination: i) 1.75 % shall be paid to Underwriter in cash, ii) 1 % applicable to the cash remaining in the Trust at Business Combination and iii) 1 % shall be paid to Underwriter in cash, provided that, the Company will have the right, in its sole discretion, not to pay and reallocate any portion of the 1 % for the payment of expenses in connection with the Business Combination or for the working capital for the combined company following the Business Combination.
Additionally, the Underwriter has agreed to defer underwriting commissions equal to 3.75 % of the gross proceeds of the IPO upon completion of the Business Combination. The deferred underwriting commission consists of a spread comprised of the following component, each payable upon consummation of the Company’s Business Combination: i) 1.75 % shall be paid to Underwriter in cash, ii) 1 % applicable to the cash remaining in the Trust at Business Combination and iii) 1 % shall be paid to Underwriter in cash, provided that, the Company will have the right, in its sole discretion, not to pay and reallocate any portion of the 1 % for the payment of expenses in connection with the Business Combination or for the working capital for the combined company following the Business Combination.
NOTE 7. STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Ordinary Shares – The Company is authorized to issue 500,000,000 total shares of par value $ 0.0001 each, including 479,000,000 Class A ordinary shares and 20,000,000 Class B ordinary shares, as well as 1,000,000 preferred shares, $ 0.0001 par value each. There were 6,160,714 Class B or Founder Shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2025. Offering. There were 707,500 shares of Class A ordinary shares outstanding, excluding 23,000,000 shares subject to possible redemption. Each Class A and Class B ordinary share has one voting right.
Warrants — Public Warrants may only be exercised for a whole number of shares. No fractional shares are to be issued upon exercise of the Public Warrants. Each whole Public Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one share of common stock at an exercise price of $ 11.50 per share, and will become exercisable on the later of 30 days after the completion of the Business Combination and 12 months from the closing of the IPO. The Public Warrants will expire on the fifth anniversary of the completion of the Business Combination, or earlier upon redemption or liquidation. The Company may redeem the Public Warrants i) at a redemption price of $ 0.01 per warrant, ii) at any time after the Public Warrants become exercisable, iii) upon a minimum of 30 days ’ prior written notice of redemption, iv) if, and only if, the last sales price of Company’s common stock equals or exceeds $ 18.00 per share for any 20 trading days within a 30 trading day period commencing after the date the Public Warrants become exercisable and ending three business days before Company sends
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the notice of redemption, and v) if, and only if, there is a current registration statement in effect with respect to the shares of common stock underlying such Public Warrants at the time of redemption and for the entire 30 -day trading period referred to above and continuing each day thereafter until the date of redemption. Company had 11,500,000 (including 1,500,000 pursuant to the full exercise of underwriters’ over-allotment option) Public Warrant outstanding at close of the IPO.
The $15 Private Warrants entitles the holder to purchase one common share at an exercise price of $ 15.00 per each share, will be exercisable for a period of 10 years from the date of Business Combination, will be non-redeemable, and may be exercised on a cashless basis. Additionally, $15 Private Warrants and the shares issuable upon the exercise of the $15 Private Warrants are not to be transferable, assignable or salable until after the completion of a Business Combination, subject to certain limited exceptions. Company have 1,000,000 $15 Private Warrant outstanding at the close of IPO.
The Private Unit Warrants have terms similar to the Public Warrants underlying the Units sold in the IPO, except that the Private Unit Warrants are non-redeemable and may be exercised on a cashless basis. Additionally, Private Unit Warrants and the shares issuable upon the exercise of the Private Unit Warrants are not to be transferable, assignable or salable until after the completion of a Business Combination, subject to certain limited exceptions. Company had 353,750 (including 33,750 pursuant to the full exercise of underwriters’ over-allotment option) Private Unit Warrants underlying the Private Units outstanding at the close of IPO.
The exercise price and number of ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants may be adjusted in certain circumstances including in the event of a stock dividend, extraordinary dividend or recapitalization, reorganization, merger or consolidation. However, except as described above, the warrants will not be adjusted for issuances of common stock at a price below its exercise price. Additionally, in no event will the Company be required to net cash settle the warrants. If the Company is unable to complete a Business Combination and the Company liquidates the funds held in the Trust Account, holders of warrants will not receive any of such funds with respect to their warrants, nor will they receive any distribution from the Company’s assets held outside of the Trust Account with respect to such warrants. Accordingly, the warrants may expire worthless.
NOTE 8. SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
The Company evaluated subsequent events and transactions that occurred after the balance sheet date up to date of filing. Based upon the review, the Company did not identify any subsequent events that would have required adjustment or disclosure in the financial statement.
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EXHIBITS.
The following exhibits are filed as part of, or incorporated by reference into, this Annual Report.
No.
Description of Exhibit
1.1
Underwriting Agreement, dated October 21, 2024, by and between the Company and BTIG, LLC, as representative of the several underwriters (incorporated by reference to exhibit 1.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on October 25, 2024)
3.1
Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Company (incorporated by reference to exhibit 3.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on October 25, 2024)
4.1
Public Warrant Agreement, dated October 21, 2024, by and between the Company and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent (incorporated by reference to exhibit 4.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on October 25, 2024)
4.2
Private Warrant Agreement, dated October 21, 2024, by and between the Company and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent (incorporated by reference to exhibit 4.2 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on October 25, 2024)
4.5
Description of Registrant’s Securities
10.1
Investment Management Trust Agreement, October 21, 2024, by and between the Company and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as trustee (incorporated by reference to exhibit 10.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on October 25, 2024)
10.2
Registration Rights Agreement, dated October 21, 2024, by and among the Company and certain security holders (incorporated by reference to exhibit 10.2 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on October 25, 2024)
10.3
Private Placement Units Purchase Agreement, dated October 21, 2024, by and between the Company and Aldel Investors II LLC (incorporated by reference to exhibit 10.3 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on October 25, 2024)
10.4
Private Placement Units Purchase Agreement, dated October 21, 2024, by and between the Company and Aldel Investors II LLC (incorporated by reference to exhibit 10.4 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on October 25, 2024)
10.5
Letter Agreement, dated October 21, 2024, by and among the Company, its officers, directors, and Aldel Investors II LLC (incorporated by reference to exhibit 10.5 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on October 25, 2024)
10.6
Administrative Services Agreement, dated October 21, 2024, by and between the Company and Aldel Investors II LLC (incorporated by reference to exhibit 10.6 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on October 25, 2024)
10.7
Indemnity Agreements, dated October 21, 2024, by and between the Company and the directors and officer of the Company (incorporated by reference to exhibit 10.7 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on October 25, 2024)
10.8
OTM Warrants Purchase Agreement between the Registrant and Aldel Investors II LLC (incorporated by reference to exhibit 10.8 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on October 25, 2024)
31.1*
Certification of Principal Executive Officer Pursuant to Securities Exchange Act Rules 13a-14(a) and 15(d)-14(a), as adopted Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
31.2*
Certification of Principal Financial Officer Pursuant to Securities Exchange Act Rules 13a-14(a) and 15(d)-14(a), as adopted Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
32.1
Certification of Principal Executive Officer Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
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No.
Description of Exhibit
32.2
97
Certification of Principal Financial Officer Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
Clawback Policy
101.CAL
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document
101.SCH
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document
101.DEF
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document
101.LAB
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Labels Linkbase Document
101.PRE
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document
104
Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted as Inline XBRL and contained in Exhibit 101)
*
Furnished herewith
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this Annual Report on Form 10-K to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
Date: March 24, 2026
Aldel Financial II Inc.
By:
/s/ Robert I. Kauffman
Name: Robert I. Kauffman
Title: Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer)
Date: March 24, 2026
Aldel Financial II Inc.
By:
/s/ Hassan R. Baqar
Name: Hassan R. Baqar
Title: Chief Financial Officer ( Principal Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer)
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
Name
Position
Date
/s/ Robert I. Kauffman
Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Director
March 24, 2026
Robert I. Kauffman
(Principal Executive Officer)
/s/ Stuart Kovensky
Director
March 24, 2026
Stuart Kovensky
/s/ Jonathan Marshall
Director
March 24, 2026
Jonathan Marshall
/s/ Meltem Demirors
Director
March 24, 2026
Meltem Demirors
/s/ Charles E. Nearburg
Director
March 24, 2026
Charles E. Nearburg
33
Text extracted from the filing as submitted to EDGAR. Formatting, tables and exhibits are simplified for reading; the original document is authoritative for anything you rely on.