UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington,
D.C. 20549
FORM
10-K
☒
ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For
the fiscal year ended December 31 , 2025 OR
☐
TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For
the transition period from _________to _________
Commission
File Number 001-40524
SHF
Holdings, Inc.
(Exact
Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)
Delaware
86-2409612
(State
or other jurisdiction
of incorporation or organization)
(I.R.S.
Employer
Identification Number)
1526
Cole Blvd. , Suite 250
Golden , Colorado
80401
(Address
of principal executive offices)
(Zip
Code)
Registrant’s
telephone number, including area code: (303) 431-3435
Securities
registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title
of each class
Trading
Symbol(s)
Name
of each exchange on which registered
Class
A Common Stock, $0.0001 par value per share
SHFS
The
Nasdaq Stock Market LLC
Redeemable
Warrants, each whole warrant exercisable for one share of Class A Common Stock at an exercise price of $230 per share
SHFSW
The
Nasdaq Stock Market LLC
Indicate
by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☐ No ☒
Indicate
by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐ No ☒
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2)
has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ☐
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule
405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant
was required to submit such files). Yes ☒ No ☐
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting
company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,”
“smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large
accelerated filer
☐
Accelerated
filer
☐
Non-accelerated
filer
☒
Smaller
reporting company
☒
Emerging
growth company
☒
If
an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying
with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness
of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered
public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☐
If
securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant
included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. ☐
Indicate
by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation
received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). ☐
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No ☒
The
aggregate market value of the Class A Common Stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant, based on the closing price of a share of
the registrant’s Common Stock on June 30, 2025 as reported by The Nasdaq Capital Market on such date, was approximately $ 3.1 million.
As
of April 10, 2026, there were 4,505,486 shares of the Company’s Class A Common Stock outstanding.
DOCUMENTS
INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
Portions
of the registrant’s definitive proxy statement pursuant to Regulation 14A for the registrant’s 2026 Annual Meeting of Shareholders,
to be filed within 120 days of the registrant’s fiscal year end, are incorporated by reference into Part III hereof.
SHF
HOLDINGS, INC.
FORM
10-K
December
31, 2025
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
Page
PART I
Item
1.
Business
7
Item
1A.
Risk Factors
22
Item
1B.
Unresolved Staff Comments
32
Item
1C.
Cybersecurity
32
Item
2.
Properties
34
Item
3.
Legal Proceedings
34
Item
4.
Mine Safety Disclosures
34
PART II
Item
5.
Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
35
Item
6.
[Reserved]
35
Item
7.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
36
Item
7A.
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
56
Item
8.
Financial Statements and Supplementary Data
56
Item
9.
Changes in and Disagreements With Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure
56
Item
9A.
Controls and Procedures
56
Item
9B.
Other Information
58
Item
9C.
Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections
58
PART III
Item
10.
Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance
59
Item
11.
Executive Compensation
60
Item
12.
Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters
65
Item
13.
Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence
66
Item
14.
Principal Accountant Fees and Services
67
PART IV
Item
15.
Exhibit and Financial Statement Schedules
68
Item
16.
Form 10-K Summary
71
Signatures
72
1
USE
OF MARKET AND INDUSTRY DATA
This
Annual Report on Form 10-K (this “Annual Report on Form 10-K” or “Form 10-K” includes market and industry
data that we have obtained from third-party sources, including, without limitation industry publications, as well as industry data
prepared by our management on the basis of its knowledge of and experience in the industries in which we operate (including our
management’s estimates and assumptions relating to such industries based on that knowledge). Management has developed its
knowledge of such industries through its experience and participation in these industries. While our management believes the
third-party sources referred to in this Annual Report on Form 10-K are reliable as of the date hereof, neither we nor our management have independently
verified any of the data from such sources referred to in this Annual Report on Form 10-K or ascertained the underlying economic
assumptions relied upon by such sources and therefore cannot guarantee that such information is accurate or complete. Furthermore, internally prepared and third-party market prospective information, in
particular, are estimates only and there may be differences between the prospective and actual results because events and
circumstances may not occur as expected, and those differences may be material. Also, references in this Annual Report on
Form 10-K to any publications, reports, surveys or articles prepared by third parties should not be construed as depicting the
complete findings of the entire publication, reports, surveys or articles. The information in any such publication, report, survey
or article is not incorporated by reference in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
TRADEMARKS,
TRADE NAMES AND SERVICE MARKS
“SHF
Holdings”, “Safe Harbor,” “Safe Harbor Financial,” and other trademarks or service marks of SHF Holdings,
Inc. (the “Company”) appearing in this Annual Report on Form 10-K are the property of the Company. The other trademarks,
trade names and service marks appearing in this Annual Report on Form 10-K are the property of their respective owners. Solely for convenience,
the trademarks and trade names in this Annual Report on Form 10-K are referred to without the ® and ™ symbols, but such references
should not be construed as any indicator that their respective owners will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, their
rights thereto.
OTHER
PERTINENT INFORMATION
Unless
the context otherwise indicates, when used in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, the terms “SHF Holdings,” “Safe Harbor,”
“we,” “us,” “our,” the “Company” and similar terms refer to the Company, a Delaware corporation
and its wholly-owned subsidiaries, SHF, LLC, SHFxAbaca, LLC, Safe Harbor Retirement Services, LLC and SHF Managed Services, LLC.
CAUTIONARY
NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Various
statements made in this Form 10-K are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of, and subject to the protections
of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
Forward-looking
statements include statements with respect to the Company’s beliefs, plans, objectives, goals, expectations, anticipations, assumptions,
estimates, intentions and future performance and condition, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which
may be beyond the Company’s control, and which may cause the actual results, performance, achievements, or financial condition
of the Company to be materially different from future results, performance, achievements, or financial condition expressed or implied
by such forward-looking statements. Furthermore, this Form 10-K may contain forward-looking statements regarding the potential for federal
rescheduling of cannabis, the potential passage of the SAFER Banking Act of 2025 (the “SAFER Banking Act”), projected growth of the cannabis market, the potential impact of regulatory changes on the Company’s business,
and the anticipated benefits of the Second Amended and Restated Commercial Alliance Agreement (the “Second Amended CAA”).
You should not expect us to update any forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements should be read together with the discussion
of the Company’s risks and uncertainties included in Part I, Item 1A., “Risk Factors” beginning on page 24 of this Form
10-K.
All
statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be forward-looking statements. You can identify these forward-looking
statements through our use of words such as “may,” “will,” “anticipate,” “assume,” “seek,”
“should,” “indicate,” “would,” “believe,” “contemplate,” “consider,”
“expect,” “estimate,” “continue,” “plan,” “point to,” “project,”
“could,” “intend,” “target” and other similar words and expressions of the future. These forward-looking
statements may not be realized due to a variety of factors, including, without limitation:
●
Our profitability is subject to interest rate risk;
●
Volatility and uncertainty in the financial markets and banking industry may adversely impact our clients and our ability to obtain additional
financial institution customers;
●
Liquidity risks could affect our operations and jeopardize our financial condition and certain funding sources could increase our interest
rate expense;
2
●
The industry in which our clients operate is considered federally illegal, which may pose risk if actions were taken against those clients
or our Company;
●
Our strategic plan and growth strategy may not be achieved as quickly or as fully as we seek;
●
Our success depends on our ability to compete effectively in highly competitive markets;
●
Potential gaps in our risk management policies may leave us exposed to unidentified or unanticipated risk, which could negatively affect
our business;
●
Our ability to resolve our material weaknesses in internal controls over financial reporting;
●
We have identified and we may identify additional deficiencies in our internal controls, which may have an impact on our business operations;
●
Technological changes affect our business including potentially impacting the revenue stream of traditional products and services, and
we may have fewer resources than many competitors to invest in technological improvements;
●
Our information systems may experience interruptions and security breaches, and are exposed to cybersecurity threats;
●
Many of our major systems depend on and are operated by third-party vendors, and any systems failures or interruptions could adversely
affect our operations and the services we provide to our clients;
●
Any failure to protect the confidentiality of customer information could adversely affect our reputation and subject us to financial
sanctions and other costs that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations;
●
Future acquisitions and expansion activities may disrupt our business, dilute shareholder value and adversely affect our operating results;
●
We may not be able to generate sufficient cash to service all of our operation needs, including our debt obligations;
●
We may incur a substantial level of debt that could materially adversely affect our ability to generate sufficient cash to fulfill our
obligations;
●
Our business may be adversely affected by economic conditions in general and by conditions in the financial markets;
●
We are subject to extensive regulations that could limit or restrict our activities and adversely affect our earnings;
●
Litigation and regulatory investigations are increasingly common in our businesses and may result in significant financial losses and/or
harm to our reputation;
●
Liquidity risks arising from the uncertainty surrounding cash flows;
●
We are subject to capital adequacy and Nasdaq liquidity standards, and if we fail to meet these standards, whether due to losses,
growth opportunities or an inability to raise additional capital or otherwise, our financial condition and results of operations
would be adversely affected;
●
Certain of our existing stockholders could exert significant control over the Company;
3
●
If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, the price
of our Common Stock and its trading volume could decline;
●
We have the ability to issue additional equity securities, which would lead to dilution of our issued and outstanding Common Stock;
●
We are an “emerging growth company,” and, as a result of the reduced disclosure and governance requirements applicable to
emerging growth companies, our Common Stock may be less attractive to investors;
●
We may be unable to attract and retain key people to support our business;
●
In certain circumstances, we assume the risk of fraud loss and negative balances for accounts maintained at our financial institution
partners;
●
Severe weather, natural disasters, global pandemics, acts of war or terrorism, theft, civil unrest, government expropriation or other
external events could have significant effects on our business;
●
There is substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern;
●
The Company’s ability to comply with Nasdaq, Nasdaq’s listing requirements and maintain its listing on Nasdaq is uncertain
and subject to various risks and factors that may cause actual results to differ materially; and
●
Other factors and information in other filings that we make with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) under
the Exchange Act and Securities Act.
The
foregoing factors should not be construed as exhaustive and should be read together with the other cautionary statements included in
this Form 10-K. Because of these risks and other uncertainties, our actual future financial condition, results, performance or achievements,
or industry results, may be materially different from the results indicated by the forward-looking statements in this Form 10-K. In addition,
our past results of operations are not necessarily indicative of our future results of operations. You should not rely on any forward-looking
statements as predictions of future events.
All
written or oral forward-looking statements that are made by us or are attributable to us are expressly qualified in their entirety by
this cautionary note. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and we do not undertake any obligation
to update, revise or correct any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise,
except as required by law.
SUMMARY
OF RISK FACTORS
Our
business is subject to a number of risks, which are discussed more fully in Part I, Item 1A. “ Risk Factors ” beginning
on page 24 of this Annual Report, that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by forward-looking statements
made in this Annual Report or presented elsewhere from time to time. Capitalized terms used but not otherwise defined in the following
summary have the meanings ascribed to them elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. These risks include, but are not limited to,
the following:
Risks
Related to the Company’s Business
● Our
revenue has declined significantly in recent periods, and we cannot guarantee that the economics
of the Second Amended CAA will fully restore our financial performance.
● Our
revenue has declined due to account attrition, lower pricing, introduction of money market accounts that share interest earned with
the depositor and reduced transaction activity within the cannabis industry.
● Volatility
in interest rates may adversely affect our revenues, profitability, and competitive position.
● Our recurring operating losses and negative cash flows from operations raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going
concern.
4
Risks
Related to the Second Amended CAA
● PCCU’s
loan program is substantially dependent on the regulatory restrictions placed on PCCU, which
may limit the types, terms, and amounts of loans offered.
● The
Second Amended CAA reinstates an indemnification obligation of up to 65% of loan loss.
● We are required to maintain sufficient balance sheet
resources to support our indemnification obligations under the Second Amended CAA.
● Our indemnification obligation is unlimited in amount, and our actual losses could exceed our current estimates and
our available cash.
● We
are required to maintain sufficient cash and cash equivalents to support our indemnification obligations under the Second Amended CAA.
● PCCU
retains final loan approval authority and may decline loans that meet our underwriting standards,
which could limit our revenue growth.
● One
borrower represents approximately 18% of the total loan portfolio and carries the second highest risk
classification.
● The
CRB loan portfolio is concentrated entirely in the cannabis industry, and cannabis-specific
collateral is subject to significant valuation discounts, legal uncertainties, and a limited
buyer pool in a foreclosure or forced sale.
● Certain provisions in the Second Amended CAA create a direct link between our listing compliance and our revenue.
● The
initial fair value measurement of our stand-ready guarantee liability at inception under the Second Amended CAA involves significant estimates and judgment and is subject to material uncertainty.
● Our
ongoing expected financial indemnification liability under the CECL standard (ASC 326) requires quarterly ongoing remeasurement
and is subject to material uncertainty.
● We
are dependent on third parties, including PCCU and other service providers, for certain critical
services and disruptions at PCCU would directly and immediately impair our
operations.
● Loan
program income (formerly loan interest income) could decline under the Second Amended CAA if the indemnity reserve would
cause our shareholders’ equity to drop below the Nasdaq Listing Requirements to maintain
compliance.
Risks
Related to the Cannabis Industry and Regulatory Environment
● We
have agreements with financial institutions that provide banking services to CRBs, which exposes
us to additional liabilities, regulatory compliance costs, and reputational risk.
● Cannabis
remains a Schedule I controlled substance under federal law and changes in federal enforcement
policy or the scheduling status of cannabis could affect our business in unpredictable ways.
● The
Company, our financial institution customers, and our CRB clients are subject to complex
federal and state laws governing financial transactions related to cannabis, which could
subject them to legal claims or restrict their activities.
● State-level
regulatory changes including market saturation, license non-renewals, and changes to cannabis
program structures could impair borrower viability and increase the credit risk in the portfolio
we indemnify.
● Because
cannabis remains federally illegal, CRB borrowers generally cannot access bankruptcy protections
but instead work through the receivership process, which complicates loan workouts and could
increase our loss given default.
● Service providers to cannabis businesses may be subject to unfavorable U.S. federal income tax treatment, including
potential disallowance of ordinary business deductions under Section 280E.
● Cannabis
businesses may be subject to civil asset forfeiture under federal law, which could result
in the loss of collateral securing loans in our portfolio.
● We
may have difficulty enforcing certain of our commercial agreements and contracts related
to cannabis-adjacent services.
● Because
we serve cannabis-related businesses, we may have difficulty obtaining certain insurance
coverages, which could expose us to additional financial liability.
● The
conduct of third parties, including our CRB clients and their financial institution providers,
may jeopardize our regulatory compliance and business relationships.
● Directors,
officers, employees, and investors who are not U.S. citizens may face cross-border travel
restrictions into the United States due to their involvement in the cannabis industry.
● We
may be subject to marketing and advertising constraints on promoting our services to cannabis-related
businesses, which could limit our growth.
5
Risks
Related to Nasdaq Listing Compliance
● Our
Common Stock has previously traded below $1.00 per share, and if it were to trade below $1.00
in the future, it could create an imminent risk of a Nasdaq minimum bid price deficiency
notice.
● A
proposed new Nasdaq rule would delist companies whose market capitalization falls below $5
million for 30 or more consecutive trading days.
● A
delisting of our Common Stock could materially impair our ability to make future draws under
the ELOC.
Risks
Related to Our Capital Structure and Securities
● The
conversion of our Series B Preferred Stock, exercise of Series B Warrants, and future draws
under the ELOC could result in substantial dilution to existing holders of our Common Stock.
● The
ELOC is an active financing facility, its pricing and redemption mechanics significantly
reduce our net proceeds on each draw and increase dilution to existing stockholders.
● Our
Series B Preferred Stock and Series B Warrants contain anti-dilution and reset provisions
that could further dilute common stockholders.
● Our
Common Stock price may be highly volatile, and stockholders may not be able to sell their
shares at or above their purchase price.
● The
soundness of our financial institution customers and partners could adversely affect us.
● Our
investment in preferred securities of ADTX is illiquid, subject to impairment, and may result in a partial or total loss.
Risks
Related to Internal Controls and Financial Reporting
● The
Second Amended CAA introduces significant new accounting complexity that involves material
judgment and estimation uncertainty.
● One
material weakness in revenue recognition related to our activity fee income from deposits held at PCCU has been remediated,
however sufficient time has not passed for us to conclude that its is operating effectively.
● We have identified a material weakness in internal control over financial reporting related to our loan documentation
and expected credit loss estimation process, which could result in a material misstatement of our financial statements
Risks
Related to Legal Proceedings and Regulatory Compliance
● An
adverse outcome in litigation to which we are or may become a party could materially and
adversely affect us.
● Changes
in laws, regulations, or rules applicable to cannabis banking, financial services, or public
company reporting could adversely affect our business and results of operations.
● An
interruption in, or breach of security of, our information systems could adversely affect
us.
● We
may suffer uninsured losses or losses in excess of our insurance limits.
Risks
Related to Our Securities
● There
can be no assurance that we will be able to comply with the continued listing standards of
Nasdaq.
● The
market for our securities has been volatile and may continue to be volatile, which would
adversely affect the liquidity and price of our securities.
● The
Company may issue additional shares of common or preferred stock under the Equity Incentive
Plan or otherwise, any one of which would dilute the interest of the Company’s stockholders
and likely present other risks.
● Our
operating results may fluctuate significantly and could fall below the expectations of securities
analysts and investors due to seasonality and other factors, some of which are beyond our
control, resulting in a decline in our stock price.
● If
securities or industry analysts do not publish or cease publishing research or reports about
the Company, its business, or its market, or if they change their recommendations regarding
our Common Stock adversely, then the price and trading volume of the Common Stock could decline.
● We
may be unable to obtain additional financing to fund our operations and growth.
● Anti-takeover
provisions contained in our Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and
Bylaws, as well as provisions of Delaware law, could impair a takeover attempt, which could
limit the price investors might be willing to pay in the future for our Common Stock.
● Our
Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation provides that the Court of Chancery
of the State of Delaware will be the sole and exclusive forum for certain stockholder litigation
matters, which could limit our stockholder’s ability to obtain a favorable judicial
forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers, employees or stockholders.
● The
JOBS Act permits “emerging growth companies” like us to take advantage of certain
exemptions from various reporting requirements applicable to other public companies that
are not emerging growth companies.
● The Certificate of Designation governing our Series B Preferred Stock contains
covenants that may limit our business flexibility.
6
PART
I
Item
1. Business.
Overview
The
Company is based in Golden, Colorado. Founded in 2015 by Partner Colorado Credit Union (“PCCU”), SHF was among the first
companies to provide compliant banking and lending services to cannabis related businesses (“CRBs”). Our mission is to provide
reliable, compliant financial services to the legal cannabis, hemp, and related industries by enabling financial institution customers
to offer compliant banking, lending, and other financial services to CRBs.
We
provide compliance and loan origination services to financial institutions that wish to offer business banking, private banking, and
commercial banking services to clients operating in or adjacent to the state-legal cannabis industry. Through our proprietary technology
platform, which currently operates across 41 states and territories, we enable our financial institution customers to compliantly provide
the following services to CRBs:
● Business
checking and savings accounts;
● Cash
management accounts;
● Savings
and investment options;
● Commercial
lending;
● Courier
services (via third-party relationships);
● Remote
deposit services;
● Automatic
Clearing House (“ACH”) payments and origination; and
● Wire
payments.
Our
core service offerings include:
●
Regulatory
compliance consulting and technology: We provide our financial institution customers with the tools and support needed
to maintain “Know Your Customer” (“KYC”), Anti-Money Laundering (“ AML ”) and Bank Secrecy Act (“BSA”) compliance, principally
delivered through our proprietary financial services platform. Specific compliance services include initial customer due diligence,
customer application management, program management support, compliance monitoring, and regulatory examination assistance.
●
Cannabis-related
deposit services: We originate, onboard, verify, and service cannabis-related deposit business for and on behalf of our
financial institutions, primarily PCCU, and constitute obligations solely of those institutions; the Company is not a financial institution
and does not hold customer deposits on its consolidated balance sheet. Because most CRBs transact with high volumes of cash due to the limited availability of traditional banking
services, our platform benefits both CRBs and financial institutions by providing CRBs access to compliant banking and giving
financial institutions access to increased, compliantly monitored deposits.
●
Lending
services: We source, underwrite, service, and administer loans issued to cannabis businesses and related entities, many
of which are also clients of our partner financial institutions.
We
generate revenue through fee income, investment income, and loan program income earned by providing these compliance and lending services
to financial institutions serving the cannabis industry.
Financial
Services Platform
We
have developed and commercialized a proprietary financial services platform, known as the Safe Harbor Program (the “Program”),
which enables financial institutions to provide compliant banking services to CRBs. Our platform is currently deployed across 41 states
and territories and is designed to guide financial institution customers and CRBs through the full lifecycle of account onboarding, validation,
and ongoing compliance monitoring in a manner consistent with applicable banking regulations and regulatory guidance.
The
platform serves as an automated management tool that allows our employees to deliver continuity of service while enabling compliance
staff to efficiently monitor BSA and AML activities. It is intended to satisfy the compliance standards
required by state and federal banking regulators, and since inception, we have assisted in the processing of approximately $35.4 billion
in cannabis-related depository funds and successfully supported our financial institution clients through more than 25 state and federal
banking examinations.
It is important to note that the Company is not a financial institution and does not include loans or customer deposits,
which are associated with financial institutions, on its consolidated balance sheet. All deposit accounts are held by our financial institution
customers, and all funds transmitted to and from those accounts are handled directly by those institutions. Our role is to provide the
compliance infrastructure, technology, and CRB client relationships that enable our financial institution partners to serve the cannabis
industry.
7
We
also license the Program to financial institutions that wish to independently provide compliant cannabis banking services. Under these
licensing arrangements, we provide:
● Initial
customer due diligence (e.g., KYC);
● Program
management support;
● Regulatory
examination assistance;
● Customer
application management;
● Compliance
monitoring; and
● Regulatory
examination assistance.
We
believe our platform and processes have been implemented in a manner that is consistent with applicable laws and regulations. Our track
record in developing compliance processes that satisfy regulatory standards has established a strong reputation with relevant regulatory
authorities, which we believe positions us well to continue growing our existing service offerings and to expand into new ones.
CRB
Deposits
We
maintain relationships with PCCU and other financial institution partners in which CRB funds are deposited and monetary transactions
are processed. Our proprietary platform connects with the core banking systems of these institutions, enabling us to monitor deposit
accounts we have onboarded and to extract the data necessary to help ongoing compliance. All fund transmissions including wires, ACH
transactions, and other transfers are processed directly through our financial institution partners’ infrastructure. The Company
itself is not a financial institution and does not hold customer deposits.
How
We Generate Revenue from Deposit Maintained at Financial Institutions?
We
generate revenue from deposit maintained at financial institutions in three primary ways. First, we may assess an initial
onboarding fee when a CRB or ancillary service provider begins banking through one of our financial institution partners. This fee
reflects the time and complexity involved in completing the KYC and BSA due diligence that is required before an account can be
opened. Second, we earn monthly deposit and account activity fees that are based on business type, account size, and transaction
activity. Third, we earn investment income when our financial institution partners invest CRB deposits in low-risk, liquid assets.
The amount of investment income we earn is directly influenced by the level of deposits under their management and the prevailing
interest rate environment.
8
Our
Relationship with PCCU
PCCU
is our primary financial institution partner and the holder of the majority of CRB deposit accounts we service, and this relationship
is governed by the Second Amended CAA. Under the Second Amended CAA, we provide PCCU with the compliance infrastructure, technology, and
CRB client relationships needed to serve the cannabis industry, and in return we earn account servicing fees, investment income on CRB
deposits, and a share of loan program income on CRB loans originated through PCCU. We also pay PCCU a monthly asset hosting fee for
access to its regulated banking platform and infrastructure. The Second Amended CAA will expire on December 31, 2031, afterwards the
agreement will automatically renew for periods of two years unless we or PCCU provides a non-renewal notice twelve months prior to the
expiration of the then-current period.
Because
PCCU accounts for a significant portion of our revenue, the loss of or a material change to this relationship could have a material adverse
impact on our results of operations and financial condition. See Part 1, Item 1A., “Risk Factors––Risks Related to
the Second Amended CAA,” Part II, Item 7., “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results
of Operations for the Years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024––Relationship with PCCU,” “Management’s Discussion
and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations for the Years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024––Related Party
Relationship with PCCU” and Note 10 to the Company’s consolidated financial statements in this Form 10-K for additional detail
on our relationship with PCCU and the terms of the Second Amended CAA.
Commercial
Lending Program
Commercial
lending is a key component of our business and an important source of revenue. Our lending program is designed to specifically address
the unique financing needs of CRBs, which often have limited access to traditional credit markets. We assist, service, and
administer loans on behalf of our financial institution partners, with the majority of lending currently funded through PCCU using CRB
deposit balances that we have onboarded and continue to manage.
Our
lending program is focused primarily on senior secured loans, with collateral including real estate, equipment, accounts receivable,
and other business assets. Unsecured lending opportunities are also considered on a selective basis. Our approach to credit is built
on three core principles: thorough investigations of both collateral and borrower creditworthiness; disciplined loan-to-value requirements;
and a deep knowledge of the cannabis industry, including the operational and business cycle dynamics unique to CRB borrowers.
Our
loan operations team is directly involved in each step of the lending process, including initial due diligence, underwriting, loan closing
and documentation, ongoing servicing, payment processing, borrower monitoring, risk rating, and workout and collections when necessary.
PCCU’s loan committee retains final approval authority over all credit decisions, and PCCU is the legal lender of record under
all loan agreements. We earn a share of the loan program income on loans originated through PCCU under the terms of the Second Amended
CAA. See “––CRB Deposits” above and Note 10 to the Company’s consolidated financial statements in this
Form 10-K for additional information.
Our
available lending capacity is directly tied to the size of our managed deposit base, as the amount we can arrange in loans through PCCU
is based on a regulatorily stipulated percentage of average CRB deposits. We are incentivized to deploy available lending capacity, as
loan program income on funded loans generally exceeds the investment income that would otherwise be earned on the same deposits. Growing
and retaining the CRB deposit base therefore remains central to our ability to expand the lending program.
In
2025, we executed lending program agreements with certain companies that provide us access to private capital sources, including
family offices and private equity funds. These agreements provide additional funding channels for CRB loans outside of our PCCU
relationship. These agreements are intended to diversify our lending capacity and reduce our dependence on a single funding source.
The Company did not have any revenue from these arrangements, we believe these agreements represent an
important avenue for future growth as we continue to build and deploy the lending program.
Our
Mission
Our
mission is to serve as the trusted financial partner to CRBs and the financial institutions that serve them by providing the compliance
infrastructure, lending access, and operational support to allow them to operate, grow, and succeed in a highly regulated industry. We
are committed to being the most reliable and knowledgeable financial services provider in the cannabis sector, and to expanding the range
of services we offer as the industry matures.
We
believe our competitive position is based on four strengths that are difficult to replicate: a decade of demonstrated experience
navigating the regulatory requirements and passing many audits of cannabis banking; deep cannabis domain expertise amongst our
employees and management, long-standing relationships with both CRBs and the financial institutions that serve them; and a
proprietary compliance platform that has processed approximately $35.4 billion in cannabis-related deposit activity across 41 states
and territories since 2015. These capabilities allow us to serve a broad range of cannabis industry participants, including
cultivators, processors, manufacturers, dispensaries, and multi-state operators, as well as the financial institutions that wish to
bank them.
9
Growth
Initiatives
We
are pursuing growth through four complementary growth initiatives:
● We
are focused on growing our core deposit and lending business organically by increasing the
number of CRB accounts we onboard and manage for our financial institutions, deepening relationships with existing and potentially
new financial institution partners, and by deploying more of our available lending capacity
through PCCU and our expanding network of private capital partners.
● In
December 2025, we acquired substantially all of the assets of LBMW LLC, a Delaware limited
liability company doing business as 420 IT Solutions (“420 IT Solutions”), a
company that provided on-site due diligence review services to cannabis-friendly financial
institutions. This acquisition added capabilities that are complementary to our existing
compliance platform and expanded the suite of services we can offer to financial institution
customers seeking to enter or grow their cannabis banking programs.
● We
are investing in the development of a managed services business that will offer outsourced
consulting and operational support directly to CRBs and financial institutions. These are
expected to include outsourced finance, accounting, treasury, information technology, and
human resources services, as many CRBs lack the internal infrastructure to operate in these
areas efficiently. We generated initial revenue from this business line in 2025, though it
was not material. We are actively investing to build this capability and grow it into a meaningful
revenue contributor over time.
● We
are growing through strategic partnerships with third parties who can expand our reach, capabilities,
and capital base. In 2025, we executed lending program agreements that allow us to access
private capital sources, including family offices and private equity funds, to provide additional
funding capacity for CRB loans outside of our PCCU relationship. These partnerships are
intended to reduce our funding concentration risk and increase the volume of loans we are
able to originate and service.
We
are also pursuing partnerships with other CRB-focused service providers whose offerings are complementary to ours, with the goal of creating
a more integrated set of solutions for cannabis businesses and the financial institutions that serve them. While revenue from these partnership
channels was not material in 2025, we believe they represent an important foundation for future growth.
We
believe that the combination of our established compliance and banking infrastructure, our expanded on-site review capabilities following
the acquisition of the assets of 420 IT Solutions, our emerging managed services business, and our growing network of capital and strategic
partnerships positions us to serve cannabis businesses and financial institutions more comprehensively than any other provider in our
market.
Industry
Overview
The
U.S. Cannabis Market
The
United States cannabis industry has grown into one of the largest and most economically significant emerging sectors in the American
economy. In 2025, total U.S. state-licensed cannabis market revenues were estimated at approximately $30.4 billion, with forecasts projecting
the market to reach approximately $31.5 billion in 2025 and potentially exceed $76 billion by 2030, reflecting a compound annual growth
rate of approximately 19%. The industry supports an estimated 425,000 full-time jobs nationwide and generated more than $4.4 billion
in state and local tax revenues in 2025. In addition, the intoxicating hemp market had an estimated value of $21.8 billion in 2025.
The
regulatory landscape has continued to evolve at the state level. As of the date hereof, 40 states, three territories, and the District
of Columbia permit the medical use of cannabis, and 24 states, two territories, and the District of Columbia have enacted laws permitting
adult-use recreational cannabis. Despite this broad state-level acceptance, cannabis remains classified as a Schedule I controlled substance
under the Controlled Substances Act (the “CSA”), creating a persistent gap between state and federal law that fundamentally
shapes how cannabis businesses operate, including their ability to access banking and financial services, obtain standard business financing,
and manage their tax obligations.
Federal
Regulatory Developments - Rescheduling to Schedule III
The
federal regulatory environment for cannabis has undergone significant and evolving changes recently, and the Company believes these developments
are material to an understanding of the industry in which it operates.
In
August 2023, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) recommended that the Drug Enforcement Administration
(“DEA”) reschedule cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III of the CSA, concluding that cannabis has a currently accepted
medical use and a lower potential for abuse than Schedule I or Schedule II substances. In May 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice issued
a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking proposing to move cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III. The proposed rule generated nearly 43,000
public comments. While a formal DEA administrative hearing was initially scheduled for January 2025, that hearing was stayed by the presiding
administrative law judge pending resolution of procedural appeals, and the rescheduling process effectively stalled for much of 2025.
On
December 18, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order titled Increasing Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research ,
directing the Attorney General of the United States to “take all necessary steps to complete the rulemaking process related to
rescheduling marijuana to Schedule III of the CSA in the most expeditious manner in accordance with Federal law.” This Executive
Order did not itself reschedule cannabis, as formal rescheduling requires completing the full rulemaking process, which includes DEA
issuing a final rule, however we believe it represents the most significant federal cannabis policy directive in more than 50 years and
signals a clear intent within the executive branch of the federal government to bring the rescheduling process to conclusion.
Legal
challenges to the rescheduling process are anticipated. Organizations opposing rescheduling may argue that the proposed rule is procedurally
flawed or scientifically unsupported, and litigation under the Administrative Procedure Act is possible after a final rule is published.
The ultimate timing of any final rescheduling rule therefore remains uncertain, and investors should not rely on any specific timeline
for completion of the rescheduling process.
We
believe the most immediate and financially material consequence of rescheduling would be the elimination of Section 280E of the Internal
Revenue Code (“Section 280E”). Under the current law, cannabis businesses classified as drug traffickers under federal law
because of the cannabis’ current Schedule I status are prohibited from deducting ordinary and necessary business expenses, including
payroll, rent, and marketing costs. This results in effective federal tax rates for cannabis operators that are materially higher than
those faced by businesses in other industries. Rescheduling to Schedule III could eliminate the Section 280E penalty, thereby improving
cash flows and profitability for state-legal cannabis operators across the country.
10
Rescheduling
could also encourage greater participation by academic institutions and pharmaceutical companies in researching the medicinal properties
of cannabis, as we believe such institutions and companies have historically avoided using Schedule I substances in their research.
The
Company does not believe that rescheduling, on its own, would eliminate the market for its services. In fact, the Company believes that
rescheduling could improve the financial stability of its CRB clients, which would as a result help support higher average account balances.
In addition, rescheduling could attract additional financial institutions to join the cannabis banking market, and the Company could
partner with some or all of these new entrants.
Banking
Access
Despite
the growth of state-legal cannabis markets, the vast majority of cannabis-related businesses continue to face constraints in accessing
basic banking and financial services. Because cannabis remains a Schedule I controlled substance under federal law, federally regulated
financial institutions including banks, credit unions, and payment processors face legal and regulatory risk when providing
services to CRBs. Financial institutions that serve CRBs are required to file Suspicious Activity Reports (“SARs”) for cannabis-related
transactions under the BSA and related Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) guidance, which creates a compliance
burden that many financial institutions appear unwilling to assume. As a result, the majority of CRBs continue to operate primarily in
cash and in turn this method of operation can create public safety risks, operational inefficiencies, and barriers to tax
collection and regulatory oversight.
A
bipartisan letter signed by 32 state attorneys general in July 2025 urged Congress to advance the SAFER Banking Act, which is designed
to protect federally regulated financial institutions from penalties when they provide services to state-sanctioned cannabis businesses.
The SAFER Banking Act has passed the U.S. House of Representatives in prior legislative sessions but has repeatedly failed to advance
in the Senate. The bill’s near-term prospects in the current Congress remain uncertain given current legislative dynamics and policy
priorities. The Company exists, in part, because of this structural gap in banking access and the need for compliance-driven platforms
that enable financial institutions to serve CRBs in a manner that is consistent with applicable federal banking regulations and Fin CEN
guidance.
Market
Headwinds and Industry Pressures
The
cannabis industry experienced meaningful financial and operational headwinds during 2024 and 2025. Wholesale cannabis prices declined
in some state markets due to oversupply and increasing competition, constraining operator revenues and reducing average deposit balances
across the industry. Cannabis operators collectively carry an estimated $2.5 billion in debt, only approximately 27% of cannabis companies
were profitable in 2024, compared to 42% of such companies in 2022. In addition, several large multi-state operators are facing significant
debt maturities. These pressures have been reflected in lower average account balances and reduced transaction activity across the Company’s
portfolio during 2025.
At
the same time, the Company believes there are meaningful catalysts for industry recovery. A potential rescheduling of cannabis could
materially improve operator cash flows and profitability. See “Federal Regulatory Developments-Rescheduling
to Schedule III.” In addition, broader improvements to the United States’ economy and the growth rate of consumer discretionary
spending could support higher cannabis sales volumes. The expansion of state-level markets could increase the number of CRBs as well.
The
Company believes that its platform, its established relationships with financial institution customers, and its proprietary compliance
infrastructure position it to benefit from an industry recovery as these factors develop.
Regulatory
Framework for Cannabis Banking
Under
current federal guidance, financial institutions that serve CRBs are required to operate under the framework established in FinCEN’s
2014 guidance memorandum, which outlined our expectations for BSA compliance, ongoing customer due diligence requirements, and SAR filing
obligations specific to cannabis banking. The guidance has never been superseded by statute, and financial institutions operating in
the cannabis banking space continue to face regulatory examination risk, possible reputational harm in the event of a violation, and
the ongoing administrative burden of SAR filings. The Company’s platform and compliance program are designed to address these requirements
directly, thereby enabling its financial institution partners to serve CRBs with confidence in their regulatory compliance.
11
The
Company has assisted in the processing of approximately $35.4 billion in cannabis-related depository funds since 2015 and has successfully
navigated more than 25 state and federal banking examinations through its financial institution relationships. The Company currently
operates its platform across 41 states and territories, serving a diversified base of CRB clients and financial institution customers.
Business
Strategy
SHF’s
mission is to be the leading compliance-driven financial services platform for the U.S. cannabis industry, enabling partner financial
institutions to serve CRBs reliably, safely, and in full conformity with applicable federal and state regulatory requirements. Our strategy
is based on five priorities: stabilizing and organically growing our core platform business; deepening lending-related revenue through
our relationship with PCCU and other capital sources; building complementary service lines; maintaining and expanding financial institution
partnerships; and positioning the Company to benefit from anticipated favorable changes in the federal cannabis banking regulatory environment.
Loans
are extended to cannabis related businesses, including both licensed cannabis operators and ancillary service providers to the
cannabis industry. The cannabis industry continues to grow and expand at a rapid pace due in part to the on-going opening of
additional legalized cannabis markets at the state level. Due to the federally status of cannabis, most cannabis-related businesses
have experienced years of inability to access capital at reasonable rates, and these circumstances can force them to purchase
properties and equipment and fund their businesses from personal investment or reinvestment of cash from operations, which could
potentially limit their own growth. This creates a robust opportunity for us to lend to established entities with real estate assets
free of debt. Businesses are taking the opportunity to leverage such assets to expand and grow their operations while we build a
senior secured portfolio ostensibly collateralized with a real estate or other hard asset such as equipment.
Furthermore,
the industry has typically been subject to “hard money” lending with annual rates available between 18-36%. This is yet another
opportunity for us to offer refinancing of real estate and equipment loans at more favorable interest rates. Given that the depository
relationship is necessary as part of the compliance process, we benefit from servicing, monitoring, and validating compliance of depository
relationships, earning fees on deposits. This results in a lower cost of capital when accounting for the fact that we earn interest income on both
the depository and lending relationships.
Stabilize
and Organically Grow the Core Deposit and Compliance Platform
Our
primary business is providing compliance infrastructure, technology platforms, and ongoing monitoring services that allow partner
financial institutions to provide banking services to CRBs. Since 2015, we have assisted in the processing of approximately $35.4
billion in cannabis-related depository funds across a platform footprint of 41 states and territories, and through our financial
institution relationships, we have successfully navigated more than 25 state and federal banking examinations. These milestones
reflect the depth and durability of our compliance expertise and the strength of our established relationships with both CRBs and
financial institutions.
Our
near-term organic growth strategy focus is on increasing the number of CRB accounts we onboard and manage, deepening relationships with
existing financial institution partners, and selectively expanding to new financial institution partners to the extent market conditions
and our operational capacity can support it.
12
Another
key component of our organic growth strategy is early entry into emerging cannabis markets. We define “emerging markets”
as American states with cannabis programs that have launched or been materially expanded within the past five years. Our emerging market
portfolio spans three distinct opportunity categories:
● New
Markets Coming Online: In states that have recently launched or are actively implementing
cannabis licensing programs, such as Delaware, Minnesota, Kentucky, Alabama, and Mississippi,
we are working to establish banking relationships as operators prepare for launch, with account
activity evolving as businesses progress through their respective licensing and operational
phases.
● Licensing
Expansion in Established Adult-Use States: States expanding their licensing frameworks,
such as New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Connecticut, Missouri, and Ohio, increase the demand
for compliant banking services as new operators are allowed into these markets.
● Operator
Footprint Expansion: States such as Pennsylvania, Illinois, Virginia, and Florida, where
existing operators are scaling their operations, require more sophisticated banking and financial
services.
By
entering these markets early, often before licensing programs are fully developed, the Company aims to position itself as the
partner of choice for licensed operators navigating complex and evolving regulatory environments. In emerging markets, deposit
levels naturally fluctuate as operators progress through business cycles, from deploying startup capital during launch phases to
building working capital reserves as operations mature. See “Recent Developments Emerging Markets” for additional information.
Deepen
Lending Revenue Through the Second Amended CAA and Expanding Capital Partnerships
Under
the Second Amended CAA, we receive up to 65% of loan program income generated by PCCU’s CRB loan portfolio, an increase from
the approximately 35% share in effect from January 1, 2025 until September 30 2025, under the Amended and Restated Commercial Alliance Agreement dated
December 30, 2024 by and between the Company and PCCU (the “First Amended CAA”). In exchange, we are obligated to
indemnify PCCU for up to 65% of net losses of a default on any loan covered by the Second Amended CAA. As of December 31, 2025, the
CRB loan portfolio totaled approximately $52.1 million across 25 loans, with zero historical losses since the program’s
inception in 2023. Our strategy is to grow the loan portfolio responsibly by continuing to originate quality CRB loans through PCCU,
maintain rigorous credit underwriting standards, and build the cash reserves and capital access necessary to support our
indemnification obligations.
In
2025, we executed lending program agreements with certain companies that provide us access to private capital sources, including family
offices and private equity funds. These agreements provide additional funding channels for CRB loans outside of our PCCU relationship.
These agreements are intended to diversify our lending capacity and reduce our dependence on a single funding source. The Company did not have any revenue from these arrangements, we believe these agreements represent an important
avenue for future growth as we continue to build and deploy the lending program.
The
September 2025 Recapitalization (as defined below) eliminated approximately $18 million in debt and raised gross proceeds of $6.7
million in new capital, and also resulted in the establishment of the $150 million Equity Line of Credit (“ELOC”) with
CREO Investments LLC (“CREO”) that can potentially be expanded to $500 million, thereby meaningfully improving our
ability to support our lending commitments and portfolio growth. During the fourth quarter of 2025, the Company issued 1,326,603
shares of Class A Common Stock (“Common Stock”) and received proceeds of approximately $1.8 million.
Build
Complementary Service Lines
In
December 2025, we acquired substantially all of the assets of 420 IT Solutions, a company that provided on-site due diligence review
services to cannabis-friendly financial institutions. This acquisition added capabilities that are complementary to our existing compliance
platform and expanded the suite of services we can offer to financial institution customers seeking to enter or grow their cannabis banking
programs. On-site reviews are a key component of BSA/AML compliance for cannabis-banking financial institutions, and bringing this capability
in-house strengthens both our service offerings and our compliance infrastructure.
13
In
addition, we are investing in the development of a managed services business that will offer outsourced consulting and operational support
directly to CRBs and financial institutions. These are expected to include outsourced finance, accounting, treasury, information technology,
and human resources services, as many CRBs lack the internal infrastructure to operate in these areas efficiently. We generated initial
revenue from this business line in 2025, though it was not material. We are actively investing to build this capability and grow it into
a meaningful revenue contributor over time.
Maintain
and Expand Financial Institution Partnerships
Our
business model depends on maintaining strong, trust-based relationships with our financial institution partners. PCCU remains our most
significant financial institution customer. We continue to partner with other financial institutions that wish to compliantly provide
banking services to CRBs, including with respect to KYC onboarding, ongoing compliance monitoring, program management support, and regulatory
examination assistance.
We
are also pursuing partnerships with other CRB-focused service providers whose offerings are complementary to ours, with the goal of creating
a more integrated set of solutions for cannabis businesses and the financial institutions that serve them. While revenue from these broader
partnership channels was not material in 2025, we believe they represent an important foundation for future growth.
Position
for Regulatory Tailwinds
We
believe the Company is well-positioned to capitalize on any cannabis-related rescheduling developments. As discussed above, we believe
that a rescheduling of cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III would decrease tax burdens for cannabis operators and improve the financial
stability of CRBs.
The
potential impact of such reforms on our current and prospective financial institution partners could be significant. According to FinCen
approximately 998 depository institutions, 816 banks and 182 credit unions, were actively filing marijuana-related SARs, which is the
primary indicator that an institution is serving CRBs, as of December 2024. This represents less than 11% of the approximately 9,140
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation- and National Credit Union Administration-insured depository institutions operating in the United
States as of December 31, 2024. In addition, industry analysts estimate that less than 200 financial institutions nationwide have a dedicated,
actively marketed cannabis banking program.
We
believe the primary reason the vast majority of U.S. financial institutions have not entered the cannabis banking market is regulatory
risk and the compliance burden. Under current federal law and the 2014 FinCEN guidance, every institution serving a CRB must file initial
and continuing SARs on a quarterly basis, establish and maintain enhanced BSA/AML compliance programs, and accept the reputational and
examination risk that accompanies providing banking services in connection with a federally controlled substance. This compliance burden
represents the market barrier that the Company’s platform is specifically designed to address. We believe that passage of the SAFER
Banking Act or related federal cannabis banking legislation, or regulatory relief related to the rescheduling of cannabis to Schedule
III, would meaningfully lower that barrier and expand the scope of financial institutions willing to enter the cannabis banking market.
An increase in the number of financial institutions seeking to serve CRBs would represent a larger market for our compliance services.
Regulatory relief would, in our view, be more likely to accelerate the adoption of cannabis banking programs by financial institutions
than to make our compliance infrastructure obsolete, given that state-level regulatory requirements, ongoing due diligence obligations,
and BSA program management would remain necessary regardless of federal scheduling changes.
Operational
Efficiency and Financial Discipline
Following
the September 2025 Recapitalization and the restructuring of the Commercial Alliance Agreement (“CAA”) with PCCU in
February 2026, we are focused on operating with greater financial discipline. With no material debt outstanding as of December 31,
2025, and improved liquidity from the recapitalization and the ELOC, our near-term priorities include reducing operating costs,
improving cash generation, and maintaining the cash reserves required to support our lending indemnification obligations under the
Second Amended CAA.
14
We
believe that the combination of our established compliance and banking infrastructure, our expanded on-site review capabilities through
the 420 IT Solutions asset acquisition, our emerging managed services offerings, and our growing network of capital and strategic partnerships
positions us to serve cannabis businesses and financial institutions more comprehensively than any other provider in our market
Sales
and Marketing
Our
sales and marketing efforts are focused on three audiences: financial institutions seeking to enter or expand their cannabis banking
programs, CRBs seeking access to compliant banking and financial services, and the broader regulatory and legislative community whose
decisions shape our operating environment.
We
generate new financial institution relationships primarily through direct outreach, referrals from existing partners, and participation
in industry conferences and events. Our leadership team actively engages in speaking opportunities and thought leadership forums that
position the Company as a recognized authority in cannabis banking compliance. We also maintain relationships with state regulators,
legislators, and attorneys general to support awareness of compliant cannabis banking frameworks and to contribute to policy discussions
as they evolve.
CRB
customer acquisition is largely driven by referrals from our financial institution partners and from existing CRB customers, reflecting
the trust-based nature of our platform. We also support customer acquisition and retention through targeted outreach, referral programs,
and success fee arrangements that align our growth incentives with those of our partners.
In
2025, we completed a comprehensive rebrand of the Company and its digital presence, repositioning the Company around a unified value
proposition that we are the Company where cannabis businesses can come to bank, borrow, operate, and grow. The rebrand included a full
redesign of our website and client-facing materials to reflect the expanded scope of our platform beyond compliance and deposit services.
Also
in 2025, we formalized and professionalized our Safe Harbor Partner Program by hiring a Senior Vice President of Strategic Partnerships
and enrolling more than a dozen third-party partners. These partners refer CRB clients to our platform in exchange for referral fees,
while referred CRB clients receive preferential pricing on our services. Although the program was not a material revenue contributor
in 2025, it represents an important investment in our distribution infrastructure and is expected to support client acquisition growth
in 2026 and beyond.
The
December 2025 acquisition of substantially all of the assets of 420 IT Solutions also meaningfully expanded our field presence. Our team
now can conduct on-site reviews at financial institutions and CRB locations across the country, and our established presence in key cannabis
markets provides the Company with additional capacity to attend industry events, build relationships with prospective clients, and support
business development activity in growth markets where in-person engagement is an important part of building trust.
To
support broader brand awareness and investor communications, we work with outside public relations and investor relations advisors and
maintain an ongoing program of digital marketing, search engine optimization, and direct outreach to current and prospective clients.
Competition
The
market for cannabis-related banking and financial compliance services is competitive and evolving. We face competition from two primary
sources: (1) software-as-a-service (“SaaS”) compliance technology providers that enable financial institutions to build and
operate their own cannabis banking programs and (2) integrated financial technology (“fintech”) company platforms that combine
regulatory compliance solutions with broader financial services offerings. We believe we compete on the basis of our regulatory reputation,
compliance track record, depth of cannabis industry expertise, breadth of financial services, quality of client relationships, and the
overall value of our platform.
15
SaaS
Compliance Technology Providers
A
number of companies offer software platforms designed to provide financial institutions with the compliance infrastructure and monitoring
tools necessary to provide banking services to CRBs without engaging a specialized third-party compliance provider. These platforms provide
KYC tools, BSA monitoring, SAR preparation, and related compliance workflows that financial institutions can operate internally. By lowering
the cost and amount of expertise required for a financial institution to build its own cannabis banking program, these SaaS providers
reduce barriers to entry for banks and credit unions that have not historically participated in the cannabis banking market. We believe
our competitive advantages over these providers include our more than 10-year operational track record in cannabis banking, our established
relationships with state and federal banking regulators, our zero-lending-failure history, and the depth of our full-service platform,
which extends well beyond software tooling to include client onboarding, ongoing relationship management, lending support, and regulatory
examination assistance.
Integrated
Fintech Platforms Offering Regulatory Compliance Solutions
A
second source of competition comes from fintech companies that bundle regulatory compliance capabilities with complementary financial
services, such as payment, supply chain management, or lending, into a vertically integrated suite of services. These platforms seek
to serve CRBs through this suite of services, thereby increasing customer switching costs and reducing the need for a standalone compliance
and banking infrastructure provider. Competitors in this category include financial institutions that have developed proprietary compliance
and banking capabilities specifically tailored to the cannabis industry, as well as specialty lenders that combine capital deployment
with advisory services.
Competitive
Dynamics and Risks
We
expect competition to increase as the cannabis industry matures, as additional states legalize cannabis for medical and/or adult use,
and as federal regulatory developments, including the potential rescheduling of cannabis under the CSA, reduce barriers that have historically
limited larger financial institutions’ participation in the market. If cannabis is rescheduled to Schedule III, we believe that
a broader set of well-capitalized banks, credit unions, and fintech companies would likely seek to enter into or expand their presence
in the cannabis banking market, potentially reducing our competitive differentiation and increasing pricing pressure on the fees we charge.
Despite
these risks, we believe our primary competitive strengths include the following:
● Our
leadership team’s rare combination of areas of expertise. We believe we are uniquely
positioned as the only fintech cannabis financial solution whose executive leadership team,
including our Chief Executive Officer, brings together direct, hands-on experience in cannabis
operations, financial services, and banking. This integrated expertise allows us to serve
cannabis-related businesses with a depth of understanding that we believe no competitor can
replicate.
● Our
established regulatory reputation and proven track record. Since our founding in 2015,
we have successfully navigated more than 25 state and federal banking examinations, a record
we believe is unmatched in our industry and reflects the rigor and integrity of our compliance
infrastructure.
● Our
proprietary compliance management platform. Our technology platform, operating across
41 states and territories, has facilitated the processing of approximately $35.4 billion in
cannabis-related depository funds since 2015. The platform enables financial institution
partners to provide BSA and FinCEN-compliant banking services to CRBs, including KYC onboarding,
ongoing transaction monitoring, and regulatory exam support.
● Our
comprehensive suite of financial services for CRBs. Through our financial institution
customers and strategic partners, we offer CRBs access to business checking and savings accounts,
cash management, commercial lending, ACH and wire payment services, remote deposit, and ancillary
compliance consulting, addressing the full spectrum of financial needs that CRBs face in
an underserved market.
We
cannot assure you, however, that we will be able to compete successfully against current or future competitors, and increased competition
could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations. For additional information, see Part
I, Item 1A., “Risk Factors.”
16
Intellectual
Property
The acquisition of substantially all of the assets
of 420 IT Solutions included the transfer of, among other things, the registered trademark “420 IT Solutions”, domain name
registrations, and other intellectual property, including 420 IT Solution’s whitepaper of banking compliance services and site inspection
templates.
Except as described above, we do not have any registered intellectual property, and therefore we currently rely
on confidentiality, and non-disclosure agreements with our employees and others to protect our proprietary rights. Despite these
efforts to protect ourselves from infringement or misappropriation of our intellectual property rights, unauthorized parties may
attempt to copy or otherwise obtain and use our intellectual property in violation of our rights. In the event of a successful claim
of infringement against us, or our failure or inability to develop non-infringing intellectual property or license the infringed or
similar intellectual property on a timely basis, our business could be harmed.
Seasonality
Most
loan production is generally subject to seasonality, with the lowest volume typically being in the first quarter of each year. This does
not necessarily apply to us as we serve the cannabis industry with demands for access to capital at reasonable rates throughout the year.
We expect, based upon our pipeline of demand, a methodical and consistent growth in the lending portfolio.
Investments
The
Company’s investment activities are limited in scope and are guided by four core principles: investment quality, liquidity, interest-rate
risk management, and return on investment. Given the nature of our business and our obligations under the Second Amended CAA, maintaining
adequate liquidity is our primary investment objective.
Most
of the Company’s liquid assets are held in cash and cash equivalents, including interest-bearing money market accounts. The Company
does not maintain a significant portfolio of marketable securities.
During
2025, the Company acquired 1.5 million preferred securities of Aditxt, Inc. (“ADTX”) for $1.5 million, which is accounted
for at cost less impairment under Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 321, as the preferred shares are not actively
traded and do not have a readily determinable fair value. During the year ended December 31, 2025 ,
the Company received redemption proceeds
of approximately $0.05 million for 43 shares
of ADTX . As of December 31, 2025, the Company holds 1,457 preferred securities of ADTX having carrying value
of $1.45 million. This investment is classified as long-term and will be periodically assessed for impairment or observable price
changes.
The
Company does not engage in speculative investment activity and does not hold derivative financial instruments for investment purposes.
Regulations
and Legislation
Cannabis
remains a Schedule I controlled substance under the CSA, making it illegal under federal law despite being legal for medical and/or adult
recreational use in a majority of U.S. states. This conflict between federal and state law is the central regulatory reality shaping
our business.
The
Federal-State Conflict and Its Impact on Banking
Because
cannabis remains federally illegal, most financial institutions are unwilling to provide banking services to CRBs. The risks deterring
participation include potential federal prosecution, civil asset forfeiture exposure, reputational risk, and significant BSA compliance
obligations. FinCEN issued guidance in February 2014 establishing a framework for how financial institutions may serve the cannabis industry
while meeting their BSA and AML obligations. While this guidance created a path forward, it also imposed substantial compliance burdens,
including detailed customer due diligence, transaction monitoring, and SAR filing obligations, that most financial institutions are unwilling
or unable to resource adequately.
We
believe the absence of a federal “safe harbor” for financial institutions and their officers and directors who service CRBs
remains the single most significant structural barrier to entry in this market, and this was the primary reason the Company was founded
and continues to operate.
17
Pending
and Recent Federal Legislation
Congress
has made several attempts to address the banking access problem. The SAFE Banking Act of 2021 (the “SAFE Banking Act”) passed
the U.S. House of Representatives in April 2021, and an updated version, the SAFER Banking Act, passed the Senate Banking Committee in
September 2023. As of the date of this filing, neither bill has been enacted into law. We continue to monitor legislative developments
closely.
Separately,
HHS recommended in 2023 that cannabis be rescheduled from Schedule I to Schedule III under the CSA. This recommendation was forwarded
to the DEA and remains pending. If rescheduling occurs, it could meaningfully impact cannabis businesses, including by modifying the
application of Section 280E, which currently prohibits ordinary business deductions for companies trafficking in Schedule I substances.
Greater after-tax cash flow for CRBs could increase deposit activity and borrowing capacity both of which would benefit the Company.
We
do not believe passage of the SAFE Banking Act or the SAFER Banking Act alone would significantly reduce the barriers to entry that define
our competitive advantage. The high cash-intensity of the cannabis business, its illicit history, and the ongoing presence of an illicit
market mean that BSA compliance obligations will remain demanding regardless of whether a safe harbor is enacted. We expect many potential
competitors will continue to avoid the sector.
Our
Compliance Framework
The
Company operates in a compliance-first manner aligned with the 2014 FinCEN Guidance and BSA requirements. Although we are not a chartered
financial institution, our agreements with financial institution partners require that we provide services consistent with applicable
regulatory standards. Our compliance program includes comprehensive written policies and procedures, ongoing and annual employee training,
quarterly and annual third-party compliance audits, and continuous assessments by management. These policies are formally reviewed at
least annually. The Company has successfully navigated more than 25 state and federal regulatory examinations with no adverse findings
attributable to our program.
Competitive
Barriers to Entry
The
regulatory environment has created both a barrier and an opportunity. While some fintech companies have attempted to enter this space
because these companies benefit from less restrictive regulatory requirements than chartered institutions, sustainable cannabis fintech
models require deep regulatory expertise, robust BSA programs, and reliable financial institution partnerships. We believe competition
remains limited for these reasons and that our established platform, proprietary technology, and compliance track record provide a durable
competitive advantage.
We
expect most large financial institutions to remain on the sidelines until federal legalization occurs, and even then, the cannabis sector
will require specialized compliance expertise that takes years to build. We also anticipate that regulatory requirements applicable to
fintechs will increase over time, further reinforcing the value of our established, compliance-tested program.
Concentrations
The
Company’s business is currently concentrated in two significant ways:
● Financial
Institution Partner Concentration.
Substantially
all of the Company’s revenue is derived from services provided to PCCU under Second Amended CAA. For the years ended December
31, 2025, and December 31, 2024, revenue generated under then-in-effect version of the CAA approximated 86.7% and 83.5% of the
Company’s total revenue, respectively. PCCU is also a significant related party. In addition, the Company receives revenue
from merchant services, which is a shared fee for the use of automated teller machines. Merchant service revenue for the years ended
December 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024, was approximately 9.7% and 8.6%, respectively. As of the date of this filing, PCCU holds
approximately 25% of the Company’s Common Stock. PCCU also holds approximately 43% of Series B Convertible Preferred Stock
(“Series B Preferred Stock”) and Common Stock purchase warrants (as amended and restated, each, a “Series B
Warrant”) combined, and is the largest holder of those securities. In the aggregate, PCCU’s holdings represent
substantial actual and potential ownership of the Company on a fully diluted basis. PCCU also holds substantially all of the cash
deposits of CRBs onboarded through the Company’s platform. The loss of, or a material adverse change to, the Company’s
relationship with PCCU would have a material adverse impact on the Company’s results of operations and financial condition.
The Company is actively working to expand its financial institution partner base to reduce this revenue concentration over time. The
Company has other sources of revenue, such as merchant services. During the year ended December 31, 2025, one financial institution
terminated its relationship with the Company.
18
● CRB
Deposit Concentration.
The
Company does not directly hold CRB deposit accounts. All deposit accounts are maintained at PCCU or other financial institutions,
and all fund transmissions are handled directly by those institutions. The Company’s fee income from onboarded deposits is well-diversified
at the individual CRB level. No one CRB account for the year ended December 31, 2025 represented more than 10% of total fee income from onboarded
deposits. The Company monitors account retention as a key indicator of its ability to efficiently
and compliantly onboard, validate, and monitor CRB accounts.
Loans
Receivables
The
Company does not originate or hold loans on its own balance sheet in the ordinary course of business. Loans to CRBs are originated and
funded by PCCU pursuant to the Second Amended CAA. The Company’s role is to identify, underwrite loans on PCCU’s
behalf, earning a share of loan program income. See “Overview–Our Relationship with PCCU” above.
During
the year ended December 31, 2025, the Company’s sole loan receivable, which had a carrying value of approximately $0.4 million
as of December 31, 2024, was sold, generating proceeds of approximately $0.4 million. As a result, the Company had no loans on its consolidated
balance sheet as of December 31, 2025.
For
further discussion of the loan program income sharing arrangement and the Company’s obligations under the Second Amended CAA,
see Note 9 to the Company’s consolidated financial statements in this Form 10-K.
Employees
As
of December 31, 2025, we had 39 full-time employees and one part-time employee. None of our employees are represented by a labor union
or covered by a collective bargaining agreement. Approximately 70% of our workforce is based in Colorado, with approximately 8% in Arkansas,
and the remainder distributed across six additional states. The Company utilizes a remote-capable workforce model that supports client
relationship management across the 41 states and territories in which we operate.
Human
Capital Management
Our
human capital strategy reflects the specialized nature of our business. Serving the cannabis industry at the intersection of financial
services and regulatory compliance requires employees with expertise that is difficult to recruit and takes significant time to develop.
Cannabis industry knowledge cannot be easily trained, as, although compliance and financial services skills can be taught, deep operational
understanding of the cannabis sector must be cultivated over time. Retaining experienced employees is therefore a direct operational
priority.
Our
human capital management focuses on the following areas:
● Talent
Acquisition and Retention . We recruit for specialized roles spanning cannabis
compliance, banking operations, relationship management, and information technology. Our
talent acquisition efforts are concentrated in sales, business development, and client-facing
roles that directly drive revenue. We offer competitive base compensation, performance-based
incentive programs, and equity participation through the Plan, which is intended to align
employee interests with long-term shareholder value creation.
● Performance
Management. The Company is transitioning to a performance-based compensation framework
that ties cash bonuses and equity grants to defined, measurable outcomes including revenue
growth, client acquisition, and operational efficiency. Performance evaluations are conducted
quarterly and annually and serve as the basis for compensation decisions and career development
planning.
19
● Learning
and Development. All employees receive ongoing compliance training aligned with BSA/AML
requirements and the 2014 FinCEN guidance. New employees complete industry-specific onboarding
covering cannabis banking compliance and the Company’s Code of Business Conduct and
Ethics, which is available on our website at www.shfinancial.org. We supplement internal
training with cannabis industry conferences and continuing education programs.
● Technology
and Productivity. We are actively investing in artificial intelligence-enabled compliance
management and customer relationship management tools designed to automate routine tasks
and increase individual employee output. This allows our team to focus on higher-value client-facing
activities as we grow, without a proportional increase in headcount.
● Compensation
and Benefits. We offer a competitive total rewards package including comprehensive
medical, dental, and vision coverage, with the Company contributing to employee premiums
on a tenure-based scale and funding a portion of employee Health Savings Accounts monthly.
Effective in 2025, the Company transitioned to an unlimited paid time off policy, which provides
employees with flexibility to manage their personal and professional needs without a fixed
accrual cap. The Company offers a 401(k) retirement plan to all eligible employees. The employer
matching contribution was suspended in 2024 and discontinued in 2025. The Company intends
to reassess the matching contribution as its financial position improves.
Recent
Developments
Emerging Markets
In March 2026, we announced that emerging U.S. market average deposit balances increased 29% over the twelve months
ended February 4, 2026, driving total average deposit balances up 4.5%, and that emerging U.S. markets represented 31% of the Company’s
average deposit balances at the time of the announcement.
420
IT Solutions Acquisition
On
December 19, 2025, Safe Harbor Managed Services LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, completed the acquisition of substantially
all of the assets of 420 IT Solutions. 420 IT Solutions is engaged in the business of providing third-party professional advisory and
technology services to the cannabis industry. The aggregate purchase price for the acquired assets consisted of 125,000 Earnout Shares
(as defined below), plus the assumption of certain identified liabilities under contracts assigned to the Company. The acquisition included
the transfer of customer contracts, the registered trademark “420 IT Solutions”, domain name registrations, and other intellectual property. No cash consideration was paid at closing. In connection
with the acquisition, 420 IT Solutions’ founders, joined the Company to lead the third-party
professional advisory and technology services division. See Part II, Item 7., “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial
Condition and Results of Operations for the Years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024––Acquisition of 420 IT Solutions.”
Second
Amended CAA
During the fourth quarter of 2025, SHF LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, and PCCU reached agreement
on the material economic terms of the Second Amended CAA on or about October 1, 2025, following completion of the September 2025 Recapitalization.
The written agreement was formally executed on February 4, 2026; the intervening period involved only procedural and documentation matters
that did not affect the substance of the agreed terms. Accordingly, the Company has given effect to the Second Amended CAA from October
1, 2025, consistent with ASC 606 contract modification guidance. Under the Second Amended CAA, we receive up to 65% of loan program income
generated by PCCU’s CRB loan portfolio, an increase from the approximately 35% share in effect under the First Amended CAA. In exchange,
we are obligated to indemnify PCCU for up to 65% of net losses on any loan default covered by the Second Amended CAA. See Part II, Item
7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations for the years ended December 31, 2025 and
December 31, 2024––Relationship with PCCU” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and
Results of Operations for the years ended December 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024––Related Party Relationship with PCCU.”
20
September
2025 Recapitalization
On
August 27, 2025, the Company issued Convertible Promissory Notes (the “Notes”) to certain accredited investors with an
aggregate principal amount of $0.6 million, a 20% original issue discount (“OID”) and maturity date of September 9, 2026.
The conversion price of the Notes is the lesser of (i) a twenty percent (20%) discount to the average volume-weighted average price
(“VWAP”) of the Common Stock for the twenty (20) consecutive trading days ending on the trading day immediately prior to
the execution date of the Note and (ii) a twenty percent (20%) discount to the average VWAP of the Common Stock for the twenty (20)
consecutive trading days ending on the trading day immediately preceding the date of a conversion notice, subject to adjustment as
provided in the Note. On September 9, 2025, the Company issued an additional Note to an accredited investor in the principal amount
of $0.1 million on identical terms, bringing the aggregate principal amount to $0.7 million.
On September 17, 2025, we established the ELOC
with CREO, which provided we may sell to CREO up to $150 million of Common Stock and granted us and CREO the mutual right to
agree to increase this amount to $500 million.
On September 30, 2025, all outstanding Notes were exchanged for an aggregate of 825
shares of the Series B Preferred Stock and Series B Warrants to purchase 53,127 shares of Common Stock. Also on September 30, 2025,
the Company entered into Exchange and Cancellation Agreements (each, an “Exchange and Cancellation Agreement”) with each
of Midtown East Management NL, LLC (“Midtown”), which was subsequently assigned in part to Verdun Investments LLC
(“Verdun”) and Vellar Opportunity Fund SPV LLC – Series 1 (“Vellar”) relating to a Forward Purchase
Agreement (the “FPA”) that the Company initially entered into on June 16, 2022. In exchange for each counterparty
irrevocably cancelling, waiving, and terminating all of their rights under the FPA, the Company issued an aggregate of 5,002 shares
of Series B Preferred Stock and Series B Warrants to purchase 322,111 shares of Common Stock.
We
refer to these Notes transactions, the entrance into the ELOC and the termination of the FPA collectively as the “September 2025
Recapitalization.” The September 2025 Recapitalization eliminated approximately $18 million in debt and raised over $6.7 million
in new capital and also resulted in the establishment of the $150 million ELOC that can potentially be expanded to $500 million, thereby
meaningfully improving our ability to support our lending commitments and portfolio growth. See Part II, Item 7., “Management’s
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations for the Years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024––Relationship
with PCCU” and Part II, Item 7., “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
for the Years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024––Gain on Extinguishment of Debt.”
Corporate
History
The
Company was founded in 2015 to address the lack of reliable and compliant financial services available to CRBs in Colorado. At that time,
many financial institutions were unwilling to serve the industry due to regulatory uncertainty and compliance burdens. Drawing on regulatory
and banking experience, we developed a compliance program designed to assist financial institutions in providing services to CRBs while
addressing BSA and AML obligations.
Our
program provides onboarding, monitoring, and validation services to financial institutions seeking to offer traditional banking products
to licensed cannabis, hemp, and CBD operators, as well as ancillary businesses that provide goods and services to the cannabis industry.
As cannabis legalization has expanded beyond Colorado, our operations have grown to support financial institutions that provide services
in 41 states and territories where cannabis is permitted for medical or adult use.
Our
principal executive offices are located at 1526 Cole Boulevard, Suite 250, Golden, Colorado 80401, and our telephone number is (303)
431-3435. Our website is www.shfinancial.org; information on our website is not incorporated by reference into this Form 10-K.
21
Available
Information
We
maintain a website at the address shfinancial.org. On our website, you can access, free of charge, our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly
Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, our annual proxy statement on Schedule 14A, and amendments to those materials filed
or furnished pursuant to Sections 13(a) and 15(d) of the Exchange Act. Materials are available online as soon as reasonably practicable
after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the SEC. In addition, the SEC maintains a website at the address www.sec.gov
that contains the information we file or furnish electronically with the SEC. The information contained on our website or on the SEC’s
website is not incorporated by reference in, or considered part of, this Form 10-K. Our principal executive offices are located at 1526
Cole Boulevard, Suite 250, Golden, Colorado 80401, and our telephone number is (303) 431-3435
Emerging
Growth Company
We
are an emerging growth company (“EGC”) as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”).
As such, we are eligible to 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 of 2002 (“SOX”), reduced disclosure obligations
regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding
advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved.
In
addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an EGC can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section
7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act, for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an EGC can delay the adoption
of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We intend to take advantage of the
benefits of this extended transition period, for as long as it is available. We will remain an EGC until the earlier of (1) the last
day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the date of the first sale of our common equity securities pursuant to
an effective registration statement under the Securities Act, which is December 31, 2026, and (b) in which we have total annual gross
revenue of at least $1.07 billion, (2) the date on which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value
of our Common Stock that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the last business day of our most recently completed second
fiscal quarter, and (3) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt during the prior three-year period.
References herein to “emerging growth company” have the meaning provided in the JOBS Act. The Company will cease to be an EGC on December 31, 2026.
Smaller
Reporting Company
We
are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K, which allows us to take advantage of certain
exemptions from disclosure requirements including exemption from compliance with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404.
We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (i) the market value of the shares of our Common
Stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $250.0 million as of the prior June 30, and (ii) our annual revenue exceeded $100.0 million during
such completed fiscal year or the market value of the shares of our Common Stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $700.0 million as of
the prior June 30. To the extent we take advantage of such reduced disclosure obligations, it may also make comparison of our financial
statements with other public companies difficult or impossible.
Item
1A. Risk Factors.
We are subject to risks and uncertainties that could potentially negatively impact our business, financial conditions,
results of operations and cash flows. This section contains a description of certain risks and uncertainties identified by management
that could, individually or in combination, harm our business, results of operations, liquidity and financial condition, as well as our
financial instruments and our securities. These disclosures reflect the Company’s beliefs and opinions as to factors that could
materially and adversely affect the Company and its securities in the future. References to past events are provided by way of example
only and are not intended to be a complete listing or a representation as to whether or not such factors have occurred in the past or
their likelihood of occurring in the future. In evaluating us and our business and making or continuing an investment in our securities,
you should carefully consider the risks described below as well as other information contained in this Form 10-K and any risk factors
and uncertainties discussed in our other public filings with the SEC under the caption “Risk Factors.” We may face other risks
that are not contained in this Form 10-K, including additional risk that are not presently known, or that we presently deem immaterial.
This Form 10-K and the risks discussed below also include forward-looking statements, and our actual results may differ substantially
from those discussed in such forward-looking statements. Please refer to the sections in this Form 10-K titled “Cautionary Note
Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” for additional information regarding forward-looking statements and “Summary of Risk
Factors” for additional information regarding the risks and uncertainties that could potentially negatively impact our business,
financial conditions, results of operations and cash flows.
Risks Related to the Company’s Business
Our revenue has declined significantly in recent
periods, and we cannot guarantee that the economics of the Second Amended CAA will fully restore our financial performance.
Our loan interest income declined sharply following
the First Amended CAA, which reduced our income share to approximately 35%. While the Second Amended CAA, increases
our income share to up to 65%, this comes at the cost of an up to 65% loan loss indemnification obligation. As such, we cannot guarantee
that the economics of the Second Amended CAA will fully restore our financial performance if we are required to fulfill our indemnification
obligations.
Our revenue has declined due to account attrition, lower pricing, introduction of money
market accounts that share interest earned with the depositor and reduced transaction activity within the cannabis industry.
The
fees we earn from deposit accounts and transaction activity are directly tied to the number of active CRB accounts, the average
balances those accounts maintain, and the volume of transactions processed through our platform. Over recent periods, we have
experienced account attrition and lower balances, reflecting broader economic pressures in the U.S. cannabis industry, including
reduced wholesale pricing and constrained operator liquidity. These trends reduce both our account fee income and the deposit base
on which we earn investment income. We also introduced a money market account that shares the interest earned with depositors, which
reduces the average revenue
generate d from CRBs . We cannot
predict when, or whether, conditions in the cannabis industry will improve, or whether accounts lost to attrition will be replaced
by new customers.
Volatility
in interest rates may adversely affect our revenues, profitability, and competitive position.
Our
investment income is earned on CRB deposits held at PCCU based on the Interest on Reserve Balances (IORB) paid by the Federal Reserve,
which is sensitive to changes in prevailing interest rates and including policy decisions by the Federal Reserve. When interest rates
decline, the yield earned on CRB deposits decreases, and when interest rates rise, the yield earned on CRB deposits increases. A sustained
low-rate environment could materially reduce our revenues and make it more difficult for us to achieve or maintain profitability. In
addition, lower interest rates could reduce the interest rates charged on new loans made to CRB borrowers.
Our
recurring operating losses and negative cash flows from operations raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.
The
Company has incurred recurring losses from operations and negative cash flows from operations, including an operating loss of
approximately $5.4 million and cash used in operating activities of approximately $3.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2025,
which raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. Management has taken steps to preserve
liquidity, including restructuring revenue sharing under the Second Amended CAA to increase the Company’s share of loan program
income from approximately 35% to 65%, seeking strategic partnerships, reducing operating expenses, maintaining access to a $150
million ELOC and monitoring its liquidity position. Notwithstanding these measures, there is no assurance that management’s plans
will be sufficient to sustain operations, and if the Company is unable to achieve profitability or access adequate capital on acceptable terms, it may
be forced to reduce spending, liquidate assets, or curtail operations, any of which could materially harm the Company’s business and
financial condition.
Furthermore, the independent auditors’ report on our consolidated financial statements for the year ended December
31, 2025 includes an explanatory paragraph that expresses substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. In addition,
our future financial statements may include similar qualifications about our ability to continue as a going concern. Our financial statements
were prepared assuming that we will continue as a going concern and do not include any adjustments that may result from the outcome of
this uncertainty. See Part II, Item 7., “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
for the Years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024––Liquidity” and Note 2 to the Company’s consolidated financial
statements in this Form 10-K for further details.
22
Risks
Related to the Second Amended CAA
PCCU’s
loan program is substantially dependent on the regulatory restrictions placed on PCCU, which may limit the types, terms, and amounts
of loans offered.
PCCU
is a federally chartered credit union subject to regulation by the National Credit Union Administration. PCCU is subject to regulatory
capital requirements, portfolio concentration limits, currently capped at 60% of total assets in CRB-related deposits, and periodic examinations
by applicable oversight authorities. If PCCU’s regulators impose more restrictive requirements, reduce its concentration limit,
or restrict its ability to make CRB loans, the size and composition of the loan portfolio from which we earn income could be materially
reduced. We have no ability to compel PCCU to originate loans or to maintain its current regulatory posture, and changes in PCCU’s
regulatory environment could restrict the loan program we depend on for a significant portion of our revenue.
The
Second Amended CAA reinstates an indemnification obligation of up to 65% of loan loss.
Under
the Second Amended CAA, we receive up to 65% of loan program income generated by PCCU’s CRB loan portfolio. In exchange, we are
obligated to indemnify PCCU for up to 65% of net losses of a default on any loan covered by the Second Amended CAA. This obligation has
no maximum dollar limit and covers principal, accrued interest, fees, legal costs, collection costs, and collateral disposition costs,
net of any recoveries. As of the date the Second Amended CAA was entered into, the total loan portfolio was approximately $52.1 million,
giving us a theoretical maximum indemnification exposure of approximately $33.8 million. If one or more significant loan defaults occur,
our indemnification obligations could be substantial and could materially impair our financial condition and ability to operate. See
Part II, Item 7., “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations for the Years ended
December 31, 2025 and 2024––Relationship with PCCU.”
We are required to maintain
sufficient balance sheet resources to support our indemnification obligations under the Second Amended CAA.
The
Second Amended CAA requires us to certify monthly to PCCU that we maintain adequate liquidity to support our 65% indemnification
obligation. While we currently meet this requirement, there is no assurance that we will continue to do so. Our cash position may
decline as a result of operating losses, capital expenditures, debt service, or indemnification payments. If we are unable to
certify adequate liquidity or if material indemnification claims are made against us, our ability to continue operating could be
significantly impaired
Our
indemnification obligation is unlimited in amount, and our actual losses could exceed our current estimates and our available
cash.
The
indemnification obligation under the Second Amended CAA has no dollar cap. Our ability to satisfy indemnification claims depends entirely
on our maintaining sufficient cash and liquidity at the time a claim arises. As of December 31, 2025, we held cash of $6.8 million; however,
our cash position may decline due to operating losses, working capital needs, or prior indemnification payments. If we are unable to
fund an indemnification claim, PCCU would bear the full loss on the affected loan. Such a failure could severely damage our relationship
with PCCU, result in a default under the Second Amended CAA, and jeopardize our ability to continue operating.
We
are required to maintain sufficient cash and cash equivalents to support our indemnification obligations under the Second Amended CAA.
The
Second Amended CAA requires us to certify monthly to PCCU that we maintain adequate liquidity to support our 65% indemnification
obligation. While we currently meet this requirement, there is no assurance that we will continue to do so. Our cash position may
decline as a result of operating losses, capital expenditures, debt service, or indemnification payments. If we are unable to
certify adequate liquidity or if material indemnification claims are made against us, our ability to continue operating could be
significantly impaired.
23
PCCU
retains final loan approval authority and may decline loans that meet our underwriting standards, which could limit our revenue growth.
We
control the loan origination process and assist with underwriting, risk rating, and credit analysis, for these loans and determine which
loan applications are submitted to PCCU for funding. However, PCCU’s loan committee retains final approval authority and may reject
loans that we have underwritten and recommended for funding. A pattern of rejections on loans we consider creditworthy could reduce the
size of the loan portfolio, limit our loan program income, and constrain our ability to grow revenue under the Second Amended CAA. We
cannot compel PCCU to approve any loan we originate, and disagreements over credit standards could adversely affect our relationship
with PCCU and our financial results.
One
borrower represents approximately 18% of the total loan portfolio and carries the second highest risk classification.
As
of December 31, 2025, one borrower had an outstanding loan balance of approximately $9.3 million, representing approximately 18% of
our total CRB loan portfolio. This loan carries the second highest risk rating under the risk rating classification system used in
the loan program, and which indicates that collection or liquidation in full is highly questionable, doubtful and improbable, with
anticipated losses ranging from 20% to 50% of the outstanding balance. Our 65% indemnification exposure on this single loan could
result in a loss to us of between approximately $2.2 million, net of estimated collateral value and $6.1 million, uncollateralized. As
of December 31, 2025, the Company has recorded provisions of $0.4 million and $0.3 million in the consolidated balance sheet
for financial indemnification liability under ASC 326 and standby guarantee obligations under ASC 460, respectively. The realization
of any portion of this loss could materially impair our liquidity and financial condition.
The
CRB loan portfolio is concentrated entirely in the cannabis industry, and cannabis-specific collateral is subject to significant valuation
discounts, legal uncertainties, and a limited buyer pool in a foreclosure or forced sale.
All
loans in the portfolio we indemnify are made to CRBs. In the event of a default, the primary collateral securing these loans is typically
real estate used in cannabis operations. PCCU eliminates the cannabis license premium (sometimes referred to as the “green tax”)
from its collateral valuations and applies a further 60% reduction to estimate realizable value in a non-cannabis sale. As a result,
the effective collateral value available to offset loan losses in a foreclosure or forced sale is significantly lower than for comparable
conventional commercial real estate. This means our actual loss for a given default, and therefore our indemnification payments under
the Second Amended CAA, may be materially higher than we currently estimate.
Certain
provisions in the Second Amended CAA create a direct link between our listing compliance and our revenue.
The
Second Amended CAA contains a provision that automatically reduces our loan program income share percentage if we determine that our
indemnification percentage must be reduced in order to maintain our listing on The Nasdaq Stock Market (“Nasdaq”). In the
event of such a determination, our income split percentage will be reduced to match our indemnification percentage, with a retroactive
true-up to the immediately preceding quarter that will be settled within ten days of our next filing with the SEC. A reduction in the
indemnity percentage would directly reduce our revenue and could signal financial distress to the market. This provision means that a
Nasdaq compliance issue could simultaneously impair both our capital markets access and our operating income.
The
initial fair value measurement of our stand-ready guarantee liability at inception under the Second Amended CAA involves significant
estimates and judgment and is subject to material uncertainty.
We
are required under ASC 460, Guarantees , to recognize the fair value of our stand-ready guarantee obligation at inception. We are
finalizing this initial fair value measurement with the assistance of a third-party valuation specialist. This is a Level 3 measurement
under the fair value hierarchy, meaning it relies on significant unobservable inputs, including assumed default probabilities, loss given
default rates, cannabis-specific collateral discount assumptions, discount rates, and the timing of potential guarantee payments. The
fair value of this liability is fixed at inception and released over the remaining term of the Second Amended CAA as we are released
from risk. Because this measurement depends entirely on management assumptions and unobservable market inputs, actual results could differ
materially from our estimates. Errors in this measurement, or changes in the assumptions used, could result in material charges to our
income statement or require restatements of our financial statements.
Our
ongoing expected financial indemnification liability under the Current Expected Credit Loss (“CECL”) standard (ASC 326)
requires quarterly ongoing remeasurement and is subject to material uncertainty.
Pursuant
to ASC 326, Financial Instruments – Credit Losses , using the CECL
methodology, coinciding with the first period in which the Company held financial assets within the scope of the standard. Our
financial indemnification liability represents our estimate of 65% of the expected credit losses on the covered loan portfolio under
the Second Amended CAA. Unlike our ASC 460 stand-ready guarantee liability, which is fixed at inception, our financial
indemnification liability is dynamic and remeasured every quarter to reflect current conditions, forward-looking economic forecasts,
updated default probability assumptions, revised loss given default estimates, and changes in collateral values. Because the
cannabis commercial real estate lending market has limited historical loss data for reliable statistical calibration, our estimates
for financial indemnification liability involve a
higher-than-normal degree of management judgment. Changes in these estimates in future periods, including as a result of borrower
deterioration, collateral value declines, or changes in economic conditions, could result in material charges to credit loss expense
in our income statement. Errors in these measurements could also require restatements of our financial statements.
24
We
are dependent on third parties, including PCCU and other service providers, for certain critical services, and disruptions at PCCU would
directly and immediately impair our operations.
PCCU
provides the regulated banking infrastructure on which our entire service model depends. We do not hold a bank or credit union
charter and cannot directly offer deposit, lending, or payment services to CRB clients. Operational disruptions at PCCU whether
caused by a regulatory action, a cybersecurity incident, a financial stress event, or an operational failure would directly
and immediately impair our ability to serve our clients and generate revenue. We have limited ability to transition our operations
to an alternative financial institution partner on short notice, and the loss of PCCU’s operational infrastructure for any
extended period could be fatal to our business.
We
are almost entirely dependent on PCCU as our banking partner. Substantially all deposits from our CRB clients are held at PCCU, and substantially
all of our revenue is generated through the services we provide under the Second Amended CAA. We currently have no other financial institution
partner of comparable scope. The loss of our relationship with PCCU, or a material adverse change to the terms of the CAA, would have
a material adverse effect on our business, revenues, and operations. Until we enter into agreements with one or more additional financial
institution partners, our ability to grow our client base and diversify our revenue is significantly constrained
Loan
program income (formerly loan interest income) could decline under the Second Amended CAA if the indemnity reserve would cause our
shareholders’ equity to drop below the Nasdaq Listing Requirements to maintain compliance.
The
Second Amended CAA contains a provision that automatically reduces our loan program income (formerly loan interest income) share
percentage if we determine that our indemnification percentage must be reduced in order to maintain our Nasdaq listing. In the event
of such a determination, our income split percentage will be reduced to match our indemnification percentage. Any such adjustment in
our indemnification obligation would result in a corresponding decrease in the amount of loan program income generated by
PCCU’s CRB loan portfolio that we receive pursuant to the Second Amended CAA. The current listing requirement is a minimum of
$2.5 million of shareholders’ equity, and if Nasdaq were to increase this requirement such that it exceeded the
Company’s balance sheet equity, or the Company’s balance sheet equity decreases below $2.5 million, our loan program
income could decline. See “––Risks Related to the Second Amended CAA––Certain provisions in the Second
Amended CAA create a direct link between our listing compliance and our revenue.”
Risks
Related to the Cannabis Industry and Regulatory Environment
We
have agreements with financial institutions that provide banking services to CRBs, which exposes us to additional liabilities, regulatory
compliance costs, and reputational risk.
Our
business is built on serving an industry that remains illegal under federal law. This creates unique risks that do not apply to service
providers operating in conventional industries, including potential federal enforcement actions, heightened regulatory scrutiny of our
financial institution partners, difficulty obtaining banking services and insurance, and reputational harm that could affect our ability
to attract investors, employees, and customers. Any increase in federal enforcement activity targeting cannabis-related financial services
could have an immediate and material adverse effect on our business.
Cannabis
remains a Schedule I controlled substance under federal law, and changes in federal enforcement policy or the scheduling status of cannabis
could affect our business in unpredictable ways.
Cannabis
is classified as a Schedule I controlled substance under the CSA and is illegal under federal law. While some federal administrations
have adopted policies of non-enforcement with respect to state-licensed cannabis operations, those policies can change at any time. Potential
federal rescheduling of cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III, while potentially reducing enforcement risk for CRBs, could also attract
new competitors into the cannabis banking market, alter the regulatory framework governing financial institutions that serve CRBs, change
the federal tax treatment of CRB operators, or otherwise disrupt the economics of the market we serve. We cannot predict the direction
or timing of federal cannabis policy changes or their ultimate effect on our business.
The
Company, our financial institution customers, and our CRB clients are subject to complex federal and state laws governing financial transactions
related to cannabis, which could subject them to legal claims or restrict their activities.
Financial
institutions that bank cannabis businesses must navigate a complex web of federal and state laws, including the BSA, anti-money laundering
requirements, FinCEN guidance on marijuana banking, and various state cannabis regulatory frameworks. Changes in FinCEN guidance, BSA
or AML examination standards, or the legal interpretation of applicable statutes could require us, or our financial institution partners,
to modify or discontinue certain services to CRB clients. Any such change could materially reduce our revenues and disrupt our operations.
State-level
regulatory changes, including market saturation, license non-renewals, and changes to cannabis program structures could impair borrower
viability and increase the credit risk in the portfolio we indemnify.
The
viability of CRB borrowers in our loan portfolio depends substantially on conditions in their respective state cannabis markets. Market
saturation, the non-renewal of cannabis licenses, adverse changes to state cannabis program structures, or increased state regulation
could impair CRB operators’ ability to generate sufficient revenue to service their debt obligations. An increase in default rates
among portfolio borrowers would increase the probability that we would be required to fund indemnification payments to PCCU, which could
materially impair our financial condition.
25
Because
cannabis remains federally illegal, CRB borrowers generally cannot access bankruptcy protections but instead work through the receivership process, which complicates loan workouts
and could increase our loss given default.
Under
the applicable bankruptcy laws, debtors engaged in the cultivation, distribution, or sale of a federally illegal substance are
generally ineligible for bankruptcy protection. This means that when a CRB borrower defaults, the workout and collateral recovery
process must proceed entirely outside of bankruptcy court, typically through foreclosure, deed-in-lieu arrangements, or negotiated
settlements. These processes typically take one to three years and yield lower net recovery proceeds than a
bankruptcy-supervised liquidation. The result is that our actual loss for a given default on indemnified loans may be materially
higher, and our indemnification payments may arise over a longer timeline with greater uncertainty than would be the case for
conventional commercial real estate loans.
Service
providers to cannabis businesses may be subject to unfavorable U.S. federal income tax treatment, including potential disallowance of
ordinary business deductions under Section 280E.
Section
280E prohibits deductions for ordinary and necessary business expenses incurred by taxpayers who traffic in Schedule I or Schedule
II controlled substances. This provision significantly increases the effective federal income tax rate for CRB operators, reducing
their after-tax cash flow and their ability to service debt. Although Section 280E applies directly to CRBs rather than to service
providers such as us, the financial burden it places on our borrowers affects their creditworthiness and the credit quality of the
loan portfolio we indemnify. Any adverse change in federal tax policy applicable to cannabis-related businesses could further impair
the financial condition of our CRB clients.
Cannabis
businesses may be subject to civil asset forfeiture under federal law, which could result in the loss of collateral securing loans in
our portfolio.
Federal
law permits the seizure and forfeiture of assets used in connection with, or derived from, violations of the CSA. If federal authorities
were to seize cannabis-related assets pledged as collateral for loans in the PCCU portfolio, the collateral available to secure repayment
would be lost or materially impaired, increasing the risk that we would be required to fund indemnification payments. The risk of civil
forfeiture is difficult to predict and is not fully reflected in our current collateral valuations.
We
may have difficulty enforcing certain of our commercial agreements and contracts related to cannabis-adjacent services.
Because
cannabis remains federally illegal, certain agreements relating to cannabis industry services may be challenged as unenforceable in federal
courts or in states that do not recognize contracts related to federally illegal activities. If any of our material agreements were found
to be unenforceable, we could lose the benefit of the relevant contract rights and suffer material financial harm.
Because
we serve cannabis-related businesses, we may have difficulty obtaining certain insurance coverages, which could expose us to additional
financial liability.
The
cannabis industry’s federal legal status limits access to standard commercial insurance products. Many conventional insurers decline
to provide coverage to cannabis-adjacent businesses, and the specialized insurance products that are available often carry higher premiums
and more limited coverage terms. Gaps in our insurance program could leave us exposed to uninsured losses including those arising
from indemnification claims, litigation, cybersecurity incidents, or errors and omissions that could materially impair our financial
condition.
The
conduct of third parties, including our CRB clients and their financial institution providers, may jeopardize our regulatory compliance
and business relationships.
Our
ability to maintain compliance with applicable laws depends in part on the conduct of the CRBs we serve and the financial institution
partners through which we operate. If a CRB client engages in unlicensed activity, money laundering, or other regulatory violations,
we could be exposed to regulatory sanctions, reputational harm, or legal liability even if we were unaware of the misconduct. We have
what we believe to be effective compliance monitoring procedures in place, but we cannot guarantee that they will detect or prevent all
violations by third parties.
26
Directors,
officers, employees, and investors who are not U.S. citizens may face cross-border travel restrictions into the United States due to
their involvement in the cannabis industry.
Individuals
who are not U.S. citizens and who are associated with the cannabis industry, including through employment, investment, or service on
our board of directors, may be subject to restrictions on entry into the United States. This could limit our ability to attract and
retain international talent at the board and management levels and could affect relationships with international investors. These
restrictions create practical operational challenges that do not affect companies operating in federally legal
industries.
We
may be subject to marketing and advertising constraints on promoting our services to cannabis-related businesses, which could limit our
growth.
Restrictions
on advertising and marketing to regulated industries, including cannabis, may limit our ability to promote our platform and services
to prospective CRB clients or to financial institutions considering offering cannabis banking services. These constraints could slow
our ability to grow our client base and expand into new geographic markets, adversely affecting our revenue growth.
Risks
Related to Nasdaq Listing Compliance
Our
Common Stock has previously traded below $1.00 per share, and if it were to trade below $1.00 in the future it could create an imminent
risk of a Nasdaq minimum bid price deficiency notice.
Nasdaq
Listing Rule 5550(a)(2) requires that listed companies maintain a minimum closing bid price of at least $1.00 per share. If our
Common Stock closes below $1.00 per share for 30 consecutive trading days, Nasdaq will issue a deficiency notice and we will have
180 calendar days to regain compliance. Our stockholders
approved a reverse stock split of the outstanding shares of our Common Stock within the range of 2-for-1 to 12-for-1, which our
Board could execute proactively before any deficiency notice is issued. However, if a deficiency notice is received before such
action is taken, we may be unable to regain compliance through other means within the required timeframe. Failure to regain
compliance could ultimately result in the delisting of our Common Stock from Nasdaq.
A
proposed new Nasdaq rule would delist companies whose market capitalization falls below $5 million for 30 or more consecutive
trading days.
We
are aware of a proposed new Nasdaq rule which was filed with the SEC on January 13, 2026, that would result in mandatory
delisting without a cure period if a listed company’s market capitalization is below $5 million for 30 consecutive trading
days. The SEC is expected to make a decision on this proposed rule by April 29, 2026. If such a rule is adopted and we fail to
satisfy its requirements, our shares could be delisted from Nasdaq, which would have severe adverse consequences for our
stockholders and our ability to raise capital. Given that our current stock price and number of shares outstanding as of the date
hereof put us below the $5 million requirement, it is possible that we would not be compliant with such a rule at the time of its
adoption and could be delisted as soon as 30 trading days after the proposed rule takes effect.
A
delisting of our Common Stock could materially impair our ability to make future draws under the ELOC.
The
ELOC requires that, as a condition precedent to each draw, there has been no suspension of trading in, or notice of delisting of, our
Common Stock. The ELOC also requires us to use commercially reasonable efforts to maintain the listing and trading of our Common Stock
on Nasdaq or another Eligible Market (as defined below). If we receive a final and non-appealable notice that our Common Stock will be delisted
from Nasdaq, we are required to promptly seek listing on a market designated as eligible under the ELOC, which includes the Over The Counter Market (OTC), The New
York Stock Exchange American, or any nationally recognized successor to any of the foregoing (each, an “Eligible Market”).
During
any period between a delisting from Nasdaq and the successful listing of our Common Stock on an Eligible Market, we would be unable to
satisfy the conditions precedent to make draws under the ELOC. There can be no assurance that we will maintain our Nasdaq listing, or
that if delisted, we will be able to obtain listing on an Eligible Market in a timely manner or at all. Any inability to make draws under
the ELOC, whether temporary or prolonged, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Risks Related to Our Capital Structure
and Securities
The conversion of our Series
B Preferred Stock, exercise of Series B Warrants, and future draws under the ELOC could result in substantial dilution to existing holders
of our Common Stock.
In connection with our September
2025 Recapitalization, we issued 31,052 shares of Series B Preferred Stock and Series B Warrants to purchase approximately 1,999,544 shares
of Common Stock. As these instruments are converted or exercised, and as we draw on the ELOC, substantial additional shares of Common
Stock will be issued and outstanding. This dilution could depress the market price of our Common Stock, making it harder for existing
stockholders to sell their shares at or above their purchase price and potentially triggering further Nasdaq compliance issues.
The ELOC is an active financing
facility, its pricing and redemption mechanics significantly reduce our net proceeds on each draw and increase dilution to existing stockholders.
We have an active ELOC under which we may raise capital by issuing shares of our Common Stock. However, each draw
under the ELOC is subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions precedent, including: (i) no material adverse change in our business,
operations, properties, or financial condition; (ii) no suspension of trading in, or notice of delisting of, our Common Stock; (iii) our
representations and warranties remaining true and correct in all material respects; and (iv) no occurrence of any event that would reasonably
be expected to have a material adverse effect on our ability to perform our obligations under the ELOC. Each draw is also priced at 90%
of the lowest intraday trade price on the draw date, meaning we do not receive full market value for the shares we issue. Additionally,
each draw is subject to a 25% redemption right, under which the Series B investor returns 25% of the gross draw amount to us as a redemption
of Series B Preferred Stock, reducing our net cash proceeds. The combined effect of these features means we retain approximately $0.675
of net cash proceeds for every dollar of shares issued at market. To raise $1.00 of net capital, we must issue shares representing approximately
$1.48 of gross market value. This structure, together with the conditions precedent described above, increases dilution to existing common
stockholders and reduces the effective capacity and reliability of the ELOC as a liquidity source.
Our
Series B Preferred Stock and Series B Warrants contain anti-dilution and reset provisions that could further dilute common stockholders.
The
Series B instruments include down-round adjustment provisions and automatic price reset mechanics. The first and final automatic reset
has already occurred, resetting the conversion price and exercise price to $1.5528 per share. While no further automatic resets are triggered,
the increased share counts resulting from the reset require additional share registration. Additional issuances of Common Stock at prices
below the conversion or exercise price, whether under the ELOC or otherwise, may trigger further anti-dilution adjustments, increasing
the number of shares issuable to Series B holders and further diluting existing common stockholders.
27
Our
Common Stock price may be highly volatile, and stockholders may not be able to sell their shares at or above their purchase price.
Our
Common Stock has experienced significant price volatility, including extended periods of trading below $1.00 per share. Factors that
have contributed, and may continue to contribute, to this volatility include our financial condition and operating results, changes to
the terms of our Second Amended CAA, regulatory developments affecting the cannabis industry, Nasdaq compliance notices, limited analyst
coverage, low trading volumes, and broader stock market conditions. This volatility makes it difficult for stockholders to predict when,
or whether, they will be able to sell their shares at a price they consider acceptable.
The
soundness of our financial institution customers and partners could adversely affect us.
We
depend on the financial health and stability of PCCU and any other financial institution partners we may engage with. PCCU is subject
to its own regulatory requirements, capital adequacy standards, and examinations by applicable oversight authorities. A regulatory enforcement
action against PCCU, a deterioration in PCCU’s financial condition, or a significant adverse event at PCCU could directly and materially
impair our ability to provide services to CRB clients, collect fees and interest income, and fund our operations. We have limited ability
to anticipate or mitigate risks arising from the financial condition of our banking partners.
Our
investment in preferred securities of ADTX is illiquid, subject to impairment, and may result in a partial or total
loss.
We
hold an investment in preferred securities of Aditxt, Inc. (“ADTX”), a publicly traded company, with a carrying value of $1.45
million as of December 31, 2025. The investment was received as non-cash consideration in connection with the issuance of our Series
B Preferred Stock in September 2025. Because ADTX’s preferred shares are not actively traded and do not have a readily determinable
fair value, the investment is measured at cost, less any impairment, adjusted for observable price changes in orderly transactions for
identical or similar instruments under ASC 321. We do not have the ability to exercise significant influence or control over ADTX, and
we hold less than 20% of its voting interests.
Starting
April 1, 2026, the Company can convert the ADTX preferred shares into shares of ADTX common stock at a 50% premium to the $1,000
value using a conversion price based on a 20% discount to the trailing five-day volume-weighted average price (VWAP) of ADXT’s
common stock, which can be sold Nasdaq in tranches over multiple quarters depending on the average trading volume. Based on the
conversion mechanics, the aggregate face value of ADTX’s common stock issuable upon full conversion would exceed the current
carrying value of the preferred shares. However, the timing and actual proceeds we realize upon conversion and sale will depend on
the trading price and volume of ADTX’s common stock at the time of each transaction. If ADTX’s common stock price
declines, trading volume is insufficient to absorb our sales without significant price impact, or ADTX experiences a deterioration
in its financial condition or business prospects, we may realize proceeds below our carrying value or be required to recognize an
impairment charge, either of which could have a material adverse effect on our consolidated results of operations.
Risks
Related to Internal Controls and Financial Reporting
The
Second Amended CAA introduces significant new accounting complexity that involves material judgment and estimation uncertainty.
The
Second Amended CAA requires us to measure and record a stand-ready guarantee liability at fair value at inception under ASC 460, estimate
and recognize an initial financial indemnification liability under ASC 326-20, and account for retroactive revenue recognition as a subsequent event for the
period from October 1, 2025 through December 31, 2025. Each of these accounting determinations involve significant estimates and management
judgment. Errors in our estimates or judgments could result in material misstatements in our financial statements, which could require
restatements, damage investor confidence, and adversely affect our ability to timely file required SEC reports.
One material weakness in revenue recognition
related to our activity fee income from deposits held at PCCU has been remediated, however sufficient time hasn’t
passed for us to conclude that its operating effectively.
As of
December 31, 2025, the Company had material weaknesses we have identified, one specifically relates to revenue recognition for
activity fee income earned on CRB deposits held at PCCU. This weakness has been remediated however
sufficient time hasn’t passed for us to conclude that it is operating effectively . There remains a risk that our
reported activity fee revenues may be misstated. A misstatement in this revenue category could adversely affect investor confidence
in our financial reporting, attract SEC comment or inquiry, and impair our ability to file required periodic reports on a timely
basis. See Part II, Item 9A., “Controls and Procedures.”
We
have identified a material weakness in internal control over financial reporting related to our loan documentation and expected credit
loss estimation process, which could result in a material misstatement of our financial statements.
During
the fourth quarter of 2025, in connection with the Company’s initial recognition of an indemnification liability under the Second Amended
CAA, management identified a material weakness in internal control over financial reporting. Specifically, for the first time, the Company
was required to measure a stand-ready guarantee liability at fair value under ASC 460 and an expected credit loss liability under ASC
326-20. Both measurements depend on underlying loan documentation maintained as part of the Company’s credit administration responsibilities
under the Second Amended CAA. During the audit, certain loan documentation used in connection with these measurements was found to be
out of date or inconsistent with the terms of the underlying loans.
While
management concluded that the indemnification and expected credit loss liabilities which together totaled approximately $3.1 million
as of December 31, 2025 are fairly stated as of that date, the absence of a formalized loan documentation review and maintenance process
represents a control deficiency. If not remediated, this deficiency could result in a material misstatement of the Company’s indemnification
liability under ASC 460 or its expected credit loss liability under ASC 326-20 in future periods.
If
our financial statements are not accurate, investors may not have a complete understanding of our operations. If we do not file financial
statements on a timely basis as required by the SEC, we could face severe consequences. If we are unable to conclude that its internal
control over financial reporting is effective, investors may lose confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports,
the market price of our Common Stock could decline, and we could be subject to sanctions or investigations by the Nasdaq, the SEC or
other regulatory authorities. Moreover, responding to such investigations are likely to consume a significant amount of our management
resources and cause us to incur significant legal and accounting expenses. Failure to remedy any material weakness in internal control
over financial reporting, or to maintain effective control systems, could also restrict our future access to the capital markets. This
could result in an adverse reaction in the financial markets due to a loss of confidence in the reliability of our financial statements.
Our
control over financial reporting will not prevent or detect all errors and all fraud. A control system, no matter how well designed and
operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the control system’s objectives will be met. Because of the
inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that misstatements due to error
or fraud will not occur or that all control issues and instances of fraud will be detected. We cannot assure you that the measures we
have taken to date, or any measures we may take in the future, will be sufficient to avoid potential future material weaknesses. See
Part II, Item 9A., “Controls and Procedures.”
28
Risks
Related to Legal Proceedings and Regulatory Compliance
An
adverse outcome in litigation to which we are or may become a party could materially and adversely affect us.
We
are currently a party to a declaratory judgment action pending in a Denver County, Colorado District Court in connection with our acquisition
of Rockview Digital Solutions, Inc. d/b/a Abaca (“Abaca”). We cannot predict the timing, outcome, or cost of this litigation.
An adverse ruling could result in financial judgments against us, require us to alter our business practices, or damage our reputation.
In addition to existing litigation, we may in the future become subject to other legal proceedings in the ordinary course of our business.
The cost of defending any litigation, even if we are ultimately successful, could be significant and could divert management attention
and resources from our core operations.
Changes
in laws, regulations, or rules applicable to cannabis banking, financial services, or public company reporting could adversely affect
our business and results of operations.
We
operate at the intersection of cannabis regulation, financial services regulation, and public company reporting requirements, all of
which are subject to change. Modifications to FinCEN guidance on cannabis banking, changes in SEC reporting requirements, updates to
Nasdaq listing standards, or shifts in state cannabis regulations could require us to make significant operational or compliance changes,
incur additional costs, or modify or discontinue certain services. The regulatory environment in which we operate is complex and evolving,
and we may not be able to adapt quickly enough to avoid adverse consequences.
An
interruption in, or breach of security of, our information systems could adversely affect us.
We
operate a proprietary compliance technology platform that processes sensitive financial and regulatory compliance data for CRB clients
and financial institutions. A cyberattack, data breach, ransomware incident, or systems failure affecting our platform, or the platforms
or systems of CRB clients or other third parties we are engaged with, could expose us to significant legal liability, regulatory sanctions,
reputational harm, and operational disruption. Recovery from a serious cybersecurity incident could be costly and time-consuming, and
our insurance coverage for cyber-related losses may be insufficient to fully cover the resulting damages. Our ability to maintain the
trust of our clients and financial institution partners depends on the security and reliability of our technology infrastructure. For
information on our cybersecurity risk management, strategy and governance, see Part I, Item 1C., “Cybersecurity.”
We
may suffer uninsured losses or losses in excess of our insurance limits.
We
carry insurance intended to cover various business risks, but the specialized nature of our cannabis-adjacent business limits our access
to certain commercial insurance products. Our insurance policies are subject to coverage exclusions, deductibles, and limits that may
be insufficient to fully compensate us for significant losses. In particular, losses arising from indemnification obligations under the
Second Amended CAA, professional liability, cyber incidents, or regulatory actions may not be fully covered by our existing policies.
Significant uninsured losses could materially impair our financial condition and our ability to continue operating.
29
Risks
Related to Our Securities
There can be no assurance that we will be able
to comply with the continued listing standards of Nasdaq.
Nasdaq requires that the trading price of its listed
stocks remain above $1.00 in order for stock to remain listed. If a listed stock trades below $1.00 for more than 30 consecutive trading
days, then it is subject to delisting from the Nasdaq. In addition, to maintain a listing on Nasdaq, we must satisfy minimum financial
and other continued listing requirements and standards, including those regarding director independence and independent committee requirements,
minimum stockholders’ equity, and certain corporate governance requirements. If we are unable to satisfy these requirements or standards,
we could be subject to delisting, which would have a negative effect on the price of our Common Stock and would impair your ability to
sell or purchase our Common Stock when you wish to do so. In the event of a delisting, we would expect to take actions to restore our
compliance with the listing requirements, but we can provide no assurance that any such action taken by us would allow our Common Stock
to become listed again, stabilize the market price or improve the liquidity of our Common Stock, prevent our Common Stock from dropping
below the minimum bid price requirement, or prevent future non-compliance with the listing requirements.
The
market for our securities has been volatile and may continue to be volatile, which would adversely affect the liquidity and price of
our securities.
The
price of our securities may fluctuate significantly due to the market’s reaction to sales of shares of Common Stock, including
those issued to the holders of our convertible preferred stock upon the conversion thereof, and to general market and economic conditions.
An active trading market for our securities may never develop or, if developed, it may not be sustained. In addition, the price of our
securities can vary due to general economic conditions and forecasts, our general business condition and the release of our financial
reports. Additionally, if our securities become delisted from Nasdaq for any reason, and are quoted on the Over-the-Counter Markets,
an inter-dealer automated quotation system for equity securities that is not a national securities exchange, the liquidity and price
of our securities may be more limited than if we were quoted or listed on Nasdaq or another national securities exchange. You may be
unable to sell your securities unless a market can be established or sustained.
The
Company may issue additional shares of common or preferred stock under the Amended and Restated - 2022 Equity Incentive Plan (the “Equity
Incentive Plan” or the “Plan”) or otherwise, any one of which would dilute the interest of the Company’s stockholders
and likely present other risks.
The
Company’s Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation authorizes the issuance of up to 1,000,000,000 shares of
Common Stock and 1,250,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share. There are currently 995,494,515 unissued
shares of Common Stock available for issuance, which amount does not take into account shares reserved for issuance upon exercise of
outstanding warrants and stock options. As of April 10, 2026, there were 30,808 shares of Common Stock, 111 shares of Series A
Convertible Preferred Stock (“Series A Preferred Stock”) and 31,052 shares of Series B Preferred Stock issued and
outstanding and an aggregate of 2,601,374 warrants outstanding. The Purchase Agreement permits the issuance of certain securities,
including Common Stock, options and other equity awards, under the Equity Incentive Plan. The Company may issue additional shares of
common or preferred stock to under the Equity Incentive Plan or as needed for working capital or other purposes.
The
issuance of additional shares of common or preferred stock:
● may
significantly dilute the equity interest of existing investors;
● may
subordinate the rights of holders of Common Stock if preferred stock is issued with rights
senior to those afforded the Common Stock;
● could
cause a change in control if a substantial number of shares of Common Stock is issued, which
may affect, among other things, the Company’s ability to use its net operating loss
carry forwards, if any, and could result in the resignation or removal of the Company’s
present officers and directors; and
● may
adversely affect prevailing market prices for the Common Stock.
Our
operating results may fluctuate significantly and could fall below the expectations of securities analysts and investors due to seasonality
and other factors, some of which are beyond our control, resulting in a decline in our stock price.
● Our
operating results may fluctuate significantly because of several factors, including:
● labor
availability and costs for hourly and management personnel;
● profitability
of our services, especially in new markets and due to seasonal fluctuations;
● changes
in interest rates;
● macroeconomic
conditions, both nationally and locally;
● negative
publicity relating to products we serve;
● changes
in consumer preferences and competitive conditions;
● expansion
to new markets; and
● fluctuations
in commodity prices.
30
If
securities or industry analysts do not publish or cease publishing research or reports about the Company, its business, or its market,
or if they change their recommendations regarding our Common Stock adversely, then the price and trading volume of the Common Stock could
decline.
The
trading market for our Common Stock may be influenced by the research and reports that industry or securities analysts may publish about
us, our business, our market, or our competitors. If any of the analysts who may cover the Company change their recommendation regarding
our stock adversely, or provide more favorable relative recommendations about our competitors, the price of our Common Stock would likely
decline. If any analyst who may cover the Company were to cease coverage of us or fail to regularly publish reports on it, we could lose
visibility in the financial markets, which could cause the stock price or trading volume of our Common Stock to decline.
We
may be unable to obtain additional financing to fund our operations and growth.
We
may require financing to fund our operations or growth in future periods. The failure to secure additional financing could have a material
adverse effect on the continued development or growth of the Company. Except as otherwise provided for in the ELOC, none of our officers,
directors or stockholders is required to provide any financing to us.
Anti-takeover
provisions contained in our Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws, as well as provisions of Delaware law,
could impair a takeover attempt, which could limit the price investors might be willing to pay in the future for our Common Stock.
Our
Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation contains provisions that may discourage unsolicited takeover proposals that
stockholders may consider to be in their best interests. We are also subject to anti-takeover provisions under Delaware law, which could
delay or prevent a change of control. Together, these provisions may make more difficult the removal of management and may discourage
transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our securities. These provisions include:
● a
prohibition on stockholder action by written consent, which forces stockholder action to
be taken at an annual or special meeting of our stockholders;
● a
denial of the right of stockholders to call a special meeting;
● a
vote of 66 2/3% required to approve certain amendments to the Second Amended and Restated
Certificate of Incorporation and the Bylaws; and
● the
designation of Delaware as the exclusive forum for certain disputes.
Our
Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation provides that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will be the sole
and exclusive forum for certain stockholder litigation matters, which could limit our stockholder’s ability to obtain a favorable
judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers, employees or stockholders.
Our
Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation provides, to the fullest extent permitted by law, that internal corporate claims
may be brought only in the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware (or, if the Court of Chancery does not have, or declines to accept,
jurisdiction, another state court or a federal court located within the State of Delaware). In addition, our Second Amended and Restated
Certificate of Incorporation provides that the federal district courts of the United States will be the exclusive forum for resolving
any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act. This forum selection provision does not apply to claims brought
to enforce a duty or liability created by the Exchange Act. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring or holding any interest
in our stock shall be deemed to have notice of and consented to the forum provision in our Second Amended and Restated Certificate of
Incorporation.
31
This
choice of forum provision may limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes
with us or any of our directors, officers, other employees or stockholders, which may discourage lawsuits with respect to such claims.
Alternatively, if a court were to find the choice of forum provision contained in our Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation
to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions,
which could harm our business, operating results and financial condition. For example, under the Securities Act, federal courts have
concurrent jurisdiction over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act, and investors cannot waive
compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. Accordingly, there is uncertainty as to whether
a court would enforce such a forum selection provision as written in connection with claims arising under the Securities Act.
The
JOBS Act permits “emerging growth companies” like us to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements
applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies.
We
qualify as an “emerging growth company” as defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act.
As such, we take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements applicable to other public companies that are not
emerging growth companies for as long as we continue to be an emerging growth company, including (i) the exemption from the auditor attestation
requirements with respect to internal control over financial reporting under Section 404 of SOX, (ii) the exemptions from say-on-pay,
say-on-frequency and say-on-golden parachute voting requirements and (iii) reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation
in our periodic reports and proxy statements. As a result, our stockholders may not have access to certain information they deem important.
We will remain an emerging growth company until the earliest of (a) the last day of the fiscal year (1) following July 28, 2026, the
fifth anniversary of our initial public offering (“IPO”), (2) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07
billion or (3) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our Common Stock, public warrants
and public units that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the last business day of our prior second fiscal quarter,
and (b) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt during the prior three-year period. We cannot
predict if investors will find our Common Stock less attractive if we choose to rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our
Common Stock less attractive as a result of any choices to reduce future disclosure, there may be a less active trading market for our
Common Stock and the price of our Common Stock may be more volatile. The Company’s total revenue for the year ended December 31,
2024 was approximately $15.2 million. If the Company expands its business through acquisitions and/or grows revenue organically, we may
cease to be an emerging growth company prior to December 31, 2026.
In
addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an emerging growth company can take advantage of the exemption from complying
with new or revised accounting standards provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act as long as we are an emerging growth company.
An emerging growth company can therefore delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply
to private companies. 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. We have elected to avail ourselves
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, we, 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 our consolidated financial statements with another public company that is neither
an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company that has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible
because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.
If
some investors find our Common Stock less attractive as a result of the foregoing, there may be a less active trading market for our
Common Stock and more stock price volatility.
The Certificate of Designation governing our
Series B Preferred Stock contains covenants that may limit our business flexibility.
The Certificate of Designation governing
our Series B Preferred Stock requires the consent or cooperation of the holders of Series B Preferred Stock for certain corporate actions.
If we are unable to obtain such consent or cooperation, these provisions of the Certificate of Designation governing our Series B Preferred
Stock could limit our business flexibility or our ability to take, or refrain from taking, certain actions that management may believe
would be in the interest of the Company and its stockholders, which could adversely affect our business and results of operations.
Item
1B. Unresolved Staff Comments.
None.
Item
1C. Cybersecurity.
Risk
Management and Strategy
The
Company has implemented a written information security program designed to address the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of
information systems and the non-public personal information the Company holds on behalf of its clients and business partners. The program
is designed to comply with applicable requirements under Regulation S-P and the Federal Trade Commission Safeguards Rule.
32
Program
Components.
The
Company’s cybersecurity risk management program includes the following key elements:
●
Threat
Detection and Response: The Company uses a combination of automated tools and manual procedures to detect, contain, and respond
to cybersecurity threats, including malicious code detection, network monitoring, and security incident response protocols
●
Vulnerability
Management: The Company engages a third-party cybersecurity service provider it believes is qualified to conduct periodic vulnerability
assessments, penetration testing, and risk evaluations of the Company’s information systems.
●
Third-Party
Vendor Risk Management: Before engaging service providers that will access, transmit, or store Company or client data, management
performs due diligence to evaluate their cybersecurity practices. The Company seeks to engage vendors that maintain cybersecurity
programs reasonably consistent with the Company’s own standards.
●
Employee
Training and Awareness: All officers and employees are subject to the Company’s information security policies and procedures
and are required to participate in periodic cybersecurity education and awareness training.
●
Integration
with Enterprise Risk Management: The Company’s cybersecurity risk management program
is integrated into its broader enterprise risk management framework and utilizes the same
common reporting channels and governance processes and the broader framework.
● Third-Party
Assessments. The Company engages an external cybersecurity services provider to assist
in assessing and managing cybersecurity risks. This provider supports threat monitoring,
incident response planning, and periodic assessments of the effectiveness of the Company’s
security controls.
● Material
Cybersecurity Incidents. To date, the Company has not experienced any cybersecurity incident
that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s
business strategy, results of operations, or financial condition. However, we cannot guarantee
that future incidents will not occur or will not be material. See Part I, Item 1A., “Risk
Factors––Risks Related to Legal Proceedings and Regulatory Compliance––An
interruption in, or breach of security of, our information systems could adversely affect
us.”
Governance
Board
Oversight
The
Board of Directors recognizes that cybersecurity is an important component of the Company’s overall risk management framework.
The Board has delegated primary oversight responsibility for cybersecurity risk to management, which periodically briefs the Board
on the status of the cybersecurity program, material developments, and the threat environment. Management reviews and
discusses with the Board the guidelines and policies with respect to risk assessment and risk management of cybersecurity and other
relevant risks related to the Company’s information systems. The Board receives updates from management on cybersecurity
matters as needed or when a significant incident or emerging risk warrants attention.
Management
Responsibility
Day-to-day
responsibility for the cybersecurity program is managed by Jeremy Robinson, the Company’s Vice President of Information Technology,
who oversees the design, implementation, and maintenance of the Company’s information security program , including:
●
Monitoring
the prevention, detection, mitigation, and remediation of cybersecurity threats and incidents;
●
Managing
relationships with third-party cybersecurity service providers; and
●
Reporting
material cybersecurity threats or incidents to the Chief Executive Officer and, where appropriate, to the Board.
The
Company believes that Mr. Robinson has developed relevant knowledge, skills, and experience in information technology and cybersecurity
risk management through his career in the information technology sector, including his experience overseeing third-party vendors, evaluating
security controls, and responding to information security risks. The Chief Executive Officer is responsible for ensuring that material
cybersecurity matters are escalated to the Board in a timely manner , although Mr. Robinson may also report material cybersecurity threats
or incidents to the Board.
33
Incident
Response
The
Company maintains cybersecurity incident response procedures that provide a framework for identifying, assessing, containing, and remediating
cybersecurity incidents, including procedures for timely reporting to the Board and, where required, to regulators and affected individuals
Item
2. Properties.
The
Company leases approximately 8,043 square feet of office space for its executive offices located in Golden, Colorado. Monthly rent is
approximately $0.02 million, increasing annually to a maximum of $0.02 million per month for the final six months of the lease term.
The lease expires June 30, 2029.
During
the year ended December 31, 2025, the property owner of the Golden, Colorado facility became subject to a court-appointed receivership.
Throughout the receivership period, the Company continued to occupy the premises and made all rental payments in accordance with the
existing lease terms. During the fourth quarter of 2025, the receivership process concluded with the sale of the property to a new owner.
The Company’s lease was assumed by the new property owner, and the lease continues in full force and effect under its existing
terms and conditions. The sale and change in ownership did not result in a lease modification, reassignment, or early termination of
the lease, and had no material impact on the Company’s operations or financial position. No impairment of the related right-of-use
asset was identified, and no remeasurement of the lease liability was required under ASC 842.
The
Company has no other material properties and does not own any real property.
Item
3. Legal Proceedings.
SHF
Holdings, Inc. v. Roda, Ellis, and Carroll (Denver District Court)
On
October 17, 2024, the Company filed a complaint in the District Court for the City and County of Denver, Colorado, captioned SHF Holdings,
Inc. v. Daniel Roda, Gregory W. Ellis, and James R. Carroll , Case No. 2024CV33187. The lawsuit arises from a dispute over the terms
of the Company’s October 2022 acquisition of Abaca pursuant to a merger agreement that was subsequently amended in November 2022
and in October 2023 (the “Second Amendment”).
The
Second Amendment restructured certain merger consideration, including introducing warrants and modifying payment timing. The defendants
contend the Second Amendment is invalid under Delaware law and seek to have it set aside, which would reinstate the original payment
terms and potentially increase the Company’s obligations. The Company maintains that the Second Amendment was validly executed
and is binding.
On
November 21, 2024, at the Company’s request, the disputed merger payment of $3.0 million was deposited into the Denver County,
Colorado District Court’s registry pending resolution of the dispute.
On
December 19, 2024, the defendants filed an answer and counterclaims against the Company. On April 18, 2025, the District Court issued
an order denying the Company’s motion to dismiss most of the counterclaims, but the District Court did dismiss claims against the
Company’s Chairman, Fred Niehaus, with prejudice. The District Court also clarified that the Delaware statutes cited by the defendants
govern pre-closing amendments and do not authorize post-merger amendments altering consideration, a finding that is consistent with the
Company’s legal position.
The
case is currently in active discovery. A ruling on the summary judgement briefing is pending, and a court date is scheduled for May
2026.
Financial
Exposure
The
Company has assessed its potential exposure under ASC 450, see Note 20 Commitments and Contingencies. If the District Court upholds
the Second Amendment, which the Company believes was validly executed and is binding, its cash obligation is limited to the $3.0
million already deposited in the District Court’s registry, with additional exposure limited primarily to legal fees. The
Company currently considers an adverse outcome reasonably possible but not probable. Accordingly, no accrual has been recorded for
this contingency beyond the $3.0 million already reflected in the financial statements. The estimated range of loss is $0 to $7.8 million.
For additional details regarding this matter, please refer to Note 20 to the consolidated financial statements included in this
Annual Report on Form 10-K, and to the Company’s Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on October 18, 2024 and
December 19, 2024.
Other
Legal Matters
In
addition to the foregoing, from time to time we may be party to various legal proceedings and claims arising in the ordinary course of
business. These may include disputes relating to the ownership of funds in particular accounts, the collection of delinquent accounts,
credit relationships, challenges to security interests in collateral, and foreclosure matters incidental to our regular business activities.
We
assess our legal liabilities and contingencies at least quarterly using the most recently available information, advice of legal counsel,
and applicable accounting guidance under ASC Topic 450. Where a loss is probable and can be reasonably estimated, we record a reserve
in our consolidated financial statements. These reserves are adjusted each quarter to reflect relevant developments. Where a loss is
not probable or cannot be reasonably estimated, we do not accrue a reserve.
Based
on information currently available to us and the advice of counsel, we are not aware of any pending or threatened legal proceedings or
claims, other than the matter described above, that we believe are likely to have, individually or in the aggregate, a material adverse
effect on our business, financial position, results of operations, or cash flows. We note, however, that legal proceedings are inherently
uncertain, and the ultimate resolution of any matter could differ from our current assessments. An unfavorable outcome in one or more
matters, depending on its magnitude, could be material to our financial results for a particular period.
Item
4. Mine Safety Disclosures.
Not
applicable.
34
PART
II
Item
5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.
Market
Information
Our
Common Stock is listed on Nasdaq under the symbol “SHFS.” Our Redeemable Warrants, each exercisable for one share of Common
Stock at an exercise price of $230.00 per share, are listed on Nasdaq under the symbol “SHFSW”.
Holders
of Record
As
of April 10, 2026, there were 101 holders of record of our Common Stock and 21 holders of record of our Redeemable
Warrants. The actual number of stockholders is greater than the number of record holders because many shares and warrants are held in
“street name” by brokers and other nominees on behalf of beneficial owners who are not reflected in the record holder count.
Dividend
Policy
We
have not paid any cash dividends on our Common Stock and do not anticipate doing so in the foreseeable future. We currently intend to
retain any future earnings to fund operations, working capital, and debt repayment. Any future decision to declare and pay dividends
will be made at the sole discretion of our Board and will depend on a number of factors, including our results of operations, financial
condition, capital requirements, contractual restrictions, and any other factors the Board considers relevant.
In
addition, our ability to pay dividends on our Common Stock may be restricted by the terms of any current or future indebtedness or preferred
equity. Notably, our Series B Preferred Stock, issued on September 30, 2025, ranks senior to our Common Stock with respect to dividends
and liquidation. Dividends on the Series B Preferred Stock accrue only when declared by the Board, on an as-converted basis, but holders
of the Series B Preferred Stock are entitled to receive dividends on a parity with holders of Common Stock before any dividends may be
paid to holders of Common Stock alone.
Recent
Sales of Unregistered Securities
During
the year ended December 31, 2025, the Company issued the following securities that were not registered under the Securities Act.
Each of these issuances was made in reliance on the exemption from registration provided by Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act
and/or Rule 506(b) of Regulation D promulgated thereunder, as transactions not involving a public offering to accredited investors
or in exchange for securities or services.
1)
Convertible
Promissory Notes . On August 27, 2025 and September 9, 2025, the Company issued the Notes to accredited investors with an aggregate
principal of approximately $0.7 million and a 20% original issue discount.
2)
ELOC .
During the year ended December 31, 2025, the Company issued 1,326,603 shares of Common Stock under the ELOC, receiving net proceeds
of $1.8 million with an average price per share of $1.341.
3)
Series
B Preferred Stock and Series B Warrants . On September 30, 2025, the Company issued 31,052 shares of Series B Preferred Stock and
Series B Warrants to purchase an aggregate of 1,999,544 shares of Common Stock to institutional and accredited investors for
aggregate consideration of approximately $24.7 million, consisting of cash, debt cancellation, termination of contractual
obligations, and exchanges of then-outstanding Notes. Included in this issuance were securities issued to PCCU in exchange for
cancellation of $10.7 million in debt, to Verdun, Midtown, and Vellar in exchange for termination of the $7.3 million FPA, to
holders of the Notes in exchange for cancellation of those notes, and to three independent consultants for services.
4)
Common
Stock - Abaca Acquisition Consideration . On October 3, 2025, the Company issued 37,517 unregistered shares of Common Stock
in lieu of cash in satisfaction of the third-anniversary consideration payment under the Abaca merger agreement.
5)
Common
Stock - Legal Settlement . During 2025, the Company issued 89,308 shares of Common Stock in connection with the settlement of
a legal dispute.
6)
420 IT Solutions Asset Acquisition . In connection
with the Company’s acquisition of substantially all of the assets of 420 IT Solutions, the Company issued 125,000 shares of
Common Stock (the “Earnout Shares”) at closing as the full purchase price for the acquired assets. The issued Earnout
Shares are held by the Company (or its transfer agent) on behalf of 420 IT Solutions as they are subject to performance-based vesting
conditions during the period January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2027. Unvested Earnout Shares are subject to transfer restrictions
and forfeiture. The Earnout Shares are restricted securities under Rule 144. This issuance was made in reliance on the exemption
from registration provided by Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act, as a transaction not involving a public offering in exchange
for property. See Part II, Item 7., “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
for the Years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024––Acquisition of 420 IT Solutions.”
The
Company relied on the exemption from registration provided by Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act for each of the above issuances,
on the basis that each transaction did not involve a public offering and was made to accredited investors, or in exchange
for property, services, or other securities.
Issuer
Purchases of Equity Securities
None
Item
6. [Reserved]
35
Item
7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
References
in this section to “we,” “us,” “our,” “SHF,” or the “Company” refer to SHF
Holdings, Inc. References to “management” refer to our officers and Board of Directors. The following discussion and analysis
of our financial performance and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and the
notes to those financial statements included elsewhere in this Form 10-K. This discussion contains forward-looking statements based upon
current expectations that involve risks and uncertainties. See “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.” Our
actual results may differ materially from those contained in or implied by any forward-looking statements.
Overview
The
Company was founded in 2015 by PCCU and is headquartered in Golden, Colorado. We operate a proprietary compliance technology platform
that enables financial institutions to provide banking and lending services to CRBs operating legally under applicable state law.
Because
cannabis remains a federally controlled substance under the CSA, most financial institutions have historically been unwilling to serve
CRBs, creating significant demand for the compliance infrastructure and risk management services we provide. We are not a bank or credit
union and do not hold customer deposits. Instead, we provide compliance monitoring, onboarding, and reporting services that allow our
financial institution clients to accept and maintain CRB deposit accounts in a manner consistent with BSA requirements, FinCEN guidance,
and applicable anti-money laundering regulations.
Through
our financial institution clients, we facilitate access to business checking and savings accounts, cash management, commercial lending,
remote deposit, ACH payments, wire transfers, and courier services through third-party relationships. By enabling CRBs to deposit cash
receipts through regulated financial institutions, our platform helps to reduce the safety risks associated with high cash volumes and
gives CRBs access to financial tools that help them operate more efficiently. In select markets, we also license our Program to other
financial institutions, providing them KYC due diligence tools, compliance monitoring, program management support, and regulatory exam
assistance.
We
generate revenue primarily through three streams: account fee income based on the number of active accounts and the size of deposit
balances in such accounts, loan program income (formerly loan interest income) on CRBs loans we source and service on behalf of our
financial institution clients, and investment income earned on CRB-related deposits held at those institutions. Since 2015, the
Company has assisted in the processing of more than $35.4 billion in cannabis-related depository funds and has supported its
financial institution clients through more than 25 state and federal banking examinations.
Relationship
with PCCU
PCCU
is our primary financial institution client and the source of a significant majority of our revenue. This relationship is governed by
the Second Amended CAA, which replaced the First Amended CAA as of October 1, 2025.
The
First Amended CAA introduced several significant changes to the CAA, including (i) the elimination of the Company’s indemnification
obligations for loan-related losses, (ii) a reduction in the Company’s loan program income share to approximately 35% to
reflect the incremental risk absorbed by PCCU in connection with the elimination of our indemnification obligations, (iii) the replacement
of a multiple per-account fee structure with a single asset hosting fee equal to 1.00% of average daily CRB deposit balances that increased
to 1.30% in the event balances exceeded $130 million, and (iv) us receiving 100% of investment income on CRB deposits.
The
Second Amended CAA fundamentally restructured the economics of the PCCU relationship. The primary changes were that (i) the
Company’s share of loan program income increased from approximately 35% to up to 65%, reflecting the completion the September
2025 Recapitalization; (ii) the Company now receives up to 65% of loan program income generated by PCCU’s CRB loan portfolio
in exchange for being obligated to indemnify PCCU for up to 65% of net losses of a default on any loan covered by the Second Amended
CAA, with no contractual cap on total exposure; and (iii) the asset hosting fee structure transitioned from a flat rate to a tiered
marginal rate schedule based on average daily deposit balances, with rates ranging from 0.50% on the first $25 million to 1.25% on
balances above $125 million, resulting in estimated annual savings of approximately $0.3 million compared to the rates contained in
the First Amended CAA. See Part I, Item 1., “Business––Recent Developments––September 2025
Recapitalization.”
36
The
concentration of our business with PCCU and the re-assumption of the indemnification obligation each represent material risks to the
Company. Any loss of or material adverse change to the PCCU relationship, or any significant loan defaults in the CRB portfolio for which
we are required to fund indemnification payments, could have a material adverse impact on our liquidity, financial condition, and results
of operations. See “––Related Party Relationship with PCCU” as well as Part I, Item 1A., “Risk Factors––Risks
Related to the Second Amended CAA” and Part III, Item 13., Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions.”
Year
Ended December 31, 2025 Performance Summary
Total
revenue for the year ended December 31, 2025 was $7.7 million, a decrease of approximately 49.7% compared to $15.2 million for the year
ended December 31, 2024.
The
decline was primarily driven by a 63% reduction in loan program income resulting from revised interest allocation provisions under
the First Amended CAA. This decrease was partially offset by approximately $0.4 million in incremental loan program income
recognized following the execution of the Second Amended CAA, which had a retroactive effective date of October 1, 2025. Investment
income also decreased by 45%, reflecting declining balances, lower prevailing interest rates that ranged from 3.65% to 4.40% in 2025
versus 4.40% to 5.40% in 2024 and the implementation of an interest-bearing deposit program for customers. Additionally, account fee
income declined by 39%, which was attributable to a reduction in the number of active accounts following the conclusion of our
relationship with Five Star Bank, as well as lower fees associated with merchant services.
Total
operating expenses decreased by $9.3 million, or 42%, to $13.1 million for the year ended 2025, compared to $22.3 million in fiscal
year 2024, due to the absence of $9.1 million in goodwill and intangible asset impairment charges recorded in 2024 and from ongoing
cost reduction actions including workforce restructuring and reduced overhead. The Company reported a net loss of $2.2 million for
the year ended December 31, 2025, compared to net loss of $48.3 million in year 2024. The net loss in 2024 was significantly
influenced by a large, non-recurring deferred tax asset valuation adjustment of $43.9 million. Excluding that item, the underlying
operating performance declined year-over-year consistent with the revenue trends described above.
Material
Weaknesses in Internal Controls
Management
identified material weaknesses in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2024. These weaknesses
primarily related to the Company’s application of U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) to complex
transactions, including revenue recognition, accounting for financial instruments, forward purchase arrangements, and stock-based compensation,
as well as deficiencies in the going concern evaluation process and information technology access controls. The Company has implemented
a remediation plan, including hiring new senior financial leadership with public company experience, engaging external technical accounting
advisors, implementing enhanced financial statement review procedures, and upgrading IT access controls.
As
of December 31, 2025, management believes these remediation actions have addressed all previously identified material weaknesses; however,
a material weakness was identified during the fourth quarter of 2025 related to the Company’s loan documentation and credit loss estimation process.
Additionally,
while the material weakness related to the completeness and accuracy of account activity fee income has been remediated, sufficient time
has not elapsed to conclude that the related controls are operating effectively. See “Internal Control Over Financial Reporting”
below for further discussion.
Industry
and Regulatory Environment
Cannabis
remains a Schedule I controlled substance under federal law, which creates ongoing legal and compliance risks for us and for the financial
institutions we serve. Proposed federal legislation, including the SAFER Banking Act, could expand the availability of banking services
to CRBs and increase competition in our market. Conversely, changes in federal or state enforcement priorities could adversely affect
our clients and, in turn, our business. We monitor legislative and regulatory developments closely, as they are a primary driver of both
the demand for, and the risks associated with our services. See Part I, Item 1., “Business––Industry Overview”
for further discussion of the current and evolving industry and regulatory landscape.
Key
Metrics
In
addition to the measures presented in our consolidated financial statements, management regularly monitors certain operational and non-GAAP
financial measures to evaluate business performance. These metrics are described below.
Non-GAAP
Financial Measures
In
addition to financial measures prepared in accordance with GAAP, this Form 10-K contains non-GAAP financial measures that management
believes are useful in understanding our results of operations and financial position. For each non-GAAP measure presented, we have provided
a reconciliation to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure.
Earnings
Before Interest Taxes Depreciation and Amortization (EBITDA) and Adjusted EBITDA
“ EBITDA”
is defined as net income (loss) before interest expense, income tax expense (benefit), and depreciation and amortization. “Adjusted EBITDA”
is further adjusted to exclude non-cash, unusual, and infrequent items that management does not consider reflective of the Company’s
core operating performance.
37
We
present EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA because management uses these measures to evaluate operating performance, develop forward-looking
operating plans, and make strategic decisions regarding resource allocation. We believe these measures provide useful supplemental information
to investors evaluating our results in the same manner as management.
These
measures have material limitations as analytical tools and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of our
GAAP results. Specifically, although depreciation and amortization are non-cash charges, the underlying assets may require future replacement
and neither EBITDA nor Adjusted EBITDA reflects the associated capital expenditure requirements. In addition, neither measure reflects
changes in working capital needs or tax payments that may reduce cash available to the Company. Accordingly, these measures should be
considered alongside net income (loss) and other GAAP results.
A
reconciliation of net (loss) income to EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA is as follows:
Year
ended December 31,
2025
2024
Net
loss
$
(2,160,998
)
$
(48,319,475
)
Interest
expense
492,643
533,390
Amortization
of prepaid consulting associated with Series B
59,857
-
Amortization
of contract asset
129,072
-
Depreciation
and amortization expense
3,155
711,929
Provision
for income taxes (benefit)
(58,470
)
43,859,686
EBITDA
(1,534,741
)
(3,214,470
)
Other
adjustments:
Credit
loss (benefit) expense
(177,917
)
(1,393,131
)
Change
in the fair value of warrants
(1,320,871
)
(2,803,640
)
Deferred
loan origination fees and costs
-
(63,275
)
Change
in the fair value of deferred consideration
(79,475
)
(361,449
)
Gain
on extinguishment of forward purchase derivative
(3,336,213
)
-
Costs
incurred to secure financing
987,621
-
Discount
on common stock sold pursuant to the ELOC
76,553
-
Stock
based compensation
1,523,489
1,575,952
Goodwill
and long-lived intangible assets impairment
-
9,148,881
Adjusted
EBITDA
$
(3,861,554
)
$
2,888,868
Discussion
of Adjusted EBITDA Results
For
the year ended December 31, 2025, EBITDA was $(1.5) million, compared to $(3.2) million for the year ended December 31, 2024. Adjusted
EBITDA was $(3.9) million and $2.9 million for the years ended December 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024, respectively, a decline of $6.7
million. The decline was driven by three primary factors, each of which is directly connected to structural changes in the Company’s
revenue arrangements and market conditions, rather than deterioration in the underlying business operations of the Company.
The
most significant factor was the First Amended CAA. This agreement made two economically material changes to the Company’s revenue
model.
●
First,
it reduced the Company’s share of loan program income from substantially all of the interest earned on the CRB loan portfolio
to approximately 35%, with PCCU retaining the remainder to compensate for their absorption of the credit risk that the
Company had previously indemnified them against. This structural reduction in loan program income accounted for the majority of
the year-over-year revenue decline.
●
Second,
the First Amended CAA replaced the prior per-account fee structure with an asset hosting fee equal to 1.00% of average daily CRB deposit
balances, which resulted in higher hosting costs relative to the prior structure.
38
Together,
these two changes under the First Amended CAA represented the primary explanation for the decline in Adjusted EBITDA and should be understood
as a deliberate restructuring of the economic relationship with PCCU rather than an operational shortfall. The revenue impact of these
reductions was partially offset in the fourth quarter of 2025 by the Second Amended CAA, which increased the Company’s share of loan
program income from approximately 35% up to 65% and has been recognized as a Type 1 subsequent event under ASC 855.
The
second factor was a decline in investment income. The Federal Reserve reduced its IORB rate multiple times during 2024 and 2025, from
5.40% at the start of 2024 to 3.65% by the end of 2025. Because the Company’s investment income is directly tied to the IORB rate
applied to CRB deposit balances held at PCCU, these rate reductions directly generated lower investment income. This decline was compounded
by the full-year impact in 2025 of the Company’s money market account program, introduced in 2024, under which the Company effectively
shares a portion of the IORB rate with CRB clients. Although this arrangement improved client retention and deposit growth, it did further
reduce the Company’s net investment margin.
The
third factor was a reduction in account fee income primarily driven by a decline in the weighted average fee per account during the year.
This decline was driven by a shift in the client portfolio to newer accounts that generate fees at a lower rate given either lower initial
balances, or large balances across multiple accounts.
Management
has identified three primary causes that it believes elevated attrition in 2025.
1)
A
portion of the attrition reflected industry-level dynamics, including consolidation among cannabis operators and business closures
driven by ongoing market pressures in certain state markets, all of which are outside of the Company’s control.
2)
Competitive
pricing pressure from other cannabis banking providers.
3)
More stringent loan underwriting and approval standards, including enhanced collateral requirements and longer processing timelines
through PCCU’s loan committee, were implemented by PCCU. These changes reduced the Company’s ability to offer CRB clients competitive
lending terms and timely access to credit, both of which are key factors in client retention and acquisition. The resulting decline
in loan origination activity contributed to elevated client attrition during this period. The Second Amended CAA increased the Company’s
loan program income share to up to 65%, which management believes will support improved loan production and client retention going
forward
EBITDA
was also impacted by approximately $0.5 million in lost income from a strategic merchant services partner that renegotiated its revenue-sharing
arrangement such that it resulted in less favorable terms for the Company in 2025. This is a discrete, identifiable reduction that management
does not expect to recur at the same magnitude going forward.
Management’s
focus for 2026 is on improving client retention through the Company’s expanding lending capability, enhanced client service
technology, and continued new account development driven by new marketing and customer acquisition processes.
The
significant non-cash and non-recurring items excluded from Adjusted EBITDA in 2025 include a $3.3 million gain on extinguishment of the
FPA, a $1.0 million charge for costs incurred in connection with the September 2025 Recapitalization, a $1.5 million non-cash stock-based
compensation charge, and a $1.3 million non-cash gain from the change in fair value of warrant and forward purchase derivative liabilities.
For
the year ended December 31, 2024, GAAP net loss figure of $48.3 million in the reconciliation above reflects the impact of
significant non-recurring items, including a large deferred tax valuation recognition and subsequent write-off. Management believes
that for the year ended December 31, 2024 Adjusted EBITDA of $2.9 million is the more relevant basis for comparison, as it
reflects the operating performance of the business under the CAA structure before the entrance into the First Amended
CAA.
39
Other
Metrics
Management
monitors the following operational metrics to assess the health and trajectory of the core banking services business.
Total
account balances, number of accounts and average account balances
Our
ability to generate account fee income and investment income is directly tied to the number of active CRB accounts we manage and the
total deposit balances maintained at our financial institution clients. We monitor account activity including daily deposits,
withdrawals, and ending balances on an ongoing basis. Average account balances represent the average aggregate ending balance of
onboarded and monitored CRB deposits held at financial institution clients over the revenue generating period. at period end.
Average account balance is total account balances divided by total active accounts at period end. Trailing 14-day average balances represent the aggregate ending balance of onboarded and monitored CRB deposits held
at financial institution clients over the 14 calendar days at the period end and represent a period end balance that smooths our clients’
two-week payroll cycles.
Account
Fees per Average Active Account
Our
fee income is generated from active accounts and account-level transaction activity. We track account openings and closings on a daily,
weekly, and monthly basis and monitor account fees per average active account as an indicator of pricing efficiency and revenue quality.
Year Ended
December 31,
2025
2024
Change
Change
(%)
Average deposit balance
(1)
$ 105,215,252
$ 117,847,512
(12,632,260 )
(10.7 )%
Trailing
14 day average account balance
(2)
$
106,800,196
$
113,008,693
(6,208,496
)
(5.5
)%
Account fees
(3)
$ 2,741,124
$ 5,073,186
(2,332,062 )
(46.0 )%
Average active accounts
(4)
773
757
16
2.1 %
Average account balance
(5)
$ 136,094
$ 155,728
(19,634 )
(12.6 )%
Average fees per account
(6)
$ 3,546
$ 6,704
(3,158 )
(47.1 )%
(1)
For the year ended December 31, 2025, represents the average deposit balance over the year; For the year
ended December 31, 2024 represents the average of monthly ending account balances. This represents the average balance for the relevant
revenue generating period.
(2)
Represents the average balance for the 14 calendar days ending on December 31, which represents a period end balance that smooths our clients’ two-week payroll cycles.
(3)
Reported
account activity fee revenue
(4)
Represents
the average of monthly ending active accounts
(5)
Refer
to the below section – Discussion of Results of our Operations for additional discussion of trends.
Average
active accounts increased by 16 or 2.1% in 2025, and the accounts lost carried higher average balances than the accounts won,
resulting in a decline in average account balance and a net decline in account fee revenue despite positive account growth.
Management’s primary retention and growth initiatives for 2026 are described in the section above.
40
Components
of our Results of Operations
Revenue
The
Company generates revenue through three primary streams. Account fee income consists of fees charged to financial institution clients
based on the number of active CRB accounts managed, account-level transaction activity, and deposit balances. These fees compensate the
Company for providing BSA compliance monitoring, onboarding, account management, and related regulatory reporting services. Loan program
income represents the Company’s contractual share of interest earned on CRB loans originated and serviced by the Company on behalf
of its financial institution clients, primarily PCCU. The Company’s share of loan program income is currently determined in accordance
with the Second Amended CAA. Investment income represents interest earned on CRB deposit balances held at financial institution clients
and is based on the prevailing market rates applied to those balances. In addition, the Company earns fees from licensing its proprietary
Program to other financial institutions and from ancillary services provided to businesses serving the cannabis industry.
Operating
Expenses
Operating
expenses consist of compensation and employee benefits, professional services, general and administrative expenses, rent expense, and
provision (benefit) for credit losses.
●
Compensation
and employee benefits consist of employee wages, payroll taxes, employee benefits, and non-cash stock-based compensation. Stock-based
compensation has increasingly been used as a component of total compensation to preserve cash and align employee and consultant incentives
with the performance of the Common Stock.
●
Professional
services consist of legal fees, audit and accounting fees, general consulting fees, and board-related fees. Legal fees
include both ongoing corporate legal services and costs associated with the Company’s active litigation matters. Professional
services expenses increased materially in 2025 primarily due to legal fees associated with the Abaca litigation described in
“ Litigation ” below, as well as costs incurred in connection with the September 2025 Recapitalization.
●
General
and administrative expenses include the asset hosting fee paid to PCCU under the First Amended CAA or the Second Amended CAA,
as applicable, investment hosting fees, bank sharing fees paid to financial institution clients, insurance, advertising and marketing,
travel and entertainment, and other office and operating expenses. The asset hosting fee represents consideration paid to PCCU for
access to its banking platform, regulated deposit infrastructure, and bank charter and is the largest component of general and administrative
expenses. See “Related Party Relationships.”
●
Rent
expense reflects the cost of the Company’s corporate office. The Company closed its Arkansas office during 2025, thereby
reducing its ongoing rent obligations.
●
Provision
(benefit) for credit losses reflects the Company’s estimated losses on loans it is obligated to indemnify. Under the Second
Amended CAA, we receive up to 65% of loan program income generated by PCCU’s CRB loan portfolio. In exchange, we are obligated
to indemnify PCCU for up to 65% of net losses of a default on any loan covered by the Second Amended CAA. This obligation has no
maximum dollar limit and covers principal, accrued interest, fees, legal costs, collection costs, and collateral disposition costs,
net of any recoveries. Because the Company and PCCU reached agreement on the material economic terms of the Second Amended CAA on or about
October 1, 2025, and the written agreement was formally executed on February 4, 2026, with the intervening period involving only procedural
and documentation matters, the Company has given effect to the Second Amended CAA from October 1, 2025 in accordance with ASC 606-10-25-10
through 25-13. Accordingly, its financial statement impact is reflected
in the Company’s consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2025. See “Related Party Relationships”
and Note 10 to the Company’s consolidated financial statements in this Form 10-K for further detail.
Discussion
of our Results of Operations -2025 Compared to 2024 (Year Ended December 31)
Revenue
Year Ended
December 31,
2025
2024
Change
($)
Change
(%)
Account fee income
$ 3,963,097
$ 6,447,201
$ (2,484,104 )
(38.5 )%
Safe Harbor Program income
76,920
76,920
-
-
Investment income
1,155,433
2,092,863
(937,430 )
(44.8 )%
Loan program income
2,478,082
6,625,576
(4,147,494 )
(62.6 )%
Total revenue
$ 7,673,532
$ 15,242,560
$ (7,569,028 )
(49.7 )%
Account
fee income
Account
fee income decreased by $2.5 million, or 38.5%, for the year ended December 31, 2025 compared to the year ended December 31, 2024. The
decline was driven by following factors.
●
During
2025 the Company had limited lending capacity available through PCCU under the First Amended CAA. Access to loans is a meaningful
factor in client retention, and this constraint directly contributed to client attrition during the affected period. This attrition
was further compounded by broader cannabis industry pressures, including operator consolidation and business closures in certain
state markets, which resulted in additional account losses that were partially offset by 227 new account openings during the year.
In aggregate, client attrition and the reduction in average fees collected from PCCU-hosted clients accounted for approximately $1.4
million of the year-over-year decline.
●
The
termination of the Company’s banking relationship with Five Star Bank in the fourth quarter of 2024. This reduced fee income
by approximately $0.5 million during 2025.
●
A
strategic merchant services partner renegotiated its revenue-sharing arrangement on less favorable terms during 2025, reducing account
fee income by approximately $0.5 million compared to the prior year.
41
Investment
income
Investment
income represents interest earned on net investable CRB deposit balances held at our partner financial institutions. The rate of return
on these balances is directly benchmarked to the Interest on Reserve Balances (“IORB”) rate published by the Federal Reserve
Bank of Kansas City. Under our agreements, investment income is calculated daily on net investable CRB deposit balances and paid to the
Company monthly in arrears.
For
the year ended December 31, 2025, total investment income was $1.2 million, compared to $2.1 million for the year ended December 31,
2024, a decrease of $0.9 million, or 44.8%. The year-over-year decline was primarily driven by four factors:
1)
Decline
in IORB rates. The IORB rate at the beginning of 2025 was 4.40%, which already reflected three rate reductions totaling 100 basis
points that were enacted by the Federal Reserve in the second half of 2024. During 2025, the Federal Reserve further reduced the
IORB rate by 25 basis points effective September 2025, and by an additional 25 basis points effective December 2025, which brought
the IORB rate to 3.65% at year-end. In total, the IORB rate declined by 75 basis points during the 2025 fiscal year, compressing
the yield earned on net investable CRB deposit balances throughout the year and directly reducing investment income relative to 2024,
when the IORB rate averaged approximately 5.10% across the full year.
2)
Launch
of interest-bearing money market accounts . In the first quarter of 2025, the Company launched interest-bearing money market
accounts for CRB clients. While this product enhances the Company’s competitive deposit offerings, balances held in money market
accounts generate interest income that is credited directly to clients rather than recognized as investment income by the Company,
which reduced the net investable deposit base upon which the Company earns IORB-benchmarked investment income.
3)
Decline
in average daily deposit balances . Average daily CRB deposit balances declined during 2025 compared to 2024, which reduced the
principal base upon which investment income is earned. As discussed in “ Discussion of Adjusted EBITDA Results ”
above, Management has identified three primary causes of the elevated client attrition and deposit outflows experienced during 2025
4)
The
Company’s banking relationship with Five Star Bank was terminated in 2024. Five Star Bank contributed $0.2 million to investment
income in 2024, which is not material in 2025 results, representing an incremental headwind in the year-over-year comparison.
Loan
program income
In
2025, loan program income was generated primarily from CRBs loans originated by PCCU and underwritten and serviced by the Company
under the First Amended CAA.
For
the year ended December 31, 2025, the Company serviced twenty-two loans, compared to twenty-four loans for the year ended December 31, 2024. For the year
ended December 31, 2025, the Company recognized $2.5 million loan program income attributable to PCCU activities, compared to $6.3 million
for the year ended December 31, 2024. The decrease in loan program income was driven by three primary factors.
1)
The
First Amended CAA became effective January 1, 2025, pursuant to which the Company received approximately 35% of loan program income
generated by the applicable loans, with the remainder retained by PCCU. This replaced the prior structure in effect in 2024, under
which the Company received 100% of loan program income and paid PCCU a servicing fee of 0.25% to 0.35% per annum. This structural
change reduced the Company’s effective yield on the portfolio in 2025 relative to the prior year. Due to the Second Amended
CAA, the Company’s share of loan program income increased to up to 65%. The Second Amended CAA constitutes a Type 1 subsequent
event, and as such the Company recognized approximately $0.4 million in incremental loan program income attributable to the fourth
quarter of 2025, partially offsetting the decline in loan program income resulting from the reduced allocation under the First
Amended CAA.
2)
The
composition of the loan portfolio has not changed materially during 2025. As of December 31, 2025, the portfolio consisted of twenty-two
loans with an aggregate outstanding balance of $52.1 million, compared to twenty-four loans with an aggregate outstanding balance
of $56.8 million as of December 31, 2024.
3)
The
weighted average interest rate on the loan portfolio was approximately 10.6% as of December 31, 2025, compared to approximately 10.2%
as of December 31, 2024. All loans in the portfolio carry fixed interest rates. The increase in the weighted average rate reflects
changes in portfolio composition resulting from principal repayments on higher-risk rated loans.
42
Operating
expenses
Year Ended
December 31,
2025
2024
Change
($)
Change
(%)
Compensation and employee benefits
$ 6,266,317
$ 7,783,331
$ (1,517,014 )
(19.5 )%
General and administrative expenses
3,294,275
4,018,094
(723,819 )
(18.0 )%
Impairment of goodwill
-
6,058,000
(6,058,000 )
(100.0 )%
Impairment of long-lived intangible assets
-
3,090,881
(3,090,881 )
(100.0 )%
Professional services
3,328,222
2,518,394
809,828
32.2 %
Rent expense
232,773
258,477
(25,704 )
(9.9 )%
Amortization of contract asset
129,072
-
129,072
100.0 %
Credit loss (benefit)
expense
(177,917 )
(1,393,131 )
1,215,214
(87.2 )%
Total operating expenses
$ 13,072,742
$ 22,334,046
$ (9,261,304 )
(41.5 )%
Total
operating expenses
Total
operating expenses decreased by $9.3 million or 41.5%, to $13.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2025, from $22.3 for the year
ended December 31, 2024. The decrease was driven primarily by the absence of non-cash impairment charges that were recognized in 2024,
lower headcount-related costs, and reduced general and administrative expenses, partially offset by higher professional services costs
associated with litigation and the September 2025 Recapitalization.
Compensation
and employee benefits
Compensation
and employee benefits decreased by $1.5 million, or 19.5%, to $6.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2025, from $7.8 million for
the year ended December 31, 2024. The decrease reflects several deliberate cost-reduction actions taken during 2025, including a reduction
in headcount as the Company continued to optimize its workforce, a reduction in the scope of employee bonus programs, and the termination
of the Company’s matching contributions to its 401(k) plan. In addition, non-cash stock-based compensation expense decreased year
over year. These decreases were partially offset by executive bonus compensation of approximately $0.5 million awarded during
2025, as well as a one-time settlement payment of approximately $0.3 million to a former employee, which was satisfied through a combination
of cash and shares of the Company’s Common Stock. The Company has increasingly used equity-based
compensation to preserve cash and align employee and consultant incentives with the performance of its Common Stock.
General
and administrative expenses
General
and administrative expenses decreased by $0.7 million, or 18.0%, to $3.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2025, from $4.0
million for the year ended December 31, 2024. The decrease was driven by several factors: (i) a decrease of approximately $0.7
million in depreciation and amortization expense as certain intangible assets became fully amortized in 2024; (ii) a reduction of
approximately $0.07 million in bank-sharing fees paid to other financial-institution clients due to a lower number of active
accounts; and (iii) a reduction in investment relations expense of approximately $0.12 million. These decreases were partially
offset by an increase in hosting fees paid to PCCU, as the First Amended CAA resulted in an incremental cost of approximately $0.2
million after netting the savings from the elimination of investment-hosting and loan-services fees.
Subsequent
to December 31, 2025, the Second Amended CAA replaced the flat 1.00% asset hosting fee rate with a tiered rate structure. Under the new
structure, the rate ranges from 0.50% on the first $25 million of average daily balances to 1.25% on balances above $125 million. The
new rates apply retroactively from October 1, 2025, which resulted in a reduction of approximately $0.06 million in asset hosting fee
expense for the fourth quarter of 2025. This adjustment has been recognized in the fourth quarter of 2025 financial statements as a Type
1 subsequent event.
Impairment
of goodwill and long-lived intangible assets
No
impairment of goodwill and long-lived intangible assets charges were recorded during the year ended December 31, 2025. During the year
ended December 31, 2024, the Company recognized impairment charges of $6.1 million related to goodwill and $3.1 million related to finite-lived
intangible assets, each identified through the Company’s annual impairment assessment as of December 31, 2024. The absence of impairment
charges in 2025 accounts for $9.1 million of the total year-over-year decrease in operating expenses.
43
Professional
services
Professional
services expenses increased by $0.8 million or 32.2%, to $3.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2025, from $2.5 million for the
year ended December 31, 2024. The increase reflects a structural shift in how the Company sources and manages certain services, as well
as a concentration of non-recurring costs associated with significant corporate events during 2025, partially offset by savings realized
from the transition to an outsourced service model and lower ongoing audit fees following the completion of the Company’s auditor
transition.
The
most significant structural change in 2025 was the elimination of the Company’s internal legal team and the engagement of external
general counsel and compliance service providers in its place. This transition reclassified costs previously reported within compensation
and employee benefits into professional services and generated one-time transition costs during 2025. Notwithstanding those transition
costs, the Company estimates that this change in structure produced annualized savings in excess of $0.3 million relative to the cost
of maintaining an internal legal function, the benefit of which is expected to be fully reflected in future periods.
The
increase in professional services expense was also attributable to the following during 2025:
●
Legal
fees associated with the shareholder litigation described in “Litigation” below;
●
Costs
incurred in connection with the resolution of employment matters with former employees;
●
Advisory,
legal, and other fees related to the September 2025 Recapitalization, including the cost of filing required registration statements,
the cost of issuance of convertible notes and the solicitation of required shareholder votes;
●
Fees
incurred in connection with the transition to a new independent registered public accounting firm, including parallel engagement
costs during the transition period; and
●
Accounting
and audit fees related to the restatement of the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2025,
which was a non-recurring event.
In
connection with the September 2025 Recapitalization, the Company issued 1,063 shares of Series B Preferred Stock and accompanying Series
B Warrants to three independent service providers in exchange for a two-year service arrangement that run through September 30, 2027.
This structure reduced the immediate cash cost of those services; however, under GAAP the equity instruments issued were recorded at
fair value as a prepaid asset and are being amortized to professional services expense ratably over the two-year service term. The portion
of amortization recognized during the year ended December 31, 2025, is included within professional services expense above. The unamortized
balance as of December 31, 2025, is reflected as a $0.3 million prepaid asset on the consolidated balance sheet. See Note 7 to the consolidated
financial statements for further detail. Partially offsetting these increases, the Company eliminated prior-year external counsel retainer
arrangements that were no longer necessary following the outsourcing of its legal function and began to benefit from lower recurring
audit and accounting fees following the completion of its auditor transition. The Company expects that, with the majority of these non-recurring
items now behind it, ongoing professional services costs will decline in future periods relative to the elevated 2025 levels.
Rent
expense
Rent
expense decreased by $0.03 million, or 9.9%, to $0.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2025, from $0.3 million for the year ended
December 31, 2024, primarily reflecting the closure of the Company’s Arkansas office during 2025.
Amortization of contract asset
The Company capitalized costs as a contract
asset to secure the Second Amended CAA related to the (i)
stand-ready guarantee liability and (ii) financial indemnification liability discussed in Note 8 to the Company’s consolidated financial statements in this Form 10-K. Amortization of contract
costs was $0.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2025, compared to $0 for the year ended December 31, 2024. It
represents the straight-line amortization of the cost to acquire a contract asset recognized as of October 1, 2025, the effective
date.
Credit
loss (benefit) expense
The Company recognized a credit
benefit of $0.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2025, compared to a credit benefit of $1.4 million for the year ended December
31, 2024.
For the year ended December
31, 2024, the credit benefit resulted from the full release of the indemnification liability under the CAA. The First Amended
CAA eliminated the Company’s obligation to indemnify PCCU for CRB loan losses, and accordingly, the previous indemnification liability
was fully reversed.
For the year ended December
31, 2025, the Second Amended CAA, effective October 1, 2025, reinstated indemnification obligations, requiring the Company to cover up
to 65% of PCCU CRB loan portfolio. The Company recorded a stand ready guarantee liability of $2.1 million under ASC 460 and a financial
indemnification liability of $1.1 million under ASC 326, each with a corresponding contract asset.
In accordance with ASC 460, the liability is recognized on a straight line
basis, based on a weighted-average remaining loan maturity of three years. The Company reduced the stand ready guarantee liability by
$0.2 million and the consolidated statement of operation reflects $0.2 million as benefit in operating expense. The expected amortization
per year is approximately $0.7 million in future periods, which will be reassessed annually.
44
Other
Income (Expenses)
Year
Ended December 31,
2025
2024
Change
Change
%
Change in the fair value of deferred
consideration
$ 79,475
$ 361,449
$ (281,974 )
(78.0 )%
Interest expense
(492,643 )
(533,390 )
40,747
(7.6 )%
Gain on extinguishment of forward purchase
derivative
3,336,213
-
3,333,213
100.0 %
Costs incurred to secure financing
(987,621 )
-
(987,621 )
100.0 %
Discount on Common Stock sold pursuant to the ELOC
(76,553
)
-
(76,553
)
100.0
%
Change in fair value of
warrant liabilities
1,320,871
2,803,638
(1,482,767 )
(52.9 )%
Total
Other Income/ (Expenses)
$ 3,179,742
$ 2,631,697
$ 548,045
20.8 %
Total
other income ( expenses) for the year ended December 31, 2025, was $3.2 million, compared
to total other expense of $2.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, an improvement of $ 0.5
million. The increase was primarily due to
a $3.3 million gain on the extinguishment of the FPA Liability, which had been carried on the Company’s balance sheet at $7.3 million
since December 31, 2022 and was settled through the issuance of Series B Preferred Stock and Series B Warrants rather than cash or Common
Stock. The increase in other income is partially offset by costs incurred to secure financing
and shift in the fair value of warrant liabilities . Each component is described below.
Change
in Fair Value of Deferred Consideration
The
contingent consideration payable to the former shareholders of Abaca was classified as a derivative liability under ASC 815 and remeasured
at fair value at each reporting date, with changes recognized in earnings. The liability’s fair value was sensitive to the Company’s
stock price, implied volatility, risk-free interest rates, and any amendments to the underlying arrangement.
For
the year ended December 31, 2025, the Company recognized a gain of $0.08 million related to the decrease in the fair value of the deferred
consideration, compared to a gain of $0.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2024. The gain in 2025 was primarily attributable to
the decline in the Company’s stock price during 2025, which reduced the fair value of the third anniversary payment obligation
prior to its extinguishment
The
third anniversary payment of $1.5 million was settled in full on October 3, 2025, through the non-cash issuance of 37,517 shares of the
Company’s Common Stock at the contractual floor value of $40.00 per share. As a result of this settlement, the deferred consideration
liability was fully extinguished prior to December 31, 2025, and no balance remains on the consolidated balance sheet as of that date.
The last fair value measurement of the liability occurred at the time of settlement in October 2025, at which point the Company’s
stock price had declined from $9.00 per share as of December 31, 2024 to $6.90 per share on October 3, 2025. This non-cash settlement
is reflected in the supplemental schedule of non-cash investing and financing activities in the consolidated statements of cash flows.
Interest
Expense
Interest
expense for the year ended December 31, 2025 consisted of (i) interest on the senior secured promissory note with PCCU (the “PCCU Note”) and (ii) non-cash interest expense related to
the OID on the Notes. By comparison, interest expense for the year ended December 31, 2024 primarily reflected interest incurred on only
the PCCU Note.
45
During
2024, the Company made $2.2 million in scheduled principal repayments on the PCCU Note, reducing the outstanding
balance to approximately $11.0 million as of December 31, 2024. The Company made one additional scheduled principal payment in January
2025. In March 2025, the Company and PCCU amended the PCCU Note to convert it to an interest only structure for a two-year period and
to extend the maturity date to October 2030. Following this amendment, the Company remained current
on all required interest payments through the date of the September 2025 Recapitalization.
On
September 30, 2025, in connection with the Company’s September 2025 Recapitalization, PCCU cancelled the PCCU Note in full
pursuant to a Debt Cancellation Agreement (the “Debt Cancellation Agreement”). At the time of debt cancellation, the
outstanding principal balance was approximately $10.7 million. In consideration for the cancellation, PCCU received 13,436 shares
of Series B Preferred Stock and a Series B Warrant to purchase 865,200 shares of Common Stock. As a result, no balance remained
outstanding under the PCCU Note as of December 31, 2025. See Note 11 to the Company’s consolidated financial statements in
this Form 10-K for further details.
The
year-over-year decrease in interest expense of $0.04 million was primarily attributable to a lower average principal balance on the PCCU Note during 2025 relative to 2024. This decrease was partially offset by approximately $0.1 million of non-cash
interest expense recognized in connection with the OID on the Notes. These Notes were subsequently exchanged for Series B Preferred Stock
and Series B Warrants in connection with the Exchange and Cancellation Agreements. See Note 11 to the Company’s consolidated financial
statements in this Form 10-K for additional information.
Gain
on Extinguishment of Debt
On
June 16, 2022, the Company entered the FPA with Midtown, which subsequently assigned the FPA in part to Verdun and Vellar. The FPA was
carried as a derivative liability on the Company’s balance sheet at a carrying value of $7.3 million as of the settlement date.
On
September 30, 2025, the Company entered into Exchange and Cancellation Agreements with each of Midtown, Verdun, and Vellar under which
each counterparty irrevocably cancelled, waived, and terminated all of its rights under the FPA. In full settlement of the FPA Liability,
the Company issued an aggregate of 5,002 shares of Series B Preferred Stock and Series B Warrants to purchase 322,111 shares of Common
Stock at an exercise price of $7.7644 per share. In February 2026, the Series B Preferred Stock and Series B Warrants’ exercise
price was reduced to $1.5528.
The
transaction was accounted for as an extinguishment of a liability under ASC 405-20. The equity instruments issued were measured at
their fair value of $800 per unit, consistent with the price paid by unaffiliated third-party investors for identical securities on
the same date. Because the aggregate fair value of the equity instruments issued was less than the carrying amount of the FPA
Liability, the Company recognized a gain on extinguishment of $3.3 million, which is included in Other Income (Expense) for the year
ended December 31, 2025.
In
August and September 2025, the Company issued the Notes in the aggregate principal amount of $0.7 million, with a 20% OID, resulting
in net proceeds of $0.6 million. The Notes did not bear stated interest and the OID represented the investors’ yield and was recognized
as non-cash interest expense under ASC 835-30.
On
September 30, 2025, the Notes were exchanged for Series B Preferred Stock and Series B Warrants at $800 per unit. The exchange was accounted
for as an extinguishment of debt under ASC 470-50. To the extent the fair value of the equity instruments issued exceeded the carrying
amount of the Notes at the time of settlement, the Company recognized a loss on extinguishment. For the year ended December 31, 2025,
the Company recorded a net loss on extinguishment of debt of $0.003 million related to these convertible note exchanges.
46
Costs
Incurred to Secure Financing
For
the year ended December 31, 2025, the Company incurred $1.1 million in costs related to establishing its ELOC, of which $0.8 million
was in the non-cash form of Series B Preferred shares issued as commitment consideration. These costs were expensed as incurred in
accordance with ASC 505-10-45-2, as the ELOC does not qualify for deferral treatment under GAAP. There were no comparable costs
during the year ended December 31, 2024 .
Discount on Common Stock sold pursuant to the ELOC
For the year ended December 31, 2025, the Company
drew on its ELOC, selling shares of Common Stock at a contractual 10% discount to the lowest intraday stock price on each draw date. This
pricing discount, which represents a direct cost of accessing the facility, resulted in a non-cash charge of approximately $0.08 million
recognized in the statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2025. This expense reflects the difference between the fair
market value of the shares issued on settlement date and the proceeds received by the Company under the ELOC.
Change
in Fair Value of Warrant Liabilities
The
Company has outstanding public warrants, private placement warrants, PIPE warrants, and Abaca warrants, each of which is accounted
for as a derivative liability because the settlement of these instruments may be in cash or stock depending on conditions such as
the Company’s stock price or registration status. Public warrants are remeasured at fair value using observable market prices
(Level 1). Private placement warrants, PIPE warrants and Abaca warrants are remeasured using the Black-Scholes-Merton option pricing
model (Level 3). Changes in fair value are
recognized in earnings for each reporting period.
For
the year ended December 31, 2025, the Company recognized a gain of $1.3 million on the change in fair value of warrant liabilities, compared
to a loss of $2.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2024. The favorable change of $4.1 million was primarily driven by a reduction
in the aggregate fair value of outstanding warrant liabilities, reflecting changes in the Company’s stock price and associated
implied volatility during the year. As of December 31, 2025, all outstanding warrants were out of the money.
For
the year ended December 31, 2024, the $2.8 million loss was attributable to increases in warrant liability fair values, driven by movements
in the Company’s stock price relative to warrant exercise prices during that period.
Income
tax (benefit) expense
Year
ended December 31,
2025
2024
Change
($)
Change
(%)
Income tax
(benefit) expense
$ ( 58,470 )
$ 43,859,686
$ (43,918,156 )
100 %
Income
tax (benefit)/expense for the year ended December 31, 2025 was $0.06 million, compared to $43.9 million for the year ended December
31, 2024. For the year ended December 31, 2024, income tax expense was primarily due to the recognition of a full valuation
allowance against the Company’s net deferred tax assets. As of December 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024, the Company had net
deferred tax assets of approximately $45.8 million and $44.4 million, respectively and a full valuation allowance has been recorded
in each period.
The
Company’s net operating loss (“NOL”) carryforwards are subject to limitation under Section 382 of the Internal
Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. As of December 31, 2025, the Company had approximately $67.7 million of federal NOL carryforwards. For further detail, see Note 18 to the Company’s consolidated financial
statements in this Form 10-K.
Financial
Condition
Cash
and cash equivalents
Cash
and cash equivalents totaled $6.8 million and $2.3 million as of December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively.
Cash
flows
For
the year ended December 31, 2025, the Company used $3.4 million of cash in operating activities. Operating cash flows for December
31, 2025 decreased from the prior year primarily due to the net loss of $2.2 million and changes to operating assets and liabilities
that totaled $0.8 million, which were offset by $2.0 million of non-cash adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities. For the year ended December 31, 2024, the Company
generated approximately $0.4 million of cash from operating activities, including non-cash adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities of $50.8 million that
were offset by a net loss of $48.3 million and $2.0 million of changes to operating cash assets and liabilities.
47
For
the year ended December 31, 2025, the Company generated cash from investing activities of approximately $0.4 million, primarily from
the proceeds of a loan and from the sale of investment securities. For the year ended December 31, 2024, cash from investing
activities of $0.01 million from the proceeds from a loan.
For
the year ended December 31, 2025, the Company had generated $7.4 million of cash from financing activities. This primarily reflects
proceeds of $0.6 million from the issuance of the Notes, $6.1 million of gross proceeds from the issuance of Series B Preferred
Stock and Series B Warrants to purchase Common Stock, excluding $0.4 million offering cost, and $1.8 million from the sale of Common
Stock under the ELOC. This was offset by the repayment of the PCCU Note totaling $0.3 million, $0.1 million repayment of a loan
payable for insurance financing and $0.3 million from the redemption of Series B Preferred Stock. For the year ended December 31, 2024, the
Company used $3.0 million to repay the PCCU Note.
Liquidity
Liquidity
refers to our ability to meet anticipated cash demands, including servicing debt, funding operations, maintaining assets, and covering
other routine business expenses. Our primary cash outflows include operating costs, general business expenditures, and, to a lesser extent,
debt interest payments following the deferral of principal under the PCCU Note. The primary source of our liquidity is
cash generated from operations. As of December 31, 2025, the Company does not have significant capital investment commitments.
Under
Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 205-40, Presentation of Financial Statements, Going Concern, the Company is responsible
for evaluating whether conditions or events raise substantial doubt about its ability to meet future financial obligations within one
year of the financial statement issuance date. This evaluation involves two steps: (1) assessing whether conditions or events raise substantial
doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern, and (2) if substantial doubt is raised, evaluating whether the
Company has plans to mitigate that doubt. Disclosures are required if substantial doubt exists or if the Company’s plans alleviate
the doubt.
As
of December 31, 2025, the Company has cash and cash equivalents of $6.8 million and net working capital of $5.7 million. The Company
has incurred recurring losses from operations and experienced negative cash flows from operations, including an operating loss of $5.4
million and cash used in operating activities of $3.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2025. These conditions raise doubt about
the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from the date these consolidated financial
statements are issued. As of December 31, 2025, management believes our cash and cash equivalents is sufficient enough to meet our financial
obligations for the next twelve months.
Management
has developed and implemented a series of measures intended to preserve liquidity and support the Company’s ability to meet its obligations
during the look-forward period.
Strengthened
Revenue Profile. The Second Amended CAA increased the Company’s share of loan program income from approximately 35% to 65% of the
PCCU’s loan portfolio. This agreement improves the recurring revenue profile of the Company’s core business on a prospective basis. Additionally,
the Company is exploring strategic partnerships with other financial institutions.
Access
to Additional Capital. The Company has entered into a $150 million Equity Line of Credit, providing contingent access to additional
capital subject to customary conditions.
Expense
Management. Management has identified and quantified specific, actionable cost reductions that are within its direct operational
control and that it would implement should operating conditions deteriorate below base-case expectations.
Cash
Flow Monitoring. Management maintains a 52-week rolling cash flow projection that tracks anticipated expenses, revenues, and ending
cash balances against budget. Cash positions are reviewed on a bi-weekly basis to ensure the Company maintains adequate liquidity to
fund operations.
Notwithstanding
the measures described above, the Company continues to incur operating losses and negative cash flows from operations, and uncertainty
remains as to whether these conditions will be fully resolved within the look-forward period. As a result, management has concluded that
substantial doubt exists about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from the date
these consolidated financial statements are issued.
The
accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis, which contemplates the realization of assets
and the satisfaction of liabilities in the normal course of business. These financial statements do not include any adjustments that
might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
Litigation
On
October 17, 2024, the Company filed a complaint in the District Court for the City and County of Denver, Colorado, captioned SHF Holdings,
Inc. v. Daniel Roda, Gregory W. Ellis, and James R. Carroll , Case No. 2024CV33187. The lawsuit arises from a dispute over the terms
of the Company’s October 2022 acquisition of Abaca pursuant to a merger agreement that was subsequently amended in November 2022
and in October 2023 (the “Second Amendment”).
The
Second Amendment restructured certain merger consideration, including introducing warrants and modifying payment timing. The defendants
contend the Second Amendment is invalid under Delaware law and seek to have it set aside, which would reinstate the original payment
terms and potentially increase the Company’s obligations. The Company maintains that the Second Amendment was validly executed
and is binding.
On
November 21, 2024, at the Company’s request, the disputed merger payment of $3.0 million was deposited into the Denver County,
Colorado District Court’s registry pending resolution of the dispute. This amount has been reflected in the Company’s consolidated balance sheet.
On
December 19, 2024, the defendants filed an answer and counterclaims against the Company. On April 18, 2025, the District Court issued
an order denying the Company’s motion to dismiss most of the counterclaims, but the District Court did dismiss claims against the
Company’s Chairman, Fred Niehaus, with prejudice. The District Court also clarified that the Delaware statutes cited by the defendants
govern pre-closing amendments and do not authorize post-merger amendments altering consideration, a finding that is consistent with the
Company’s legal position.
The
case is currently in active discovery. A ruling on the summary judgement briefing is pending, and a court date is scheduled for May
2026.
See
Part I, Item 3., “Legal Proceedings” and Note 20 to the Company’s consolidated financial statements in this Form 10-K
for additional information.
Critical
Accounting Estimates
Our
consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes are prepared in accordance with GAAP. Preparing consolidated financial statements
requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue, and expenses,
as well as disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. An appreciation of our critical accounting policies is necessary to understand
our financial results. In some cases, we could reasonably use different accounting policies and estimates, and changes in our estimates
are reasonably likely to occur from period to period. Accordingly, actual results could differ materially from our estimates, and our
financial condition or results of operations could be affected. We base our estimates on our experience and other assumptions that we
believe are reasonable, and we evaluate these estimates on an ongoing basis. We refer to the following accounting estimates as critical
accounting estimates, based on their importance to the financial reporting and potential for changes in future periods:
48
Revenue
recognition
The
Company recognizes revenue in accordance with ASC 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers , by identifying contracts with customers,
identifying distinct performance obligations, determining and allocating transaction prices, and recognizing revenue as each performance
obligation is satisfied. A critical element of this process is the determination of whether the Company acts as a principal or agent
(gross versus net revenue presentation) in each of its revenue streams.
The
Company’s primary revenue streams are account fee income, loan program income, and investment income. Each stream involves contractual
arrangements with PCCU. Accordingly, the terms of the Second Amended CAA are material to the Company’s revenue recognition policies
and estimates. See “Relationship with PCCU.”
The
Company’s revenue recognition process requires management to exercise judgment in three primary areas: determining the transaction
price for account fee income, estimating the Company’s allocated share of loan program income under a variable yield formula,
and determining average net daily deposit balances for investment income. Each involves assumptions that, if different, could materially
affect reported revenue. Except for account fee income, where the Company acts as principal, the Company serves as an agent for loan program
income and investment income. Because its primary role is to facilitate the contract with PCCU, the Company recognizes these revenues
on a net basis.
Account
Fee Income
Account
fee income consists of fees charged to CRBs for account maintenance, transaction processing, compliance monitoring, and other ancillary
services. Fees are recognized as services are performed. The Company presents this revenue on a gross basis because it bears primary
responsibility for compliance monitoring, account management, and reporting, and retains sole discretion over fee pricing.
The
key estimation challenge is the transaction price, which varies by account type, deposit balance tier, and customer activity. Management
determines the appropriate fee tier each period and evaluates any adjustments for credits, waivers, or usage-based fluctuations. Following
the revised fee schedule effective January 1, 2025, changes in customer mix and average deposit levels directly affect recognized revenue.
Loan
Program Income
The
Company earns income from CRB loans originated and funded by PCCU and primarily serviced by the Company. Revenue is recognized
over the loan’s term as interest is earned, reflecting only the Company’s allocated share of net interest income. Management
has concluded this arrangement is best characterized as a collaborative arrangement under ASC 808, given the bidirectional flow of consideration,
shared credit risk, and the absence of a traditional customer-vendor relationship between the Company and PCCU. The timing and amount
of income recognized are identical regardless of whether ASC 808 or ASC 606 governs how the Company accrues its allocated share monthly
as earned.
Effective
December 31, 2024, the Company’s allocated share of net interest income is determined under a loan yield allocation formula that
combines the externally observable Constant Maturity U.S. Treasury Rate with a proprietary internal risk rating assigned to each loan.
The risk rating is a management estimate that directly drives the income split between the Company and PCCU, and changes in risk ratings
across the portfolio will increase or decrease the Company’s recognized share of interest income accordingly.
Investment
Income
Investment
income represents interest earned on CRB deposit balances held at PCCU at the IORB rate, classified as a return on a financial instrument
under ASC 310 and outside the scope of ASC 606. Income is accrued monthly based on average net daily deposit balances and the prevailing
IORB rate, both of which are externally determinable. To the extent ASC 606 were determined to apply, the recognition outcome would be
identical, and accordingly no change in previously reported amounts would arise from this classification. Pursuant to the each of the
First Amended CAA and the Second Amended CAA, the Company is entitled to 100% of this investment income, replacing the prior structure
under which 25% was remitted to PCCU as an investment hosting fee. This change is a material factor in the comparability of investment
income between 2024 and 2025.
Stock-Based
Compensation
The
Company grants stock options and restricted stock units (“RSUs”) to employees, directors, and consultants under the Plan,
which was originally approved by stockholders on June 28, 2022. During 2025, the Plan was amended to provide that the total number of
shares of Common Stock authorized for issuance under the Plan will automatically increase upon the occurrence of a Dilution Event (as
defined in the Plan) and on the first trading day of each calendar year, beginning January 1, 2026, by the number of shares necessary
to bring the total authorized shares under the Plan equal to fifteen percent (15%) of total outstanding shares of Common Stock as of
the last day of the immediately preceding calendar year, subject to a maximum annual increase of 50,000 shares. The Company also filed
a Registration Statement on Form S-8 during 2025 to register the shares of Common Stock issuable under the Plan, ensuring that shares
delivered to grantees upon exercise or settlement of awards are freely tradeable. The Company has not issued stock appreciation rights, restricted stock, stock bonus awards, or performance compensation
awards in the year ended December 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024. As of December 31, 2025, a total of 626,749 shares of Common Stock were
authorized for issuance under the Plan, of which 78,799 shares remained available for future issuances.
49
The
Company accounts for all equity-based awards under ASC 718, Compensation - Stock Compensation. Stock-based compensation is
considered a critical accounting estimate because the fair value of option awards is determined at the grant date using valuation
models and assumptions that are inherently uncertain. Changes in those assumptions particularly expected stock price
volatility can materially affect the amount of compensation expense recognized over the requisite service period.
Stock
Options
Stock
options are granted to incentivize employee and director ownership of the Company’s Common Stock and to help align compensation
with the long-term performance of the Company. Options generally have a 10-year contractual term and permit net-share settlement upon
exercise. The exercise price, vesting schedule, and exercise period for each grant are determined by the Plan administrator at the time
of grant.
The
fair value of each option award is measured on the grant date using the Black-Scholes-Merton option valuation model. The key assumptions
applied during the year ended December 31, 2025 were as follows:
●
Expected volatility.
The Company estimates volatility based on its historical stock price over a period commensurate with the expected term of each award. For options granted during the year ended December 31, 2025, expected volatility ranged from 93.42% to 115.54%. This represents a refinement from the approach used in prior periods, which applied a fixed 100% volatility assumption given the Company’s limited post-listing trading history. As the Company has accumulated additional trading history, the volatility assumption is now grounded in observed historical price data. Expected volatility is the assumption with the greatest sensitivity to the fair value output, and changes in this estimate can materially affect the compensation expense recognized in current and future periods.
●
Expected
term.
The
expected term is calculated using the simplified method, the average of the contractual term and the vesting period, because the
Company does not yet have sufficient historical exercise data to support a more refined estimate.
●
Risk-free
interest rate
The
risk-free rate is based on U.S. Treasury security yields for maturities approximating the expected term of each award at the grant
date. For options granted during the year ended December 31, 2025, the risk-free rate ranged from 3.54% to 4.47%.
●
Dividend
yield
A
zero-dividend yield is assumed, consistent with the Company’s history of not paying dividends and its current expectation that
it will not do so in the foreseeable future.
Compensation
cost for service-based options is recognized on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period. During 2025, the Company also
granted performance-based stock options that vest upon the Company’s successful completion of an equity transaction generating
proceeds in excess of $4.0 million. This performance condition is non-market-based as defined under ASC 718-10-20. Compensation cost
for such performance-based awards is recognized only when it becomes probable that the performance condition will be achieved, with cumulative
expense adjusted prospectively as management’s estimates evolve. Forfeitures are recognized as they occur. Changes in any of the
valuation assumptions described above, or in management’s assessment of the probability of achieving a performance condition, could
produce materially different compensation expense amounts in current and future reporting periods.
50
Restricted
Stock Units
RSUs
are valued at the closing market price of the Company’s Common Stock on the grant date. Compensation cost is recognized on a straight-line
basis over the requisite service period. Because RSU fair value is based on an observable market price rather than a valuation model,
estimation uncertainty is lower than for stock options. As of December 31, 2025, RSU activity under the Plan had substantially wound
down, with no units remaining outstanding.
Plan
Share Pool - Dilution Event and Annual Reset Provisions
The
automatic share pool expansion mechanic introduced by the 2025 amendment to the Plan requires management to assess on a continuous basis
whether a Dilution Event has occurred, which in turn determines the number of shares available for future grants and the scope of future
equity compensation arrangements. An incorrect assessment of whether a Dilution Event has been triggered could affect the calculation
of available shares and, indirectly, the trajectory of future compensation expense. The Company monitors its equity issuance activity
on an ongoing basis to ensure compliance with the Plan’s terms.
Warrants
Liability
The
Company’s accounting for its outstanding warrant liabilities, comprised of public warrants, private placement warrants, PIPE warrants,
and Abaca warrants, constitutes a critical accounting estimate because of the significant judgment and assumptions required in their
valuation and the potential impact on our financial statements. These warrants are carried at fair value on a recurring basis, with changes
in fair value recognized in the consolidated statements of operations each reporting period.
●
For
public warrants, the Company uses Level 1 inputs, relying on exchange-traded prices to determine fair value. This approach minimizes
estimation uncertainty for this class of warrants.
●
For
private placement warrants and PIPE warrants, fair value is determined using the Black-Scholes-Merton option pricing model, which
incorporates Level 3 unobservable inputs. Key assumptions include the expected volatility of the Company’s Common Stock, the
exercise price of each warrant, the fair market value of the underlying Common Stock, the risk-free interest rate, the expected remaining
life of the warrants, and an assumed zero dividend yield.
●
For
Abaca warrants, the Company has 250,000 warrants outstanding, each exercisable to purchase one share of Common Stock at an exercise
price of $40.00 per share. The Abaca warrants are classified as a liability and carried at fair value using Level 3 inputs. Fair
value is assessed at each reporting period end.
In
connection with the issuance of Series B Preferred Stock on September 30, 2025, the Company also issued Series B Warrants to purchase
1,999,544 shares of Common Stock. After evaluation under ASC 815-40 and ASC 480, the Series B Warrants were determined to qualify for
equity classification and will not be subsequently remeasured at fair value.
The
key assumptions driving the Level 3 warrant valuations are stock price volatility, the risk-free rate, and the expected remaining life
of each warrant each are inherently uncertain and subject to change. Fluctuations in the Company’s stock price, shifts in market
volatility, changes in prevailing interest rates, or changes in the holders’ expected exercise behavior could lead to significant
period-to-period movements in the recorded fair values of these warrant liabilities and, correspondingly, material swings in the Company’s
reported results of operations. The Company closely monitors these assumptions and market conditions at each reporting date to ensure
the warrant valuations reflect current fair market value.
51
Deferred
Consideration
The
Company’s accounting for deferred consideration arising from the acquisition of Abaca represents a critical accounting estimate.
In accordance with ASC 815, Derivatives and Hedging, this obligation is classified as a derivative liability and is carried on the balance
sheet at fair value, with changes in fair value reflected in the consolidated statements of operations at each reporting period end.
The
deferred consideration arrangement includes cash payments scheduled at various anniversaries of the merger closing and the potential
issuance of Common Stock based on specified conditions. The third anniversary payment of $1.5 million, which was due in October 2025,
was settled on October 3, 2025, through the issuance of 37,517 shares of Common Stock, using a floor value of $40.00 per share at the
Company’s election.
The
fair value of the deferred consideration was determined using a Monte Carlo Simulation model and influenced by several factors, including
the Company’s stock price, stock price volatility, the risk-free interest rate, the timing and structure of remaining payment obligations,
and the specific terms of the Abaca merger agreement and its amendments. Changes in the Company’s stock price, fluctuations in
market volatility, or shifts in the risk-free interest rate could produce material adjustments to the recorded fair value of this derivative
liability in future periods, with a corresponding impact on the Company’s financial position and results of operations. These estimates
and assumptions are subject to inherent uncertainty and the exercise of management’s judgment, and the Company monitors related
developments and market conditions closely to ensure the liability is accurately valued at each reporting date.
Forward
Purchase Agreement and Forward Purchase Derivative
As
previously disclosed, the Company entered the FPA with Midtown, which subsequently assigned the FPA in part to Verdun and Vellar. The
FPA gave rise to both a FPA receivable, which had been carried on the balance sheet, and an FPA derivative liability.
During
the first quarter of 2025, the Company reclassified the FPA receivable balance of $4.6 million to additional paid-in capital after determining
that the arrangement met the conditions for equity classification under ASC 815-40 and ASC 480.
On
September 30, 2025, all three FPA holders entered into Exchange and Cancellation Agreements with the Company, pursuant to which they
irrevocably cancelled, waived, and terminated all of their rights under the FPA in exchange for shares of Series B Preferred Stock and
Series B Warrants to purchase Common Stock. This transaction extinguished the FPA derivative liability, which had been carried at $7.3
million since December 31, 2022 without change, and was accounted for as a debt extinguishment under ASC 405-20. The fair value of the
equity instruments issued was measured at $800 per unit, consistent with the cash price paid by unaffiliated third-party investors for
identical instruments on the same date. The carrying amount of the FPA Liability exceeded the aggregate fair value of the instruments
issued, resulting in a gain on extinguishment of $3.3 million, which is included in Other Income (Expense) in the consolidated statements
of operations for the year ended December 31, 2025.
As
a result of these transactions, the FPA receivable and FPA derivative liability are fully settled as of December 31, 2025, and no amounts
remain on the balance sheet related to the FPA. Accordingly, FPA and forward purchase derivative are not expected to constitute critical
accounting estimates in future periods.
Investment
in Preferred Securities - Valuation and Impairment Assessment
The
Company holds an investment in preferred securities of ADTX with a carrying value of $1.45 million as of December 31, 2025, and this
is accounted for under the measurement alternative permitted by ASC 321-10-35-2. Because ADTX’s preferred shares are not actively
traded and lack a readily determinable fair value, the investment is carried at cost, less any impairment, adjusted for observable price
changes in orderly transactions for identical or similar instruments.
This
accounting policy requires management to exercise judgment in two key areas: (i) assessing at each reporting date whether qualitative
indicators of impairment exist, and (ii) identifying and evaluating any observable price changes in orderly transactions involving identical
or similar instruments. Both assessments involve significant judgment given the limited liquidity and publicly available financial information
regarding ADTX.
As
of December 31, 2025, management identified no indicators of impairment and no qualifying observable price changes. However, future changes
in ADTX’s financial condition or business prospects could require the Company to recognize impairment charges that may be material
to its results of operations.
52
Stand
Ready Guarantee Obligation
In
connection with the Second Amended CAA with PCCU, the Company assumed an obligation to indemnify PCCU for up to 65% of credit losses
on PCCU’s CRB loan portfolio, which had a total outstanding balance of approximately $52.1 million as of December 31, 2025. Under ASC
460, the issuance of a guarantee creates a noncontingent obligation to stand ready to perform, requiring the Company to recognize a liability
at fair value at inception regardless of whether losses are probable. Because no observable market exists for cannabis lending guarantee
obligations, the Company measured the stand-ready liability using a Level 3 insurance-pricing methodology under ASC 820, estimating the
premium a knowledgeable, willing third-party surety or specialty financial guarantor would charge to assume the same obligation in an
arm’s-length transaction. The fair value incorporates three components: (i) probability-weighted expected credit losses at the Company’s
65% indemnification share, applying a pooled probability of default of 7.25% and loss given default of 25.0% for performing loans, and
a 35% probability of default and 50% loss given default for the individually evaluated criticized credit; (ii) a stand-ready risk premium
of 120% of expected losses, reflecting the uncertainty, volatility, and duration of the commitment and the illiquidity of cannabis real
estate collateral; and (iii) a time value discount at a risk-adjusted rate of 4.0%. The resulting fair value at inception was $2.1 million,
which is recognized as a stand-ready guarantee liability with an offsetting contract asset, resulting in a net zero equity impact on
Day 1. The liability is released to income on a systematic basis as the Company is progressively released from risk through loan paydowns
and maturities.
Financial
Indemnification Liabilities
In
connection with the Second Amended CAA with PCCU, the Company assumed an obligation to indemnify PCCU for up to 65% of credit losses
on PCCU’s CRB loan portfolio, which had a total outstanding balance of approximately $52.1 million as of December 31, 2025. The Company
recognizes a financial indemnification liability under ASC 326-20 representing the contingent component of its obligation, management’s
estimate of the Company’s share of lifetime expected credit losses on PCCU’s CRB loan portfolio. A corresponding contract asset of equal
amount was recognized under ASC 340-40 at inception, resulting in a net zero equity impact on Day 1. Expected credit losses are estimated
using a probability of default times loss given default framework applied to the portfolio segmented into three tranches: pass-rated
loans evaluated on a pooled basis, elevated-risk loans evaluated on a pooled basis at higher loss rates, and a single past-maturity commercial
loan that is individually evaluated due to its credit profile and limited collateral coverage. Because the portfolio consists entirely
of cannabis-use real estate, management applies a two-step collateral discount, eliminating the cannabis license premium embedded in
appraised values and reducing the residual to proceeds realizable by a non-cannabis buyer in a liquidation sale resulting in adjusted
collateral coverage that is less than the gross portfolio balance. A qualitative loss given default premium is applied across all pooled
tranches to reflect the portfolio’s complete concentration in a single industry operating under federal illegality, constrained collateral
marketability, and the absence of conventional refinancing markets. The financial indemnification liability is dynamic and remeasured
quarterly based on changes in portfolio credit quality, economic conditions, and forward-looking assumptions, with all changes recognized
in credit loss expense or income in the period of remeasurement. This estimate is inherently uncertain due to the portfolio’s complete
concentration in cannabis-related borrowers, limited industry loss history, and the potential for adverse changes in borrower credit
quality, collateral values, or the regulatory environment governing cannabis; such changes could materially affect the carrying amount
of this liability in future periods.
Emerging
Growth Company Status
We
are an EGC as defined in the JOBS Act. As such, we are eligible to 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 SOX, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive
compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote
on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved.
In
addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an EGC can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section
7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act, for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an EGC can delay the adoption
of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We intend to take advantage of the
benefits of this extended transition period, for as long as it is available. We will remain an EGC until the earlier of (1) the last
day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the date of the first sale of our common equity securities pursuant to
an effective registration statement under the Securities Act, which is December 31, 2026, and (b) in which we have total annual gross
revenue of at least $1.07 billion, (2) the date on which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value
of our Common Stock that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the last business day of our most recently completed second
fiscal quarter, and (3) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt during the prior three-year period.
References herein to “emerging growth company” have the meaning provided in the JOBS Act. The Company will cease to be an EGC on December 31, 2026.
Smaller
Reporting Company
We
are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K, which allows us to take advantage of certain
exemptions from disclosure requirements including exemption from compliance with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404.
We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (i) the market value of the shares of our Common
Stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $250.0 million as of the prior June 30, and (ii) our annual revenue exceeded $100.0 million during
such completed fiscal year or the market value of the shares of our Common Stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $700.0 million as of
the prior June 30. To the extent we take advantage of such reduced disclosure obligations, it may also make comparison of our financial
statements with other public companies difficult or impossible.
Internal
Control Over Financial Reporting
In
connection with management’s assessment of internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2025, the Company identified
material weaknesses in prior periods related to the application of U.S. GAAP to complex transactions, the going concern evaluation process,
and information technology access controls.
During
2025, the Company executed a comprehensive remediation plan to address these weaknesses, and management believes all previously identified
material weaknesses have been remediated as of December 31, 2025. Additionally, while the material weakness related to the completeness
and accuracy of account activity fee income has been remediated, sufficient time has not elapsed to conclude that the related controls
are operating effectively.
However,
a material weakness was identified during the fourth quarter of 2025 related to the Company’s loan documentation and credit loss estimation process. See Item 9A, “Controls
and Procedures” for a full description of the identified material weakness and management’s remediation plan.
Related
Party Relationship with PCCU
PCCU
is a related party because it held approximately 25.2% of the Company’s Common Stock as of December 31, 2025, holds approximately
43.3% of the Series B Preferred Stock and Series B Warrants as of the date hereof, and serves as the federally regulated credit union
through which the Company’s CRB clients hold their deposit accounts and obtain loans. Because PCCU holds the majority of the Company’s
client deposits and has the ability to significantly influence the Company’s management and operating policies, all transactions
and arrangements between the Company and PCCU are disclosed as related party transactions in accordance with ASC 850 and SEC Regulation
S-X. However, as of May 21, 2025, PCCU no longer has contractual rights to appoint members to the Board of Directors.
53
Revenue
Concentration
In
2025, the Company derived substantially all of its revenue from services provided to PCCU under the First Amended CAA. For the years
ended December 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024, revenue generated under the then-applicable agreements totaled $6.7 million and $12.7
million, represented 86.7% and 83.5% of total revenue, respectively. As of December 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024, amounts due from
PCCU totaled $1.0 million and $1.0 million, representing 97.0% and 87.8% of total accounts receivable, respectively.
The
loss of or a material adverse change to this relationship could have a material adverse impact on the Company’s results of operations
and financial condition. Management monitors this concentration risk on an ongoing basis.
Commercial
Alliance Agreement
The
Company’s commercial relationship with PCCU is currently governed by the Second Amended CAA, which sets forth the complete terms
and conditions governing the relationship between the Company and PCCU, including account-related services, lending activities, fee arrangements,
and loan capacity parameters. Under the CAA, the First Amended CAA, and the Second Amended CAA, as applicable, the Company originates,
underwrites, and services CRB loans on PCCU’s behalf. PCCU, as the federally regulated credit union, is the legal holder of CRB
deposits and the maker of CRB loans. The Company provides all compliance analysis, credit analysis, due diligence, underwriting, and
administration required to onboard and service CRB accounts and loans. The CAA also includes default procedures designed to ensure that
neither party takes title to or possession of cannabis-related assets, including real property that may serve as collateral.
The
CAA was originally executed on March 29, 2023, and was subsequently amended and restated by the First Amended CAA on December 31,
2024. The CAA and the First Amended CAA were further amended and restated by the Second Amended CAA, which was executed on February
4, 2026 with a retroactive effective date of October 1, 2025. The Company and PCCU reached agreement on the material economic terms
of the Second Amended CAA on or about October 1, 2025, following completion of the September 2025 Recapitalization. The written
agreement was formally executed on February 4, 2026; the intervening period involved only procedural and documentation matters that
did not affect the substance of the agreed terms. The Second Amended CAA extended the customer agreement with PCCU through December
31, 2031, with an automatic renewal for subsequent periods of two years each, unless notice of non-renewal is provided no later than
twelve (12) calendar months prior to the expiration of the then-current term. This is an extension from the First Amended
CAA’s termination date of December 31, 2028.
The
Differences Between the Agreements
The
Second Amended CAA increases the Company’s share of CRBs loan program income to up to 65% of total interest, compared to
approximately 35% received under the Amended CAA. The Second Amended CAA also shifts the calculation the asset hosting fee to a
graduated scale based on deposits, which is expected to result in a reduction of fees between approximately $0.2 million to $0.3
million annually compared to the First Amended CAA.
Under
the CAA, which was effective for the year ended December 31, 2024, the Company was entitled to receive all of loan program income while
bearing 100% of the indemnification risk on loans originated through PCCU. The Company was also obligated to pay PCCU asset hosting fees
based on a fixed fee per account from $26.08 to $28.69, investment hosting fees calculated based upon 25% of investment income earned
on the monthly closing CRB deposit balance, and loan servicing fees based upon 0.25% of the total loans serviced by PCCU but managed
by the Company.
The
First Amended CAA introduced significant changes to this arrangement. The Company’s share of loan program income was reduced from
100% to 35%, with the introduction of a yield and loss allocation framework, while the Company’s indemnification liability was
fully eliminated. Investment hosting fees and loan servicing fees were also eliminated, and the method of calculating asset hosting fees
was revised from a fixed per-account fee to a percentage applied to average daily balances of deposits held at PCCU.
The
Second Amended CAA now determines the revenue the Company receives from its relationship with PCCU from October 1, 2025 until at least
the end of 2031. Under the Second Amended CAA, the Company receives up to 65% of net interest income on applicable loans and correspondingly
indemnifies up to 65% of default-related losses, with PCCU indemnifying the remaining 35%. The asset hosting fee structure was also revised
from a flat rate of 1.0% to a sliding scale ranging from 0.50% for average daily deposit balances below $25.0 million to 1.25% for average
daily deposit balances exceeding $125.0 million.
The Company is required to deposit into escrow a current copy of the source code and technical documentation for
the Company’s proprietary software that the Company uses to provide its services under the Second Amended CAA (the “Escrowed
Software”). In the event of certain defaults by the Company under the Second Amended CAA or if the Company enters into, among other
things, bankruptcy, then the Escrowed Software will be released from escrow and transferred to PCCU. In the event of such a release, PCCU
will receive a nonexclusive, royalty-free, fully-paid, non-transferrable, non-sub licensable license to (a) use the Escrowed Software
for the purpose of maintaining, supporting, performing, and operating an equivalent of the services as had otherwise been provided to
PCCU by the Company and (b) modify, enhance, and create derivative works of the Escrowed Software
Key
Economic Terms Under the Agreements
Asset
Hosting Fees
Under
the First Amended CAA in 2025, the Company paid PCCU a single asset hosting fee in exchange for access to PCCU’s Jack Henry core
banking platform, regulated deposit infrastructure, and related operational support. This fee replaced all prior per-account servicing
fees, investment hosting fees, and loan servicing fees that existed under earlier agreements.
The
asset hosting fee was calculated as 1.00% per annum applied to the average daily balances of CRB account relationships generated by
the Company and hosted at PCCU, divided by the number of days in the year and multiplied by the number of days in the applicable
month. The fee increases to 1.30% per annum on the entire average daily balances once deposits exceed $130 million. For the year
ended December 31, 2025, the Company incurred $1.2 million in asset hosting fees payable to PCCU.
On
February 4, 2026, the Company and PCCU executed the Second Amended CAA with a retroactive effective date of October 1, 2025. The
Second Amended CAA replaced the flat 1.00% rate in the First Amended CAA with a tiered marginal rate structure (ranging from 0.50%
on the first $25 million of average daily balance to 1.25% on balances above $125 million) and increased the Company’s share
of loan program income from approximately 35% up to 65%, with a corresponding indemnification obligation of up to 65% for loan
defaults. The execution of the Second Amended CAA is a Type 1 recognized subsequent event under ASC 855-10-25-1. As a result, the
retroactive reduction in asset hosting fees of $0.06 million for the period October 1 through December 31, 2025 has been recognized
as a reduction of operating expense in the year ended December 31, 2025. On a prospective basis, the tiered rate structure is
expected to generate annualized savings of approximately $0.3 million compared to First Amended CAA rates beginning in the first
quarter of 2026.
Investment
Income
Under both the First Amended CAA and the Second Amended CAA, the Company receives 100% of the investment income earned
on CRB funds invested on its behalf by PCCU. The 25% investment hosting fee that was paid to PCCU under the CAA ceased on January 1, 2025.
54
Loan
Program Income
The
Second Amended CAA provides that each loan covered by the Second Amended CAA is subject to an allocation of yield and default-related
losses among the Company and PCCU. Pursuant to this yield and loss allocation, the Company will receive up to 65% of all net interest
income on the applicable loans and will also indemnify up to 65% of default-related losses of such loans, with PCCU indemnifying the
other 35%. However, if the Company determines that adjustments to its indemnity obligations are required in order to maintain compliance
with the listing requirements of Nasdaq, then the amount of loan program income the Company receives will also be adjusted (but not
above 65%) to match the Company’s new indemnification obligation on a go-forward basis for the applicable loans. This applies retroactively
starting October 1, 2025, and this change is expected to materially increase the Company’s loan program income.
Under
the First Amended CAA, the Company’s 2025 share of interest income on CRB loans originated and serviced was determined using a
loan yield allocation formula that incorporated the Constant Maturity U.S. Treasury Rate and a proprietary risk-rating formula. Under
this formula, the Company’s interest income split was approximately 35% of total loan program generated during the year ended December
31, 2025, with the remainder retained by PCCU. For the year ended December 31, 2025, the Company recognized $2.4 million in loan program
income attributable to PCCU activities, compared to $6.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2024
Financial Indemnification Liability
The
Company’s obligation to indemnify PCCU against default-related loan losses, which existed under the original CAA, was eliminated
in its entirety when the First Amended CAA took effect on January 1, 2025. As a result, the Company recorded no provisions for financial indemnification liability on indemnified loans during the period January 1, 2025 through September 30, 2025.
The
Second Amended CAA, executed on February 4, 2026 with a retroactive effective date of October 1, 2025, reinstated an indemnification
obligation on restructured terms. Under the Second Amended CAA, the Company is obligated to indemnify PCCU for up to 65% of net losses
on any CRB loan default, the same proportional percentage as the Company’s increased share of loan program income under that agreement.
This structure aligns risk and reward, as the higher income share is paired with a proportional assumption of credit loss exposure.
The
associated obligations under the Agreement are recognized in the Company’s December 31, 2025 financial statements at its October 1, 2025 inception date,
consistent with the Type 1 recognized subsequent event framework under ASC 855-10-25-1. The obligation comprises two independent, coexisting
liabilities that do not offset or true-up to each other:
● ASC
460 Stand-Ready Guarantee Liability: At inception, the Company recognized a stand-ready
guarantee liability of approximately $2.1 million measured at fair value under ASC 820-10, representing
the noncontingent obligation to stand ready to perform in the event of borrower default on
PCCU’s cannabis-related business loan portfolio. Under ASC 460-10-25-3, the issuance
of a guarantee imposes a noncontingent obligation to stand ready to perform, and initial
recognition is required regardless of the probability that payments will be required. A corresponding
contract asset of equal amount was recognized under ASC 340-40.
● ASC
326-20 Financial Indemnification Liability: Separately, the Company recognized a contingent
expected liability of approximately $1.1 million under ASC 326-20, representing management’s
estimate of SHF’s up to 65% share of lifetime expected credit losses on the PCCU loan portfolio
based on current portfolio conditions and reasonable and supportable forecasts. A corresponding
contract asset of equal amount was recognized under ASC 340-40.
The
net Day 1 equity impact is zero, as each liability is fully offset by its corresponding contract asset at inception, consistent with
ASC 340-40-25-2 and the treatment of these costs as incremental costs incurred to fulfill the Commercial Alliance Agreement.
The
ASC 460 stand-ready liability is fixed at inception and released to income on a systematic and rational basis consistent with the reduction
in guarantee exposure over the contract term per ASC 460-10-35-2. The ASC 326-20 financial indemnification liability is dynamic and remeasured quarterly based
on changes in portfolio credit quality, economic conditions, and forward-looking assumptions, with changes recognized in credit loss
expense or income. The two liabilities are governed by different measurement objectives under US GAAP and do not substitute for one another.
As
of December 31, 2025, the Company’s incremental loan capacity, representing the difference between the regulatorily stipulated
lending limit and the gross amount of loans currently outstanding, was approximately $12.0 million. The Company is economically incentivized
to minimize incremental loan capacity, as the interest income earned on deployed loans exceeds the income that could otherwise be generated
on uninvested deposits.
Related
Party Balances
The table below summarizes the cash and cash equivalents held at PCCU, along with the amounts due from and payable
to PCCU as reported on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets.
December
31, 2025
December
31, 2024
Cash and cash equivalents
$
6,779,040
$
2,202,895
Accounts receivable
1,009,483
968,023
Accounts payable
171,365
75,608
Senior Secured Promissory Note
$ -
$ 11,004,173
Summary
of Operating Expenses Paid to PCCU
The
following table summarizes operating expenses incurred by the Company under its agreements with PCCU:
Year
Ended
December 31, 2025
Year
Ended
December 31, 2024
Asset hosting fee
$ 1,153,637
$ 452,371
Prior agreement fees (superseded)
-
600,322
Total
$ 1,153,637
$ 1,052,693
See
Part III, Item 13., “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions” for further discussion of the related party transactions
we have entered into with PCCU.
55
Acquisition
of 420 IT Solutions
On
December 19, 2025, Safe Harbor Managed Services LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, completed the acquisition of substantially
all of the assets of 420 IT Solutions. 420 IT Solutions is engaged in the business of providing third-party professional advisory and
technology services to the cannabis industry. The aggregate purchase price for the acquired assets consisted of 125,000 Earnout Shares,
plus the assumption of certain identified liabilities under contracts assigned to the Company. The Earnout Shares are subject to performance-based
vesting over a two-year earnout period ending December 31, 2027, as follows:
● 2026
Tranche: 50% of the Earnout Shares (62,500 shares) vest if the acquired business generates
net revenue of at least $5.0 million for the calendar year ending December 31, 2026.
● 2027
Tranche: 50% of the Earnout Shares (62,500 shares) vest if the acquired business generates
net revenue of at least $6.0 million for the calendar year ending December 31, 2027. If the
2026 target is not met but the 2027 target is achieved, all 125,000 Earnout Shares vest in
2027.
Earnout
Shares that have not yet vested are held by the Company (or its transfer agent) during the earnout period and may not be sold,
transferred, pledged, or assigned by 420 It Solutions. The Earnout Shares will be issued as restricted securities under Rule 144.
The acquisition included the transfer of customer contracts, the registered trademark “420 IT Solutions”, domain name registrations, and other intellectual property. No cash
consideration was paid at closing.
This
acquisition added capabilities that are complementary to our existing compliance platform and expanded the suite of services we can offer
to financial institution customers seeking to enter or grow their cannabis banking programs. On-site reviews are a key component of BSA/AML
compliance for cannabis-banking financial institutions, and bringing this capability in-house strengthens both our service offerings
and our compliance infrastructure. In addition, 420 IT Solutions’ founders, joined the Company
to lead the third-party professional advisory and technology services division following the acquisition.
Item
7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.
The
Company is a smaller reporting company as defined by Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act and is not required to provide the information otherwise
required with respect to market risk.
Item
8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.
Consolidated
Financial Statements Information
The
consolidated financial statements information required by this item is contained under the section titled “Index to Consolidated
Financial Statements” (and the consolidated financial statements and related notes referenced therein) included beginning on page
F-1 of this Form 10-K.
Item
9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure.
As
previously disclosed, on April 14, 2025, the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors was notified by Marcum LLP (“Marcum”)
that the auditor relationship between the Company and Marcum is terminated, effective April 14, 2025. Marcum audited the Company’s
financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 (the “Engagement Period”). The reports of Marcum on such
financial statements did not contain an adverse opinion or a disclaimer of opinion, and was not qualified or modified as to uncertainty,
audit scope or accounting principles, with the exception that said report included an explanatory paragraph regarding the uncertainty
of the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern.
During
the Engagement Period, and the subsequent interim period from January 1, 2025 to April 14, 2025, there were no disagreements (as that
term is used in Item 304(a)(1)(iv) of Regulation S-K and the related instructions to Item 304 of Regulation S-K under the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) between the Company and Marcum on any matter of accounting principles or practices, financial statement
disclosure or auditing scope or procedure, which disagreements, if not resolved to the satisfaction of Marcum, would have caused it to
make reference to the subject matter of the disagreements in connection with its report.
During
the same period, there were no “reportable events” (as defined in Item 304(a)(1)(v) of Regulation S-K under the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended), except as disclosed below:
Our
management concluded that there existed material weaknesses in our internal controls over financial reporting for the fiscal years ended
December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2024 related to ineffective design and operating effectiveness of internal controls over the review
of revenue recognition from calculations that occur on a monthly basis between the Company and a related party, and ineffective management
review controls related to the evaluation of accounting for debt and equity financial instruments, and for the fiscal year ended December
31, 2024 related to ineffective management review controls over the evaluation of going concern and ineffective information technology
controls due to certain users with unnecessary privileged access within the financially relevant systems, and ineffective logical access
user reviews, resulting in segregation of duty risk as described in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 2024.
At
the time of the initial disclosure of the forgoing, the Company provided Marcum with a copy of the foregoing disclosures and requested
that Marcum furnish the Company with a letter addressed to the SEC stating whether it agrees with the above statements, and if
not, stating the respects in which it does not agree.
On
April 18, 2025, the Audit Committee approved the engagement of Macias, Gini & O’Connell, LLP as independent registered public
accounting firm, to audit the Company’s consolidated financial statements for the year ending December 31, 2025
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures
Evaluation
of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
Disclosure
controls and procedures are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by us in our Exchange Act reports is recorded,
processed, summarized, and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms, and that such information is
accumulated and communicated to our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer or persons
performing similar functions, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
56
Disclosure
controls and procedures, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that their objectives
are met. 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
can provide absolute assurance that all control deficiencies and instances of fraud, if any, have been detected.
As
required by Rules 13a-15 and 15d-15 under the Exchange Act, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer carried out an evaluation
of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures as of December 31, 2025. Based upon this evaluation,
our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that, solely due to the material weakness described below, the Company’s
disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act) were not effective as of December
31, 2025.
Management’s
Annual Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
Management
is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting as defined in Rule 13a-15(f) under
the Exchange Act. Our internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability
of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting
principles. Our internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that:
●
pertain
to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of our
assets;
●
provide
reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with
generally accepted accounting principles;
●
provide
reasonable assurance that receipts and expenditures are being made only in accordance with management and director authorization;
and
●
provide
reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of assets that could
have a material effect on the consolidated financial statements.
Because
of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect all misstatements. Projections of any
evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions,
or that the degree of compliance with policies or procedures may deteriorate.
Management
assessed the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2025 using the criteria set forth by the
Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO) in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013). Based
on this assessment, management concluded that, due to the material weakness described below, our internal control over financial reporting
was not effective as of December 31, 2025.
Material
Weakness
A
material weakness is a deficiency, or combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting such that there is a
reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the Company’s annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented
or detected on a timely basis.
Previously Reported Material Weaknesses and Remediation
As
initially reported in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024 and our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the
period ended September 30, 2025, management identified several material weaknesses in the Company’s internal control over financial
reporting. These weaknesses primarily related to the Company’s ability to appropriately apply GAAP and SEC reporting requirements
to complex transactions, including revenue recognition, accounting for financial instruments, forward purchase arrangements, and stock-based
compensation. Additional weaknesses existed in management’s going-concern evaluation process and information technology access
controls.
57
During
2025, the Company implemented a comprehensive remediation plan focused on strengthening technical accounting expertise, enhancing review
controls, and improving documentation and segregation of duties. Key remediation actions included:
●
Hiring
a Chief Executive Officer, who also serves as Chief Financial Officer, and a Senior Vice President of Finance and Controller, who
serves as Principal Accounting Officer, both with extensive SEC-registrant experience to oversee technical accounting, financial
reporting, and internal controls;
●
Engaging
a financial advisory firm with expertise in financial reporting to assist management in evaluating and accounting for complex and
non-routine transactions, including the Series B Preferred Stock and related Series B Warrant issuances;
●
Implementing
enhanced review procedures over financial statement preparation, including secondary reviews of all complex accounting analyses;
and
●
Upgrading
information technology access controls and removing unnecessary privileged user access within key financial systems.
As
of December 31, 2025, management believes the remediation actions described above adequately address all previously identified material
weaknesses. Management notes that while the material
weakness related to the completeness and accuracy of account activity fee income has been remediated, sufficient time has not elapsed
to conclude that the related controls are operating effectively.
Material
Weakness Identified During the Year Ended December 31, 2025
Loan
Documentation and Credit Loss Estimation Process: In
connection with the Company’s initial recognition of indemnification liabilities under the Second Amended CAA, the Company was required
for the first time to measure a stand-ready guarantee liability at fair value under ASC 460 and an expected credit loss liability under
ASC 326-20. Both measurements rely on underlying CRB loan documentation maintained in connection with the Company’s credit administration
responsibilities under the agreement. During the audit, certain loan documentation used in connection with these measurements was identified
as out of date or inconsistent with the terms of the underlying loans. While the Company’s valuation conclusions were determined to be
fairly stated as of December 31, 2025, the absence of a formalized loan documentation review and maintenance process represents a control
deficiency that, if not remediated, could result in a material misstatement of the indemnification and expected credit loss liabilities
in future periods.
To
remediate this material weakness, management is in the process of developing a standardized documentation checklist to ensure that all
relevant inputs are consistently captured and considered in the expected credit loss estimation under ASC 326. Full implementation of
these procedures is expected to be completed by the second quarter of 2026, after which the controls will be subject to ongoing monitoring
by management to assess operating effectiveness.
A
failure to maintain effective internal controls over financial reporting could result in errors in our financial statements that could
require us to restate past financial statements, cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations, and cause investors to lose confidence
in our reported financial information, all of which could materially and adversely affect the Company.
Changes
in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
Other
than the remediation actions described above, there were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during
the year ended December 31, 2025 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over
financial reporting.
The
Company’s management has expended, and will continue to expend, a substantial amount of effort and resources for the remediation
of the remaining material weakness and the continued improvement of our internal control over financial reporting. While we have processes
to properly identify and evaluate the appropriate accounting guidance and other literature for all significant or unusual transactions,
we have expanded and will continue to improve these processes to ensure that the nuances of such transactions are effectively evaluated
in the context of the increasingly complex accounting standards.
Item
9B. Other Information.
None .
Item
9C. Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections.
Not
applicable.
58
PART
III
Item
10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance.
Executive
Officers and Directors
Our
directors and executive officers are as follows:
Name
Position
Terrance
E. Mendez
Chief
Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, Director
Richard
Carleton
Director
Francis
A. Braun III
Director
Jonathon
Niehaus
Director
Sundie
Seefried
Director
Douglas
Beck
Principal
Accounting Officer, Senior Vice President of Finance
Jeffrey
Kay
Chief
Marketing Officer
Michael
Regan
Chief
Investment and Strategy Officer
Directors
Terrance
E. Mendez. Mr. Mendez currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer for the Company, a position he
has held since February 2025 after initially being appointed Co-Chief Executive Officer in January 2025. Mr. Mendez has also served
as the Company’s Interim Chief Financial Officer since the resignation of the Company’s prior Chief Financial Officer,
James H. Dennedy, in June 2025. Mr. Mendez also serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Amos Advisory Solutions
(“AMOS”) since August 2016, a management and outsource consulting firm through which he has held executive leadership
roles in several cannabis and cannabis-related business. In connection with his employment with AMOS, Mr. Mendez served from
November 2023 to May 2025 he served as the Chief Financial Officer of 42 Degrees, a cannabis extractor and distributor. From
February 2022 to February 2024, he served as the Chief Executive Officer of Devi Holdings, a vertically integrated multi-state
cannabis operator. From December 2019 to April 2021, he served as the Chief Executive Officer, of Dalwhinnie Enterprises, a single
state vertical integrated cannabis operator. Mr. Mendez was employed from July 2017 to August 2019, as the Vice President of Finance
and Chief Accounting Officer by Hitachi Vantara, a subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd. (OTCMKTS: HTHIY), a technology conglomerate. From
March 2014 to November 2016, Mr. Mendez served as Vice President and Chief Audit Executive by Arrow Electronics Inc. (NYSE: ARW), an
electronics components manufacturer. From September 2011 to March 2014, Mr. Mendez was employed as Vice President of FP&A and
was a Segment Financial Controller by Broadridge Financial Solutions Inc. (NYSE:BR). Mr. Mendez spent 14 years in public accounting
with Arthur Andersen & Co. and Deloitte Touche LLP. Mr. Mendez is a Certified Public Accountant in the States of New York, New
Jersey and Colorado and a Charted Global Management Accountant. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the University of
Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business. Mr. Mendez’s finance and accounting expertise is a strong asset to the Board
of Directors, and he also has extensive management and industry experience. Age: 50.
Richard
Carleton. Mr. Carleton has served as the CEO of the Canadian Securities Exchange (“CSE”) since July 1, 2011. The CSE
is a recognized stock exchange in Canada, subject to the oversight of the British Columbia Securities Commission and the Ontario Securities
Commission. The CSE was re-organized in November, 2025 to create a holding company (CNSX Global Markets Inc.). CNSX holds 100% of the
issued and outstanding shares of the CSE and the National Stock Exchange of Australia. Mr. Carleton is the CEO of CNSX Global Markets.
Mr. Carleton is a member of the board of the Canadian Securities Exchange (2024), CNSX Global Markets (2025) and the National Stock Exchange
of Australia (2025). Mr. Carleton is also a member of the board of Blue Ocean Technologies LLC, the Operator of Blue Ocean ATS, a US-regulated
trading platform offering trading certain securities between 8 p.m. and 4 a.m. Eastern Time. Blue Ocean is a private company. Mr. Carleton
is a board member (and chair) of Tetra Digital Inc., the operator of a digital asset custodian, a software services business and company
exploring the issuance of a Canadian dollar denominated stablecoin. To Mr. Carleton’s knowledge, none of these companies is an
affiliate or in any way related to the Company. On September 28, 2022, Mr. Carleton was appointed as a member of the Board of Directors
in connection with the closing of our initial business combination. Mr. Carleton received his Bachelor of Arts in History from the University
of Ottawa (1981) and his LLB from the University of Toronto (1985). He has also completed the Executive Development Program at the Wharton
School, University of Pennsylvania. Age: 66.
Francis
A. Braun III. Francis A. (Skip) Braun III was appointed to the Board of Directors in May 2025. He has served as a senior advisor
to Stout since April 2024 and as a member of CrossCountry Consulting’s advisory counsel since February 2024. Mr. Braun was appointed to the Board of Directors of Polarx Therapeutics, Inc. in January 2026 and serves as the
chair of its audit committee. Mr. Braun was appointed to the Board of Directors of Elite Express Holdings Inc. in August 2025 and served
through October 2025. Mr. Braun has also served as a director of Crown Bank in New Jersey since October 2024 and is the chairman of the
bank’s audit committee. From July 2024 to July 2025 Mr. Braun served as a consultant to Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. L.P.,
and from December 2016 to July 2023, Mr. Braun served as a Partner at Grant Thornton LLP. Mr. Braun is considered a financial expert under
the Sarbanes-Oxley rules and has 40 years of diversified experience serving public and private companies during his time in public accounting
with Arthur Andersen LLP, Deloitte & Touche LLP and Grant Thornton LLP. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Commerce, Accounting from
Rider University. Age: 65.
Jonathon
Niehaus. On September 28, 2022, Mr. Niehaus was appointed as a member of the Board of Directors in connection with the closing of
the initial business combination. Mr. Niehaus currently serves as the Managing Partner of Interactive Global Solutions, a global consulting
company, a position he has held since January 2011. Mr. Niehaus previously served as a member of the board of managers of SHF, LLC d/b/a
Safe Harbor Financial (“SHF Predecessor”) from February 2022 until September 2022. From 2003 until 2011, Mr. Niehaus served
as a Global SVP for First Data Corporation and the Western Union Company. In this capacity, Mr. Niehaus was responsible international
government relations and public affairs. In addition, he spearheaded outreach to US attorneys general in matters relating to compliance
and anti-money laundering activities. Mr. Niehaus was thereafter appointed to be a senior advisor to the Alliance Partnership, an international
rule of law initiative run by the Attorney General Alliance. Mr. Niehaus is an active board member, serving as the chair of the Farnsworth
Group, a multi-state architecture and engineering firm and chair of the Make A Difference Foundation which focusses on green energy initiatives
internationally. He has also served as advisor to other private companies as well as serving 10 years on the board of the Colorado Great
Outdoors Trust Fund. Mr. Niehaus received his Bachelor of Science in Journalism Communications from the University of Iowa. Mr. Niehaus’
background enables him to share his expertise in legal, regulatory, and compliance matters with the Board of Directors. Age: 70.
Sundie
Seefried. Ms. Seefried served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Company from July 2021 until February 2025 and currently serves
as a member of the Board of Directors, a position she has held since April 2024. Prior to joining the Company, Ms. Seefried served as
the Chief Executive Officer of PCCU, the major shareholder of Safe Harbor Financial, from 2001 until June 2021 and as the Chief Executive
Officer of Eagle Legacy Services, a former company owned by PCCU, LLC from January 2020 until March 2021. Ms. Seefried previously served
as a board member of the Colorado Division of Financial Services from 2019 until 2021, and as a board member of the Credit Union Association
from 2007 until 2015. Ms. Seefried received her Bachelor of Science in Business Management from the University of Maryland and her Master
of Business Administration in Finance from Regis University, Colorado. Age: 63.
59
Executive
Officers
Mr.
Mendez’ biographical information is set forth above in “–– Directors .”
Douglas
Beck . On September 24, 2025, Mr. Beck was appointed Principal Accounting Officer and will continue to serve as the Company’s
Senior Vice President of Finance, Controller, a position that he has held since May 2025. Prior to his appointment as the Company’s
Senior Vice President of Finance, Controller, Mr. Beck served as the Chief Financial Officer of AiAdvertising, Inc. from November 2024
to April 2025 and the Chief Financial Officer of ShiftPixy, Inc. from January 2023 to March 2024. Mr. Beck also served as a consultant
to Beyond Air Inc. from September 2021 to December 2022 and as its Chief Financial Officer from November 2018 to August 2021. He received
a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Fairleigh Dickinson University and is also a licensed Certified Public Accountant. Age: 65.
Jeffrey
Kay . On September 24, 2025, Mr. Kay was appointed Chief Marketing Officer. Mr. Kay joined the Company in April 2025 as Senior Vice
President of Marketing. Mr. Kay has more than 30 years of marketing and brand leadership experience across the cannabis, financial services
and consumer products industries. Prior to that, Mr. Kay founded and served as Chief Executive Officer of Brandfan, a marketing agency
providing strategic and creative services to clients across various industries from July 2012 to April 2025. He has also served as Chief
Marketing Officer for multiple cannabis operators, including 42 Degrees from September 2024 to March 2025 and Devi Holdings from April
2023 to April 2025, where he oversaw brand development, product strategy, and growth initiatives. Earlier in his career, he held senior
positions with The Marketing Arm (Omnicom), EastWest Marketing Group, and DDB Needham. Mr. Kay has also served on the boards of Devi
Holdings and AFC Warehouse Holdings, both cannabis-related companies, and Fifth Street Floating Rate Corp. (NASDAQ: FSFR), a publicly
traded financial services company, where he contributed to strategic planning and governance matters. Mr. Kay earned a Bachelor of Science
degree from the University of Maryland College of Business and Management. Age: 57.
Michael
Regan . On September 24, 2025, Mr. Regan was appointed Chief Investment & Strategy Officer. Mr. Regan joined the Company in March
2025 and previously held the position of Head of Investor Relations and Data Science from March 2025 to June 2025 and the position of
Vice President, Strategic Finance and Corporate Development from June 2025 to September 2025. Prior to joining the Company in March
2025, Mr. Regan served as the Director of Research and Founding Partner of Excelsior Equities, LLC from December 2022 to December 2024,
and Founder of MJResearchCo LLC from May 2020 to December 2022. While at MJResearchCo, Mr. Regan served as a consultant to HAL Extraction
from November 2020 to December 2022. Mr. Regan has extensive capital markets and investment experience, with over 13 years of experience
at hedge funds Roubaix Capital, Hawkshaw Capital, and Copper Arch Capital, and 5 years of experience at investment banks Excelsior Equities,
Deutsche Bank, Credit Suisse, and DLJ. He received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, major in finance, from Georgetown
University, and a Master of Business Administration from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sloan School of Management.
He holds FINRA Series 7, Series 24, Series 86, and Series 87 licenses (inactive; expiration 2026). Age: 48.
Family
Relationships
There
are no family relationships between our Board of Directors and any of our executive officers.
Code
of Ethics
We
have adopted a Code of Ethics and Business Conduct applicable to all officers, directors and employees. A copy of our Code of Ethics
and Business Conduct is filed as Exhibit 14 to this Form 10-K.
Insider
Trading Policy
The
Company’s Insider Trading Policy governs the purchase, sale and other acquisitions and dispositions of the Company’s securities
by the Company and all of its directors, officers and employees. This policy is reasonably designed to promote compliance with insider
trading laws, rules and regulations, and the Nasdaq listing standards. A copy of the Insider Trading Policy is filed as Exhibit 19 to
this Form 10-K.
Shareholder
Nominees
There
have been no material changes to the procedures by which our security holders may recommend nominees to the Company’s Board of
Directors since the filing of the definitive proxy statement for the Company’s 2025 annual meeting of shareholders with the SEC
on May 28, 2025.
Additional
information required by this Item 10 will be presented in the proxy statement for our 2026 Annual Meeting of Shareholders (the “Proxy
Statement”) in the sections titled “Proposal 1: Election of Class II Directors,” “Management and Corporate Governance,”
and “Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management” and is incorporated herein by reference to the Proxy
Statement.
Item
11. Executive Compensation.
We
qualify as both a “smaller reporting company” and an “emerging growth company” under the rules promulgated by
the SEC, and we have elected to comply with the disclosure requirements applicable to smaller reporting and emerging growth companies.
Accordingly, this executive compensation summary is not intended to meet the disclosure requirements of larger reporting companies.
As
a smaller reporting company, we are required to disclose the executive compensation of our named executive officers, which consist of
the following individuals, for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024, respectively: (i) any individual serving
as our principal executive officer or acting in a similar capacity, during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025; (ii) the two other
most highly compensated executive officers of the Company serving as executive officers at the end of the most recently completed fiscal
year; and (iii) up to two additional individuals for whom disclosure would have been provided but for the fact that the individual was
not serving as an executive officer at the end of the most recently completed fiscal year.
60
Summary
Compensation Table
The
following table discloses compensation paid or to be paid to our named executive officers for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2025
and December 31, 2024.
Name
and Principal Position
Fiscal
Year
Salary
($)
Bonus
($)
Stock
Awards
($) (1)
All
Other
Compensation
($)
Total
($)
Terrance E. Mendez (2)(3)(4)
2025
326,967
360,000
373,569
143,211
1,203,747
Chief Executive Officer
and Chief Financial Officer
2024
-
-
-
72,827
72,827
Jeffrey Kay
2025
175,194
50,000
50,000
-
275,194
Chief Marketing Officer
2024
-
-
-
-
-
James H. Dennedy (5)
2025
121,470
-
-
-
121,470
Former Chief Financial
Officer
2024
334,699
38,000
26,459
-
399,158
Michael Regan
2025
93,304
50,000
123,446
-
266,750
Chief Investment &
Strategy Officer
2024
-
-
-
-
-
Douglas Beck
2025
106,452
-
86,371
-
192,823
Principal Accounting Officer,
Senior Vice President of Finance
2024
-
-
-
-
-
Sundie Seefried (6)(7)
2025
16,544
-
-
7,376
23,920
Former Chief Executive
Officer
2024
316,728
46,667
32,518
-
395,913
Donnie Emmi (8)
2025
126,982
22,500
-
-
149,482
Former Chief Legal Officer
2024
331,508
38,000
26,459
-
395,967
(1)
Amounts
represent the aggregate grant date fair value of stock awards or option awards, as applicable, granted during the year measured pursuant
to Financial Accounting Standard Board Accounting Standards Codification Topic 718 (Topic 718), the basis for computing stock-based
compensation in our financial statement.
(2)
Prior
to becoming the co-Chief Executive Officer on January 21, 2025, and for the year 2024 all income earned by Mr. Mendez was through
his engagement as an independent contractor.
(3)
Mr.
Mendez became our Chief Financial Officer on June 6, 2025 following Mr. Dennedy’s resignation.
(4)
Pursuant
to the terms of Mr. Mendez’s employment agreement, if the agreement is not renewed or is terminated without cause, the Company
is obligated to pay severance equal to the CEO’s then-current annual base salary. The severance is considered a nonretirement
postemployment benefit that is accounted for under ASC 712-10, and a liability is accrued when it becomes probable that a payment
will be made, and the amount is estimable. Since the amount is defined and the amount is probable, an accrual is deemed required.
See “ Narrative Disclosure to Summary Compensation Table––Employment Agreements––Agreement
with Terrance E. Mendez .”
(5)
Mr.
Dennedy resigned as Chief Financial Officer on June 6, 2025.
(6)
Ms.
Seefried resigned as co-Chief Executive Officer on February 28, 2025.
(7)
Pursuant to Ms. Seefried’s employment agreement, in 2025 the Company paid for her participation in the Consolidated
Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act insurance program following her resignation as co-Chief Executive Officer on February 28, 2025.
(8)
Mr. Emmi resigned as Chief Legal Office on June 6, 2025.
Narrative
Disclosure to Summary Compensation Table
Overview
The
Company has developed an executive compensation program which is designed to align compensation with the Company’s business objectives
and the creation of stockholder value, while enabling the Company to attract, motivate and retain individuals who contribute to the long-term
success of the Company.
Decisions
on the executive compensation program, as described below, are determined and/or ratified by the Board of Directors with recommendations
given by the Compensation Committee.
The
decisions regarding executive compensation reflect our belief that the executive compensation program must be competitive in order to
attract and retain our executive officers. The Compensation Committee will seek to implement our compensation policies and philosophies
by linking a significant portion of our executive officers’ cash compensation to performance objectives and by providing a portion
of their compensation as long-term incentive compensation in the form of equity awards.
The
compensation for our executive officers has three primary components: base salary, an annual cash incentive bonus, and long-term incentive
compensation in the form of equity awards.
Base
Salary
The
Company’s practice has been to ensure that base salary is fair to the executive officers, competitive within the industry and reasonable
in light of the Company’s cost structure. The Compensation Committee determines base salaries and manages the base salary review
process, subject to existing employment agreements.
Annual
Bonuses
The
Company uses annual cash incentive bonuses for the executive officers to tie a portion of their compensation to financial and operational
objectives achievable within the applicable fiscal year. The Company expects that, near the beginning of each year, the Compensation
Committee will select the performance targets, target amounts, target award opportunities and other term and conditions of annual cash
bonuses for the executive officers, subject to the terms of any employment agreement. Following the end of each year, the Compensation
Committee will determine the extent to which the performance targets were achieved and the amount of the award that is payable to the
executive officers.
Equity
Awards
The
Company uses equity awards to reward long-term performance of the executive officers. The Company believes that providing a meaningful
portion of the total compensation package in the form of equity awards will align the incentives of its executive officers with the interests
of its stockholders and serve to motivate and retain the individual executive officers. Equity awards are awarded under the Plan, which
has been adopted by the Board of Directors.
61
In
connection with the Company’s executive compensation program, the Company has granted equity awards to its executives.
Other
Compensation
The
Company maintains various employee benefit plans, including medical, dental, life insurance and 401(k) plans, in which the executive
officers participate.
Employment
Agreements and Offer Letters
Agreement
with Sundie Seefried
On
February 11, 2022, the Company entered into an executive employment agreement with Sundie Seefried which became effective September 28,
2022, pursuant to which Ms. Seefried serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the Company. The executive employment agreement provides
for an annual base salary of $0.4 million, an initial incentive equity grant of options exercisable for 27,500 shares of the Company’s
Common Stock at $133.40 per share that will vest over two years and other customary benefits. The executive employment agreement, which
is for a two-year term, also provides for severance in the event of a termination by the Company without cause or by Ms. Seefried for
good reason, of one year’s base salary. Ms. Seefried resigned as co-Chief Executive Officer of the Company effective on February
28, 2025. Ms. Seefried continues to be a member of the Board.
Agreement
with Terrance E. Mendez
On
January 21, 2025, the Company entered into an executive employment agreement with Mr. Mendez which became effective immediately, pursuant
to which Mr. Mendez now serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the Company. Under the terms of the agreement, if the contract is not
renewed or is terminated without cause, the Company is obligated to pay severance equal to the Chief Executive Officer’s then-current
annual base salary. The agreement also provides for an annual cash bonus opportunity of up to
100% of base salary, and for long-term incentive compensation, the terms of which are to be determined by the Board of Directors. On
January 21, 2025, the Company’s Board of Directors granted Mr. Mendez an option to purchase 32,700 shares of our Common Stock at
an exercise price of $8.00 per share. The option has a ten-year term. One-third of the option vested immediately upon grant, one-third
will vest on the first anniversary of the grant date, and the remaining one-third will vest on the second anniversary of the grant date.
The terms of this agreement were not altered in connection with Mr. Mendez assuming the title of the Company’s sole Chief Executive
Officer on February 28, 2025. Effective January 1, 2026, Mr. Mendez’s annual base salary was increased to $0.5 million per year.
Agreement
with James H. Dennedy
On
January 10, 2023, the Company entered into an executive employment agreement with James Dennedy, pursuant to which Mr. Dennedy serves
as the Chief Financial Officer of the Company. The executive employment agreement provides for an annual base salary of $0.3 million, an
initial incentive equity grant of options exercisable for 17,500 shares of the Company’s Common Stock at $133.40 per share that
will vest over two years and other customary benefits. The executive employment agreement, which is for a two-year term, also provides
for severance in the event of a termination by the Company without cause or by Mr. Dennedy for good reason, of one year’s base
salary.
On
April 2, 2024, the Company entered into an amendment to its original agreement with Mr. Dennedy to facilitate business continuity and
stagger contract expirations to accommodate the Company’s public reporting schedule. The amendment to Mr. Dennedy’s executive
employment extends the term of his employment to May 16, 2026. In addition, the amendment contains a provision that, effective April
1, 2024, deletes and replaces Section 4(b) of Mr. Dennedy’s original agreement such that all PTO that Mr. Dennedy accrued through
March 31, 2024, but had not taken, shall be paid to him during the month of April 2024. As a result, no PTO shall accrue or be paid out
at the time of termination of Mr. Dennedy’s employment with the Company for any reason. The amendment also adds a provision that
Mr. Dennedy shall be entitled to receive supplemental severance in an amount equivalent to six months of his then-current base salary,
provided that he executes a release of claims against the Company and its affiliated entities, executives, and employees (including claims
related to any non-compete and non-solicit covenants), for the six-month period after the termination of his employment.
Mr.
Dennedy resigned as Chief Financial Officer on June 6, 2025.
Agreement with Donnie Emmi
On January 10, 2023, the Company
entered into an executive employment agreement with Donnie Emmi, pursuant to which Mr. Emmi serves as the Chief Legal Officer of the Company.
The executive employment agreement provides for an annual base salary of $285,000, an initial incentive equity grant of options exercisable
for 350,000 shares of the Company’s Common Stock at $6.67 per share that will vest over two years and other customary benefits.
The executive employment agreement, which is for a two-year term, also provides for severance in the event of a termination by the Company
without cause or by Mr. Emmi for good reason, of one year’s base salary.
On April 2, 2024, the Company entered into an amendment
to its original agreement with Mr. Emmi to facilitate business continuity and stagger contract expirations to accommodate the Company’s
public reporting schedule. The amendment to Mr. Emmi’s executive employment agreement extends the term of his employment to August
22, 2026. In addition, the amendment contains a provision that, effective April 1, 2024, deletes and replaces Section 4(b) of Mr. Emmi’s
original agreement such that all PTO that Mr. Emmi accrued through March 31, 2024, but had not taken, shall be paid to him during the
month of April 2024. As a result, no PTO shall accrue or be paid out at the time of termination of Mr. Emmi’s employment with the
Company for any reason. The amendment also adds a provision that Mr. Emmi shall be entitled to receive supplemental severance in an amount
equivalent to six months’ of his then-current base salary, provided that he executes a release of claims against the Company and
its affiliated entities, executives, and employees (including claims related to any non-compete and non-solicit covenants), for the six
month period after the termination of his employment.
Mr. Emmi resigned as Chief Legal Officer on
June 6, 2025
62
Offer Letter with Jeffrey Kay
Mr. Jeffrey Kay joined the Company in April 2025 as
Senior Vice President of Marketing. His annual salary is $0.3 million per annum and an initial incentive equity grant of options exercisable
for 23,781 shares of the Company’s Common Stock at $2.22 per share that will vest over three years and other customary benefits.
On September 24, 2025, Mr. Kay was appointed Chief Marketing Officer. Mr. Kay joined the Company in April 2025 as Senior Vice President
of Marketing. Mr. Kay is an at-will employee.
Offer Letter with Michael Regan
Mr. Michael Regan joined the Company in March 2025
to June 2025 as Head of Investor Relations and Data Science, and the position of Vice President, Strategic Finance and Corporate Development
from June 2025. On September 24, 2025, Mr. Regan was appointed Chief Investment and Strategy Officer. Mr. Regan annual salary was $0.1
million per annum and an initial incentive equity grant of options exercisable for 7,326 shares of the Company’s Common Stock at
$6.40 per share that will vest over three years and other customary benefits. On January 1, 2026, Mr. Regan annual salary was increased
to $0.2 million per annum. Mr. Regan is an at-will employee.
Offer Letter with Douglas Beck
Mr. Douglas Beck joined the Company in May 2025 as
the Senior VP and Controller of the Company. On September 24, 2025, Mr. Beck was appointed Principal Accounting Officer and will continue
to serve as the Company’s Senior Vice President of Finance, Controller, a position that he has held since May 2025. Mr. Beck annual
salary was $0.18 million per year and is he eligible to participate in the Company’s benefits. On January 1, 2026, Mr. Beck annual
salary was increased to $0.2 million per year. Mr. Beck is an at-will employee.
Director
Compensation
The
following table sets forth for the year ended December 31, 2025, certain information as to the total remuneration we paid to our non-employee
directors.
In
2025, each director received a quarterly cash payment in the amount of $0.006 million and fees in the amount of $0.005 million per committee. In addition,
the chair of the Audit Committee received an annual retainer of $20,000; the chair of Compensation Committee received an annual retainer
of $0.01 million; the chair of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee received an annual retainer of $0.01 million; and the chair of the
Board of Directors received an additional $0.015 million. Mr. Mendez did not receive fees for his service as a member of the Board of Directors,
and Ms. Seefried did not receive fees for her service as a member of the Board of Directors until after her resignation from her position
as co-Chief Executive Officer of the Company.
Name
Fees
Earned or Paid in Cash ($)
Option
Awards (1)
($)
All
Other Compensation ($)
Total
($)
Jonathon Niehaus
55,000
84,142
-
139,142
Sundie Seefried
25,000
84,142
-
109,142
Richard Carleton
39,600
84,142
-
123,742
Francis A. Braun III
39,167
100,000
-
139,167
Douglas Fagan (2)
6,250
84,142
-
90,392
Jennifer Meyers (3)
6,250
84,142
-
90,392
Jonathan Summers (4)
23,791
84,142
-
107,933
Karl Racine (5)
8,750
84,142
-
92,892
(1) Amounts
represent the aggregate grant date fair value of option awards granted during the year measured
pursuant to Financial Accounting Standard Board Accounting Standards Codification Topic 718
(Topic 718), the basis for computing stock-based compensation in our financial statement.
(2) Mr.
Fagan resigned from his position as a director of the Company on May 15, 2025.
(3) Ms.
Meyers resigned from her position as a director of the Company on May 15, 2025.
(4) Mr.
Summers did not stand for re-election at the 2025 annual meeting of the Company’s stockholders.
(5) Mr.
Racine resigned from his position as a director of the Company on May 2, 2025.
63
Outstanding
Equity Awards at December 31, 2025
The
following table sets forth information regarding outstanding stock options or unvested equity awards as of December 31, 2025.
Option
Awards
Restricted
Stock Awards
Number
of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options (#) Exercisable
Number
of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options (#) Unexercisable
Equity
Incentive Plan Awards: Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Unearned Options (#)
Option
Exercise Price ($)
Option
Expiration Date
Number
of Shares or Units of Stock That Have Not Vested (#)
Market
Value of Shares or Units of Stock That Have Not Vested ($)
Equity
Incentive Plan Awards: Number of Unearned Shares, Units or Other Rights That Have Not Vested (#)
Equity
Incentive Plan Awards: Market or Payout Value of Unearned Shares, Units or Other Rights That Have Not Vested ($)
Terrance E. Mendez
32,700
32,700
32,700
8.00
January
21, 2035
–
–
–
–
91,751
91,751
91,751
2.40
August
7, 2035
–
–
–
–
Jeffrey Kay
23,781
23,781
23,781
2.22
May
7, 2035
–
–
–
–
25,825
25,825
25,825
2.40
August
7, 2035
–
–
–
–
Michael Regan
7,326
7,326
7,326
6.40
March
10, 2035
–
–
–
–
45,875
45,875
45,875
2.40
August
7, 2035
–
–
–
–
Douglas Beck
45,875
45,875
45,875
2.40
August
7, 2035
–
–
–
–
Sundie Seefried
27,500
27,500
27,500
133.40
October
13, 2032
–
–
–
–
11,628
11,628
11,628
9.68
March
3, 2035
There were no outstanding stock options or unvested equity awards as of
December 31, 2025 for either Mr. Emmi or Mr. Dennedy. Additional
information required by this Item 11 will be presented in the Proxy Statement in the sections titled “Compensation Discussion and
Analysis,” “Management and Corporate Governance,” and “Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management”
and is incorporated herein by reference to the Proxy Statement.
64
Item
12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters.
The
following table sets forth information with respect to the beneficial ownership of our Common Stock as of April 10, 2026, except as
noted, by (i) each stockholder known by us to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of our Common Stock, (ii) each of our directors
and named executive officers, and (iii) all of our directors and executive officers as a group. Our only class of voting securities is
our Common Stock. To our knowledge, none of the shares listed below is held under a voting trust or similar agreement. To our knowledge,
there are no pending arrangements, including any pledges by any person of securities of the Company, the operation of which may at a
subsequent date result in a change in control of the Company. There were 4,505,485 shares of Common Stock issued and outstanding on April
10, 2026.
Unless
otherwise indicated in the following table, the address for each person named in the table is 1526 Cole Blvd., Suite 250, Golden, Colorado
80401. Pursuant to SEC rules, we have included shares of Common Stock that the person has the right to acquire within 60 days after April
10, 2026.
Name and Address of Beneficial Owner
Shares of
Class A
Common Stock
% of
Total Voting
Power (1)
Terrance E. Mendez
102,651
(2)
2.2 %
Sundie Seefried
96,795
(3)
2.1 %
Jonathon Niehaus
16,596
(4)
* %
Richard Carleton
15,635
(4)
* %
Francis A. Braun III
53,144
(5)
1.2 %
Michael Regan
48,317
(5) (8)
1.1 %
Douglas Beck
45,875
(5)
1.0 %
Jeffrey Kay
8,608
(5)
* %
(All Executive Officers and Directors as a Group (8 persons)):
387,621
8.0 %
Five Percent and Other Holders:
Partner Colorado Credit Union
1,080,807
(6)
24.0 %
M3 FUNDS, LLC
308,000
(7)
6.8 %
*
Indicates ownership of less than 1% of the outstanding shares of our Common Stock.
(1)
The
percentage of beneficial ownership of the Company is calculated based on 4,505,485 shares of Common Stock outstanding as of the
April 10, 2026, plus vested but unexercised options.
(2)
Includes
(i) 10,900 incentive stock options that are vested, or vest in the next 60 days, to purchase shares of Common Stock and have an exercise
price per share equal to $8.00, and (ii) 91,751 incentive stock options that are vested, or vest in the next 60 days, to purchase
shares of Common Stock and have an exercise price per share equal to $2.40.
(3)
Includes
(i) 27,500 incentive stock options that are vested, or vest in the next 60 days, to purchase shares of Common Stock and have an exercise
price per share equal to $133.40, and (ii) 11,628 incentive stock options that are vested, or vest in the next 60 days, to purchase
shares of Common Stock and have an exercise price per share equal to $9.68.
(4)
Includes
11,628 incentive stock options that are vested, or vest in the next 60 days, to purchase shares of Common Stock and have an exercise
price per share equal to $9.68.
(5)
Composed
entirely of incentive stock options that are vested, or vest in the next 60 days, to purchase shares of Common Stock and have an
exercise price per share equal to $2.40.
(6)
Based
solely on information contained in a Schedule 13D filed with the SEC on July 21, 2023. The business address of Partner Colorado Credit
Union is 6221 Sheridan Blvd, Arvada, CO 80003.
(7)
Based
solely on information contained in a Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on December 30, 2025. The business address of M3 Funds, LLC
is 2070 E 2100 S, Suite 250, Salt Lake City, UT 84109.
(8)
Includes 2,442 incentive stock options that are vested, or vest in the
next 60 days, to purchase shares of Common Stock and have an exercise price per share equal to $6.40.
65
Participation
by Management and a Director in the Series B Preferred Stock Offering
On September 30, 2025, Terrance Mendez, Chief Executive Officer, Interim Chief Financial Officer and Director of
the Company, Michael Regan, Chief Investment & Strategy Officer of the Company, Jeffrey Kay, Chief Marketing Officer of the Company,
Richard Carleton, a Director of the Company, and Margaret Williams, an employee of the Company, all participated in the Company’s
offering of Series B Preferred Stock pursuant to the Series B SPA. Their participation was subject to stockholder approval in accordance
with Nasdaq Rule 5635(c), which was obtained on November 6, 2026. In the aggregate, these participants purchased 284 shares of Series
B Preferred Stock and received accompanying Series B Warrants to purchase an aggregate of 18,290 shares of Common Stock.
Certain
members of the Company’s management team and its Board of Directors participated in the Series B SPA as buyers. In the aggregate,
management and board participants purchased 284 shares of Series B Preferred Stock and received accompanying Series B Warrants to purchase
18,290 shares of Common Stock.
The
individual participants and their respective purchases were as follows:
Participant
Position
Series
B
Convertible
Preferred
Shares
Owned
Series
B Warrant Shares
Owned
Amount
Paid
Terrance E. Mendez
Chief Executive Officer and Chief
Financial Officer
125
8,050
$ 100,000
Michael Regan
Chief Investment and Strategy Officer
63
4,057
$ 50,400
Jeffrey Kay
Chief Marketing Office
63
4,057
$ 50,400
Margret Williams
VP, BSA and Compliance
20
1,228
$ 16,000
Richard Carleton
Board of Director
13
837
$ 10,400 (1)
(1) Mr.
Carleton also agreed to cancel $10,400 of his Board compensation as consideration
for his Series B Preferred Stock and Series B Warrants.
Because
the issuance of shares of Common Stock underlying the Series B Preferred Stock and Series B Warrants to members of management and the
Board constituted compensation under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c), such issuances were conditioned upon and subject to stockholder approval.
On November 6, 2025, at a special meeting of stockholders, the Company’s stockholders approved the issuances to members of management
and the Board of Directors.
The
terms of the Series B Preferred Stock and Series B Warrants purchased by management and director participants are identical to those
available to all other buyers under the Series B stock purchase agreement or SPA. No preferential terms, discounts beyond the standard
$800 per $1,000 stated-value purchase price, or other special arrangements were extended to any management or board participant.
For
additional information regarding the Series B offering, see “Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director
Independence” and Note 19 to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Additional information required by this Item 12 will be presented in the Proxy Statement in the sections titled “Certain
Relationships and Related Transactions” and “Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management” and is
incorporated herein by reference to the Proxy Statement.
Item
13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions and Director Independence.
In addition to the below, the information required
by this Item 13 is incorporated herein by reference to the information in the sections entitled “Certain Relationships and Related
Transactions” and “Management and Corporate Governance” in the Proxy Statement.
Director Independence
Applicable rules of Nasdaq require a majority
of a listed company’s board of directors to be comprised of independent directors within one year of listing. In addition, Nasdaq
rules require that, subject to specified exceptions, each member of a listed company’s audit, compensation and nominating and corporate
governance committees be independent, and that audit committee members also satisfy independence criteria set forth in Rule 10A-3 under
the Exchange Act. The Nasdaq independence definition includes a series of objective tests, such as that the director is not, and has
not been for at least three years, one of our employees, that neither the director nor any of his or her family members has engaged in
various types of business dealings with us and that the director is not associated with the holders of more than five percent of our
Common Stock. In addition, under applicable Nasdaq rules, a director will only qualify as an “independent director” if, in
the opinion of the listed company’s board of directors, that person does not have a relationship that would interfere with the
exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director. In February 2026, the Board of Directors, upon recommendation
from the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, formally adopted and approved the use of the Nasdaq independence definition as
the Company’s standard for evaluating a director’s independence.
Our Board of Directors has undertaken a review
of the independence of each director. Based on information provided by each director concerning their background, employment and affiliations,
our Board of Directors has determined that three of our five current directors do not have relationships that would interfere with the
exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director and that each of these directors is “independent”
as that term is defined under the listing standards of Nasdaq. In making such determination, our Board of Directors considered the relationships
that each such non-employee director has with us and all other facts and circumstances that our Board of Directors deemed relevant in
determining their independence, including the beneficial ownership of our capital stock by each non-employee director.
Each of Mr. Carleton, Mr. Niehaus, and Mr.
Braun would be considered “independent” members of our Board of Directors as “independence” is defined in Nasdaq
Marketplace Rule 5605(a)(2). The Board has determined that Mr. Mendez is not “independent” because he is an executive officer
of the Company, and that Ms. Seefried is not “independent” due to her recent previous employment as an executive officer
of the Company. The Board’s Audit Committee, Compensation Committee, and Nominating
and Corporate Governance Committee each consist entirely of each of the independent directors, in accordance with Nasdaq listing standards
and applicable SEC rules.
66
Related Party Transaction Policy
The Company’s Board of Directors has adopted
a written Related Party Transaction Policy that requires the Audit Committee of the Board to review and approve or ratify any transaction
between the Company and a “related party,” which is defined as any director, executive officer, nominee for director, or
holder of more than 5% of the Company’s outstanding Common Stock, or any immediate family member of any such person in which the
amount involved exceeds the lesser of $0.12 million since the Company’s last fiscal year or 1% of the average of the Company’s
total assets at year-end for the Company’s last two completed fiscal years. The Audit Committee of the Board evaluates the material
facts of each such transaction and determines whether approval or ratification is in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders.
Our related party transactions entered into between January 1, 2024 and the date hereof, all of which were previously approved by our
Audit Committee, are described below.
Identified
Related Parties
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025, the Company identified one related party as defined under ASC 850 and
SEC Regulation S-K Item 404. PCCU held approximately 25.2% of the Company’s Common Stock as of December
31, 2025, making it both a significant stockholder and the Company’s most significant commercial counterparty. PCCU also holds the majority
of the Company’s cash deposits.
Commercial Alliance Agreements
The
Company’s wholly-owned subsidiary, SHF, LLC, operates substantially all of its business with PCCU. This relationship is
governed by the Second Amended CAA, which replaced the First Amended CAA as of October 1, 2025. The Company and PCCU had agreed to
the terms for the Second Amended CAA in October 2025 and was executed on February 4, 2026.
The
First Amended CAA introduced several significant changes to the CAA, including (i) the elimination of the Company’s indemnification
obligations for loan-related losses, (ii) a reduction in the Company’s loan program income share to approximately 35% to
reflect the incremental risk absorbed by PCCU in connection with the elimination of our indemnification obligations, (iii) the replacement
of a multiple per-account fee structure with a single asset hosting fee equal to 1.00% of average daily CRB deposit balances that increased
to 1.30% in the event balances exceeded $130 million, and (iv) us receiving 100% of investment income on CRB deposits.
The
Second Amended CAA fundamentally restructured the economics of the PCCU relationship. The primary changes were that (i) the
Company’s share of loan program income increased from approximately 35% up to 65%, reflecting the completion the September
2025 Recapitalization; (ii) the Company now receives up to 65% of loan program income generated by PCCU’s CRB loan portfolio
in exchange for being obligated to indemnify PCCU for up to 65% of net losses of a default on any loan covered by the Second Amended
CAA, with no contractual cap on total exposure; and (iii) the asset hosting fee structure transitioned from a flat rate to a tiered
marginal rate schedule based on average daily deposit balances, with rates ranging from 0.50% on the first $25 million to 1.25% on
balances above $125 million, resulting in estimated annual savings of approximately $0.3 million compared to the rates contained in
the First Amended CAA. See Part I, Item 1., “Business––Recent Developments––September 2025
Recapitalization.”
The
Company derives substantially all of its revenue from services performed under the CAA. For the year ended December 31, 2025, revenue
generated under the then-in effect agreement with PCCU approximated 86.7% of total Company revenues. As of December 31,
2025, amounts due from PCCU approximated 97% of total accounts receivable. PCCU holds the majority of the Company’s
cash and cash equivalents. As of December 31, 2025, and December 31, 2024, $6.8 million and $2.2 million of the Company’s cash
was held on deposit at PCCU, respectively. See Part II, Item 7., Part II, Item 7., “Management’s Discussion and Analysis
of Financial Condition and Results of Operations for the Years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024––Related Party Relationship
with PCCU.”
On
September 30, 2025, the Company entered into the Debt Cancellation Agreement whereby PCCU cancelled the PCCU Note. At the time of cancellation,
the outstanding principal balance was approximately $10.7 million. In consideration for the cancellation, PCCU received 13,436 shares
of Series B Preferred Stock and a Series B Warrant to purchase 865,200 shares of Common Stock. As a result, no balance remained outstanding
under the PCCU Note as of December 31, 2025. The transaction was accounted for as a debt extinguishment under ASC 470-50. Under the terms
of the Series B Preferred Stock and Series B Warrants, PCCU may not convert its preferred shares or exercise its warrant to the extent
such action would result in PCCU beneficially owning more than 4.99% of the Company’s Common Stock. Holders of the Series B Preferred
Stock have no voting rights and no right to appoint directors of the Company.
Series B Preferred Stock Offering
See Part III, Item 12., “Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder
Matters––Participation by Management and a Director in the Series B Preferred Stock Offering” for a discussion regarding
the participation by a director and several members of management in the Company’s offering of Series B Preferred Stock pursuant
to the Series B SPA.
Item
14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services.
The
information required by this Item 14 is incorporated herein by reference to the information in the section entitled “Proposal 2:
Ratification of the Appointment of Macias, Gini & O’Connell, LLP as the Company’s Independent Registered Public Accounting
Firm for the Fiscal Year Ending December 31, 2026” in the Proxy Statement.
67
PART
IV
Item
15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules.
List
of documents filed as part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K:
(1)
Consolidated Financial Statements
The
consolidated financial statements required by this item are contained under the section entitled “Index to Consolidated Financial
Statements” (and the consolidated financial statements and related notes referenced therein) included beginning on page F-1 of
this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
(2)
Consolidated Financial Statements Schedules
All
financial statement schedules are omitted because they are either not applicable, not required, or because the information required is
included in the above referenced consolidated financial statements and notes thereto.
(3)
List of Exhibits
The
exhibit list in the Exhibit Index is incorporated herein by reference as the list of exhibits required as part of this Annual Report
on Form 10-K.
EXHIBIT
INDEX
The
following exhibits are filed as part of, or incorporated by reference into, this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
No.
Description
of Exhibit
2.1†
Unit
Purchase Agreement dated February 11, 2022 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form
8-K filed on February 14, 2022).
2.2
First
Amendment to Unit Purchase Agreement dated September 19, 2022 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Current
Report on Form 8-K filed on September 19, 2022).
2.3
Second
Amendment to Unit Purchase Agreement dated September 22, 2022 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Current
Report on Form 8-K filed on September 23, 2022).
2.4
Third
Amendment to Unit Purchase Agreement dated September 28, 2022 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Current
Report on Form 8-K filed on September 29, 2022).
2.5†
Agreement
and Plan of Merger, dated October 29, 2022, by and among SHF Holdings, Inc., Merger Sub I, Merger Sub II, Rockview Digital Solutions,
Inc. d/b/a Abaca and Dan Roda, solely in such individual’s capacity as the representative of Abaca security holders (incorporated
by reference to Exhibit 2.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on October 31, 2022).
2.6
Amendment
to Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated November 11, 2022, by and among SHF Holdings, Inc., Merger Sub I, Merger Sub II, Rockview
Digital Solutions, Inc. d/b/a Abaca and Dan Roda, solely in such individual’s capacity as the representative of the Abaca security
holders (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on November 15, 2022).
68
2.7
Second
Amendment to Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated October 26, 2023, by and among SHF Holdings, Inc., Merger Sub I, Merger Sub II,
Rockview Digital Solutions, Inc. d/b/a Abaca and Dan Roda, solely in such individual’s capacity as the representative of the
Abaca security holders (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on October
27, 2023).
2.8
First
Amendment to Second Amendment to Agreement and Plan of Merger, Warrant Agreement, and Lock-up Agreement dated February 27, 2024 (incorporated
by reference to Exhibit 2.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on March 4, 2024).
3.1
Second
Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Company’s Current Report
on Form 8-K filed on September 29, 2022).
3.2
Certificate
of Amendment to the Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Company’s
Current Report on Form 8-K filed March 20, 2025).
3.3
Certificate of Amendment to Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on November 10, 2025).
3.4
Bylaws
of the Company (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.3 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed on June
2, 2021).
3.5
Certificate
of Designation of Series B Preferred Stock of SHF Holdings, Inc., dated September 30, 2025 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit
3.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on October 3, 2025).
3.6
Amendment
to SHF Holdings, Inc. Certificate of Incorporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Company’s Current Report
on Form 8-K filed on November 10, 2025).
4.1
Form
of Warrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on October 3, 2025).
4.2
Form
of Amended and Restated Warrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed
on October 17, 2025).
4.3
Description
of Registered Securities (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.6 to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on April
1, 2024).
10.1
Amended
and Restated Commercial Alliance Agreement, dated December 30, 2024, between the Company and Partner Colorado Credit Union (incorporated
by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on January 7, 2025).
10.2
Form
of Convertible Promissory Note, by and between the Company and the Investors (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s
Current Report on Form 8-K filed on September 2, 2025).
10.3
Common
Stock Purchase Agreement, dated as of September 17, 2025, between SHF Holdings, Inc. and CREO Investments LLC (incorporated by reference
to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on September 23, 2025).
10.4
Registration
Rights Agreement dated as of September 17, 2025 between SHF Holdings, Inc. and CREO Investments LLC (incorporated by reference to
Exhibit 10.2 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on September 23, 2025).
10.5†
Form
of Securities Purchase Agreement, dated September 30, 2025, by and between SHF Holdings, Inc. and the investors signatory thereto
(incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on October 3, 2025).
10.6
Form
of Registration Rights Agreement (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed
on October 3, 2025).
10.7
Debt
Cancellation Agreement, dated September 30, 2025, by and between SHF Holdings, Inc. and Partner Colorado Credit Union (incorporated
by reference to Exhibit 10.4 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on October 3, 2025).
10.8
Form
of Exchange and Cancellation Agreement (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.5 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K
filed on October 3, 2025).
69
10.9
Amendment
No. 1 to Common Stock Purchase Agreement, dated September 30, 2025, by and between SHF Holdings, Inc. and CREO Investments LLC (incorporated
by reference to Exhibit 10.6 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on October 3, 2025).
10.10
Form
of Amendment to Securities Purchase Agreement, dated October 14, 2025, by and between SHF Holdings, Inc. and the investor identified
therein (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on October 17, 2025).
10.11
Executive
Employment Agreement, dated January 21, 2025, between the Company and Terrance Mendez (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1
to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on January 27, 2025).
10.12
Letter
Agreement dated January 29, 2025 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 99.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed
on February 3, 2025).
10.13
Amended
and Restated Senior Secured Promissory Note dated March 3, 2025 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s
Current Report on Form 8-K filed on March 4, 2025).
10.14
Waiver,
dated as of May 21, 2025, by and between SHF Holdings, Inc. and Partner Colorado Credit Union (incorporated by reference to Exhibit
10.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on May 28, 2025).
10.15
Amended
and Restated – 2022 Equity Incentive Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3 to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K
filed on April 1, 2024).
10.16
SHF
Holdings, Inc. Amendment to Amended and Restated – 2022 Equity Incentive Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s
Current Report on Form 8-K filed on July 11, 2025).
10.17
Form
SHF Holdings, Inc. Stock Option Agreement (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4 to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K
filed on April 1, 2024).
10.18
Form
of SHF Holdings, Inc. Restricted Stock Unit Agreement (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 5 to the Company’s Annual Report
on Form 10-K filed on April 1, 2024).
10.19
Security
Agreement, dated March 29, 2023, by and between the Company and Partner Colorado Credit Union (incorporated by reference to Exhibit
3 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed May 15, 2023).
10.20
Executive Employment Agreement, dated January 10, 2023, between the Company and James H. Dennedy (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.13 to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed on April 14, 2023).
10.21
Amendment to Employment Agreement dated April 2, 2024 between the Company and James Dennedy (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on April 8, 2024).
10.22
Executive Employment Agreement, dated January 10, 2023, between the Company and Donald Emmi (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.12 to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed on April 14, 2023).
10.23
Amendment to Employment Agreement dated April 2, 2024 between the Company and Donald Emmi (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on April 8, 2024).
10.24
Employment Agreement, dated February 11, 2022, between the Company and Sundie Seefried (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on September 4, 2024).
10.25
Amendment to Employment Agreement dated August 1, 2024 between the Company and Sundie Seefried (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on September 4, 2024).
10.26
Executive Employment Agreement, dated August 16, 2023, between the Company and Tyler Beuerlein (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on August 22, 2023).
10.27
Amendment to Employment Agreement dated August 1, 2024 between the Company and Tyler Beuerlein (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on August 27, 2024).
10.28†
Second Amended and Restated Commercial Alliance Agreement, dated February 4, 2026, by and between the Company and PCCU (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on February 9, 2026).
14*
Code of Ethics and Business Conduct.
70
16.1
April
18, 2025 letter from Marcum LLP (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 16.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed
on April 18, 2025).
19*
Safe Harbor Financial Policy on Insider Trading.
21.1*
Subsidiaries
of the Registrant.
23.1*
Consent
of Macias, Gini & O’Connell, LLP, independent registered public accounting firm.
23.2*
Consent of Marcum LLP, independent registered public accounting firm.
31.1*
Certification of Principal Executive Officer and Principal Chief Financial Officer Pursuant to Securities and Exchange Act Rule 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 Accounting Officer Pursuant to Securities and Exchange Act Rule 13a-14(a) and 15(d)-14(a), as adopted Pursuant to Section
302 of the Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002.
32.1**
Certificate
of Principal Executive Officer and Principal Chief Financial Officer Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted Pursuant to Section
906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
32.2**
Certificate
of Accounting Principal Officer Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act
of 2002.
97
Clawback
policy (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 97 to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on April 1, 2024).
101.INS*
Inline
XBRL Instance Document
101.CAL*
Inline
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document
101.SCH*
Inline
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document
101.DEF*
Inline
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document
101.LAB*
Inline
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Labels Linkbase Document
101.PRE*
Inline
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document
104*
Cover
Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document)
*
Filed
herewith.
**
Furnished.
†
Pursuant
to Item 601(a)(5) of Regulation S-K, schedules and similar attachments to this exhibit have been omitted because they do not contain
information material to an investment or voting decision and such information is not otherwise disclosed in such exhibit. The Company
will supplementally provide a copy of any omitted schedule or similar attachment to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission or
its staff upon request.
Item
16. Form 10-K Summary.
None.
71
SIGNATURES
Pursuant
to the requirements of Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
SHF
HOLDINGS INC .
Date:
April 15, 2026
/s/
Terrance E. Mendez
Name:
Terrance
Mendez
Title:
Chief
Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer
(Principal
Executive Officer)
Date:
April 15, 2026
/s/
Douglas Beck
Name:
Douglas Beck
Title:
Principal
Accounting Officer, SVP of Accounting and Finance, Controller
(Principal
Financial and Accounting Officer)
Pursuant
to the requirements of Section 13 or 15 (d) of the 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.
Signature
Title
Date
/s/
Terrance E. Mendez
Chief
Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer
April 15, 2026
Terrance
E. Mendez
/s/
Douglas Beck
Principal
Accounting Officer, SVP of Finance, Controller
April 15, 2026
Douglas
Beck
/s/
Jonathon Niehaus
Director
April 15, 2026
Jonathon Niehaus
/s/
Francis Braun III
Director
April 15, 2026
Francis Braun III
/s/
Richard Carleton
Director
April 15, 2026
Richard
Carleton
/s/
Sundie Seefried
Director
April 15, 2026
Sundie
Seefried
72
INDEX
TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
SHF
HOLDINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
INDEX
Page
Report
of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (Macias Gini & O’Connell LLP) (PCAOB ID 324 )
F-2
Report
of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (Marcum LLP) (PCAOB ID 688 )
F-3
Consolidated
Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024
F-4
Consolidated
Statements of Operations for the years ended December 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024
F-5
Consolidated
Statements of Stockholders’ Equity (Deficit) for the years ended December 31, 2025 and December 31,
2024
F-6
Consolidated
Statements of Cash Flows for the years ended December 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024
F-8
Notes
to the Consolidated Financial Statements for the years ended December 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024
F-9
F- 1
Report
of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
To
the Stockholders and
Board
of Directors of
SHF
Holdings, Inc.
Opinion
on the Consolidated Financial Statements
We
have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheet of SHF Holdings, Inc. and subsidiaries (the “Company”) as of December
31, 2025, and the related consolidated statements of operations, stockholders’ equity (deficit), and cash flows for the year then
ended, the related notes (collectively referred to as the “consolidated financial statements”). In our opinion, the consolidated
financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2025, and the
results of its operations and its cash flows for the year then ended, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in
the United States of America.
Explanatory
Paragraph - Going Concern
The
accompanying financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As discussed in Note
2 to the financial statements, the Company has incurred recurring losses from operations and experienced negative cash flows from operating
activities. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern within one year
after the date that the financial statements are issued. Management’s plans to address these matters are also described in Note
2. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
Emphasis
of Matter - Customer Concentration
Note
2 to the financial statements describes the Company’s significant concentration of revenue from a single customer. During the year
ended December 31, 2025, approximately 86.7% of the Company’s total revenue was generated from a single customer, which is a related party. The loss of this
customer could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s operations and financial position. Our opinion is not modified in
respect of this matter.
Basis
for Opinion
These
consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion
on the Company’s consolidated financial statements based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public
Company Accounting Oversight Board (the “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 audit 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 consolidated 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 audit, 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
audit included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated 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 consolidated financial statements. Our audit also included evaluating the accounting principles
used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements.
We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
/s/
Macias Gini & O’Connell LLP
M acias Gini & O’Connell LLP
We
have served as the Company’s auditor since 2025
Sacramento,
California
April 15, 2026
F- 2
REPORT
OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To
the Stockholders and Board of Directors of
SHF
Holdings, Inc.
Opinion
on the Financial Statements
We
have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheet of SHF Holdings, Inc. and subsidiaries (the “Company”) as of December
31, 2024 the related consolidated statement of operations, stockholders’ equity (deficit), and cash flows for the year ended December
31, 2024, 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, 2024, and the results of its operations
and its cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2024, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States
of America.
Explanatory
Paragraph – Going Concern
The
accompanying financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As more fully described
in Note 2, the Company has a significant working capital deficiency, has incurred significant losses and may need to raise additional
funds to meet its obligations and sustain its operations. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability
to continue as a going concern. Management’s plans in regard to these matters are also described in Note 2. The financial statements
do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
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 audit. 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 audit 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 audit,
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
audit 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 audit 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 audit
provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
/s/
Marcum LLP
Marcum
LLP
We
have served as the Company’s auditor from 2022 through 2025.
Hartford,
CT
April
10, 2025
F- 3
SHF
Holdings, Inc.
CONSOLIDATED
BALANCE SHEETS
December
31,
2025
December
31,
2024
ASSETS
Current Assets:
Cash and cash
equivalents
$ 6,779,040
$ 2,324,647
Accounts receivable –
trade
31,376
134,609
Accounts receivable –
related party
1,009,483
968,023
Accounts receivable
1,009,483
968,023
Prepaid expenses
862,400
659,536
Accrued interest receivable
-
16,319
Forward purchase receivable
-
4,584,221
Loans receivable,
net
-
13,332
Contract asset
516,283
-
Other
current assets
3,000,000
3,000,000
Total Current Assets
12,198,582
11,700,687
Long-term loans receivable,
net
-
378,854
Operating lease right to
use assets
547,186
703,524
Investment in preferred
securities
1,450,000
-
Prepaid expenses
414,329
412,500
Contract asset
2,581,417
-
Other
assets
15,510
22,722
Total
Assets
$ 17,207,024
$ 13,218,287
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’
EQUITY (DEFICIT)
Current Liabilities:
Accounts payable
$ 189,828
$ 140,723
Accounts payable-related
party
171,365
75,608
Accounts payable
171,365
75,608
Accrued expenses
1,310,463
1,301,378
Deferred revenue
15,415
28,335
Lease liabilities
181,963
161,952
Senior secured promissory
note
-
255,765
Deferred consideration
3,000,000
3,338,343
Forward purchase derivative
liability
-
7,309,580
Stand-ready guarantee liability
711,667
-
Financial indemnification liability
433,968
-
Other
current liabilities
485,055
72,836
Total Current Liabilities
6,499,724
12,684,520
Warrant liabilities
39,620
1,360,491
Senior secured promissory
note
-
10,748,408
Stand-ready guarantee liability
1,245,416
-
Financial indemnification liability
657,804
-
Lease liabilities
528,552
712,882
Total
Liabilities
8,971,116
25,506,301
Commitment and Contingencies
(Note 20)
-
-
Stockholders’ Equity
(Deficit)
Convertible preferred stock, $ .0001 par value,
1,250,000 shares authorized, 111 and 111 shares issued and outstanding on December 31, 2025, and December 31, 2024, respectively
-
-
Series B Convertible Preferred Stock, 35,000
authorized, shares, par value $ .0001 , 30,808 and 0 shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024
3
-
Convertible preferred stock, value
3
-
Class A Common Stock, $ .0001 par value, 1 billion
and 130 million shares authorized, 4,281,523 and 2,783,666 issued and outstanding on December 31, 2025, and December 31, 2024, respectively
428
278
Additional paid-in capital
131,152,020
108,467,253
Accumulated deficit
( 122,916,543 )
( 120,755,545 )
Total Stockholders’
Equity (Deficit)
$ 8,235,908
$ ( 12,288,014 )
Total
Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity (Deficit)
$ 17,207,024
$ 13,218,287
See
accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements
F- 4
SHF
Holdings, Inc.
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
2025
2024
For
The Year Ended December 31,
2025
2024
Revenue
$ 7,673,532
$ 15,242,560
Operating expenses
Compensation and employee
benefits
6,266,317
7,783,331
General and administrative
expenses
3,294,275
4,018,094
Professional services
3,328,222
2,518,394
Lease expense
232,773
258,477
Amortization of contract asset
129,072
-
Credit loss (benefit) expense
( 177,917 )
( 1,393,131 )
Impairment of goodwill
-
6,058,000
Impairment
of long-lived intangible assets
-
3,090,881
Total
operating expenses
13,072,742
22,334,046
Operating
loss
( 5,399,210 )
( 7,091,486 )
Other (income) expenses
Interest expense
( 492,643 )
( 533,390 )
Change in fair value of
warrant liabilities
1,320,871
2,803,638
Gain on extinguishment
of forward purchase derivative
3,336,213
-
Costs incurred to secure financing
( 987,621 )
-
Discount on common stock sold pursuant to the ELOC
( 76,553
)
-
Change
in the fair value of deferred consideration
79,475
361,449
Total other income
3,179,742
2,631,697
Net loss before provision (benefit) for income
taxes
( 2,219,468 )
( 4,459,789 )
Provision (benefit) for
income taxes
( 58,470 )
43,859,686
Net loss
( 2,160,998 )
( 48,319,475 )
Deemed dividend on Series B Preferred Stock redemption
( 241,435 )
-
Net loss attributable to common stockholders
$ ( 2,402,433 )
$ ( 48,319,475 )
Weighted average shares outstanding, basic
and diluted
2,921,648
2,772,867
Basic and diluted net
loss per share
$ ( 0.82 )
$ ( 17.43 )
See
accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements
F- 5
SHF
Holdings, Inc.
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENT OF STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY (DEFICIT)
FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2025
Shares
Amount
Shares
Amount
Shares
Amount
Capital
Deficit
( Deficit)
Preferred
Stock
Series
B
Convertible
Preferred Stock
Class
A
Common Stock
Additional
Paid-in
Accumulated
Total
Stockholders’
Equity
Shares
Amount
Shares
Amount
Shares
Amount
Capital
Deficit
( Deficit)
Balance, December 31, 2024
111
$ -
-
$ -
2,783,666
$ 278
$ 108,467,253
$ ( 120,755,545 )
$ ( 12,288,014 )
Reclassification of forward purchase receivable
-
-
-
-
-
-
( 4,584,221 )
-
( 4,584,221 )
Issuance of Class A Common Stock for
restricted stock awards, net of tax
-
-
-
-
4,292
-
8,768
-
8,768
Issuance of Class A Common Stock for
legal settlement
-
-
-
-
89,308
9
199,991
-
200,000
Shares of Class A Common Stock withheld for
net share settlement
-
-
-
-
( 1,421 )
-
-
-
-
Issuance of Series B Convertible Preferred
Stock and Series B Warrants, net of offering costs
-
-
31,052
3
-
-
23,918,189
-
23,918,192
Redemption of Series B Convertible Preferred
Stock
-
-
( 244 )
-
-
-
( 474,177 )
-
( 474,177 )
Issuance of common stock due to reverse stock split
-
-
-
40,110
4
( 4 )
-
-
Stock compensation expense
-
-
-
-
-
1,501,950
-
1,501,950
Issuance of Class A Common Stock to Abaca
Shareholders
-
-
-
37,517
4
258,864
-
258,868
Issuance of Class A Common Stock for restricted stock award s
-
-
-
1,448
-
-
-
-
Issuance of Class A Common from the Equity Line of
Credit (ELOC)
-
-
-
-
1,326,603
133
1,778,854
-
1,778,987
Discount on common stock sold pursuant to the ELOC
-
-
-
-
-
76,553
-
76,553
Net loss
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
( 2,160,998 )
( 2,160,998 )
Balance December
31, 2025
111
$ -
30,808
$ 3
4,281,523
$ 428
$ 131,152,020
$ ( 122,916,543 )
$ 8,235,908
F- 6
SHF
Holdings, Inc.
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENT OF STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY (DEFICIT)
FOR
THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2024
Shares
Amount
Shares
Amount
Capital
(Deficit)
Equity
Preferred
Stock
Class
A
Common
Stock
Additional
Paid-in
Accumulated
Total
Shareholders’
Equity
Shares
Amount
Shares
Amount
Capital
(Deficit)
(Deficit)
Balance, December 31, 2023
1,101
$ -
2,728,168
$ 273
$ 105,924,859
$ ( 71,569,821 )
$ 34,355,311
Balance
1,101
$ -
2,728,168
$ 273
$ 105,924,859
$ ( 71,569,821 )
$ 34,355,311
Issuance of Class A Common Stock for
marketing services
-
-
12,117
1
149,999
-
150,000
Conversion of PIPE shares
( 990 )
-
39,600
4
866,245
( 866,249 )
-
Issuance of Class A Common Stock for
restricted stock award s
-
-
3,781
-
63,784
-
63,784
Stock compensation cost
-
-
-
-
1,462,366
-
1,462,366
Net loss
-
-
-
-
-
( 48,319,475 )
( 48,319,475 )
Balance, December
31, 2024
111
$ -
2,783,666
$ 278
$ 108,467,253
$ ( 120,755,545 )
$ ( 12,288,014 )
Balance
111
$ -
2,783,666
$ 278
$ 108,467,253
$ ( 120,755,545 )
$ ( 12,288,014 )
See
accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements
F- 7
SHF
Holdings, Inc.
CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
2025
2024
For
The Year Ended December 31,
2025
2024
CASH FLOWS
FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES:
Net loss
$ ( 2,160,998 )
$ ( 48,319,475 )
Adjustments to reconcile net
loss to net cash (used in) provided by operating activities:
Depreciation
and amortization expense
3,155
711,929
Amortization
of contract asset
129,072
-
Stock
compensation expense
1,523,489
1,575,952
Gain on
extinguishment of forward purchase derivative
( 3,336,213 )
-
Amortization
of prepaid consulting from the issuance of Series B Convertible Preferred Stock and Series B Warrants
59,857
-
Net deferred
indemnified loan origination fees
-
( 63,275 )
Discount
on common stock sold pursuant to the ELOC
76,553
-
Other
non-cash issuance costs related to the ELOC
800,000
-
Shares
issued in settlement of a legal dispute
200,000
-
Non-cash
interest on issuance of convertible notes
137,500
-
Lease
expense
( 7,981 )
23,181
Credit
loss (benefit) expense
( 177,917 )
( 1,393,131 )
Impairment of goodwill
-
6,058,000
Impairment
of long-lived intangible assets
-
3,090,881
Deferred
tax expense, net
-
43,859,686
Marketing
expense settled via Common Stock
-
100,000
Change
in fair value of warrant liabilities
( 1,320,871 )
( 2,803,638 )
Change
in the fair value of deferred consideration
( 79,475 )
( 361,449 )
Changes in operating assets
and liabilities:
Accounts
receivable – trade
103,233
( 12,734 )
Accounts
receivable – related party
( 41,460 )
1,127,297
Prepaid
expenses
561,913
86,901
Other
current liabilities
( 48,960 )
527
Accrued
interest receivable
16,319
( 2,542 )
Other
current assets
4,057
( 2,968,061 )
Accounts
payable
49,105
( 76,672 )
Accounts
payable – related party
95,757
( 501,709 )
Accrued
expenses
9,085
292,396
Deferred
revenue
( 12,920 )
6,413
Net
cash (used in) provided by operating activities
( 3,417,700 )
430,477
CASH FLOWS
FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES:
Proceeds
from sale of preferred securities
50,000
-
Proceeds
from loan repayment and sale
392,186
12,394
Net
cash provided by investing activities
442,186
12,394
CASH
FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
Tax withholding
payments on vesting of restricted stock units
( 12,771 )
-
Proceeds
from convertible debt
550,000
-
Redemption
of Series B Convertible Preferred Stock
( 292,800 )
-
Gross
proceeds from issuance of Series B Convertible Preferred Stock and Series B Warrants
6,130,000
-
Offering
cost
( 351,646 )
-
Proceeds
from the sale of Class A Common Stock
1,778,987
-
Repayment
of financed insurance contract
( 116,098 )
-
Repayment
of senior secured promissory note
( 255,765 )
( 3,006,993 )
Net
cash provided by (used in) financing activities
7,429,907
( 3,006,993 )
Net increase (decrease) in
cash and cash equivalents
4,454,393
( 2,564,122 )
Cash
and cash equivalents – beginning of period
2,324,647
4,888,769
Cash
and cash equivalents – end of period
$ 6,779,040
$ 2,324,647
Supplemental
disclosure of cash flow information
Interest
paid
$ 388,457
$ 416,852
Non cash
transactions:
Reclassification of forward
purchase receivable
$ ( 4,584,221 )
$ -
Marketing expense settled
by the issuance of Common Stock
$ -
$ 50,000
Investment in preferred securities
$ 1,500,000
$ -
Prepaid consulting expense
from the issuance of the Series B Convertible Preferred Stock and Series B Warrants
$ 371,307
$ -
Extinguishment of debt for
issuance of Series B Convertible Preferred Stock and Series B Warrants
$ 10,748,408
$ -
Exchange of forward purchase
derivative liability for the issuance of Series B Convertible Preferred Stock and Series B Warrants
$ 4,000,867
$ -
Exchange of convertible notes
for Series B Convertible Preferred Stock and Series B warrants
$ 659,997
$ -
Financed insurance contract
(classified in accrued expense)
$ 395,900
$ -
Issuance of stock
to Abaca shareholders
$ 258,868
$ -
Accrued redemption payable
to Series B holders
$ 181,378
$ -
Recognition
of contract asset with corresponding stand-ready guarantee liability
$ 2,135,000
$ -
Recognition of contract asset
with corresponding financial indemnification liability
$ 1,091,772
$ -
See
accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements
F- 8
Notes
to Consolidated Financial Statements
Note
1 – Organization and Business Operations
Business
Description
SHF
Holdings, Inc. (the “Company” or “SHF”) is a Delaware corporation headquartered in Golden, Colorado, whose
Class A Common Stock (“Common Stock”) is listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the ticker symbol “SHFS.”
The Company was founded in 2015 by Partner Colorado Credit Union (“PCCU”) and was among the first financial services
companies to provide compliant banking services to Cannabis Related Businesses (“CRBs”).
SHF’s
mission is to provide reliable and compliant financial services to the legal cannabis, hemp, and related industries by enabling its financial
institution (“FI”) customers to deliver compliance-driven banking, lending, and other financial services to CRB clients.
The
Company operates a proprietary fintech platform across 41 states and territories in the United States. Through this platform, SHF enables
its FI customers to compliantly offer the following banking-related services to CRBs:
●
Business checking and savings accounts;
●
Cash management accounts
●
Savings and investment options
●
Commercial lending
●
Courier services (via third-party relationships)
●
Remote deposit services
●
Automated Clearing House (“ACH”) payments and origination
●
Wire payments.
Because
many CRBs have historically operated on a largely cash basis due to limited access to traditional banking services, SHF’s platform
benefits both CRBs and financial institutions. CRBs gain access to compliant banking services, while financial institutions gain access
to a validated, compliantly monitored deposit base.
The
Company generates revenue primarily from compliance service fees, account based fee income, investment income on custodied deposits,
and interest income on loans made to or on behalf of financial institutions serving the cannabis industry.
Note
2 – Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Significant
Accounting Policies
Basis
of Presentation and Consolidation
The
accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared on the accrual basis of accounting in conformity with accounting principles
generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) and include the accounts of SHF Holdings, Inc. and its wholly-owned
subsidiaries. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. The consolidated financial statements
reflect all adjustments that, in the opinion of management, are necessary for a fair presentation of the Company’s financial condition
and results of operations for the periods presented.
In
connection with the preparation of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, management identified
conditions that raised substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. Those conditions included
recurring operating losses, a net loss of approximately $ 48.3 million (inclusive of significant non-cash charges), limited liquidity
relative to near-term obligations, and uncertainty regarding the Company’s ability to satisfy its then-existing indemnification
obligations under its Commercial Alliance Agreement (“CAA”) with PCCU.
F- 9
Liquidity
and Going Concern
Liquidity
refers to our ability to meet anticipated cash demands, including servicing debt, funding operations, maintaining assets, and covering
other routine business expenses. Our primary cash outflows include debt principal and interest repayments, operating costs, and general
business expenditures. The main source of our liquidity continues to be cash inflows generated from operational performance. As of December
31, 2025, the Company does not have significant capital investment commitments.
Under
Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 205-40, Presentation of Financial Statements, Going Concern, the Company is responsible
for evaluating whether conditions or events raise substantial doubt about its ability to meet future financial obligations within one
year of the financial statement issuance date. This evaluation involves two steps: (1) assessing whether conditions or events raise substantial
doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern, and (2) if substantial doubt is raised, evaluating whether the
Company has plans to mitigate that doubt. Disclosures are required if substantial doubt exists or if the Company’s plans alleviate
the doubt.
As
of December 31, 2025, the Company has cash and cash equivalents of $ 6.8
million and net working capital of $ 5.7
million. The Company has incurred recurring losses from operations and experienced negative cash flows from operations, including an
operating loss of $ 5.4
million and cash used in operating activities of $ 3.4
million for the year ended December 31, 2025. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a
going concern for a period of at least twelve months from the date these consolidated financial statements are issued. As of December 31, 2025, management believes our cash and cash equivalents is sufficient enough to meet our financial
obligations for the next twelve months.
Management
has developed and implemented a series of measures intended to preserve liquidity and s
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