UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
________________________
Form 10-Q
________________________
(Mark One)
☒ QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the quarterly period ended September 30,
2024
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 001-10932
________________________
WisdomTree, Inc.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
________________________
Delaware 13-3487784
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)
(IRS Employer
Identification No.)
250 West 34 th Street
3 rd Floor
New York , New York
10119
(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)
212 - 801-2080
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area
code)
________________________
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b)
of the Exchange Act:
Title of each class Trading Symbol(s) Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Stock, $0.01 par value
Preferred Stock Purchase Rights
WT The New York Stock Exchange
The New York Stock Exchange
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, as amended (the
“Exchange Act”) 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 emerging growth company.
See 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
is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No ☒
As of November 4, 2024, there were 146,103,656
shares of the registrant’s Common Stock, $0.01 par value per share, outstanding.
WISDOMTREE, INC.
Form 10-Q
For the Quarterly Period Ended September 30, 2024
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PART I: FINANCIAL INFORMATION 4
ITEM 1. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 4
ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS 35
ITEM 3. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK 54
ITEM 4. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES 55
PART II: OTHER INFORMATION 56
ITEM 1. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS 56
ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS 56
ITEM 2. UNREGISTERED SALES OF EQUITY SECURITIES AND USE OF PROCEEDS 57
ITEM 3. DEFAULTS UPON SENIOR SECURITIES 57
ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES 57
ITEM 5. OTHER INFORMATION 57
ITEM 6. EXHIBITS 58
Unless otherwise indicated, references to “the Company,”
“we,” “us,” “our” and “WisdomTree” mean WisdomTree, Inc. and its subsidiaries.
WisdomTree ® , WisdomTree Prime ® , WisdomTree
Connect™ and Modern Alpha ® are trademarks of WisdomTree, Inc. in the United States and in other countries. All other
trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
2
Table of Contents
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING
STATEMENTS
This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, or Report,
contains forward-looking statements that are based on our management’s beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available
to our management. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, these statements
relate to future events or our future financial performance, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that
may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels
of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements.
In some cases, you can identify forward-looking
statements by terminology such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expects,” “intends,”
“plans,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “potential,”
“continue” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. These statements are only predictions. You should
not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements because they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors,
which are, in some cases, beyond our control and which could materially affect our results. Factors that may cause actual results to differ
materially from current expectations include, among other things, those listed in the section entitled “Risk Factors” included
in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 and in subsequent reports filed with or furnished to the
Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC. If one or more of these or other risks or uncertainties occur, or if our underlying assumptions
prove to be incorrect, actual events or results may vary significantly from those implied or projected by the forward-looking statements.
No forward-looking statement is a guarantee of future performance. You should read this Report and the documents that we reference in
this Report and have filed with the SEC as exhibits to this Report, completely and with the understanding that our actual future results
may be materially different from any future results expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements.
In particular, forward-looking statements in
this Report may include statements about:
● anticipated trends, conditions and investor sentiment in the global markets and exchange-traded products, or ETPs;
● anticipated levels of inflows into and outflows out of our ETPs;
● our ability to deliver favorable rates of return to investors;
● competition in our business;
● whether we will experience future growth;
● our ability to develop new products and services and their potential for success;
● our ability to maintain current vendors or find new vendors to provide services to us at favorable costs;
● our ability to successfully implement our strategy relating to digital assets and blockchain-enabled financial services, including
WisdomTree Prime and WisdomTree Connect, and achieve its objectives;
● our ability to successfully operate and expand our business in non-U.S. markets;
● the effect of laws and regulations that apply to our business; and
● actions of activist stockholders.
The forward-looking statements in this Report
represent our views as of the date of this Report. We anticipate that subsequent events and developments may cause our views to change.
However, while we may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, we have no current intention of doing
so except to the extent required by applicable law. Therefore, these forward-looking statements do not represent our views as of any date
other than the date of this Report.
3
Table of Contents
PART I: FINANCIAL
INFORMATION
ITEM 1. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
WisdomTree, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Consolidated Balance Sheets
(In Thousands, Except Per Share Amounts)
September 30,
2024
December 31,
2023
Assets
(unaudited)
Current assets:
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash (including $ 11,192 and $ 5,007 invested in the WisdomTree Government Money Market Digital Fund at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively)
$ 176,483
$ 129,305
Financial instruments owned, at fair value (including $ 70,010 and $ 47,559 invested in WisdomTree products at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively) (Note 5)
77,341
58,722
Accounts receivable (including $33,764 and $28,511 due from related parties at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively)
45,200
35,473
Prepaid expenses
6,968
5,258
Other current assets
1,173
1,036
Total current assets
307,165
229,794
Fixed assets, net
389
427
Securities held-to-maturity
212
230
Deferred tax assets, net (Note 21)
8,568
11,057
Investments (Note 7)
8,764
9,684
Right of use assets—operating leases (Note 13)
1,220
563
Goodwill (Note 23)
86,841
86,841
Intangible assets, net (Note 23)
605,802
605,082
Other noncurrent assets
474
459
Total assets
$ 1,019,435
$ 944,137
Liabilities and stockholders’ equity
Liabilities
Current liabilities:
Fund management and administration payable
$ 30,200
$ 30,085
Compensation and benefits payable
30,087
38,111
Payable to Gold Bullion Holdings (Jersey) Limited (“GBH”) (Note 12)
14,804
14,804
Income taxes payable
5,798
3,866
Operating lease liabilities (Note 13)
950
578
Accounts payable and other liabilities
24,634
15,772
Total current liabilities
106,473
103,216
Convertible notes (Note 10)
511,406
274,888
Payable to GBH (Note 12)
26,368
24,328
Operating lease liabilities—long term
270
—
Total liabilities
644,517
402,432
Preferred stock—Series A Non-Voting Convertible, par value $ 0.01 ; Zero and 14.750 shares authorized, issued and outstanding at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively; redemption value of $0 and $ 96,869 at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively) (Note 11)
—
132,569
Contingencies (Note 14)
Stockholders’ equity
Preferred stock, par value $ 0.01 ; 2,000 shares authorized
—
—
Common stock, par value $ 0.01 ; 400,000 shares authorized; issued and outstanding: 146,104 and 150,330 at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively
1,461
1,503
Additional paid-in capital
265,564
312,440
Accumulated other comprehensive income/(loss)
995
( 548 )
Retained earnings
106,898
95,741
Total stockholders’ equity
374,918
409,136
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity
$ 1,019,435
$ 944,137
The accompanying notes are an integral part
of these consolidated financial statements.
4
Table of Contents
WisdomTree, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Consolidated Statements of Operations
(In Thousands, Except Per Share Amounts)
(Unaudited)
Three Months Ended
September 30,
Nine Months Ended
September 30,
2024
2023
2024
2023
Operating Revenues:
Advisory fees
$ 101,659
$ 86,598
$ 293,098
$ 246,239
Other revenues
11,509
3,825
23,942
11,952
Total revenues
113,168
90,423
317,040
258,191
Operating Expenses:
Compensation and benefits
29,405
27,955
91,249
81,672
Fund management and administration
21,004
18,023
61,105
52,903
Marketing and advertising
4,897
3,833
14,415
12,305
Sales and business development
3,465
3,383
10,716
9,703
Contractual gold payments (Note 9)
—
—
—
6,069
Professional fees
6,315
3,719
16,539
15,768
Occupancy, communications and equipment
1,397
1,203
3,921
3,476
Depreciation and amortization
447
307
1,248
537
Third-party distribution fees
2,983
2,694
7,977
6,828
Other
2,463
2,601
7,617
7,473
Total operating expenses
72,376
63,718
214,787
196,734
Operating income
40,792
26,705
102,253
61,457
Other Income/(Expenses):
Interest expense
( 5,027 )
( 3,461 )
( 13,295 )
( 11,484 )
Gain on revaluation/termination of deferred consideration—gold payments (Note 9)
—
—
—
61,953
Interest income
1,795
791
4,631
2,874
Impairments (Note 25)
—
( 2,703 )
—
( 7,603 )
Loss on extinguishment of convertible notes (Note 10)
( 30,632 )
—
( 30,632 )
( 9,721 )
Other losses, net
( 3,062 )
( 2,512 )
( 1,753 )
( 3,233 )
Income before income taxes
3,866
18,820
61,204
94,243
Income tax expense
8,351
5,836
21,819
10,774
Net (loss)/income
$ ( 4,485 )
$ 12,984
$ 39,385
$ 83,469
(Loss)/earnings per share—basic
$ ( 0.13 )
$ 0.07
$ 0.16
$ 0.50
(Loss)/earnings per share—diluted
$ ( 0.13 )
$ 0.07
$ 0.16
$ 0.49
Weighted-average common shares—basic
143,929
145,284
145,756
144,505
Weighted-average common shares—diluted
143,929
177,140
162,691
169,997
Cash dividends declared per common share
$ 0.03
$ 0.03
$ 0.09
$ 0.09
The accompanying notes are an integral part
of these consolidated financial statements.
5
Table of Contents
WisdomTree, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive (Loss)/Income
(In Thousands)
(Unaudited)
Three Months Ended
September 30,
Nine Months Ended
September 30,
2024
2023
2024
2023
Net (loss)/income
$ ( 4,485 )
$ 12,984
$ 39,385
$ 83,469
Other comprehensive income/(loss)
Foreign currency translation adjustment, net of income taxes
1,926
( 944 )
1,543
( 217 )
Other comprehensive income/(loss)
1,926
( 944 )
1,543
( 217 )
Comprehensive (loss)/income
$ ( 2,559 )
$ 12,040
$ 40,928
$ 83,252
The accompanying notes are an integral part
of these consolidated financial statements.
6
Table of Contents
WisdomTree, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Consolidated Statements of Changes in Stockholders’
Equity
(In Thousands)
(Unaudited)
Three Months Ended September 30, 2024
Series
C
Preferred Stock
Common
Stock
Additional
Accumulated
Other
Shares
Issued
Par
Value
Shares
Issued
Par
Value
Paid-In
Capital
Comprehensive
(Loss)/Income
Retained
Earnings
Total
Balance—July 1, 2024
—
$ —
151,857
$ 1,519
$ 315,359
$ ( 931 )
$ 129,617
$ 445,564
Shares repurchased
—
—
( 5,704 )
( 57 )
( 54,993 )
—
—
( 55,050 )
Restricted stock issued and vesting of restricted stock units, net
—
—
( 49 )
( 1 )
1
—
—
—
Stock-based compensation
—
—
—
—
5,197
—
—
5,197
Repurchase of Series A Preferred Stock (Note 11)
—
—
—
—
—
—
( 11,375 )
( 11,375 )
Excise taxes – stock repurchases
—
—
—
—
—
—
( 1,868 )
( 1,868 )
Other comprehensive income
—
—
—
—
—
1,926
—
1,926
Dividends
—
—
—
—
—
—
( 4,991 )
( 4,991 )
Net loss
—
—
—
—
—
—
( 4,485 )
( 4,485 )
Balance—September 30, 2024
—
$ —
146,104
$ 1,461
$ 265,564
$ 995
$ 106,898
$ 374,918
Three Months Ended September 30, 2023
Series C
Preferred Stock
Common Stock
Additional
Accumulated
Other
Shares
Issued
Par
Value
Shares
Issued
Par
Value
Paid-In
Capital
Comprehensive
Loss
Retained
Earnings
Total
Balance—July 1, 2023
13
$ —
150,343
$ 1,503
$ 383,621
$ ( 693 )
$ 74,356
$ 458,787
Shares repurchased
—
—
( 5 )
—
( 30 )
—
—
( 30 )
Restricted stock issued and vesting of restricted stock units, net
—
—
( 3 )
—
—
—
—
—
Stock-based compensation
—
—
—
—
3,916
—
—
3,916
Other comprehensive loss
—
—
—
—
—
( 944 )
—
( 944 )
Dividends
—
—
—
—
—
—
( 5,333 )
( 5,333 )
Net income
—
—
—
—
—
—
12,984
12,984
Balance—September 30, 2023
13
$ —
150,335
$ 1,503
$ 387,507
$ ( 1,637 )
$ 82,007
$ 469,380
The accompanying notes are an integral part
of these consolidated financial statements.
7
Table of Contents
WisdomTree, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Consolidated Statements of Changes in Stockholders’
Equity
(In Thousands)
(Unaudited)
Nine Months Ended September 30, 2024
Series C
Preferred Stock
Common Stock
Additional
Accumulated
Other
Shares
Issued
Par
Value
Shares
Issued
Par
Value
Paid-In
Capital
Comprehensive
(Loss)/Income
Retained
Earnings
Total
Balance—January 1, 2024
—
$ —
150,330
$ 1,503
$ 312,440
$ ( 548 )
$ 95,741
$ 409,136
Restricted stock issued and vesting of restricted stock units, net
—
—
2,574
26
( 26 )
—
—
—
Shares repurchased
—
—
( 6,800 )
( 68 )
( 62,802 )
—
—
( 62,870 )
Stock-based compensation
—
—
—
—
15,952
—
—
15,952
Repurchase of Series A Preferred Stock (Note 11)
—
—
—
—
—
—
( 11,375 )
( 11,375 )
Excise taxes – Stock repurchases
—
—
—
—
—
—
( 1,868 )
( 1,868 )
Other comprehensive income
—
—
—
—
—
1,543
—
1,543
Dividends
—
—
—
—
—
—
( 14,985 )
( 14,985 )
Net income
—
—
—
—
—
—
39,385
39,385
Balance—September 30, 2024
—
$ —
146,104
$ 1,461
$ 265,564
$ 995
$ 106,898
$ 374,918
Nine Months Ended September 30, 2023
Series C
Preferred Stock
Common Stock
Additional
Accumulated
Other
Shares
Issued
Par
Value
Shares
Issued
Par
Value
Paid-In
Capital
Comprehensive
Loss
Retained
Earnings
Total
Balance—January 1, 2023
—
$ —
146,517
$ 1,465
$ 291,847
$ ( 1,420 )
$ 13,719
$ 305,611
Shares issued in connection with termination of the deferred consideration—gold payments obligation, net of issuance costs (Note 9)
13
—
—
—
86,801
—
—
86,801
Restricted stock issued and vesting of restricted stock units, net
—
—
3,417
34
( 34 )
—
—
—
Shares issued in connection with convertible notes that matured on June 15, 2023 (Note 10)
—
—
1,037
10
35
—
—
45
Shares repurchased
—
—
( 636 )
( 6 )
( 3,564 )
—
—
( 3,570 )
Stock-based compensation
—
—
—
—
12,422
—
—
12,422
Other comprehensive loss
—
—
—
—
—
( 217 )
—
( 217 )
Dividends
—
—
—
—
—
—
( 15,181 )
( 15,181 )
Net income
—
—
—
—
—
—
83,469
83,469
Balance—September 30, 2023
13
$ —
150,335
$ 1,503
$ 387,507
$ ( 1,637 )
$ 82,007
$ 469,380
The accompanying notes are an integral part
of these consolidated financial statements.
8
Table of Contents
WisdomTree, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
(In Thousands)
(Unaudited)
Nine Months Ended
September 30,
2024
2023
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net income
$ 39,385
$ 83,469
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Advisory and license fees paid in gold, other precious metals and cryptocurrency
( 39,028 )
( 37,632 )
Loss on extinguishment of convertible notes
30,632
9,721
Stock-based compensation
15,952
12,422
(Gains)/losses on financial instruments owned, at fair value
( 2,575 )
1,006
Deferred income taxes
2,103
1,282
Imputed interest on payable to GBH
2,039
—
Amortization of issuance costs—convertible notes
1,266
1,443
Depreciation and amortization
1,248
537
Amortization of right of use asset
976
963
Losses on investments
619
1,245
Gain on revaluation/termination of deferred consideration—gold payments
—
( 61,953 )
Impairments
—
7,603
Contractual gold payments
—
6,069
Other
—
( 1,569 )
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Accounts receivable
( 9,344 )
( 7,346 )
Prepaid expenses
( 1,635 )
( 1,826 )
Gold and other precious metals
38,603
30,629
Other assets
( 150 )
356
Fund management and administration payable
( 6 )
3,577
Compensation and benefits payable
( 8,251 )
( 8,786 )
Income taxes payable
1,919
2,802
Operating lease liabilities
( 991 )
( 955 )
Accounts payable and other liabilities
6,124
5,293
Net cash provided by operating activities
78,886
48,350
Cash flows from investing activities:
Purchase of financial instruments owned, at fair value
( 57,855 )
( 56,837 )
Purchase of investments
—
( 10,000 )
Cash paid—software development
( 1,790 )
—
Purchase of fixed assets
( 128 )
( 93 )
Proceeds from the sale of financial instruments owned, at fair value
42,388
102,276
Proceeds from the exit from investment in Securrency, Inc.
465
—
Proceeds from held-to-maturity securities maturing or called prior to maturity
18
22
Receipt of contingent consideration—Sale of Canadian ETF business
—
1,477
Acquisition of Securrency Transfers, Inc. (net of cash acquired)
—
( 985 )
Net cash (used in)/provided by investing activities
( 16,902 )
35,860
Cash flows from financing activities:
Repurchase of Series A Preferred Stock
( 143,812 )
—
Repurchase and maturity of convertible notes (Note 10)
( 132,713 )
( 184,272 )
Shares repurchased
( 62,870 )
( 3,570 )
Dividends paid
( 14,745 )
( 14,897 )
Issuance costs—convertible notes
( 7,667 )
( 3,548 )
Repurchase costs—Series A Preferred Stock
( 132 )
—
Proceeds from the issuance of convertible notes (Note 10)
345,000
130,000
Termination of deferred consideration—gold payments
—
( 50,005 )
Issuance costs—Series C Preferred Stock
—
( 97 )
Net cash used in financing activities
( 16,939 )
( 126,389 )
Increase/(decrease) in cash flow due to changes in foreign exchange rate
2,133
( 441 )
Net increase/(decrease) in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash
47,178
( 42,620 )
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash—beginning of year
129,305
132,101
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash—end of period
$ 176,483
$ 89,481
Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information:
Cash paid for income taxes
$ 17,807
$ 8,069
Cash paid for interest
$ 9,913
$ 8,272
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Table of Contents
WisdomTree, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Continued)
(In Thousands)
(Unaudited)
NON-CASH INVESTING AND FINANCING ACTIVITIES
On May 10, 2023, the Company issued 13.087
shares of Series C Non-Voting Convertible Preferred Stock (valued at $86,898) in connection with the termination of its deferred consideration—gold
payments obligation. See Note 9 for additional information.
On June 15, 2023, the Company issued 1,037
shares of common stock (as the conversion option was in the money) in connection with the maturity of $60,000 aggregate principal amount
of 4.25% Convertible Senior Notes.
The accompanying notes
are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
10
Table of Contents
WisdomTree, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(In Thousands, Except Share and Per Share Amounts)
1. Organization and Description of Business
WisdomTree, Inc., through its global subsidiaries
(collectively, “WisdomTree” or the “Company”), is a global financial innovator, offering a well-diversified suite
of exchange-traded products (“ETPs”), models, solutions and products leveraging blockchain technology. Building on its heritage
of innovation, the Company is developing and has launched next-generation digital products, services and structures, including digital
or blockchain-enabled mutual funds (“Digital Funds”) and tokenized assets, as well as its blockchain-native digital wallet,
WisdomTree Prime and institutional platform, WisdomTree Connect. The Company has the following wholly-owned operating subsidiaries:
● WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. (“WTAM”) is a New York based investment adviser registered with the SEC, providing
investment advisory and other management services to the WisdomTree Trust (“WTT”) and WisdomTree exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”).
The WisdomTree ETFs are issued in the U.S. by WTT. WTT is a non-consolidated Delaware statutory trust registered with the SEC as an open-end
management investment company. The Company has licensed to WTT the use of certain of its own indexes on an exclusive basis for the WisdomTree
ETFs in the U.S.
● WisdomTree Management Jersey Limited (“ManJer”) is a Jersey based management company providing management services
to seven issuers (the “ManJer Issuers”) in respect of the ETPs issued and listed by the ManJer Issuers covering commodity,
currency, cryptocurrency and leveraged-and-inverse strategies.
● WisdomTree Multi Asset Management Limited (“WTMAML”) is a Jersey based management company providing management
services to WisdomTree Multi Asset Issuer PLC (“WMAI”) in respect of the ETPs issued by WMAI. WMAI is a non-consolidated public
limited company domiciled in Ireland.
● WisdomTree Management Limited (“WML”) is an Ireland based management company providing management services to WisdomTree
Issuer ICAV (“WTICAV”) in respect of the WisdomTree UCITS ETFs issued by WTICAV. WTICAV is a non-consolidated public limited
company domiciled in Ireland.
● WisdomTree UK Limited (“WTUK”) is a U.K. based company registered with the Financial Conduct Authority currently
providing distribution and support services to ManJer, WTMAML and WML.
● WisdomTree Europe Limited is a U.K. based company which is the legacy distributor of the WMAI ETPs and WisdomTree UCITS ETFs.
These services are now provided directly by WTUK. WisdomTree Europe Limited is no longer regulated and does not provide any regulated
services.
● WisdomTree Ireland Limited is an Ireland based company authorized by the Central Bank of Ireland providing distribution services
to ManJer, WTMAML and WML.
● WisdomTree Digital Commodity Services, LLC is a New York based company that serves as the sponsor of the WisdomTree Bitcoin
Fund, which is currently effective with the SEC. The WisdomTree Bitcoin Fund is an exchange-traded fund that issues common shares of beneficial
interest and is listed on the Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc. The WisdomTree Bitcoin Fund provides exposure to the spot price of bitcoin.
● WisdomTree Digital Management, Inc. (“WT Digital Management”) is a New York based investment adviser registered
with the SEC, providing investment advisory and other management services to the WisdomTree Digital Trust (“WTDT”) and WisdomTree
Digital Funds. The WisdomTree Digital Funds are issued in the U.S. by WTDT. WTDT is a non-consolidated Delaware statutory trust registered
with the SEC as an open-end management investment company. Each Digital Fund uses blockchain technology to maintain a secondary record
of its shares on one or more blockchains (e.g., Stellar or Ethereum), but does not directly or indirectly invest in any assets that rely
on blockchain technology, such as cryptocurrencies.
● WisdomTree Digital Movement, Inc. (“WT Digital Movement”) is a New York based company operating as a money services
business registered with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. WT Digital Movement has obtained and is seeking additional state money
transmitter licenses to operate a platform for the purchase, sale and exchange of tokenized assets, while also providing blockchain-native
digital wallet services through WisdomTree Prime to facilitate such activity.
● WisdomTree Securities, Inc. is a New York based limited purpose broker-dealer (i.e., mutual fund retailer), facilitating transactions
in WisdomTree Digital Funds.
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● WisdomTree Transfers, Inc. is a New York based transfer agent registered with the SEC, providing transfer agency and registrar
services for the WisdomTree Digital Funds. The transfer agent maintains the official record of share ownership in book entry form and
reconciles the official record with the secondary record of ownership of shares on one or more blockchains.
● WisdomTree Digital Trust Company, LLC is a New York based limited liability trust company chartered by the New York State Department
of Financial Services to provide certain digital asset products and services (e.g., custody) via WisdomTree Prime.
2. Significant Accounting Policies
Basis of Presentation
These consolidated financial statements have
been prepared in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) and in the opinion of management
reflect all adjustments, consisting of only normal recurring adjustments, necessary for a fair presentation of the financial statements.
The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company’s wholly-owned subsidiaries. All intercompany accounts
and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
Consolidation
The Company consolidates entities in which it
has a controlling financial interest. The Company determines whether it has a controlling financial interest in an entity by first evaluating
whether the entity is a voting interest entity (“VOE”) or a variable interest entity (“VIE”). The usual condition
for a controlling financial interest in a VOE is ownership of a majority voting interest. If the Company has a majority voting interest
in a VOE, the entity is consolidated. The Company has a controlling financial interest in a VIE when the Company has a variable interest
that provides it with (i) the power to direct the activities of the VIE that most significantly impact the VIE’s economic performance
and (ii) the obligation to absorb losses of the VIE or the right to receive benefits from the VIE that could potentially be significant
to the VIE.
The Company reassesses its evaluation of whether
an entity is a VOE or VIE when certain reconsideration events occur.
Segment and Geographic Information
The Company, through its subsidiaries in the
U.S. and Europe, is a global financial innovator, offering a well-diversified suite of ETPs, models, solutions and products leveraging
blockchain technology. The Company conducts business as a single operating segment as an ETP sponsor and asset manager, which is based
upon the Company’s current organizational and management structure, as well as information used by the Company’s Chief Executive
Officer (the chief operating decision maker, or CODM) to allocate resources and other factors.
Foreign Currency Translation
Assets and liabilities of subsidiaries whose
functional currency is not the U.S. dollar are translated based on the end of period exchange rates from local currency to U.S. dollars.
Results of operations are translated at the average exchange rates in effect during the period. The impact of the foreign currency translation
adjustment is included in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income as a component of other comprehensive (loss)/income.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of the Company’s consolidated
financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts
of assets and liabilities as of the balance sheet dates and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses for the periods presented. Actual
results could differ materially from those estimates.
Revenue Recognition
The Company earns a significant portion of its
revenues in the form of advisory fees from its ETPs and recognizes this revenue over time, as the performance obligation is satisfied.
Advisory fees are based on a percentage of the ETPs’ average daily net assets. Progress is measured using the practical expedient
under the output method resulting in the recognition of revenue in the amount for which the Company has a right to invoice.
Other revenues are earned from swap providers
associated with certain of the Company’s European listed ETPs, the nature of which are based on a percentage of the ETPs’
average daily net assets. The Company also earns transaction-based income on flows associated with certain European listed ETPs. There
is no significant judgment in calculating amounts due, which are invoiced monthly or quarterly in arrears and are not subject to any potential
reversal. Progress is measured using the practical expedient under the output method resulting in the recognition of revenue in the amount
for which the Company has a right to invoice.
Contractual Gold Payments
Contractual gold payments were measured and
paid monthly based upon the average daily spot price of gold. The Company’s obligation to continue making these payments terminated
on May 10, 2023.
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Marketing and Advertising
Marketing and advertising costs, including media
advertising and production costs, are expensed when incurred.
Depreciation and Amortization
Depreciation and amortization is provided for
using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the related assets as follows:
Equipment
3 to 5 years
Internally-developed software
3 years
The assets listed above are recorded at cost
less accumulated depreciation and amortization.
Stock-Based Awards
Accounting for stock-based compensation requires
the measurement and recognition of compensation expense for all equity awards based on estimated fair values. Stock-based compensation
is measured based on the grant-date fair value of the award and is amortized over the relevant service period. Forfeitures are recognized
when they occur.
Third-Party Distribution Fees
The Company pays a percentage of its advisory
fee revenues based on incremental growth in assets under management (“AUM”), subject to caps or minimums, to marketing agents
to sell WisdomTree ETPs and for including WisdomTree ETPs on third-party customer platforms and recognizes these expenses as incurred.
Cash, Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash
The Company considers all highly liquid investments
with an original maturity of 90 days or less at the time of purchase to be classified as cash equivalents. The Company maintains
deposits with financial institutions in an amount that is in excess of federally insured limits. Restricted cash is required to be maintained
in a separate account with withdrawal and usage restrictions.
Accounts Receivable
Accounts receivable are customer and other obligations
due under normal trade terms. The Company measures credit losses, if any, by applying historical loss rates, adjusted for current conditions
and reasonable and supportable forecasts to amounts outstanding using the aging method.
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets
The Company performs a review for the impairment
of long-lived assets when events or changes in circumstances indicate that the estimated undiscounted future cash flows expected to be
generated by the assets are less than their carrying amounts or when other events occur which may indicate that the carrying amount of
an asset may not be recoverable.
Financial Instruments Owned and Financial Instruments Sold,
but Not yet Purchased (at Fair Value)
Financial instruments owned and financial instruments
sold, but not yet purchased are financial instruments classified as either trading or available-for-sale (“AFS”). These financial
instruments are recorded on their trade date and are measured at fair value. All equity instruments that have readily determinable fair
values are classified by the Company as trading. Debt instruments are classified based primarily on the Company’s intent to hold
or sell the instrument. Changes in the fair value of debt instruments classified as trading and AFS are reported in other income/(expenses)
and other comprehensive income, respectively, in the period the change occurs. Debt instruments classified as AFS are assessed for impairment
on a quarterly basis and an estimate for credit loss is provided when the fair value of the AFS debt instrument is below its amortized
cost basis. Credit-related impairments are recognized in earnings with a corresponding adjustment to the instrument’s amortized
cost basis if the Company intends to sell the impaired AFS debt instrument or it is more likely than not the Company will be required
to sell the instrument before recovering its amortized cost basis. Other credit-related impairments are recognized as an allowance with
a corresponding adjustment to earnings. Impairments resulting from noncredit-related factors are recognized in other comprehensive income.
Amounts recorded in other comprehensive income are reclassified into earnings upon sale of the AFS debt instrument using the specific
identification method.
Securities Held-to-Maturity
The Company accounts for certain of its securities
as held-to-maturity on a trade date basis, which are recorded at amortized cost. For held-to-maturity securities, the Company has the
intent and ability to hold these securities to maturity and it is not more-likely-than-not that the Company will be required to sell these
securities before recovery of their amortized cost bases, which may be maturity. Held-to-maturity securities are placed on non-accrual
status when the Company is in receipt of information indicating collection of interest is doubtful. Cash received on held-to-maturity
securities placed on non-accrual status is recognized on a cash basis as interest income if and when received.
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The Company reviews its portfolio of held-to-maturity
securities for impairment on a quarterly basis, recognizing an allowance, if any, by applying an estimated loss rate after consideration
for the nature of collateral securing the financial asset as well as potential future changes in collateral values and historical loss
information for financial assets secured with similar collateral.
Investments in pass-through government-sponsored
enterprises (“GSEs”) are determined to have an estimated loss rate of zero due to an implicit U.S. government guarantee.
Investments
The Company accounts for equity investments
that do not have a readily determinable fair value under the measurement alternative prescribed in Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”)
Topic 321, Investments – Equity Securities (“ASC 321”), to the extent such investments are not subject to consolidation
or the equity method. Under the measurement alternative, these financial instruments are carried at cost, less any impairment (assessed
quarterly), plus or minus changes resulting from observable price changes in orderly transactions for an identical or similar investment
of the same issuer. In addition, income is recognized when dividends are received only to the extent they are distributed from net accumulated
earnings of the investee. Otherwise, such distributions are considered returns of investment and are recorded as a reduction of the cost
of the investment.
Investments in debt instruments are accounted
for at fair value, with changes in fair value reported in other income/(expenses).
Goodwill
Goodwill is the excess of the purchase price
over the fair values of the identifiable net assets at the acquisition date. The Company tests goodwill for impairment at least annually
and at the time of a triggering event requiring re-evaluation, if one were to occur. Goodwill is considered impaired when the estimated
fair value of the reporting unit that was allocated the goodwill is less than its carrying value. If the estimated fair value of such
reporting unit is less than its carrying value, goodwill impairment is recognized based on that difference, not to exceed the carrying
amount of goodwill. A reporting unit is an operating segment or a component of an operating segment provided that the component constitutes
a business for which discrete financial information is available and management regularly reviews the operating results of that component.
Goodwill is allocated to the Company’s
U.S. business and European business components. For impairment testing purposes, these components are aggregated as a single reporting
unit as they fall under the same operating segment and have similar economic characteristics.
Goodwill is assessed for impairment annually
on November 30 th . When performing its goodwill impairment test, the Company considers a qualitative assessment, when appropriate,
and a quantitative assessment using the market approach and its market capitalization when determining the fair value of the reporting
unit.
Intangible Assets
Indefinite-lived intangible assets are tested
for impairment at least annually and are also reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying
amount of an asset may not be recoverable. Indefinite-lived intangible assets are impaired if their estimated fair values are less than
their carrying values.
Finite-lived intangible assets, if any, are
amortized over their estimated useful life, which is the period over which the assets are expected to contribute directly or indirectly
to the future cash flows of the Company. These intangible assets are tested for impairment at the time of a triggering event, if one were
to occur. Finite-lived intangible assets may be impaired when the estimated undiscounted future cash flows generated from the assets are
less than their carrying amounts.
The Company may rely on a qualitative assessment
when performing its intangible asset impairment test. Otherwise, the impairment evaluation is performed at the lowest level of reasonably
identifiable cash flows independent of other assets. The annual impairment testing date for all of the Company’s intangible assets
is November 30 th .
Software Development Costs
Software development costs incurred after the
preliminary project stage is complete are capitalized if it is probable that the project will be completed and the software will be used
as intended. Capitalized costs consist of employee compensation costs and fees paid to third parties who are directly involved in the
application development efforts and are included in intangible assets, net in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Such costs are amortized
over the estimated useful life of the software on a straight-line basis and are included in depreciation and amortization in the Consolidated
Statements of Operations. Once the application development stage is complete, additional costs are expensed as incurred.
Leases
The Company accounts for its lease obligations
in accordance with ASC Topic 842, Leases (“ASC 842”), which requires the recognition of both (i) a lease liability equal to
the present value of the remaining lease payments and (ii) an offsetting right-of-use asset. The remaining lease payments are discounted
using the rate implicit in the lease, if known, or otherwise the Company’s incremental borrowing rate. After lease commencement,
right-of-use assets are assessed for impairment and otherwise are amortized over the remaining lease term on a straight-line basis. These
recognition requirements are not applied to short-term leases, which are those with a lease term of 12 months or less. Instead, lease
payments associated with short-term leases are recognized as an expense on a straight-line basis over the lease term.
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ASC 842 also provides a practical expedient
which allows for consideration in a contract to be accounted for as a single lease component rather than allocated between lease and non-lease
components. The Company has elected to apply this practical expedient to all lease contracts, where applicable.
Deferred Consideration—Gold Payments
Deferred consideration—gold payments represented
the present value of an obligation to pay gold to a third party into perpetuity and was measured using forward-looking gold prices observed
on the CMX exchange, a selected discount rate and perpetual growth rate (Note 9). Changes in the fair value and settlement of this obligation
were reported as gain on revaluation/termination of deferred consideration—gold payments in the Consolidated Statements of Operations.
Convertible Notes
Convertible notes are carried at amortized cost,
net of issuance costs. The Company accounts for convertible instruments as a single liability (applicable to the convertible notes) or
equity with no separate accounting for embedded conversion features unless the conversion feature meets the criteria for accounting under
the substantial premium model or does not qualify for a derivative scope exception. Interest expense is recognized using the effective
interest method and includes amortization of issuance costs over the life of the debt.
Contingencies
The Company may be subject to reviews, inspections
and investigations by regulatory authorities as well as legal proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business. The Company evaluates
the likelihood of an unfavorable outcome of all legal or regulatory proceedings to which it is a party and accrues a loss contingency
when the loss is probable and reasonably estimable.
Contingent Payments
The Company recognizes a gain on contingent
payments when the contingency is resolved and the gain is realized.
Earnings per Share
Basic earnings per share (“EPS”)
is computed by dividing net income available to common stockholders by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding for the
period. Net income available to common stockholders represents net income of the Company reduced by an allocation of earnings to participating
securities, as well as the loss related to the repurchase of the Series A non-voting convertible preferred stock and excise tax on stock
repurchases. The Series A non-voting convertible preferred stock and Series C non-voting convertible preferred stock (Notes 9 and 11)
and unvested share-based payment awards that contained non-forfeitable rights to dividends or dividend equivalents (whether paid or unpaid)
were participating securities while they were outstanding and were included in the computation of EPS pursuant to the two-class method.
Share-based payment awards that do not contain such rights are not deemed participating securities and are included in diluted shares
outstanding (if dilutive).
Diluted EPS is calculated under the treasury
stock method and the two-class method. The calculation that results in the lowest diluted EPS amount for the common stock is reported
in the Company’s consolidated financial statements. The treasury stock method includes the dilutive effect of potential common shares
including unvested stock-based awards, the Series A non-voting convertible preferred stock, the Series C non-voting convertible preferred
stock and the convertible notes, if any. Potential common shares associated with the Series A non-voting convertible preferred stock,
the Series C non-voting convertible preferred stock and the convertible notes were computed under the if-converted method. Potential common
shares associated with the conversion option embedded in the convertible notes are dilutive when the Company’s average stock price
exceeds the conversion price.
Income Taxes
The Company accounts for income taxes using
the liability method, which requires the determination of deferred tax assets and liabilities based on the differences between the financial
and tax bases of assets and liabilities using the enacted tax rates in effect for the year in which differences are expected to reverse.
Deferred tax assets are reduced by a valuation allowance if, based on the weight of available evidence, it is more-likely-than-not that
some portion or all the deferred tax assets will not be realized.
Tax positions are evaluated utilizing a two-step
process. The Company first determines whether any of its tax positions are more-likely-than-not to be sustained upon examination, based
solely on the technical merits of the position. Once it is determined that a position meets this recognition threshold, the position is
measured as the largest amount of benefit that is greater than 50 % likely of being realized upon ultimate settlement. The Company records
interest expense and penalties related to tax expenses as income tax expense.
The Global Intangible Low-Taxed Income (“GILTI”)
provisions of the Tax Reform Act requires the Company to include in its U.S. income tax return foreign subsidiary earnings in excess of
an allowable return on the foreign subsidiary’s tangible assets. An accounting policy election is available to either account for
the tax effects of GILTI in the period that is subject to such taxes or to provide deferred taxes for book and tax basis differences that
upon reversal may be subject to such taxes. The Company accounts for the tax effects of these provisions in the period that is subject
to such tax.
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Non-income based taxes are recorded as part
of other liabilities and other expenses. Excise taxes on stock repurchases are accounted for as a direct cost of the share repurchase
transaction and reported as a reduction of stockholders’ equity.
Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements
On December 14, 2023, the Financial Accounting
Standards Board (“FASB”) issued ASU 2023-09, Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures , which establishes new
income tax disclosure requirements in addition to modifying and eliminating certain existing requirements. Under the new guidance, entities
must consistently categorize and provide greater disaggregation of information in the rate reconciliation. They must also further disaggregate
income taxes paid. The standard is intended to benefit stockholders by providing more detailed income tax disclosures that would be useful
in making capital allocation decisions. The guidance applies to all entities subject to income taxes and is effective for annual periods
beginning after December 15, 2024. The guidance will be applied on a prospective basis with the option to apply the standard retrospectively.
Early adoption is permitted. The Company is considering early adoption of this standard in connection with the filing of its Annual Report
on Form 10-K for the year ending December 31, 2024.
Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements
On January 1, 2024, the Company adopted ASU
2023-07, Segment Reporting—Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures , which requires public entities to provide
disclosures of significant segment expenses and other segment items. The guidance requires public entities to provide in interim periods
all disclosures about a reportable segment’s profit or loss and assets that are currently required annually and also applies to
public entities with a single reportable segment. Entities are permitted to disclose more than one measure of a segment’s profit
or loss if such measures are used by the CODM to allocate resources and assess performance, as long as at least one of those measures
is determined in a way that is most consistent with the measurement principles used to measure the corresponding amounts in the consolidated
financial statements. The guidance is applied retrospectively to all periods presented in financial statements, unless it is impracticable,
and is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023, and for interim periods beginning after December 15, 2024. See Note
26 for additional information.
On January 1, 2024, the Company early adopted
ASU 2023-08, Accounting for and Disclosure of Crypto Assets , which contains final guidance requiring all entities to measure certain
crypto assets at fair value each reporting period and to reflect changes from remeasurement in net income. Entities are required to present
crypto assets measured at fair value separately from other intangible assets on the balance sheet and present changes from the remeasurement
of crypto assets separately from changes in the carrying amounts of other intangible assets in the income statement. Entities are required
to provide interim and annual disclosures about the types of crypto assets they hold and any changes in their holdings of crypto assets.
The guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024, including interim periods within those fiscal years. The
adoption of this standard did not have a material impact on the Company’s financial statements.
3. Cash, Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash
Of the total cash, cash equivalents and restricted
cash of $ 176,483 and $ 129,305 at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively, $ 148,707 and $ 116,895 were held at three financial
institutions. At September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, cash equivalents were approximately $ 58,371 and $ 50,226 , respectively.
Certain of the Company’s subsidiaries
are required to maintain a minimum level of regulatory capital, generally satisfied by cash on hand, which was $ 35,120 and $ 29,156 at
September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively. Of these amounts, $ 13,576 and $ 0 , at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023,
respectively, was restricted cash, which is required to be maintained in a separate account with withdrawal and usage restrictions in
compliance with regulatory obligations.
4. Fair Value Measurements
The fair value of financial instruments is defined
as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability (i.e., “the exit price”) in an orderly
transaction between market participants at the measurement date. ASC 820, Fair Value Measurement , establishes a hierarchy for inputs
used in measuring fair value that maximizes the use of observable inputs and minimizes the use of unobservable inputs by requiring that
the most observable inputs be used when available. Observable inputs are inputs that market participants would use in pricing the asset
or liability developed based on market data obtained from independent sources. Unobservable inputs reflect assumptions that market participants
would use in pricing the asset or liability developed based on the best information available in the circumstances. The hierarchy
is broken down into three levels based on the transparency of inputs as follows:
Level 1 – Quoted prices for identical
instruments in active markets.
Level 2 – Quoted prices for similar instruments in active
markets; quoted prices for identical or similar instruments in markets that are not active; and model-derived valuations whose inputs
are observable or whose significant value drivers are observable.
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Level 3 – Instruments whose significant
drivers are unobservable.
The availability of observable inputs can vary
from product to product and is affected by a wide variety of factors, including, for example, the type of product, whether the product
is new and not yet established in the marketplace, and other characteristics particular to the transaction. To the extent that valuation
is based on models or inputs that are less observable or unobservable in the market, the determination of fair value requires more judgment.
Accordingly, the degree of judgment exercised by management in determining fair value is greatest for instruments categorized in Level 3.
In certain cases, the inputs used to measure fair value may fall into different levels of the fair value hierarchy. In such cases, for
disclosure purposes, the level in the fair value hierarchy within which the fair value measurement in its entirety falls is determined
based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement in its entirety.
The tables below summarize the categorization
of the Company’s assets and liabilities measured at fair value. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023,
there were no transfers between Levels 2 and 3.
September 30, 2024
Total
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Assets:
Recurring fair value measurements:
Cash equivalents
$ 58,371
$ 58,371
$ —
$ —
Financial instruments owned, at fair value:
ETFs
54,677
54,677
—
—
Pass-through GSEs
7,332
—
7,332
—
Other assets—seed capital (WisdomTree Digital Funds):
U.S. treasuries
5,364
—
5,364
—
Equities
8,022
8,022
—
—
Fixed income
1,946
1,033
913
—
Total
$ 135,712
$ 122,103
$ 13,609
$ —
Non-recurring fair value measurements:
Fnality International Limited—Series B-1 Preference Shares (1)
$ 8,288
$ —
$ —
$ 8,288
_____________________________
(1) Fair value determined on June 17, 2024. Not included above are prospective changes in value due to fluctuations
in the British pound to U.S. dollar exchange rate.
December 31, 2023
Total
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Assets:
Recurring fair value measurements:
Cash equivalents
$ 50,226
$ 50,226
$ —
$ —
Financial instruments owned, at fair value:
ETFs
35,181
35,181
—
—
Pass-through GSEs
10,240
—
10,240
—
Other assets—seed capital (WisdomTree Digital Funds):
U.S. treasuries
5,007
—
5,007
—
Equities
6,337
6,337
—
—
Fixed income
1,957
1,008
949
—
Total
$ 108,948
$ 92,752
$ 16,196
$ —
Non-recurring fair value measurements:
Fnality International Limited—Series B-1 Preference Shares (1)
9,684
—
—
9,684
Other investments (2)
—
—
—
—
Total
$ 9,684
$ —
$ —
$ 9,684
_____________________________
(1) Fair value determined on October 31, 2023.
(2) Fair value determined on September 30, 2023.
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Recurring Fair Value Measurements – Methodology
Cash Equivalents (Note 3) – These
financial assets represent cash invested in highly liquid investments with original maturities of less than 90 days. These investments
are valued at par, which approximates fair value, and are classified as Level 1 in the fair value hierarchy.
Financial instruments owned (Note 5)
– Financial instruments owned are investments in ETFs, pass-through GSEs, U.S. treasuries, equities and fixed income. ETFs and equities
are generally traded in active, quoted and highly liquid markets and are therefore classified as Level 1 in the fair value hierarchy.
Pricing of U.S. treasuries, pass-through GSEs and fixed income includes consideration given to date of issuance, collateral characteristics
and market assumptions related to yields, credit risk and timing of prepayments and may be classified as either Level 1 or Level 2.
5. Financial instruments owned
These instruments consist of the following:
September 30,
2024
December 31,
2023
Financial instruments owned
Trading securities
$ 62,009
$ 45,421
Other assets—seed capital (WisdomTree Digital Funds)
15,332
13,301
Total
$ 77,341
$ 58,722
The Company recognized net trading gains on
financial instruments owned that were still held at the reporting dates of $ 680 and $ 1,958 during the three months ended September 30,
2024 and 2023, respectively, and $ 3,023 and $ 648 during the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively, which were recorded
in other losses, net, in the Consolidated Statements of Operations.
6. Securities Held-to-Maturity
The following table is a summary of the Company’s
securities held-to-maturity:
September 30,
2024
December 31,
2023
Debt instruments: Pass-through GSEs (amortized cost)
$ 212
$ 230
During the nine months ended September 30, 2024
and 2023, the Company received proceeds of $ 18 and $ 22 , respectively, from held-to-maturity securities maturing or being called prior
to maturity.
The following table summarizes unrealized losses
and fair value (classified as Level 2 within the fair value hierarchy) of securities held-to-maturity:
September 30,
2024
December 31,
2023
Cost/amortized cost
$ 212
$ 230
Gross unrealized losses
( 13 )
( 15 )
Fair value
$ 199
$ 215
An allowance for credit losses was not provided
on the Company’s held-to-maturity securities as all securities are investments in pass-through GSEs which are determined to have
an estimated loss rate of zero due to an implicit U.S. government guarantee.
The following table sets forth the maturity
profile of the securities held-to-maturity; however, these securities may be called prior to the maturity date:
September 30,
2024
December 31,
2023
Due within one year
$ —
$ —
Due one year through five years
—
—
Due five years through ten years
19
22
Due over ten years
193
208
Total
$ 212
$ 230
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7. Investments
The following table sets forth the Company’s
investments:
September 30, 2024
December 31, 2023
Carrying Value
Cost
Carrying Value
Cost
Fnality International Limited—Series B-1 Preference Shares
$ 8,764
$ 8,091
$ 9,684
$ 8,091
Total
$ 8,764
$ 8,091
$ 9,684
$ 8,091
Fnality International Limited
The Company owns approximately 5.4 % (or 4.8 %
on a fully-diluted basis) of capital stock of Fnality International Limited (“Fnality”), a company incorporated in England
and Wales and focused on creating a peer-to-peer digital wholesale settlement ecosystem comprised of a consortium of financial institutions,
offering real time cross-border payments from a single pool of liquidity. The Company’s ownership interest is represented by 2,340,378
Series B-1 Preference Shares, resulting from the conversion of its investment of £ 6,000 ($ 8,091 ) in convertible notes upon
Fnality’s qualified equity financing which occurred in October 2023. The Series B-1 Preference Shares carry a 1.0x liquidation preference,
are convertible into ordinary shares at the option of the Company and contain various rights and protections.
This investment is accounted for under the measurement
alternative prescribed in ASC 321, as it does not have a readily determinable fair value and is otherwise not subject to the equity method
of accounting. The investment is assessed for impairment and similar observable transactions on a quarterly basis. This investment was
re-measured to fair value upon the conversion of Fnality’s Series B-2 Preference Shares held by other investors into Series B-1
Preference Shares, which occurred in June 2024. Fair value was determined using the backsolve method, a valuation approach that determines
the value of shares for companies with complex capital structures based upon the price paid for shares recently issued. Fair value was
allocated across the capital structure using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. The table below presents the inputs used in the backsolve
valuation approach (classified as Level 3 in the fair value hierarchy):
Inputs
June
17,
2024 December
31,
2023
Expected volatility 60 % 60 %
Time to exit (in years) 4.35 5.00
Probability that Series B-2 Preference Shares convert into Series B-1 Preference Shares N/A
75 %
Net unrealized gains/(losses) recognized on
this investment were $ 476 and ($ 920 ) during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024, respectively, inclusive of changes in
the British pound to U.S. dollar exchange rate. These results are recorded in other losses, net on the Consolidated Statements of Operations.
There was no impairment recognized on this investment
during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 based upon a qualitative assessment.
8. Fixed Assets, net
The following table summarizes fixed assets:
September 30,
2024
December 31,
2023
Equipment
$ 1,081
$ 1,097
Less: accumulated depreciation
( 692 )
( 670 )
Total
$ 389
$ 427
9. Deferred Consideration—Gold Payments
Deferred consideration—gold payments represented
an obligation the Company assumed in connection with its acquisition of the European exchange-traded commodity, currency and leveraged-and-inverse
business of ETFS Capital Limited (“ETFS Capital”) which occurred on April 11, 2018. The obligation was for fixed payments
to ETFS Capital of physical gold bullion equating to 9,500 ounces of gold per year through March 31, 2058 and then subsequently reduced
to 6,333 ounces of gold per year continuing into perpetuity (“contractual gold payments”). ETFS Capital continued to pass
through the payments to other parties to meet its payment obligations under prior royalty agreements, including to Gold Bullion Holdings
(Jersey) Limited (“GBH”), a subsidiary of the World Gold Council (“WGC”), Graham Tuckwell (“GT”),
and Rodber Investments Limited (“RIL”), an entity controlled by GT, who is also the Chairman of ETFS Capital.
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On May 10, 2023, the Company terminated its
contractual gold payments obligation for aggregate consideration totaling $ 136,903 pursuant to a Sale, Purchase and Assignment Deed (the
“SPA Agreement”) with WisdomTree International Holdings Ltd, Electra Target HoldCo Limited, ETFS Capital, WGC, GBH, GT and
RIL. Under the terms of the transaction, GBH received approximately $ 4,371 in cash and 13,087 shares of Series C Non-Voting Convertible
Preferred Stock of the Company, $ 0.01 par value per share, convertible into 13,087,000 shares of the Company’s common stock (see
Note 12 for additional information), and RIL received approximately $ 45,634 in cash.
During the three and nine months ended September
30, 2023, the Company recognized the following in respect of deferred consideration—gold payments:
Three
Months Ended
September 30,
Nine
Months Ended
September 30,
2024
2023
2024
2023
Contractual gold payments
$ —
$ —
$ —
$ 6,069
Contractual gold payments — gold ounces paid
—
—
—
3,167
Gain on revaluation/termination of deferred consideration — gold payments
$ —
$ —
$ —
$ 61,953
10. Convertible Notes
The Company has the following convertible notes
outstanding as of September 30, 2024:
● $ 150,000 in aggregate principal amount of 3.25 % Convertible Senior Notes due 2026 (the “2026 Notes”);
● $ 25,845 in aggregate principal amount of 5.75 % Convertible Senior Notes due 2028 (the “2028 Notes”); and
● $ 345,000 in aggregate principal amount of 3.25 % Convertible Senior Notes due 2029 (the “2029 Notes”).
Each class of notes were issued pursuant to
indentures dated as of the issuance dates between the Company and either U.S. Bank National Association or U.S Bank Trust Company, National
Association, as trustee (or its successor in interest, the “Trustee”), in private offerings to qualified institutional buyers
pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
In connection with the issuance of the 2029
Notes, the Company repurchased $ 104,155 in aggregate principal amount of the 2028 Notes. As a result of this repurchase, the Company recognized
a loss on extinguishment of $ 30,632 during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024.
As of September 30, 2024, the Company had an
aggregate principal amount of $ 520,845 outstanding of the 2026 Notes, the 2028 Notes and the 2029 Notes (collectively, the “Convertible
Notes”).
Key terms of the Convertible Notes are as follows:
2026 Notes
2028 Notes
2029 Notes
Principal outstanding $ 150,000 $ 25,845 $ 345,000
Issuance date June 14, 2021 February 14, 2023 August 13, 2024
Maturity date (unless earlier converted, repurchased or redeemed) June 15, 2026 August 15, 2028 August 15, 2029
Interest rate 3.25 % 5.75 % 3.25 %
Initial conversion price $ 11.04 $ 9.54 $ 11.82
Initial conversion rate 90.5797 104.8658 84.5934
Redemption price $ 14.35 $ 12.40 $ 15.37
● Interest rate: Payable semiannually in arrears on February 15 and August 15 of each year for the 2029 Notes and the 2028 Notes
and on June 15 and December 15 of each year for the 2026 Notes.
● Conversion price: Convertible at an initial conversion rate into shares of the Company’s common stock, per $ 1,000 principal
amount of notes (equivalent to an initial conversion price set forth in the table above), subject to adjustment.
● Conversion: Holders may convert at their option at any time prior to the close of business on the business day immediately
preceding May 15, 2029 and May 15, 2028 for the 2029 Notes and the 2028 Notes, respectively, and March 15, 2026 for the 2026 Notes, only
under the following circumstances: (i) if the last reported sale price of the Company’s common stock for at least 20 trading days
during a period of 30 consecutive trading days ending on the last trading day of the immediately preceding calendar quarter is greater
than or equal to 130 % of the conversion price for the respective Convertible Notes on each applicable trading day; (ii) during the five
business day period after any ten consecutive trading day period (the “measurement period”) in which the trading price per
$ 1,000 principal amount of the Convertible Notes for each trading day of the measurement period was less than 98 % of the product of the
last reported sales price of the Company’s common stock and the conversion rate on each such trading day; (iii) upon a notice of
redemption delivered by the Company in accordance with the terms of the indentures but only with respect to the Convertible Notes called
(or deemed called) for redemption; or (iv) upon the occurrence of specified corporate events. On or after May 15, 2029 and May 15, 2028
in respect of the 2029 Notes and the 2028 Notes, respectively, and March 15, 2026 in respect of the 2026 Notes, until the close of business
on the second scheduled trading day immediately preceding the maturity date, holders may convert their Convertible Notes at any time,
regardless of the foregoing circumstances.
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● Cash settlement of principal amount: Upon conversion, the Company will pay cash up to the aggregate principal amount of the
Convertible Notes to be converted. At its election, the Company will also settle its conversion obligation in excess of the aggregate
principal amount of the Convertible Notes being converted in either cash, shares of its common stock or a combination of cash and shares
of its common stock.
● Redemption price: The Company may redeem for cash all or any portion of the Convertible Notes, at its option, on or after August
20, 2026 and August 20, 2025 in respect of the 2029 Notes and the 2028 Notes, respectively, and June 20, 2023 in respect of the 2026 Notes
and on or prior to the 55 th scheduled trading day immediately preceding the maturity date, if the last reported sale price
of the Company’s common stock has been at least 130 % of the conversion price for the respective Convertible Notes then in effect
for at least 20 trading days, including the trading day immediately preceding the date on which the Company provides notice of redemption,
during any 30 consecutive trading day period ending on, and including, the trading day immediately preceding the date on which the Company
provides notice of redemption, at a redemption price equal to 100 % of the principal amount of the notes to be redeemed, plus accrued and
unpaid interest to, but excluding the redemption date. No sinking fund is provided for the Convertible Notes.
● Limited investor put rights: Holders of the Convertible Notes have the right to require the Company to repurchase for cash
all or a portion of their notes at 100 % of their principal amount, plus any accrued and unpaid interest, upon the occurrence of certain
change of control transactions or liquidation, dissolution or common stock delisting events.
● Conversion rate increase in certain customary circumstances: In certain circumstances, conversions in connection with a “make-whole
fundamental change” (as defined in the indentures) or conversions of Convertible Notes called (or deemed called) for redemption
may result in an increase to the conversion rate, provided that the conversion rate will not exceed 103.6269 shares, 167.7853 shares and
144.9275 shares of the Company’s common stock per $ 1,000 principal amount of the 2029 Notes, the 2028 Notes and the 2026 Notes,
respectively (the equivalent of 61,826,817 shares of the Company’s common stock), subject to adjustment.
● Seniority and Security: The Convertible Notes rank equal in right of payment and are the Company’s senior unsecured obligations.
The indentures contain customary terms and covenants,
including that upon certain events of default occurring and continuing, either the Trustee or the respective holders of not less than
25 % in aggregate principal amount of the respective series of Convertible Notes outstanding may declare the entire principal amount of
all such respective Convertible Notes to be repurchased, plus any accrued special interest, if any, to be immediately due and payable.
The following table provides a summary of the
Convertible Notes at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023:
September 30, 2024
December 31, 2023
2026 Notes
2028 Notes
2029 Notes
Total
2026 Notes
2028 Notes
Total
Principal amount
$ 150,000
$ 25,845
$ 345,000
$ 520,845
$ 150,000
$ 130,000
$ 280,000
Less: Unamortized issuance costs
( 1,479 )
( 498 )
( 7,462 )
( 9,439 )
( 2,125 )
( 2,987 )
( 5,112 )
Carrying amount
$ 148,521
$ 25,347
$ 337,538
$ 511,406
$ 147,875
$ 127,013
$ 274,888
Effective interest rate (1)
3.83 %
6.25 %
3.70 %
3.86 %
6.25 %
3.83 %
4.96 %
_____________________________
(1) Includes amortization of the issuance costs and premium.
Interest expense on the Convertible Notes was
$ 4,330 and $ 11,256 respectively, during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 and $ 3,461 and $ 11,484 , respectively, during
the comparable periods in 2023. Interest payable of $ 3,151 and $ 2,391 at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively, is included
in accounts payable and other liabilities on the Consolidated Balance Sheets.
The fair value of the Convertible Notes (classified
as Level 2 in the fair value hierarchy) was $ 553,602 and $ 281,897 at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively. The if-converted
value of the 2028 Notes was $ 27,064 at September 30, 2024. The if-converted value of the 2026 Notes and the 2029 Notes did not exceed
the principal amount at September 30, 2024. The if-converted value of the Convertible Notes did not exceed the principal amount at December
31, 2023.
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11. Series A Preferred Stock
On August 13, 2024, the Company repurchased
all of its then-outstanding Series A Non-Voting Convertible Preferred Stock (the “Series A Preferred Stock”), which was convertible
into 14,750,000 shares of the Company’s common stock from ETFS Capital for aggregate cash consideration of $ 143,812 (or $ 9.75 per
share). These shares were previously issued in April 2018, in connection with the completion of the acquisition by the Company of the
European exchange-traded commodity, currency and leveraged-and-inverse business of ETFS Capital (the “ETFS Acquisition”) and
were carried at $ 132,750 , which was based on the closing price of the Company’s common stock on April 10, 2018 of $ 9.00 per share,
the trading day prior to the closing of the transaction.
Under U.S. GAAP, the premium paid on repurchase
represents a return similar to a dividend to the preferred stockholder and is required to be recorded to retained earnings along with
the related transaction costs. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024, the Company recorded a $ 11,375 reduction to
retained earnings in connection with this repurchase.
The following is a summary of the Series A Preferred
Stock balance:
September 30,
2024
December 31,
2023
Issuance of Series A Preferred Stock
$ —
$ 132,750
Less: Issuance costs
—
( 181 )
Series A Preferred Stock—carrying value
$ —
$ 132,569
Cash dividends declared per share (quarterly)
$ —
$ 0.03
The Company previously classified the Series
A Preferred Stock as temporary equity which is required for redeemable instruments for which redemption triggers are outside of the issuer’s
control. ETFS Capital had the right to redeem all the Series A Preferred Stock specified to be converted during the period of time specified
in the Series A Certificate of Designations in the event that: (a) the number of shares of the Company’s common stock authorized
by its certificate of incorporation was insufficient to permit the Company to convert all of the Series A Preferred Stock requested by
ETFS Capital to be converted; or (b) ETFS Capital did not, upon completion of a change of control of the Company, receive the same
amount per share of Series A Preferred Stock as it would have received had each outstanding share of Series A Preferred Stock been converted
into common stock immediately prior to the change of control. However, the Company would not have been obligated to make any such redemption
payments to the extent such payments would have been a breach of any covenant or obligation the Company owed to any of its secured creditors
or is otherwise prohibited by applicable law.
Any such redemption would have been at a price
per share of Series A Preferred Stock equal to the dollar volume-weighted average price for a share of common stock for the 30-trading
day period ending on the date of such attempted conversion or change of control, as applicable, multiplied by 1,000. Such redemption payment
would have been made in one payment no later than 10 business days following the last day of the Company’s first fiscal quarter
that began on a date following the date ETFS Capital exercised such redemption right. The redemption value of the Series A Preferred Stock
was $ 96,869 at December 31, 2023.
12. Payable to Gold Bullion Holdings (Jersey) Limited (“GBH”)
On November 20, 2023, the Company repurchased
its Series C Non-Voting Convertible Preferred Stock, par value $ 0.01 per share (the “Series C Preferred Stock”) which was
convertible into 13,087,000 shares of the Company’s common stock, from GBH, a subsidiary of WGC, for aggregate cash consideration
of approximately $ 84,411 . Under the terms of the transaction, the Company paid GBH $ 40,000 on the closing date, with the remainder of
the purchase price payable in equal, interest-free installments on the first, second and third anniversaries of the closing date. The
implied price per share was $ 6.02 when considering the interest-free financing element of the transaction. The investor rights agreement
that the Company and GBH entered into in May 2023 in connection with the issuance of the Series C Preferred Stock, which provided GBH
with certain rights and obligations with respect to the shares, including registration rights, was terminated in this transaction.
Under U.S. GAAP, the obligation was recorded
at its present value utilizing a market rate of interest on the closing date of 7.0 % and the corresponding discount is being amortized
as interest expense pursuant to the effective interest method of accounting over the life of the obligation. The aggregate consideration
payable was valued at $ 38,835 on the closing date and the carrying value of this obligation is as follows:
September 30,
2024
December 31,
2023
Current:
$ 14,804
$ 14,804
Long-term
26,368
24,328
Total
$ 41,172
$ 39,132
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Interest expense recognized was $ 697 and $ 2,039 ,
respectively, during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 and $0 during the comparable periods in 2023 and is included as
a component of total interest expense recognized on the Consolidated Statements of Operations.
13. Leases
The Company has entered into operating leases
for its office facilities (including its corporate headquarters) and equipment. The Company has no finance leases. The following table
provides additional information regarding the Company’s leases:
Three Months Ended
September 30,
Nine Months Ended
September 30,
2024 2023 2024 2023
Lease cost:
Operating lease cost $ 328 $ 324 $ 976 $ 963
Short-term lease cost 65 70 205 191
Total lease cost $ 393 $ 394 $ 1,181 $ 1,154
Other information:
Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of operating liabilities (operating leases) $ 328 $ 301 $ 991 $ 955
Right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for new operating lease liabilities n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
Weighted-average remaining lease term (in years) — operating leases 1.1 0.7 1.1 0.7
Weighted-average discount rate — operating leases 5.7 % 6.0 % 5.7 % 6.0 %
None of the Company’s leases include variable
payments, residual value guarantees or any restrictions or covenants relating to the Company’s ability to pay dividends or incur
additional financing obligations.
The following table discloses future minimum
lease payments at September 30, 2024 with respect to the Company’s operating lease liabilities:
Remainder of 2024
$ 662
2025
769
2026
186
Total future minimum lease payments (undiscounted)
$ 1,617
The following table reconciles the future minimum
lease payments (disclosed above) at September 30, 2024 to the operating lease liabilities recognized in the Company’s Consolidated
Balance Sheets:
Amounts recognized in the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheets
Lease liability — short term
$ 950
Lease liability — long term
270
Subtotal
1,220
Difference between undiscounted and discounted cash flows
397
Total future minimum lease payments (undiscounted)
$ 1,617
14. Contingencies
The Company may be subject to reviews, inspections
and investigations by regulatory authorities as well as legal proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business.
SEC ESG Settlement
On August 5, 2024, WTAM received a Wells Notice
from the staff (the “Staff”) of the SEC advising WTAM that the Staff had made a preliminary determination to recommend that
the SEC file an enforcement action against WTAM alleging violations of certain provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws relating
to three exchange-traded series of WisdomTree Trust managed by WTAM that pursued ESG-focused strategies (collectively, the “Funds”).
The Funds, which were launched in March 2020 and were liquidated in February 2024, collectively had monthly average cumulative assets
under management of approximately $ 119 million throughout their lifetime as ESG-named funds.
Without admitting or denying the SEC’s
allegations, WTAM agreed to resolve the matter by consenting to the entry of an Order by the SEC, which was announced publicly on October
21, 2024, in which WTAM agreed to cease and desist from committing or causing any violations and any future violations of Sections 206(2)
and 206(4) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended, Rules 206(4)-7 and 206(4)-8 thereunder, and Section 34(b) of the Investment
Company Act of 1940, as amended, and to pay a civil money penalty of $ 4,000 (the “SEC ESG Settlement”). This amount has been
reported in other losses, net on the Consolidated Statements of Operations during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024.
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Excluding the penalty, the Company expects that
all legal and other related expenses incurred by WTAM in connection with the matter will be covered by insurance, less a $ 1,000 deductible.
These expected covered expenses totaled $ 3,661 and $ 4,114 , respectively, during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 and
have been reported in other revenue on the Consolidated Statements of Operations.
Closure of the WisdomTree WTI Crude Oil 3x Daily Leveraged
ETP
Between December 2020 and March 2022,
WMAI, WTMAML, WTUK and/or WisdomTree Ireland Limited (“WT Ireland”) were served with seven separate writs of summons
to appear before the Courts of Milan, Udine or Turin, Italy by investors seeking damages resulting from the closure of the
WisdomTree WTI Crude Oil 3x Daily Leveraged ETP (“3OIL”) in March 2020. The product was dependent on the receipt of
payments from a swap provider to satisfy payment obligations to the investors. Due to an extreme adverse move in oil futures
relative to the oil futures’ closing price, the swap contract underlying 3OIL was terminated by the swap provider, which
resulted in the compulsory redemption of 3OIL, all in accordance with the prospectus.
Since February 2022, five of the seven
actions have been resolved in the Company’s favor, of which two are subject to appeal. Total damages sought by all investors
related to the two remaining open and two appealed claims, including an appealed claim for total damages of € 7,830 ($ 8,740 ),
were approximately € 19,130 ($ 21,360 ) at September 30, 2024.
Additionally, in July 2023, WT Ireland received
a letter from counsel on behalf of additional investors seeking damages of up to approximately € 8,350 ($ 9,320 ) resulting from the
closure of 3OIL. The claim is in its preliminary stages and a writ of summons has not been served.
The Company continues to assess the open claims
with its external counsel. The Company expects that losses, if any, arising from these claims will be covered under its insurance policies,
less a $ 500 deductible. An accrual has not been made with respect to these matters at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023.
15. Variable Interest Entities
VIEs are entities with any of the following
characteristics: (i) the entity does not have enough equity to finance its activities without additional financial support; (ii) the equity
holders, as a group, lack the characteristics of a controlling financial interest; or (iii) the entity is structured with non-substantive
voting rights.
Consolidation of a VIE is required for the party
deemed to be the primary beneficiary, if any. The primary beneficiary is the party who has both (a) the power to direct the activities
of a VIE that most significantly impact the entity’s economic performance and (b) an obligation to absorb losses of the entity or
a right to receive benefits from the entity that could potentially be significant to the entity. The Company is not the primary beneficiary
of any entities in which it has a variable interest as it does not have the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact
the entities’ economic performance. Such power is conveyed through the entities’ boards of directors and the Company does
not have control over the boards.
The following table presents information about
the Company’s variable interests in non-consolidated VIEs:
September 30,
2024
December 31,
2023
Carrying Amount — Assets:
Fnality Series B-1 Preference Shares (Note 7)
$ 8,764
$ 9,684
Maximum exposure to loss
$ 8,764
$ 9,684
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16. Revenues from Contracts with Customers
The following table presents the Company’s
total revenues from contracts with customers:
Three Months Ended
September 30,
Nine Months Ended
September 30,
2024
2023
2024
2023
Revenues from contracts with customers:
Advisory fees
$ 101,659
$ 86,598
$ 293,098
$ 246,239
Other revenues
11,509
3,825
23,942
11,952
Total operating revenues
$ 113,168
$ 90,423
$ 317,040
$ 258,191
The Company recognizes revenues from contracts
with customers when the performance obligation is satisfied, which is when the promised services are transferred to the customer. A service
is considered to be transferred when the customer obtains control, which is represented by the transfer of rights with regard to the service.
Transfer of control happens either over time or at a point in time. When a performance obligation is satisfied over time, an entity is
required to select a single method of measuring progress for each performance obligation that depicts the entity’s performance in
transferring control of services to the customer.
A significant portion of the Company’s
revenues from contracts with customers are derived primarily from investment advisory agreements with related parties (Note 17). These
advisory fees are recognized over time, are earned from the Company’s ETPs and are calculated based on a percentage of the ETPs’
average daily net assets. There is no significant judgment in calculating amounts due which are invoiced monthly in arrears and are not
subject to any potential reversal. Progress is measured using the practical expedient under the output method resulting in the recognition
of revenue in the amount for which the Company has a right to invoice.
There are no contract assets or liabilities
that arise in connection with the recognition of advisory fee revenue. In addition, there are no costs incurred to obtain or fulfill the
contracts with customers, all of which are investment advisory agreements with related parties.
Other revenues includes revenues the Company
earns from swap providers associated with certain of the Company’s European listed ETPs, the nature of which are based on a percentage
of the ETPs’ average daily net assets. The Company also earns transaction-based income on flows associated with certain European
listed ETPs. There is no significant judgment in calculating amounts due, which are invoiced monthly or quarterly in arrears and are not
subject to any potential reversal. Progress is measured using the practical expedient under the output method resulting in the recognition
of revenue in the amount for which the Company has a right to invoice.
Geographic Distribution of Revenues
The following table presents the Company’s
total revenues geographically as determined by where the respective management companies reside:
Three Months Ended
September 30,
Nine Months Ended
September 30,
2024
2023
2024
2023
Revenues from contracts with customers:
United States
$ 76,312
$ 57,988
$ 212,024
$ 160,477
Jersey
30,965
28,196
88,692
86,407
Ireland
5,891
4,239
16,324
11,307
Total operating revenues
$ 113,168
$ 90,423
$ 317,040
$ 258,191
17. Related Party Transactions
Investment Advisory Agreements
The Company’s revenues are derived primarily
from investment advisory agreements with related parties. Under these agreements, the Company has licensed to related parties the use
of certain of its own indexes for the U.S. WisdomTree ETFs, WisdomTree Digital Funds and WisdomTree UCITS ETFs. The relevant boards of
trustees or boards of directors (including certain officers of the Company) of each of the related parties is primarily responsible for
overseeing the management and affairs of the entities for the benefit of their respective stakeholders and have contracted with the Company
to provide for general management and administration services. The Company is also responsible for certain expenses of the related parties,
including the cost of transfer agency, custody, fund administration and accounting, legal, audit, and other non-distribution services,
excluding extraordinary expenses, taxes and certain other expenses, which are included in fund management and administration in the Consolidated
Statements of Operations. In exchange, the Company receives fees based on a percentage of the ETPs’ and the Digital Funds’
average daily net assets. A majority of the independent members of the respective board of trustees or board of directors are required
to initially and annually (after the first two years) approve the advisory agreements of the U.S. WisdomTree ETFs and the WisdomTree Digital
Funds and these agreements may be terminated by such board of trustees or board of directors upon notice.
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The following table summarizes accounts receivable
from related parties which are included as a component of accounts receivable in the Consolidated Balance Sheets:
September 30,
2024
December 31,
2023
Receivable from WTT
$ 23,986
$ 21,226
Receivable from ManJer Issuers
5,013
4,411
Receivable from WMAI and WTICAV
4,765
2,874
Total
$ 33,764
$ 28,511
The allowance for credit losses on accounts
receivable from related parties is insignificant when applying historical loss rates, adjusted for current conditions and supportable
forecasts, to the amounts outstanding in the table above. Amounts outstanding are all invoiced in arrears, are less than 30 days aged
and are collected shortly after the applicable reporting period.
The following table summarizes revenues from
advisory services provided to related parties:
Three Months Ended
September 30,
Nine Months Ended
September 30,
2024
2023
2024
2023
Advisory services provided to WTT
$ 72,201
$ 57,656
$ 206,478
$ 159,595
Advisory services provided to ManJer Issuers
23,567
24,703
70,296
75,337
Advisory services provided to WMAI and WTICAV
5,891
4,239
16,324
11,307
Total
$ 101,659
$ 86,598
$ 293,098
$ 246,239
Investments in WisdomTree Products
The Company also has investments in certain
WisdomTree products of approximately $ 81,202 and $ 52,566 at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively. This includes $ 20,524
and $ 18,308 , respectively, of seed investments in certain affiliated Digital Funds advised by WT Digital Management, referred to herein
as “other assets–seed capital.” The Company also has invested an additional $ 6,000 in the WisdomTree Government Money
Market Digital Fund at September 30, 2024.
Net unrealized and realized gains related to
trading WisdomTree products were $ 554 and $ 2,278 , respectively, during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 and ($ 591 ) and
$ 250 , respectively, during the comparable periods in 2023. Such gains are recorded in other losses, net on the Consolidated Statements
of Operations.
18. Stock-Based Awards
On July 15, 2022, the Company’s stockholders
approved the 2022 Equity Plan under which the Company may issue up to 16,000,000 shares of common stock (less one share for every share
granted under the 2016 Equity Plan since March 31, 2022 and inclusive of shares available under the 2016 Equity Plan as of March 31, 2022)
in the form of stock options and other stock-based awards.
The Company grants equity awards to employees
and directors, which include restricted stock awards (“RSAs”), restricted stock units (“RSUs”), including deferred
RSUs to non-employee directors, performance-based restricted stock units (“PRSUs”) and stock options. Certain awards described
below are subject to acceleration under certain conditions.
Stock options: Generally issued for
terms of ten years and may vest after at least one year of service and have an exercise price equal to the Company’s stock price
on the grant date. The Company estimates the fair value of stock options (when granted) using the Black-Scholes option pricing model.
RSAs/RSUs: Awards are valued based on the Company’s stock price on grant date and generally vest ratably, on an annual basis, over three
years. For non-employee directors, such awards generally vest on the one-year anniversary of the grant date.
Deferred RSUs: Awards are valued based
on the Company’s stock price on grant date and generally vest on the one-year anniversary of the grant date. The awards are issued
pursuant to the Company’s Non-Employee Director Deferred Compensation Program, and are settled based on timing elected by the recipient
in advance.
PRSUs: These awards cliff vest three years from the grant date and contain a market condition whereby the number of PRSUs ultimately vesting
is tied to how the Company’s total shareholder return (“TSR”) compares to a peer group of other publicly traded asset
managers over the three-year period. A Monte Carlo simulation is used to value these awards.
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The number of PRSUs vesting ranges from 0% to 200% of the
target number of PRSUs granted, as follows:
● If the relative TSR is below the
25 th percentile, then 0% of the target number of PRSUs granted will vest;
● If the relative TSR is
at the 25 th percentile, then 50% of the target number of PRSUs granted will vest;
● If the relative TSR is above the
25 th percentile, then linear scaling is applied such that the percent of the target number of PRSUs vesting is 100% at the
50 th percentile and capped at 200% of the target number of PRSUs granted for performance at the 85 th percentile;
and
● If the Company’s TSR is
negative, the target number of PRSUs vesting is capped at 100% regardless of the relative TSR percentile.
Stock-based compensation expense was $ 5,197
and $ 15,952 , respectively, during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 and $ 3,916 and $ 12,422 , respectively, during the
comparable periods in 2023.
A summary of unrecognized stock-based compensation
expense and average remaining vesting period is as follows:
September 30, 2024
Unrecognized
Stock-Based
Compensation
Weighted-Average
Remaining Vesting
Period (Years)
Employees and directors $ 22,861 1.03
A summary of stock-based compensation award activity
(shares) during the three months ended September 30, 2024 is as follows:
RSA
RSU
PRSU
Balance at July 1, 2024
4,906,159
268,384
1,398,289
Granted
—
444
4,395
Vested
( 27,625 )
—
—
Forfeited
( 49,111 )
( 1,140 )
—
Balance at September 30, 2024
4,829,423
267,688 (1)
1,402,684
_____________________________
(1) Includes 103,228 deferred RSUs that have vested.
19. Stockholder Rights Plan
On March 17, 2023, the Board of Directors of
the Company adopted a stockholder rights plan, as set forth in the Stockholder Rights Agreement, dated March 17, 2023, between the Company
and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as Rights Agent, as amended by Amendment No. 1 thereto, dated May 4, 2023 (“Amendment
No. 1”), Amendment No. 2 thereto, dated May 10, 2023 (“Amendment No. 2”), Amendment No. 3 thereto, dated March 18, 2024
(“Amendment No. 3”), Amendment No. 4 thereto, dated March 25, 2024 (“Amendment No. 4”), and Amendment No. 5 thereto,
dated April 30, 2024 (“Amendment No. 5”) (as amended, the “Stockholder Rights Agreement”). At the Company’s
2024 annual meeting of stockholders held on June 12, 2024, the Company’s stockholders ratified the adoption by the Board of Directors
of the extension of the Stockholder Rights Agreement.
On March 18, 2024, the Company entered into
Amendment No. 3, which extended the Stockholder Rights Agreement, such that the Rights will now expire on the close of business on March
17, 2025. Amendment No. 3 also changed the definition of “Exercise Price” in the Stockholder Rights Agreement from $ 32.00
to $ 45.00 per Unit (as defined below) to account for the difference in share price between when the Stockholder Rights Agreement was originally
adopted and when it was extended.
Pursuant to the terms of the Stockholder Rights
Agreement, the Board of Directors declared a dividend distribution of (i) one Right (as defined below) for each outstanding share of common
stock, par value $ 0.01 per share, of the Company’s common stock and (ii) 1,000 Rights for each outstanding share of the Company’s
Series A Preferred Stock, to stockholders of record as of the close of business on March 28, 2023 (the “Record Date”). In
addition, one Right will automatically attach to each share of common stock and 1,000 Rights will automatically attach to each share of
Series A Preferred Stock, in each case, issued between the Record Date and the earlier of the Distribution Date (as defined below) and
the expiration date of the Rights. Each “Right” entitles the registered holder thereof to purchase from the Company a unit
consisting of one ten-thousandth of a share (a “Unit”) of Series B Junior Participating Cumulative Preferred Stock, par value
$ 0.01 per share, of the Company (the “Series B Preferred Stock”) at a cash exercise price of $ 45.00 per Unit (the “Exercise
Price”), subject to adjustment, under certain conditions specified in the Stockholder Rights Agreement and summarized below.
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Initially, the Rights are not exercisable and
are attached to and trade with all shares of common stock and Series A Preferred Stock outstanding as of, and issued subsequent to, the
Record Date. The Rights will separate from the common stock and Series A Preferred Stock and will become exercisable upon the earlier
of (i) the close of business on the tenth calendar day following the first public announcement that a person or group of affiliated or
associated persons (an “Acquiring Person”) has acquired beneficial ownership of 10 % (or 20 % in the case of passive stockholders
or “13G Investors,” as defined in the Stockholder Rights Agreement) or more of the outstanding shares of common stock, other
than as a result of repurchases of stock by the Company or certain inadvertent actions by a stockholder (the date of such announcement
being referred to as the “Stock Acquisition Date”), or (ii) the close of business on the tenth business day (or such later
day as the Board of Directors may determine) following the commencement of a tender offer or exchange offer that could result upon its
consummation in a person or group becoming an Acquiring Person (the earlier of such dates being herein referred to as the “Distribution
Date”). A person or group who beneficially owned 10% or more (or 20% or more in the case of 13G Investors) of the Company’s
outstanding common stock prior to the first public announcement by the Company of the adoption of the Stockholder Rights Agreement will
not trigger the Stockholder Rights Agreement so long as they do not acquire beneficial ownership of any additional shares of common stock
at a time when they still beneficially own 10% or more (or 20% or more in the case of 13G Investors) of such common stock, subject to
certain exceptions as set forth in the Stockholder Rights Agreement.
For purposes of the Stockholder Rights Agreement,
beneficial ownership is defined to include ownership of securities that are subject to a derivative transaction and acquired derivative
securities. Swaps dealers unassociated with any control intent or intent to evade the purposes of the Stockholder Rights Agreement are
excepted from such imputed beneficial ownership. Pursuant to Amendment No. 1, beneficial ownership did not include the right to vote pursuant
to any agreement, arrangement or understanding with respect to voting on the proposal to approve and ratify the Stockholder Rights Agreement
presented to the Company’s stockholders at the Company’s 2023 annual meeting of stockholders. Pursuant to Amendment No. 2,
the parties to the SPA Agreement are not deemed to be “Acquiring Persons” solely by virtue of, or as a result of, the parties’
entry into the SPA Agreement, the issuance of the Series C Preferred Stock to GBH, and the performance or consummation of any of the other
transactions contemplated by the SPA Agreement, among other conditions, under the terms and conditions set forth in Amendment No. 2. Pursuant
to Amendment No. 4, beneficial ownership excludes the right to vote pursuant to any agreement, arrangement or understanding with respect
to voting (i) arising solely from a revocable proxy or consent given in response to a public proxy or consent solicitation, or exempt
solicitation, made pursuant to a written proxy or consent solicitation statement filed with the SEC and that is not also then reportable
on Schedule 13D under the Exchange Act, or (ii) on a proposal to approve and ratify the Stockholder Rights Agreement (as amended from
time to time), including any amendment thereto or extension thereof, presented to the Company’s stockholders at any annual or special
meeting of the Company’s stockholders (including any adjournments or postponements thereof). Pursuant to Amendment No. 5, the Stockholder
Rights Agreement was amended to (a) remove language stating that (i) the Company has the “exclusive” power and authority to
administer the Stockholder Rights Agreement and (ii) all actions, calculations, interpretations and determinations necessary or advisable
for the administration of the Stockholder Rights Agreement done or made by the Board of Directors of the Company in good faith are final,
conclusive and binding on all parties, and (b) provide that nothing in the Stockholder Rights Agreement shall be deemed to limit or eliminate
the fiduciary duties of the Board of Directors under applicable law.
In the event that a Stock Acquisition Date occurs,
proper provision will be made so that each holder of a Right (other than an Acquiring Person or its associates or affiliates, whose Rights
shall become null and void) will thereafter have the right to receive upon exercise, in lieu of a number of shares of Series B Preferred
Stock, that number of shares of common stock of the Company (or, in certain circumstances, including if there are insufficient shares
of common stock to permit the exercise in full of the Rights, Units of Series B Preferred Stock, other securities, cash or property, or
any combination of the foregoing) having a market value of two times the Exercise Price of the Right (such right being referred to as
the “Subscription Right”). In the event that, at any time following the Stock Acquisition Date, (i) the Company consolidates
with, or merges with and into, any other person, and the Company is not the continuing or surviving corporation, (ii) any person consolidates
with the Company, or merges with and into the Company and the Company is the continuing or surviving corporation of such merger and, in
connection with such merger, all or part of the shares of common stock are changed into or exchanged for stock or other securities of
any other person or cash or any other property, or (iii) 50 % or more of the Company’s assets or earning power is sold, mortgaged
or otherwise transferred, each holder of a Right (other than an Acquiring Person or its associates or affiliates, whose Rights shall become
null and void) will thereafter have the right to receive, upon exercise, common stock of the acquiring company having a market value equal
to two times the Exercise Price of the Right (such right being referred to as the “Merger Right”). The holder of a Right will
continue to have the Merger Right whether or not such holder has exercised the Subscription Right. Rights that are or were beneficially
owned by an Acquiring Person may (under certain circumstances specified in the Stockholder Rights Agreement) become null and void.
The Rights may be redeemed in whole, but not
in part, at a price of $ 0.01 per Right (payable in cash, common stock or other consideration deemed appropriate by the Board of Directors)
by the Board of Directors only until the earlier of (i) the time at which any person becomes an Acquiring Person or (ii) the expiration
date of the Stockholder Rights Agreement. Immediately upon the action of the Board of Directors ordering redemption of the Rights, the
Rights will terminate and thereafter the only right of the holders of Rights will be to receive the redemption price.
The Stockholder Rights Agreement may be amended
by the Board of Directors in its sole discretion at any time prior to the time at which any person becomes an Acquiring Person. After
such time the Board of Directors may, subject to certain limitations set forth in the Stockholder Rights Agreement, amend the Stockholder
Rights Agreement only to cure any ambiguity, defect or inconsistency, to shorten or lengthen any time period, or to make changes that
do not adversely affect the interests of Rights holders (excluding the interests of an Acquiring Person or its associates or affiliates).
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Until a Right is exercised, the holder will
have no rights as a stockholder of the Company (beyond those as an existing stockholder), including the right to vote or to receive dividends.
While the distribution of the Rights will not be taxable to stockholders or to the Company, stockholders may, depending upon the circumstances,
recognize taxable income in the event that the Rights become exercisable for shares of common stock, other securities of the Company,
other consideration or for common stock of an acquiring company.
The Stockholder Rights Agreement provides the
holders of the common stock with the ability to exempt an offer to acquire, or engage in another business combination transaction involving,
the Company that is deemed a “Qualifying Offer” (as defined in the Stockholder Rights Agreement) from the terms of the Stockholder
Rights Agreement. A Qualifying Offer is, in summary, an offer determined by a majority of the independent members of the Board to have
specific characteristics that are generally intended to preclude offers that are coercive, abusive or highly contingent. Among those characteristics
are that it be: (i) a fully financed all-cash tender offer or an exchange offer offering shares of common stock of the offeror, or a combination
thereof, for any and all of the common stock; and (ii) an offer that is otherwise in the best interests of the Company’s stockholders.
The Stockholder Rights Agreement provides additional characteristics necessary for an acquisition offer to be deemed a “Qualifying
Offer,” including if the consideration offered in a proposed transaction is stock of the acquiror.
Pursuant to the Stockholder Rights Agreement,
if the Company receives a Qualifying Offer and the Board of Directors has not redeemed the outstanding Rights or exempted such Qualifying
Offer from the terms of the Stockholder Rights Agreement or called a special meeting of stockholders (the “Special Meeting”)
for the purpose of voting on whether to exempt such Qualifying Offer from the terms of the Stockholder Rights Agreement, in each case
by the end of the 90 business day period following the commencement of such Qualifying Offer, provided such offer remains a Qualifying
Offer during such period, the holders of 10 % of the common stock may request that the Board call a Special Meeting to vote on a resolution
authorizing the exemption of the Qualifying Offer from the terms of the Stockholder Rights Agreement. If such a Special Meeting is not
held by the 90th business day following the receipt of such a request from stockholders to call a Special Meeting, the Qualifying Offer
will be deemed exempt from the terms of the Stockholder Rights Agreement on the 10th business day thereafter.
20. Earnings Per Share
The following tables set forth reconciliations
of the basic and diluted (loss)/earnings per share computations for the periods presented:
Three Months Ended
September 30,
Nine Months Ended
September 30,
Basic Earnings per Share
2024
2023
2024
2023
Net (loss)/income
$ ( 4,485 )
$ 12,984
$ 39,385
$ 83,469
Less: Loss on repurchase of Series A Preferred Stock
( 11,375 )
—
( 11,375 )
—
Less: Income distributed to participating securities
( 2,331 )
( 889 )
( 3,255 )
( 1,884 )
Less: Undistributed income allocable to participating securities
—
( 1,309 )
( 1,096 )
( 9,619 )
Net (loss)/income available to common stockholders — Basic EPS
$ ( 18,191 )
$ 10,786
$ 23,659
$ 71,966
Weighted average common shares (in thousands)
143,929
145,284
145,756
144,505
Basic (loss)/earnings per share
$ ( 0.13 )
$ 0.07
$ 0.16
$ 0.50
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Three Months Ended
September 30,
Nine Months Ended
September 30,
Diluted Earnings per Share
2024
2023
2024
2023
Net (loss)/income available to common stockholders
$ ( 18,191 )
$ 10,786
$ 23,659
$ 71,966
Add back: Undistributed income allocable to participating securities
—
1,309
1,096
9,619
Less: Reallocation of undistributed income allocable to participating securities considered potentially dilutive
—
( 1,286 )
( 900 )
( 9,446 )
Net (loss)/income available to common stockholders — Diluted EPS
$ ( 18,191 )
$ 10,809
$ 23,855
$ 72,139
Weighted Average Diluted Shares (in thousands):
Weighted average common shares
143,929
145,284
145,756
144,505
Dilutive effect of common stock equivalents, excluding participating securities
—
3,148
4,324
3,067
Weighted average diluted shares, excluding participating securities (in thousands)
143,929
148,432
150,080
147,572
Diluted (loss)/earnings per share
$ ( 0.13 )
$ 0.07
$ 0.16
$ 0.49
Diluted (loss)/earnings per share presented
above is calculated using the two-class method as this method results in the lowest diluted earnings per share amount for common stock.
There were no antidilutive non-participating common stock equivalents for the three months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023 and the nine
months ended September 30, 2024. Total antidilutive non-participating common stock equivalents were 2 for the nine months ended September
30, 2023 (shares herein are reported in thousands).
There were no potential common shares associated
with the conversion options embedded in the Convertible Notes included in weighted average diluted shares for the three months ended September
30, 2024 as the Company reported a net loss. There were also no potential common shares during the nine months ended September 30, 2024
and the three and nine months ended September, 30, 2023 as the Company’s average stock price was lower than the conversion price.
The following table reconciles weighted average
diluted shares as reported on the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Operations for the three and nine months ended September
30, 2024 and 2023, which are determined pursuant to the treasury stock method, to the weighted average diluted shares used to calculate
diluted (loss)/earnings per share as disclosed in the table above:
Three Months Ended
September 30,
Nine Months Ended
September 30,
Reconciliation of Weighted Average Diluted Shares (in thousands)
2024
2023
2024
2023
Weighted average diluted shares as disclosed on the Consolidated Statements of Operations
143,929 (1)
177,140
162,691
169,997
Less: Participating securities
Weighted average shares of common stock issuable upon conversion of the Series A Preferred Stock (Note 11)
—
( 14,750 )
( 12,112 )
( 14,750 )
Weighted average shares of common stock issuable upon conversion of the Series C Preferred Stock (Note 9)
—
( 13,087 )
—
( 6,903 )
Potentially dilutive restricted stock awards
—
( 871 )
( 499 )
( 772 )
Weighted average diluted shares used to calculate diluted earnings per share as disclosed in the table above
143,929
148,432
150,080
147,572
_______________________________________
(1) Excludes 7,540 participating securities and 5,276 potentially dilutive non-participating common stock equivalents for the three months
ended September 30, 2024, as the Company reported a net loss for the period (shares herein are reported in thousands).
21. Income Taxes
Effective Income Tax Rate – Three and Nine Months Ended
September 30, 2024
The Company’s effective income tax rate
during the three months ended September 30, 2024 was 216.0 %, resulting in income tax expense of $ 8,351 . The effective income tax rate
differs from the federal statutory tax rate of 21 % primarily due to non-deductible loss on extinguishment of convertible notes, a non-deductible
civil money penalty of $ 4,000 relating to the SEC ESG Settlement and non-deductible executive compensation. These items were partly offset
by a lower tax rate on foreign earnings.
The Company’s effective income tax rate
during the nine months ended September 30, 2024 was 35.6 % resulting in income tax expense of $ 21,819 . The effective income tax rate differs
from the federal statutory tax rate of 21 % primarily due to non-deductible loss on extinguishment of convertible notes, a non-deductible
civil money penalty of $ 4,000 relating to the SEC ESG Settlement and non-deductible executive compensation. These items were partly offset
by a lower tax rate on foreign earnings.
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Effective Income Tax Rate – Three and Nine Months Ended
September 30, 2023
The Company’s effective income tax rate
during the three months ended September 30, 2023 was 31.0 %, resulting in income tax expense of $ 5,836 . The effective income tax rate differs
from the federal statutory tax rate of 21 % primarily due to an increase in the deferred tax asset valuation allowance on losses recognized
on the Company’s investments and non-deductible executive compensation.
The Company’s effective income tax rate
during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 was 11.4 %, resulting in income tax expense of $ 10,774 . The effective income tax rate differs
from the federal statutory tax rate of 21 % primarily due to a non-taxable gain on revaluation/termination of deferred consideration—gold
payments, a $ 1,353 reduction in unrecognized tax benefits (including interest and penalties) and a lower tax rate on foreign earnings.
These items were partly offset by a non-deductible loss on extinguishment of our convertible notes, an increase in the deferred tax asset
valuation allowance on losses recognized on our investments and non-deductible executive compensation.
Deferred Tax Assets
A summary of the components of the Company’s
deferred tax assets at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023 is as follows:
September 30,
2024
December 31,
2023
Deferred tax assets:
Capital losses
$ 22,825
$ 22,489
Accrued expenses
4,693
6,000
Stock-based compensation
2,097
2,468
NOLs—Foreign
1,261
1,502
Goodwill and intangible assets
752
895
Software capitalization
162
52
Operating lease liabilities
151
96
Unrealized losses
—
335
Foreign currency translation adjustment
—
146
NOLs—U.S.
—
127
Other
337
349
Total deferred tax assets
32,278
34,459
Deferred tax liabilities:
Unrealized gains
466
—
Fixed assets and prepaid assets
390
296
Foreign currency translation adjustment
264
—
Right of use assets—operating leases
151
96
Unremitted earnings—European subsidiaries
80
186
Total deferred tax liabilities:
1,351
578
Total deferred tax assets less deferred tax liabilities
30,927
33,881
Less: Valuation allowance
( 22,359 )
( 22,824 )
Deferred tax assets, net
$ 8,568
$ 11,057
Capital Losses – U.S.
The Company’s tax effected capital losses
at September 30, 2024 were $ 22,825 . These capital losses expire between the years 2024 and 2029.
Net Operating Losses – Europe
One of the Company’s European subsidiaries
generated net operating losses (“NOLs”) outside the U.S. These tax effected NOLs, all of which are carried forward indefinitely,
were $ 1,261 at September 30, 2024.
Valuation Allowance
The Company’s valuation allowance has
been established on its net capital losses, as it is more-likely-than-not that these deferred tax assets will not be realized.
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Income Tax Examinations
The Company is subject to U.S. federal income
tax as well as income tax of multiple state, local and certain foreign jurisdictions. As of September 30, 2024, with few exceptions, the
Company was no longer subject to income tax examinations by any taxing authority for the years before 2019.
Undistributed Earnings of Foreign Subsidiaries
ASC 740-30 Income Taxes provides guidance that
U.S. companies do not need to recognize tax effects on foreign earnings that are indefinitely reinvested. The Company repatriates earnings
of its foreign subsidiaries and therefore has recognized a deferred tax liability of $ 80 and $ 186 at September 30, 2024 and December 31,
2023, respectively.
22. Shares Repurchased
On February 22, 2022, the Company’s Board
of Directors approved an increase of $ 85,709 to the Company’s share repurchase program to $ 100,000 and extended the term for three
years through April 27, 2025 . Included under the Company’s share repurchase program are purchases to offset future equity grants
made under the Company’s equity plans and purchases made in open market or privately negotiated transactions. This authority may
be exercised from time to time, subject to regulatory considerations. The timing and actual number of shares repurchased will depend on
a variety of factors including price, corporate and regulatory requirements, market conditions and other corporate liquidity requirements
and priorities. The repurchase program may be suspended or terminated at any time without prior notice. Shares repurchased under this
program are returned to the status of authorized and unissued on the Company’s books and records.
The Company repurchased 5,704,023 and 6,800,301
shares, respectively, of its common stock under this program during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 4,566 and 635,653
shares, respectively, during the comparable periods in 2023. The aggregate cost of the shares repurchased during the three and nine months
ended September 30, 2024 was $ 55,050 and $ 62,870 , respectively, and the aggregate cost of the shares repurchased during the comparable
periods in 2023 was $ 30 and $ 3,570 , respectively. Shares repurchased under this program were returned to the status of authorized and
unissued on the Company’s books and records.
As of September 30, 2024, $ 33,535 remained under
this program for future purchases.
23. Goodwill and Intangible Assets
Goodwill
The table below sets forth goodwill which is
tested annually for impairment on November 30 th :
Total
Balance at January 1, 2024
$ 86,841
Changes
—
Balance at September 30, 2024
$ 86,841
Of the total goodwill of $ 86,841 at September
30, 2024, $ 85,042 is not deductible for tax purposes as the acquisitions that gave rise to the goodwill were structured as stock acquisitions.
The remainder of the goodwill is deductible for U.S. tax purposes.
Intangible Assets
The table below sets forth the Company’s
intangible assets which are tested annually for impairment on November 30 th :
Balance at September 30, 2024
Item
Gross Asset
Accumulated
Amortization
Net Asset
ETFS Acquisition
$ 601,247
$ —
$ 601,247
Software development
6,309
( 1,754 )
4,555
Balance at September 30, 2024
$ 607,556
$ ( 1,754 )
$ 605,802
Balance at December 31, 2023
Item
Gross Asset
Accumulated
Amortization
Net Asset
ETFS Acquisition
$ 601,247
$ —
$ 601,247
Software development
4,519
( 684 )
3,835
Balance at December 31, 2023
$ 605,766
$ ( 684 )
$ 605,082
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ETFS Acquisition (Indefinite-Lived)
In connection with the ETFS Acquisition, which
was completed on April 11, 2018 , the Company identified intangible assets valued at $ 601,247 related to the right to manage AUM through
customary advisory agreements. These intangible assets were determined to have indefinite useful lives and are not deductible for tax
purposes.
Software Development (Finite-Lived)
Internally-developed software is amortized over
a useful life of three years . The Company recognized amortization expense on internally-developed software of $ 384 and $ 1,070 , respectively,
during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 and $ 249 and $ 355 , respectively, during the comparable periods in 2023.
As of September 30, 2024, expected amortization
expense for the unamortized finite-lived intangible assets for the next five years and thereafter is as follows:
Remainder of 2024
$ 483
2025
2,068
2026
1,486
2027
518
2028 and thereafter
—
Total expected amortization expense
$ 4,555
The weighted-average remaining useful life of
the finite-lived intangible assets is 2.1 years.
24. Contingent Payments
Sale of Canadian ETF Business
During the three and nine months ended September
30, 2023, the Company recognized a gain of $ 0 and $ 1,477 , respectively, from remeasuring a contingent payment to its realizable value.
This gain was recorded in other losses, net.
25. Impairments
During the three and nine months ending September,
30, 2023, the Company recognized an impairment of $ 2,391 and $ 7,291 , respectively, on its investment in Securrency, Inc. to reduce the
carrying value of its investment to fair value.
During the three and nine months ended September
30, 2023, the Company recognized an impairment of $ 312 on its other investments.
26. Segment Information
The Company, through its subsidiaries in the
U.S. and Europe, is a global financial innovator, offering a well-diversified suite of ETPs, models, solutions and products leveraging
blockchain technology. The Company conducts business as a single operating segment as an ETP sponsor and asset manager, which is based
upon the Company’s current organizational and management structure, as well as information used by the CODM to allocate resources
and other factors. The accounting policies of the segment are the same as those described in Note 2.
The key measures of segment profit or loss that
the CODM uses to allocate resources and assess performance are the Company’s consolidated net income, as reported on the Consolidated
Statements of Operations, as well as adjusted operating income and adjusted operating income margin, which are exclusive of items that
are non-recurring or not core to the Company’s operating business.
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The table below discloses these key measures
and is inclusive of a reconciliation of the Company’s operating income and operating income margin as computed under U.S. GAAP to
the Company’s Non-GAAP adjusted operating income and adjusted operating income margin utilized by the CODM:
Three Months Ended
September 30,
Nine Months Ended
September 30,
2024
2023
2024
2023
Net (loss)/income
$ ( 4,485 )
$ 12,984
$ 39,385
$ 83,469
Adjusted Operating Income Margin
Operating revenues
$ 113,168
$ 90,423
$ 317,040
$ 258,191
Less: Legal expenses expected to be covered by insurance
( 3,661 )
—
( 4,114 )
—
Operating revenues, as adjusted
$ 109,507
$ 90,423
$ 312,926
$ 258,191
Operating income
$ 40,792
$ 26,705
$ 102,253
$ 61,457
Add back: Expenses incurred in response to an activist campaign
—
—
4,966
5,880
Adjusted operating income
$ 40,792
$ 26,705
$ 107,219
$ 67,337
Operating income margin
36.0 %
29.5 %
32.3 %
23.8 %
Adjusted operating income margin
37.3 %
29.5 %
34.3 %
26.1 %
Expenses incurred in response to an activist
campaign for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023 include $ 4,857 and $ 5,733 , respectively, of professional fees, and $ 109
and $ 147 , respectively, of other expenses.
All expense categories on the Consolidated Statements
of Operations are significant and there are no other significant segment expenses that would require disclosure. Assets provided to the
CODM are consistent with those reported on the Consolidated Balance Sheets with particular emphasis on the Company’s available liquidity,
including its cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, financial instruments owned, accounts receivable and securities held-to-maturity,
reduced by current liabilities, seed capital and regulatory capital requirements.
There are no intra-entity sales or transfers
and no significant expense categories regularly provided to the CODM beyond those disclosed in the Consolidated Statements of Operations.
The CODM manages the business using consolidated expense information, adjusted for items that are non-recurring or not core to the Company’s
operating business as disclosed in the table above, as well as regularly provided budgeted or forecasted expense information for the single
operating segment.
Information related to the Company’s products
and services and geographical distribution of revenues is disclosed in Note 16.
27. Subsequent Events
The Company evaluated subsequent events through
the date of issuance of the accompanying consolidated financial statements. There were no events requiring disclosure.
34
Table of Contents
ITEM 2.
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
The following discussion and analysis of
our financial condition and results of operations should be read together with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes
and the other financial information included elsewhere in this Report. In addition to historical consolidated financial information, the
following discussion contains forward-looking statements that reflect our plans, estimates and beliefs. Our actual results could differ
materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to these differences include
those discussed below. For a more complete description of the risks noted above and other risks that could cause our actual results to
materially differ from our current expectations, please see Item 1A “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the
fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 and in subsequent reports filed with or furnished to the SEC. We assume no obligation to update or
revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless required by
law.
Executive Summary
We are a global financial innovator, offering
a well-diversified suite of ETPs, models, solutions and products leveraging blockchain technology. We empower investors and consumers
to shape their future and support financial professionals to better serve their clients and grow their businesses. We are leveraging the
latest financial infrastructure to create products that provide access, transparency and an enhanced user experience. Building on our
heritage of innovation, we are also developing and have launched next-generation digital products, services and structures, including
Digital Funds and tokenized assets, as well as our blockchain-native digital wallet, WisdomTree Prime and institutional platform, WisdomTree
Connect. WisdomTree Prime is available in the U.S. in 45 states and to approximately 80% of the U.S. population.
We had approximately $112.6 billion in AUM as
of September 30, 2024. Our family of ETPs includes products that provide exposure to equities, commodities, fixed income, leveraged-and-inverse,
cryptocurrency, currency and alternatives strategies. We have launched many first-to-market products and pioneered alternative weighting
we call “Modern Alpha,” which combines the outperformance potential of active management with the benefits of passive management
to offer investors cost-effective funds that are built to perform. Most of our equity-based funds employ a fundamentally weighted investment
methodology, which weights securities based on factors such as dividends, earnings or investment factors, whereas most other industry
indexes use a capitalization weighted methodology. These products are distributed through all major channels in the asset management industry,
including banks, brokerage firms, registered investment advisers, institutional investors, private wealth managers and online brokers
primarily through our sales force. We believe technology is altering the way financial advisors conduct business and through our Advisor
and Portfolio Solutions programs we offer technology-enabled and research-driven solutions including portfolio construction, asset allocation,
practice management services and digital tools to help financial advisors address technology challenges and grow and scale their businesses.
We are at the forefront of innovation and believe
that tokenization and leveraging the utility of blockchain technology is the next evolution in financial services. We are building the
foundation that we believe will allow us to lead in this coming evolution. WisdomTree Prime, our blockchain-native digital wallet, positions
us to expand our blockchain-enabled financial product and services offerings with a new direct-to-consumer channel where spending, saving
and investing are united. As we continue to pursue our digital assets strategy, we are embracing what we refer to as “responsible
DeFi,” which we believe upholds the foundational principles of regulation in this innovative and quickly evolving space. We believe
that our expansion into digital assets and blockchain-enabled finance complements our existing core competencies in a holistic manner
and will diversify our revenue streams and contribute to our growth.
We were incorporated under the laws of the state
of Delaware on September 19, 1985 as Financial Data Systems, Inc. and were ultimately renamed WisdomTree, Inc. on November 7, 2022.
35
Table of Contents
Assets
Under
Management
WisdomTree
ETPs
We
offer
ETPs
covering
equities,
commodities
and
currency,
fixed
income,
leveraged-and-inverse,
cryptocurrency
and
alternatives.
The
chart
below
sets
forth
the
asset
mix
of
our
ETPs
at
September
30,
2024,
June
30,
2024
and
September
30,
2023:
Market
Environment
U.S.
equity
markets
recovered
from
a
correction
experienced
in
early
August
and
there
was
a
rotation
into
small
cap
and
value
stocks.
Interest
rates
fell
in
anticipation
of
the
Federal
Reserve
easing
cycle
leading
to
strong
total
returns
for
fixed
income.
The
S&P
500,
MSCI
EAFE
Index
(local
currency),
MSCI
EMU
Index
(local
currency),
MSCI
Japan
Index
(local
currency),
MSCI
Emerging
Markets
Index
(U.S.
dollar)
and
gold
prices
increased
by
9.1%,
7.9%,
8.2%,
11.4%,
3.4%
and
12.8%,
respectively,
during
the
quarter.
The
U.S.
dollar
weakened
4.2%,
5.7%
and
13.1%
versus
the
euro,
British
pound
and
the
Japanese
yen,
respectively,
during
the
quarter.
36
Table of Contents
U.S.
Listed
ETF
Industry
Flows
U.S.
listed
ETF
industry
net
flows
were
$283.2
billion
for
the
three
months
ended
September
30,
2024.
U.S.
equity
and
fixed
income
gathered
the
majority
of
those
flows.
Source:
Morningstar
37
Table of Contents
European
Listed
ETP
Industry
Flows
European
listed
ETP
industry
net
flows
were
$67.1
billion
for
the
three
months
ended
September
30,
2024.
Equity
and
fixed
income
gathered
the
majority
of
those
flows.
Source:
Morningstar
38
Table of Contents
Our
Operating
and
Financial
Results
We
operate
as
an
ETP
sponsor
and
asset
manager,
providing
investment
advisory
services
globally
through
our
subsidiaries
in
the
U.S.
and
Europe.
U.S.
Listed
ETFs
The
AUM
of
our
U.S.
listed
exchange
traded
funds,
or
U.S.
listed
ETFs,
increased
from
$79.7
billion
at
June
30,
2024
to
$81.3
billion
at
September
30,
2024
due
to
market
appreciation,
partly
offset
by
net
outflows.
European
Listed
ETPs
The
AUM
of
our
European
listed
(including
internationally
cross-listed)
ETPs,
or
European
listed
ETPs,
increased
from
$30.0
billion
at
June
30,
2024
to
$31.3
billion
at
September
30,
2024
due
to
market
appreciation,
partly
offset
by
net
outflows.
39
Table of Contents
Consolidated
Operating
Results
The
following
table
sets
forth
our
revenues
and
net
income/(loss)
for
the
most
recent
five
quarters.
·
Revenues – Total revenues increased 25.2% from the three months ended September 30, 2023 to $113.2 million in the
comparable period in 2024 primarily due to higher average AUM, higher other revenues attributable to our European-listed ETPs and the
recognition of $3.7 million of other revenue related to legal and other related expenses, expected to be covered by insurance, incurred
in connection with the SEC ESG Settlement.
·
Expenses – Total operating expenses increased 13.6% from the three months ended September 30, 2023 to $72.4 million
in the comparable period in 2024 primarily due to higher professional fees, which is inclusive of the legal and other related expenses
expected to be covered by insurance described above, as well as higher fund management and administration costs, incentive compensation
and marketing expenses.
·
Other Income/(Expenses) – Other income/(expenses) includes interest income and interest expense, losses on extinguishment
of convertible notes, gains on revaluation/termination of deferred consideration–gold payments, impairments and other losses, net.
Further information is provided herein.
·
Net (loss)/income – We reported net (loss)/income of ($4.5) million and $13.0 million during the three months ended
September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
Guidance Update for the Year Ending December 31, 2024
Compensation Expense
Our compensation to revenue ratio for the year
ending December 31, 2024 is currently estimated to range from 28% to 29% (unchanged from the prior quarter). Our estimated compensation
to revenue ratio takes into consideration planned hires for 2024 and variability in incentive compensation, with drivers including the
magnitude of flows, revenues and operating income growth, margin expansion and share price performance in relation to our peers.
Discretionary Spending
Discretionary spending includes marketing, sales,
professional fees, occupancy and equipment, depreciation and amortization and other expenses. During the nine months ended September 30,
2024, discretionary spending was $45.3 million. We currently estimate discretionary spending for the year ending December 31, 2024 to
range from $62.0 million to $65.0 million (previously $64.0 million to $68.0 million).
Not included in the guidance above are non-recurring
expenses in response to an activist campaign, including $5.0 million incurred during the nine months ended September 30, 2024, and $4.1
million of legal and other related expenses expected to be covered by insurance.
Gross Margin
We define gross margin as total operating revenues
less fund management and administration expenses. Gross margin percentage is calculated as gross margin divided by total operating revenues.
Our gross margin was 80.5% during the nine months ended September 30, 2024. We currently estimate our gross margin guidance for the year
ending December 31, 2024 to be between 80% and 81% (unchanged from the prior quarter) considering current AUM levels and higher forecasted
other revenues going forward. If AUM increases, we would anticipate further gross margin expansion.
40
Table of Contents
Third-Party
Distribution
Fees
We
currently
estimate
third-party
distribution
fees
to
range
from
$10.0
million
to
$11.0
million
(unchanged
from
the
prior
quarter),
which
is
dependent
upon
the
AUM
growth
on
our
respective
platforms.
Interest
Expense
We
currently
estimate
our
interest
expense
for
the
year
ending
December
31,
2024
to
be
$18.9
million
(previously
$16.5
million),
which
is
inclusive
of
approximately
$2.6
million
of
interest
cost
we
are
required
to
impute
under
U.S.
GAAP
related
to
our
interest-free
financing
of
the
shares
of
Series
C
Non-Voting
Convertible
Preferred
Stock
(the
“Series
C
Preferred
Stock”)
we
repurchased
from
GBH
in
November
2023.
The
change
in
guidance
from
the
prior
quarter
is
due
to
an
increase
in
debt
effectuated
to
facilitate
the
repurchase
of
Series
A
Non-Voting
Convertible
Preferred
Stock
(the
“Series
A
Preferred
Stock”)
from
ETFS
Capital,
as
well
as
the
repurchase
of
shares
of
common
stock.
Interest
Income
We
currently
estimate
our
interest
income
for
the
year
ending
December
31,
2024
to
be
$6.0
million
(previously
$5.0
million),
based
upon
the
magnitude
of
our
forecasted
interest
earning
assets.
Income
Tax
Expense
We
currently
estimate
that
our
consolidated
normalized
effective
tax
rate
will
be
24.0%
to
25.0%
(unchanged
from
our
guidance
range
provided
last
quarter)
taking
into
consideration
the
current
distribution
of
profits
among
our
U.S.
and
European
businesses.
This
estimated
rate
may
change
and
is
dependent
upon
our
actual
taxable
income
earned
in
relation
to
our
forecasts
as
well
as
any
other
items
which
may
arise
that
are
not
currently
forecasted.
Such
items
may
include,
but
are
not
limited
to,
the
non-deductible
loss
on
extinguishment
on
convertible
notes,
a
non-deductible
civil
money
penalty
of
$4.0
million
relating
to
the
SEC
ESG
Settlement,
increases
or
decreases
in
valuation
allowances
and
any
stock-based
compensation
windfalls
or
shortfalls.
Additional
corporate
tax
legislation
could
also
impact
our
normalized
effective
tax
rate.
Weighted
Average
Diluted
Shares
Our
weighted
average
diluted
shares
were
156.7
million
during
the
three
months
ended
September
30,
2024.
We
currently
estimate
our
weighted
average
diluted
shares
to
be
between
147.0
million
and
148.0
million
during
the
three
months
ended
December
31,
2024
taking
into
consideration
the
full
quarter
impact
of
the
repurchase
of
the
Series
A
Preferred
Stock
and
additional
shares
of
common
stock
which
occurred
in
mid-August
of
2024.
Our
weighted
average
diluted
share
guidance
was
previously
166.0
million
and
168.0
million
during
the
year
ending
December
31,
2024.
This
guidance
does
not
take
into
consideration
any
variability
in
shares
associated
with
our
convertible
notes.
While
our
convertible
notes
require
principal
to
be
paid
in
cash,
our
diluted
shares
would
need
to
be
increased
for
any
incremental
shares
associated
with
an
exercise
of
the
conversion
option
if
our
stock
price
exceeds
the
applicable
conversion
price
of
our
convertible
notes
of
$9.54
per
share
for
the
5.75%
Convertible
Senior
Notes
due
2028,
$11.04
per
share
for
the
3.25%
Convertible
Senior
Notes
due
2026
and
$11.82
per
share
for
the
3.25%
Convertible
Senior
Notes
due
2029.
41
Table of Contents
Key
Operating
Statistics
The
following
table
presents
key
operating
statistics
that
serve
as
indicators
for
the
performance
of
our
business:
Three
Months Ended
Nine
Months Ended
Sept. 30,
June 30,
Sept. 30,
Sept. 30,
Sept. 30,
2024
2024
2023
2024
2023
GLOBAL ETPs
(in millions )
Beginning of period assets
$
109,686
$
107,230
$
93,666
$
100,124
$
81,993
(Outflows)/inflows
(2,395
)
340
1,983
(65
)
10,651
Market appreciation/(depreciation)
5,286
2,116
(1,914
)
12,518
1,091
End of period assets
$
112,577
$
109,686
$
93,735
$
112,577
$
93,735
Average assets during the period
$
110,369
$
108,392
$
95,743
$
107,041
$
91,609
Average advisory fee during the period
0.37
%
0.37
%
0.36
%
0.37
%
0.36
%
Number of ETPs—end of period
352
350
344
352
344
U.S.
LISTED ETFs (in millions )
Beginning of period assets
$
79,722
$
78,087
$
65,903
$
72,486
$
55,973
(Outflows)/inflows
(1,650
)
1,106
3,601
1,439
10,862
Market appreciation/(depreciation)
3,195
529
(1,486
)
7,342
1,183
End of period assets
$
81,267
$
79,722
$
68,018
$
81,267
$
68,018
Average assets during the period
$
80,335
$
78,436
$
68,008
$
77,834
$
63,383
Number of ETFs – end of the period
78
78
80
78
80
EUROPEAN
LISTED ETPs (in millions )
Beginning of period assets
$
29,964
$
29,143
$
27,763
$
27,638
$
26,020
Outflows
(745
)
(766
)
(1,618
)
(1,504
)
(211
)
Market appreciation/(depreciation)
2,091
1,587
(428
)
5,176
(92
)
End of period assets
$
31,310
$
29,964
$
25,717
$
31,310
$
25,717
Average assets during the period
$
30,034
$
29,956
$
27,735
$
29,207
$
28,226
Number of ETPs—end of period
274
272
264
274
264
PRODUCT
CATEGORIES (in millions )
U.S. Equity
Beginning of period assets
$
31,834
$
31,670
$
26,001
$
29,156
$
24,112
Inflows
328
221
864
1,085
1,129
Market appreciation/(depreciation)
2,481
(57
)
(1,222
)
4,402
402
End of period assets
$
34,643
$
31,834
$
25,643
$
34,643
$
25,643
Average assets during the period
$
33,175
$
31,252
$
26,501
$
31,494
$
25,319
Commodity & Currency
Beginning of period assets
$
21,987
$
21,944
$
22,384
$
21,336
$
22,097
Outflows
(741
)
(1,499
)
(1,814
)
(2,700
)
(1,324
)
Market appreciation/(depreciation)
1,788
1,542
(104
)
4,398
(307
)
End of period assets
$
23,034
$
21,987
$
20,466
$
23,034
$
20,466
Average assets during the period
$
22,016
$
22,437
$
22,278
$
21,764
$
23,373
Fixed Income
Beginning of period assets
$
21,430
$
21,218
$
20,215
$
21,197
$
15,273
(Outflows)/inflows
(897
)
236
1,670
(675
)
6,654
Market appreciation/(depreciation)
234
(24
)
(88
)
245
(130
)
End of period assets
$
20,767
$
21,430
$
21,797
$
20,767
$
21,797
Average assets during the period
$
21,135
$
21,277
$
20,965
$
21,165
$
19,109
International Developed Market Equity
Beginning of period assets
$
19,385
$
18,103
$
13,423
$
15,103
$
10,195
(Outflows)/inflows
(1,391
)
1,253
798
1,461
2,841
Market appreciation/(depreciation)
81
29
(319
)
1,511
866
End of period assets
$
18,075
$
19,385
$
13,902
$
18,075
$
13,902
Average assets during the period
$
18,636
$
18,809
$
13,873
$
18,044
$
12,343
42
Table of Contents
Three
Months Ended
Nine
Months Ended
Sept. 30,
June 30,
Sept. 30,
Sept. 30,
Sept. 30,
2024
2024
2023
2024
2023
Emerging Market Equity
Beginning of period assets
$
11,875
$
11,189
$
9,191
$
10,726
$
8,116
(Outflows)/inflows
(20
)
57
451
254
1,266
Market appreciation/(depreciation)
597
629
(73
)
1,472
187
End of period assets
$
12,452
$
11,875
$
9,569
$
12,452
$
9,569
Average assets during the period
$
12,083
$
11,448
$
9,652
$
11,477
$
9,105
Leveraged & Inverse
Beginning of period assets
$
1,922
$
1,828
$
1,864
$
1,815
$
1,754
(Outflows)/inflows
71
(18
)
(1
)
3
54
Market appreciation/(depreciation)
89
112
(82
)
264
(27
)
End of period assets
$
2,082
$
1,922
$
1,781
$
2,082
$
1,781
Average assets during the period
$
1,962
$
1,905
$
1,894
$
1,886
$
1,816
Cryptocurrency
Beginning of period assets
$
838
$
874
$
248
$
414
$
136
Inflows
201
75
10
434
22
Market appreciation/(depreciation)
15
(111
)
(15
)
206
85
End of period assets
$
1,054
$
838
$
243
$
1,054
$
243
Average assets during the period
$
917
$
856
$
238
$
796
$
221
Alternatives
Beginning of period assets
$
415
$
404
$
340
$
377
$
310
Inflows
54
15
5
73
9
Market appreciation/(depreciation)
1
(4
)
(11
)
20
15
End of period assets
$
470
$
415
$
334
$
470
$
334
Average assets during the period
$
445
$
408
$
342
$
415
$
323
Headcount:
314
304
299
304
299
Note: Previously issued statistics may be restated
due to fund closures and trade adjustments.
Source: WisdomTree
Three Months Ended September 30, 2024 Compared to Three Months
Ended September 30, 2023
Selected Operating and Financial Information
Three
Months Ended
September 30,
Percent
2024
2023
Change
Change
AUM (in millions)
Average AUM
$
110,369
$
95,743
$
14,626
15.3%
Operating Revenues (in thousands)
Advisory fees
$
101,659
$
86,598
$
15,061
17.4%
Other revenues
11,509
3,825
7,684
200.9%
Total operating revenues
$
113,168
$
90,423
$
22,745
25.2%
Operating Revenues
Advisory fees
Advisory fee revenues increased 17.4% from $86.6
million during the three months ended September 30, 2023 to $101.7 million in the comparable period in 2024 primarily due to higher average
AUM. Our average advisory fee was 0.37% and 0.36% during the three months ended September 30, 2023 and 2024, respectively.
Other revenues
Other revenues increased 200.9% from $3.8 million
during the three months ended September 30, 2023 to $11.5 million in the comparable period in 2024 due to higher other revenues attributable
to our European listed products and $3.7 million of legal and other related expenses, expected to be covered by insurance, incurred in
connection with the SEC ESG Settlement described in Note 14 to our Consolidated Financial Statements.
43
Table of Contents
Operating
Expenses
Three
Months Ended
September 30,
Percent
(in
thousands)
2024
2023
Change
Change
Compensation and benefits
$
29,405
$
27,955
$
1,450
5.2%
Fund management and administration
21,004
18,023
2,981
16.5%
Marketing and advertising
4,897
3,833
1,064
27.8%
Sales and business development
3,465
3,383
82
2.4%
Professional fees
6,315
3,719
2,596
69.8%
Occupancy, communications and equipment
1,397
1,203
194
16.1%
Depreciation and amortization
447
307
140
45.6%
Third-party distribution fees
2,983
2,694
289
10.7%
Other
2,463
2,601
(138
)
(5.3%
)
Total operating expenses
$
72,376
$
63,718
$
8,658
13.6%
Three
Months Ended
September 30,
As a Percent of Revenues:
2024
2023
Compensation and benefits
26.0%
31.0%
Fund management and administration
18.6%
20.0%
Marketing and advertising
4.3%
4.2%
Sales and business development
3.1%
3.7%
Professional fees
5.6%
4.1%
Occupancy, communications and equipment
1.2%
1.3%
Depreciation and amortization
0.4%
0.3%
Third-party distribution fees
2.6%
3.0%
Other
2.2%
2.9%
Total operating expenses
64.0%
70.5%
Compensation and benefits
Compensation and benefits expense increased
5.2% from $28.0 million during the three months ended September 30, 2023 to $29.4 million in the comparable period in 2024 due to higher
stock-based compensation expense and headcount. Headcount was 299 and 314 at September 30, 2023 and 2024, respectively.
Fund management and administration
Fund management and administration expense increased
16.5% from $18.0 million during the three months ended September 30, 2023 to $21.0 million in the comparable period in 2024 primarily
due to higher average AUM. We had 80 U.S. listed ETFs and 273 European listed ETPs at September 30, 2023 compared to 78 U.S. listed ETFs
and 274 European listed ETPs at September 30, 2024.
Marketing and advertising
Marketing and advertising expense increased
27.8% from $3.8 million during the three months ended September 30, 2023 to $4.9 million in the comparable period in 2024 primarily due
to higher spending related to digital assets and our U.S. listed products.
Sales and business development
Sales and business development expense was essentially
unchanged from the three months ended September 30, 2023.
Professional fees
Professional fees expense increased 69.8% from
$3.7 million during the three months ended September 30, 2023 to $6.3 million in the comparable period in 2024 primarily due to $3.7 million
of legal and other related expenses incurred in connection with the SEC ESG Settlement. An equal and offsetting amount is recorded in
other revenues as these expenses are expected to be covered by insurance.
Occupancy, communications and equipment
Occupancy, communications and equipment expense
was essentially unchanged from the three months ended September 30, 2023.
44
Table of Contents
Depreciation
and
amortization
Depreciation
and
amortization
expense
increased
45.6%
from
$0.3
million
during
the
three
months
ended
September
30,
2023
to
$0.4
million
in
the
comparable
period
in
2024
due
to
amortization
of
software
development
costs.
Third-party
distribution
fees
Third-party
distribution
fees
expense
increased
10.7%
from
$2.7
million
during
the
three
months
ended
September
30,
2023
to
$3.0
million
in
the
comparable
period
in
2024
due
to
AUM
growth
we
are
experiencing
on
our
various
platforms
and
new
platform
relationships.
Other
Other
expenses
were
essentially
unchanged
from
the
three
months
ended
September
30,
2023.
Other
Income/(Expenses)
Three
Months Ended
September 30,
Percent
(in thousands)
2024
2023
Change
Change
Interest expense
$
(5,027
)
$
(3,461
)
$
(1,566
)
45.2%
Interest income
1,795
791
1,004
126.9%
Impairments
—
(2,703
)
2,703
n/a
Loss on extinguishment of convertible notes
(30,632
)
—
(30,632
)
n/a
Other losses, net
(3,062
)
(2,512
)
(550
)
21.9%
Total other expenses, net
$
(36,926
)
$
(7,885
)
$
(29,041
)
368.3%
Three
Months Ended
September 30,
As a Percent of Revenues:
2024
2023
Interest expense
(4.4%
)
(3.8%
)
Interest income
1.6%
0.9%
Impairments
—
(3.0%
)
Loss on extinguishment of convertible notes
(27.1%
)
—
Other losses, net
(2.7%
)
(2.8%
)
Total other expenses,
net
(32.6%
)
(8.7%
)
Interest expense
Interest expense increased 45.2% from $3.5 million
during the three months ended September 30, 2023 to $5.0 million in the comparable period in 2024 due to a higher level of debt outstanding,
partly offset by a lower average interest rate. The increase is also due to the recognition of imputed interest related to the interest-free
financing of our repurchase of the shares of Series C Preferred Stock from GBH in November 2023.
Our effective interest rate during the three
months ended September 30, 2023 and 2024 was 5.0% and 4.4%, respectively.
Interest income
Interest income increased 126.9% from $0.8 million
during the three months ended September 30, 2023 to $1.8 million in the comparable period in 2024 due to a higher level of interest-earning
assets.
Impairments
During the three months ended September 30,
2023, we recognized a non-cash impairment charge of $2.7 million, primarily related to our investment in Securrency, Inc., as we marked
our investment to its estimated realizable value in connection with Securrency entering into an agreement to be acquired by an unrelated
third party.
Loss on Extinguishment of Convertible Notes
During the three months ended September 30,
2023, we recognized a loss on extinguishment of convertible notes of $30.6 million arising from the repurchase of $104.2 million in aggregate
principal amount of our 2028 Notes.
Other losses, net
Other losses, net were $1.3 million and $3.1 million
during the three months ended September 30, 2023 and 2024, respectively. The three months ended September 30, 2024, includes a $4.0 million
civil money penalty in connection with the SEC ESG Settlement. Also included are net gains of $0.8 million and $0.6 million on our financial
instruments owned and investments, respectively. Gains and losses also generally arise from the sale of gold earned from management fees
paid by our physically-backed gold ETPs, foreign exchange fluctuations and other miscellaneous items.
45
Table of Contents
Income
Taxes
Our
effective
income
tax
rate
during
the
three
months
ended
September
30,
2024
was
216.0%,
resulting
in
income
tax
expense
of
$8.4
million.
The
effective
tax
rate
differs
from
the
federal
statutory
rate
of
21.0%
primarily
due
to
a
non-deductible
loss
on
extinguishment
of
convertible
notes,
a
non-deductible
civil
money
penalty
of
$4.0
million
and
non-deductible
executive
compensation.
These
items
were
partly
offset
by
a
lower
tax
rate
on
foreign
earnings.
Our
effective
income
tax
rate
during
the
three
months
ended
September
30,
2023
was
31.0%,
resulting
in
income
tax
expense
of
$5.8
million.
The
effective
tax
rate
differs
from
the
federal
statutory
rate
of
21.0%
primarily
due
to
an
increase
in
the
deferred
tax
asset
valuation
allowance
on
losses
recognized
on
the
Company’s
investments
and
non-deductible
executive
compensation.
Nine
Months
Ended
September
30,
2024
Compared
to
Nine
Months
Ended
September
30,
2023
Selected
Operating
and
Financial
Information
Nine
Months Ended
September 30,
Percent
2024
2023
Change
Change
AUM (in millions)
Average AUM
$
107,040
$
91,609
$
15,431
16.8%
Operating Revenues (in thousands)
Advisory fees
$
293,098
$
246,239
$
46,859
19.0%
Other revenues
23,942
11,952
11,990
100.3%
Total revenues
$
317,040
$
258,191
$
58,849
22.8%
Operating Revenues
Advisory fees
Advisory fee revenues increased 19.0% from $246.2
million during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 to $293.1 million in the comparable period in 2024 primarily due to higher average
AUM. Our average advisory fee was 0.36% during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 0.37% during the comparable period in 2024.
Other revenues
Other revenues increased 100.3% from $12.0 million
during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 to $23.9 million in the comparable period in 2024 due to higher other revenues attributable
to our European listed products and $4.1 million of legal and other related expenses expected to be covered by insurance, incurred in
connection with the SEC ESG Settlement.
Operating Expenses
Nine
Months Ended
September 30,
Percent
(in thousands)
2024
2023
Change
Change
Compensation and benefits
$
91,249
$
81,672
$
9,577
11.7%
Fund management and administration
61,105
52,903
8,202
15.5%
Marketing and advertising
14,415
12,305
2,110
17.1%
Sales and business development
10,716
9,703
1,013
10.4%
Contractual gold payments
—
6,069
(6,069
)
n/a
Professional fees
16,539
15,768
771
4.9%
Occupancy, communications and equipment
3,921
3,476
445
12.8%
Depreciation and amortization
1,248
537
711
132.4%
Third-party distribution fees
7,977
6,828
1,149
16.8%
Other
7,617
7,473
144
1.9%
Total operating expenses
$
214,787
$
196,734
$
18,053
9.2%
46
Table of Contents
Nine
Months Ended
September 30,
As a Percent of Revenues
2024
2023
Compensation and benefits
28.8%
31.6%
Fund management and administration
19.3%
20.5%
Marketing and advertising
4.5%
4.8%
Sales and business development
3.4%
3.8%
Contractual gold payments
n/a
2.4%
Professional fees
5.2%
6.1%
Occupancy, communications and equipment
1.2%
1.3%
Depreciation and amortization
0.4%
0.2%
Third-party distribution fees
2.5%
2.6%
Other
2.4%
2.9%
Total operating
expenses
67.7%
76.2%
Compensation and benefits
Compensation and benefits expense increased
11.7% from $81.7 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 to $91.2 million in the comparable period in 2024 due to higher
incentive and stock-based compensation expense and increased headcount.
Fund management and administration
Fund management and administration expense increased
15.5% from $52.9 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 to $61.1 million in the comparable period in 2024 primarily due
to higher average AUM and product launches.
Marketing and advertising
Marketing and advertising expense increased
17.1% from $12.3 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 to $14.4 million in the comparable period in 2024 primarily due
to higher spending related to digital assets and our U.S. listed products.
Sales and business development
Sales and business development expense increased
10.4% from $9.7 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 to $10.7 million in the comparable period in 2024 primarily due
to increases in travel and events spending, as well as higher market data spending.
Contractual gold payments
Contractual gold payments expense decreased
from $6.1 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 to zero in the comparable period in 2024 due to the termination of our
deferred consideration—gold payments obligation on May 10, 2023. See Note 9 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for additional
information.
Professional fees
Professional fees increased 4.9% from $15.8 million
during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 to $16.5 million in the comparable period in 2024 primarily due to $4.1 million of legal
and other related expenses incurred in connection with the SEC ESG Settlement. An equal and offsetting amount is recorded in other revenues
as these expenses are expected to be covered by insurance. This increase was partly offset by lower activist campaign expenses and non-recurring
expenses incurred in the prior year to settle our deferred consideration—gold payments obligation and our acquisition of WisdomTree
Transfers, Inc.
Occupancy, communications and equipment
Occupancy, communications and equipment expense
increased 12.8% from $3.5 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 to $3.9 million in the comparable period in 2024 primarily
due to higher spending on office equipment.
Depreciation and amortization
Depreciation and amortization expense increased
132.4% from $0.5 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 to $1.2 million in the comparable period in 2024 due to amortization
of software development costs.
47
Table of Contents
Third-party
distribution
fees
Third-party
distribution
fees
increased
16.8%
from
$6.8
million
during
the
nine
months
ended
September
30,
2023
to
$8.0
million
in
the
comparable
period
in
2024
due
to
AUM
growth
we
are
experiencing
on
our
various
platforms
and
new
platform
relationships.
Other
Other
expenses
were
essentially
unchanged
from
the
nine
months
ended
September
30,
2023.
Other
Income/(Expenses)
Nine
Months Ended
September 30,
Percent
(in
thousands)
2024
2023
Change
Change
Interest expense
$
(13,295
)
$
(11,484
)
$
(1,811
)
15.8%
Gain on revaluation/termination
of deferred consideration—gold payments
—
61,953
(61,953
)
n/a
Interest income
4,631
2,874
1,757
61.1%
Impairments
—
(7,603
)
7,603
n/a
Loss on extinguishment of convertible
notes
(30,632
)
(9,721
)
(20,911
)
215.1%
Other losses,
net
(1,753
)
(3,233
)
1,480
(45.8%
)
Total other
income/(expenses), net
$
(41,049
)
$
32,786
$
(73,835
)
(225.2%
)
Nine Months Ended
September 30,
As a Percent of Revenues:
2024
2023
Interest expense
(4.2%
)
(4.4%
)
Gain on revaluation/termination
of deferred consideration—gold payments
—
24.0%
Interest income
1.5%
1.1%
Impairments
—
(2.9%
)
Loss on extinguishment of convertible
notes
(9.7%
)
(3.8%
)
Other losses,
net
(0.6%
)
(1.3%
)
Total other
income/(expenses), net
(13.0%
)
(12.7%
)
Interest expense
Interest expense increased 15.8% from $11.5
million during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 to $13.3 million in the comparable period in 2024 due to a higher level of debt
outstanding, partly offset by a lower average interest rate. The increase is also due to the recognition of imputed interest related to
the interest-free financing of our repurchase of the shares of Series C Preferred Stock from GBH in November 2023.
Our effective interest rate during the nine
months ended September 30, 2023 and 2024 was 4.9% and 4.8%, respectively.
Gain on revaluation/termination of deferred consideration—gold
payments
We recognized a gain on revaluation/termination
of deferred consideration—gold payments of $62.0 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2023. This obligation was settled
on May 10, 2023 for approximately $137.0 million. See Note 9 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.
Interest income
Interest income increased 61.1% from $2.9 million
during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 to $4.6 million in the comparable period in 2024 due to a higher level of interest-earning
assets.
Impairments
During the nine months ended September 30, 2023,
we recognized a non-cash impairment charge of $7.6 million primarily related to our investment in Securrency, Inc. upon the sale of Securrency
to an unrelated third party.
Loss on Extinguishment of Convertible Notes
During the nine months ended September 30, 2024,
we recognized a loss on extinguishment of convertible notes of $30.6 million, arising from the repurchase of $104.2 million in aggregate
principal amount of our 2028 Notes. During the nine months ended September 30, 2023, we recognized a loss on extinguishment of convertible
notes of $9.7 million, arising from the repurchase of $115.0 million in aggregate principal amount of our 4.25% Convertible Senior Notes
due 2023.
48
Table of Contents
Other
losses,
net
Other
losses,
net
were
$3.2
million
and
$1.8
million
during
the
nine
months
ended
September
30,
2023
and
2024,
respectively.
The
nine
months
ended
September
30,
2024,
includes
a
civil
money
penalty
of
$4.0
million
in
connection
with
the
SEC
ESG
Settlement.
Also
included
are
gains
on
our
financial
instruments
owned
of
$2.6
million
and
losses
on
our
investments
of
$0.6
million.
Gains
and
losses
also
generally
arise
from
the
sale
of
gold
earned
on
management
fees
paid
by
our
physically-backed
gold
ETPs,
foreign
exchange
fluctuations
and
other
miscellaneous
items.
Income
Taxes
Our
effective
income
tax
rate
for
the
nine
months
ended
September
30,
2024
was
35.6%,
resulting
in
an
income
tax
expense
of
$21.8
million.
Our
tax
rate
differs
from
the
federal
statutory
rate
of
21.0%
primarily
due
to
a
non-deductible
loss
on
extinguishment
of
convertible
notes,
a
non-deductible
civil
money
penalty
of
$4.0
million
and
non-deductible
executive
compensation.
These
items
were
partly
offset
by
a
lower
tax
rate
on
foreign
earnings.
Our
effective
income
tax
rate
during
the
nine
months
ended
September
30,
2023
was
11.4%,
resulting
in
an
income
tax
expense
of
$10.8
million.
Our
effective
tax
rate
differs
from
the
federal
statutory
rate
of
21.0%
primarily
due
to
a
non-taxable
gain
on
revaluation/termination
of
deferred
consideration,
a
reduction
in
unrecognized
tax
benefits
associated
with
the
release
of
the
tax-related
indemnification
asset
described
above
and
a
lower
tax
rate
on
foreign
earnings.
These
items
were
partly
offset
by
a
non-deductible
loss
on
extinguishment
of
our
convertible
notes
during
the
first
quarter
of
2023,
an
increase
in
the
deferred
tax
asset
valuation
allowance
on
losses
recognized
on
our
investments
and
non-deductible
executive
compensation.
Non-GAAP
Financial
Measurements
In
an
effort
to
provide
additional
information
regarding
our
results
as
determined
by
GAAP,
we
also
disclose
certain
non-GAAP
information
which
we
believe
provides
useful
and
meaningful
information.
Our
management
reviews
these
non-GAAP
financial
measurements
when
evaluating
our
financial
performance
and
results
of
operations;
therefore,
we
believe
it
is
useful
to
provide
information
with
respect
to
these
non-GAAP
measurements
so
as
to
share
this
perspective
of
management.
Non-GAAP
measurements
do
not
have
any
standardized
meaning,
do
not
replace
nor
are
superior
to
GAAP
financial
measurements
and
are
unlikely
to
be
comparable
to
similar
measures
presented
by
other
companies.
These
non-GAAP
financial
measurements
should
be
considered
in
the
context
with
our
GAAP
results.
The
non-GAAP
financial
measurements
contained
in
this
Report
include:
Adjusted
Net
Income
and
Diluted
Earnings
per
Share
We
disclose
adjusted
net
income
and
diluted
earnings
per
share
as
non-GAAP
financial
measurements
in
order
to
report
our
results
exclusive
of
items
that
are
non-recurring
or
not
core
to
our
operating
business.
We
believe
presenting
these
non-GAAP
financial
measurements
provides
investors
with
a
consistent
way
to
analyze
our
performance.
These
non-GAAP
financial
measurements
exclude
the
following:
·
Unrealized gains or losses on revaluation/termination of deferred consideration—gold payments: Deferred consideration—gold
payments was an obligation we assumed in connection with the ETFS Acquisition that was carried at fair value. This item represented the
present value of an obligation to pay fixed ounces of gold into perpetuity and is measured using forward-looking gold prices. Changes
in the forward-looking price of gold and changes in the discount rate used to compute the present value of the annual payment obligations
have had a material impact on the carrying value of the deferred consideration and our reported financial results. We exclude this item
when calculating our non-GAAP financial measurements as it was not core to our operating business. The item was not adjusted for income
taxes as the obligation was assumed by a wholly-owned subsidiary of ours that is based in Jersey, a jurisdiction where we are subject
to a zero percent tax rate. During the second quarter of 2023, we terminated this obligation for aggregate consideration totaling approximately
$137.0 million.
·
Gains or losses on financial instruments owned: We account for our financial instruments owned as trading securities, which
requires these instruments to be measured at fair value with gains and losses reported in net income. We exclude these items when calculating
our non-GAAP financial measurements as the gains and losses introduce volatility in earnings and are not core to our operating business.
·
Tax windfalls and shortfalls upon vesting of stock-based compensation awards: GAAP requires the recognition of tax windfalls
and shortfalls within income tax expense. These items arise upon the vesting of stock-based compensation awards and the magnitude is directly
correlated to the number of awards vesting as well as the difference between the price of our stock on the date the award was granted
and the date the award vested. We exclude these items when calculating our non-GAAP financial measurements as they introduce volatility
in earnings and are not core to our operating business.
49
Table of Contents
·
Imputed interest on our payable to GBH: During the fourth quarter of 2023, we repurchased our Series C Preferred Stock,
which was convertible into approximately 13.1 million shares of our common stock, from GBH for aggregate cash consideration of approximately
$84.4 million. Under the terms of the transaction, we paid GBH $40.0 million on the closing date, with the remainder of the purchase price
payable in equal, interest-free installments on the first, second and third anniversaries of the closing date. Under U.S. GAAP, the obligation
is recorded at its present value utilizing a market rate of interest on the closing date of 7.0% and the corresponding discount is amortized
as interest expense pursuant to the effective interest method of accounting over the life of the obligation. We exclude this item when
calculating our non-GAAP financial measurements as recognition of interest expense is non-cash and contrary to the stated terms of our
obligation.
·
Other items: Losses on extinguishment of convertible notes, a civil money penalty in connection with the SEC ESG Settlement,
gains and losses recognized on our investments, changes in deferred tax asset valuation allowance, expenses incurred in response to an
activist campaign, impairments, remeasurement of contingent consideration payable to us from the sale of our former Canadian ETF business
and litigation expenses associated with certain provisions of our Stockholder Rights Agreement, dated as of March 17, 2023, as amended,
are excluded when calculating our non-GAAP financial measurements.
Three
Months Ended
Nine
Months Ended
Adjusted Net Income and
Diluted Earnings per Share:
Sept.
30,
2024
Sept.
30,
2023
Sept.
30,
2024
Sept.
30,
2023
Net (loss)/income,
as reported
$
(4,485
)
$
12,984
$
39,385
$
83,469
Add back: Loss on
extinguishment of convertible notes, net of income taxes
30,128
—
30,128
9,623
Add back: Civil money
penalty in connection with the SEC ESG Settlement
4,000
—
4,000
—
(Deduct)/add back:
(Gains)/losses on financial instruments owned, net of income taxes
(607
)
1,479
(1,949
)
762
Add back: Imputed
interest on payable to GBH, net of income taxes
528
—
1,545
—
(Deduct)/add back:
(Gains)/losses recognized on our investments, net of income taxes
(436
)
323
469
943
(Deduct)/add back:
(Decrease)/increase in deferred tax asset valuation allowance on financial instruments owned and investments
(335
)
1,234
(475
)
2,393
Deduct: Tax windfalls
upon vesting and exercise of stock-based compensation awards
(25
)
(18
)
(764
)
(170
)
Add back: Expenses
incurred in response to an activist campaign, net of income taxes
—
—
3,760
4,452
Deduct: Gain on revaluation/termination
of deferred consideration—gold payments
—
—
—
(61,953
)
Add back: Litigation
expenses associated with certain provisions of the Stockholder Rights Agreement, net of income taxes
—
—
—
367
Add back: Impairments,
net of income taxes (where applicable)
—
2,046
—
5,756
Deduct:
Remeasurement of contingent consideration—sale of Canadian ETF business
—
—
—
(1,477
)
Adjusted net income
$
28,768
$
18,048
$
76,099
$
44,165
Deduct: Income distributed
to participating securities
(463
)
(889
)
(1,387
)
(1,884
)
Deduct:
Undistributed income allocable to participating securities
(1,147
)
(2,128
)
(4,840
)
(4,033
)
Adjusted net income
available to common stockholders
$
27,158
$
15,031
$
69,872
$
38,248
Weighted
average diluted shares, excluding participating securities (in thousands) (See Note 20 to our Consolidated Financial Statements)
149,353
148,432
150,080
147,572
Adjusted earnings
per share – diluted
$
0.18
$
0.10
$
0.47
$
0.26
Adjusted net income, as reported on a non-GAAP
basis during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024, also excludes a loss of $11.4 million recognized upon the repurchase
of our Series A Preferred Stock, which was convertible into 14.75 million shares of common stock from ETFS Capital and $1.9 million of
stock repurchase excise taxes. Under U.S. GAAP, these amounts are excluded from net income but are required to be added to net income
to arrive at income available to common stockholders in the calculation of earnings per share.
50
Table of Contents
Liquidity
and
Capital
Resources
The
following
table
summarizes
key
data
regarding
our
liquidity,
capital
resources
and
use
of
capital
to
fund
our
operations:
September 30,
2024
December 31,
2023
Balance Sheet
Data (in thousands):
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash
$
176,483
$
129,305
Financial instruments owned, at fair value
77,341
58,722
Accounts receivable
45,200
35,473
Securities held-to-maturity
212
230
Total: Liquid assets
299,236
223,730
Less: Total current liabilities
(106,473
)
(103,216
)
Less: Other assets—seed capital (WisdomTree Digital Funds)
(20,524
)
(18,308
)
Less: Regulatory capital requirements
(35,120
)
(29,156
)
Total: Available liquidity
$
137,119
$
73,050
Nine
Months Ended September 30,
2024
2023
Cash
Flow Data (in thousands):
Operating cash flows
$
78,886
$
48,350
Investing cash flows
(16,902
)
35,860
Financing cash flows
(16,939
)
(126,389
)
Foreign exchange
rate effect
2,133
(441
)
Increase/(decrease)
in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash
$
47,178
$
(42,620
)
Liquidity
We consider our available liquidity to be our
liquid assets, less our current liabilities, seed capital in WisdomTree Digital Funds and regulatory capital requirements of certain of
our subsidiaries. Liquid assets consist of cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, financial instruments owned, at fair value, accounts
receivable and securities held-to-maturity. Our financial instruments owned, at fair value are highly liquid investments. Accounts receivable
are current assets and primarily represent receivables from advisory fees we earn from our ETPs. Our current liabilities consist primarily
of payments owed to vendors and third parties in the normal course of business, accrued incentive compensation for employees and the current
portion of our payable to GBH.
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash increased
by $47.2 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2024 due to $345.0 million of proceeds from the issuance of convertible notes,
$78.9 million of cash provided by operating activities, $42.3 million of proceeds from the sale of financial instruments owned, at fair
value and $2.1 million provided by other activities. These increases were partly offset by $143.8 million used to repurchase Series A
Preferred Stock, $132.7 million to repurchase a portion of our 2028 Notes, $62.9 million used to repurchase common stock, $57.9 million
used to purchase financial instruments owned, at fair value, $14.8 million used to pay dividends, $7.7 million used to pay convertible
notes issuance costs and $1.8 million used to pay for software development.
Cash and cash equivalents decreased by $42.6
million during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 due to $184.3 million used to repurchase and settle at maturity our convertible
notes, $56.8 million used to purchase financial instruments owned, at fair value, $50.0 million used to settle our deferred consideration—gold
payments obligation, $14.9 million used to pay dividends, $10.0 million used to purchase investments, $3.6 million used to repurchase
our common stock, $3.5 million used for convertible notes issuance costs, $1.0 million used to acquire Securrency Transfers, Inc. (renamed
WisdomTree Transfers, Inc.) and $0.7 million used for other activities. These decreases were partly offset by $130.0 million of proceeds
from the issuance of convertible notes, $102.3 million of proceeds from the sale of financial instruments owned, at fair value, $48.4
million provided by operating activities and $1.5 million from receipt of contingent consideration.
Convertible Notes
We have the following convertible notes outstanding
as of September 30, 2024:
·
$150.0 million in aggregate principal amount of 3.25% Convertible Senior Notes due 2026 (the “2026 Notes”);
·
$25.8 million in aggregate principal amount of 5.75% Convertible Senior Notes due 2028 (the “2028 Notes”); and
·
$345.0 million in aggregate principal amount of 3.25% Convertible Senior Notes due 2029 (the “2029 Notes”).
51
Table of Contents
Each
class
of
notes
were
issued
pursuant
to
indentures
dated
as
of
the
issuance
dates
between
us
and
either
U.S.
Bank
National
Association
or
U.S.
Bank
Trust
Company,
National
Association,
as
trustee
(or
its
successor
in
interest,
the
“Trustee”),
in
private
offerings
to
qualified
institutional
buyers
pursuant
to
Rule
144A
under
the
Securities
Act
of
1933,
as
amended.
In
connection
with
the
issuance
of
the
2029
Notes,
we
repurchased
$104.2
million
in
aggregate
principal
amount
of
2028
Notes.
As
a
result
of
this
repurchase,
we
recognized
a
loss
on
extinguishment
of
approximately
$30.6
million
during
the
three
and
nine
months
ended
September
30,
2024.
As
of
September
30,
2024,
we
had
an
aggregate
principal
amount
of
$520,845
outstanding
of
the
2026
Notes,
the
2028
Notes
and
the
2029
Notes
(collectively,
the
“Convertible
Notes”).
Key
terms
of
the
Convertible
Notes
are
as
follows:
2026 Notes
2028 Notes
2029 Notes
Principal outstanding
$150.0
$25.8
$345.0
Issuance date
June 14, 2021
February 14, 2023
August 13, 2024
Maturity date (unless earlier converted, repurchased or redeemed)
June 15, 2026
August 15, 2028
August 15, 2029
Interest rate
3.25%
5.75%
3.25%
Initial conversion price
$11.04
$9.54
$11.82
Initial conversion rate
90.5797
104.8658
84.5934
Redemption price
$14.35
$12.40
$15.37
·
Interest rate: Payable semiannually in arrears on February 15 and August 15 of each year for the 2029 Notes and the 2028
Notes and on June 15 and December 15 of each year for the 2026 Notes.
·
Conversion price: Convertible at an initial conversion rate into shares of our common stock, per $1,000 principal amount
of notes (equivalent to an initial conversion price set forth in the table above), subject to adjustment.
·
Conversion: Holders may convert at their option at any time prior to the close of business on the business day immediately
preceding May 15, 2029 and May 15, 2028 for the 2029 Notes and the 2028 Notes, respectively, and March 15, 2026 for the 2026 Notes, only
under the following circumstances: (i) if the last reported sale price of our common stock for at least 20 trading days during a period
of 30 consecutive trading days ending on the last trading day of the immediately preceding calendar quarter is greater than or equal to
130% of the conversion price for the respective Convertible Notes on each applicable trading day; (ii) during the five business day period
after any ten consecutive trading day period (the “measurement period”) in which the trading price per $1,000 principal amount
of the Convertible Notes for each trading day of the measurement period was less than 98% of the product of the last reported sales price
of our common stock and the conversion rate on each such trading day; (iii) upon a notice of redemption delivered by us in accordance
with the terms of the indentures but only with respect to the Convertible Notes called (or deemed called) for redemption; or (iv) upon
the occurrence of specified corporate events. On or after May 15, 2029 and May 15, 2028 in respect of the 2029 Notes and the 2028 Notes,
respectively, and March 15, 2026 in respect of the 2026 Notes, until the close of business on the second scheduled trading day immediately
preceding the maturity date, holders may convert their Convertible Notes at any time, regardless of the foregoing circumstances.
·
Cash settlement of principal amount: Upon conversion, we will pay cash up to the aggregate principal amount of the Convertible
Notes to be converted. At our election, we will also settle its conversion obligation in excess of the aggregate principal amount of the
Convertible Notes being converted in either cash, shares of its common stock or a combination of cash and shares of its common stock.
·
Redemption price: We may redeem for cash all or any portion of the Convertible Notes, at our option, on or after August
20, 2026 and August 20, 2025 in respect of the 2029 Notes and the 2028 Notes, respectively, and June 20, 2023 in respect of the 2026 Notes
and on or prior to the 55 th scheduled trading day immediately preceding the maturity date, if the last reported sale price
of our common stock has been at least 130% of the conversion price for the respective Convertible Notes then in effect for at least 20
trading days, including the trading day immediately preceding the date on which we provide notice of redemption, during any 30 consecutive
trading day period ending on, and including, the trading day immediately preceding the date on which we provide notice of redemption,
at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the notes to be redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid interest to, but excluding
the redemption date. No sinking fund is provided for the Convertible Notes.
·
Limited investor put rights: Holders of the Convertible Notes have the right to require us to repurchase for cash all or
a portion of their notes at 100% of their principal amount, plus any accrued and unpaid interest, upon the occurrence of certain change
of control transactions or liquidation, dissolution or common stock delisting events.
·
Conversion rate increase in certain customary circumstances: In certain circumstances, conversions in connection with a
“make-whole fundamental change” (as defined in the indentures) or conversions of Convertible Notes called (or deemed called)
for redemption may result in an increase to the conversion rate, provided that the conversion rate will not exceed 103.6269 shares, 167.7853
shares and 144.9275 shares of our common stock per $1,000 principal amount of the 2029 Notes, the 2028 Notes and the 2026 Notes, respectively
(the equivalent of 69,880,434 shares of our common stock), subject to adjustment.
·
Seniority and Security: The Convertible Notes rank equal in right of payment and are our senior unsecured obligations.
52
Table of Contents
The
indentures
contain
customary
terms
and
covenants,
including
that
upon
certain
events
of
default
occurring
and
continuing,
either
the
Trustee
or
the
respective
holders
of
not
less
than
25%
in
aggregate
principal
amount
of
the
respective
series
of
Convertible
Notes
outstanding
may
declare
the
entire
principal
amount
of
all
such
respective
Convertible
Notes
to
be
repurchased,
plus
any
accrued
special
interest,
if
any,
to
be
immediately
due
and
payable.
Capital
Resources
Our
principal
source
of
financing
is
our
operating
cash
flow.
We
believe
that
current
cash
flows
generated
by
our
operating
activities
and
existing
cash
balances
should
be
sufficient
for
us
to
fund
our
operations
for
the
foreseeable
future.
Our
ability
to
satisfy
our
contractual
obligations
as
they
arise
are
discussed
in
the
section
titled
“Contractual
Obligations”
below.
Use
of
Capital
Our
business
does
not
require
us
to
maintain
a
significant
cash
position.
However,
certain
of
our
subsidiaries
are
required
to
maintain
a
minimum
level
of
regulatory
capital,
which
at
September
30,
2024
was
approximately
$35.1
million
in
the
aggregate.
Notwithstanding
these
regulatory
capital
requirements,
we
expect
that
our
main
uses
of
cash
will
be
to
fund
the
ongoing
operations
of
our
business.
We
also
maintain
a
capital
return
program
which
includes
a
$0.03
per
share
quarterly
cash
dividend
and
authority
to
purchase
our
common
stock
through
April
27,
2025,
including
purchases
to
offset
future
equity
grants
made
under
our
equity
plans
and
purchases
made
in
open
market
or
privately
negotiated
transactions.
During
the
nine
months
ended
September
30,
2024,
we
repurchased
6,800,301
shares
of
our
common
stock
under
the
repurchase
program
for
an
aggregate
cost
of
$62.9
million.
Currently,
approximately
$35.5
million
remains
under
this
program
for
future
purchases.
In
addition,
on
August
13,
2024,
we
repurchased
all
of
our
then-outstanding
Series
A
Non-Voting
Convertible
Preferred
Stock,
which
was
convertible
into
14,750,000
shares
of
our
common
stock,
from
ETFS
Capital
for
aggregate
cash
consideration
of
approximately
$143.8
million.
See
Note
11
to
our
Consolidated
Financial
Statements
for
additional
information.
Contractual
Obligations
Convertible
Notes
We
currently
have
$520.8
million
in
aggregate
principal
amount
of
Convertible
Notes
outstanding,
of
which
$150.0
million,
$25.8
million
and
$345.0
million
are
scheduled
to
mature
on
June
15,
2026,
August
15,
2028
and
August
15,
2029,
in
respect
of
the
2026
Notes,
the
2028
Notes
and
the
2029
Notes,
respectively,
unless
earlier
converted,
repurchased
or
redeemed.
Conditional
conversions
or
a
requirement
to
repurchase
the
Convertible
Notes
upon
the
occurrence
of
a
fundamental
change
may
accelerate
payment.
The
Convertible
Notes
require
cash
settlement
of
up
to
the
principal
amount,
while
settlement
of
the
conversion
obligation
in
excess
of
the
aggregate
principal
amount
may
be
satisfied
in
either
cash,
shares
of
our
common
stock
or
a
combination
of
cash
and
shares
of
our
common
stock.
We
may
settle
and/or
refinance
these
obligations
when
due.
See
the
section
titled
“Issuance
of
Convertible
Notes”
above
for
additional
information.
Payable
to
GBH
On
November
20,
2023,
we
repurchased
our
Series
C
Preferred
Stock
from
GBH
for
aggregate
cash
consideration
of
approximately
$84.4
million.
The
Series
C
Preferred
Stock
was
originally
issued
to
GBH
on
May
10,
2023
in
connection
with
the
termination
of
our
obligations
relating
to
the
contractual
gold
payments.
Under
the
terms
of
the
transaction,
we
paid
GBH
$40.0
million
on
the
closing
date,
with
the
remainder
of
the
purchase
price
payable
in
equal,
interest-free
installments
on
the
first,
second
and
third
anniversaries
of
the
closing
date.
Operating
Leases
Total
future
minimum
lease
payments
with
respect
to
our
operating
lease
liabilities
were
$1.6
million
at
September
30,
2024.
Cash
flows
generated
by
our
operating
activities
and
existing
cash
balances
should
be
sufficient
to
satisfy
the
future
minimum
lease
payments.
See
Note
13
to
our
Consolidated
Financial
Statements
for
additional
information.
Off-Balance
Sheet
Arrangements
We
do
not
have
any
off-balance
sheet
financing
or
other
arrangements
and
have
neither
created
nor
are
party
to
any
special-purpose
or
off-balance
sheet
entities
for
the
purpose
of
raising
capital,
incurring
debt
or
operating
our
business.
53
Table of Contents
Critical
Accounting
Policies
and
Estimates
Goodwill
and
Intangible
Assets
Goodwill
is
the
excess
of
the
purchase
price
over
the
fair
values
of
the
identifiable
net
assets
at
the
acquisition
date.
We
test
goodwill
for
impairment
at
least
annually
and
at
the
time
of
a
triggering
event
requiring
re-evaluation,
if
one
were
to
occur.
Goodwill
is
considered
impaired
when
the
estimated
fair
value
of
the
reporting
unit
that
was
allocated
the
goodwill
is
less
than
its
carrying
value.
If
the
estimated
fair
value
of
such
reporting
unit
is
less
than
its
carrying
value,
goodwill
impairment
is
recognized
based
on
that
difference,
not
to
exceed
the
carrying
amount
of
goodwill.
A
reporting
unit
is
an
operating
segment
or
a
component
of
an
operating
segment
provided
that
the
component
constitutes
a
business
for
which
discrete
financial
information
is
available
and
management
regularly
reviews
the
operating
results
of
that
component.
Goodwill
is
allocated
to
our
U.S.
business
and
European
business
components.
For
impairment
testing
purposes,
these
components
are
aggregated
as
a
single
reporting
unit
as
they
fall
under
the
same
operating
segment
and
have
similar
economic
characteristics.
Goodwill
is
assessed
for
impairment
annually
on
November
30 th .
When
performing
our
goodwill
impairment
test,
we
consider
a
qualitative
assessment,
when
appropriate,
and
the
market
approach
and
its
market
capitalization
when
determining
the
fair
value
of
the
reporting
unit.
The
results
of
our
most
recent
analysis
indicated
no
impairment
based
upon
a
quantitative
assessment.
Indefinite-lived
intangible
assets
are
tested
for
impairment
at
least
annually
and
are
reviewed
for
impairment
whenever
events
or
changes
in
circumstances
indicate
that
the
carrying
amount
of
an
asset
may
not
be
recoverable.
Indefinite-lived
intangible
assets
are
impaired
if
their
estimated
fair
value
is
less
than
their
carrying
value.
We
may
rely
on
a
qualitative
assessment
when
performing
our
intangible
asset
impairment
test.
Otherwise,
the
impairment
evaluation
is
performed
at
the
lowest
level
of
reasonably
identifiable
cash
flows
independent
of
other
assets.
The
annual
impairment
testing
date
for
our
intangible
assets
is
November
30 th .
The
results
of
our
most
recent
analysis
identified
no
indicators
of
impairment
to
be
recognized
based
upon
a
quantitative
assessment
(discounted
cash
flow
analysis)
which
relied
upon
significant
unobservable
inputs
including
projected
revenue
growth
rates
of
3.0%
and
a
weighted
average
cost
of
capital
of
10.5%.
Investments
We
account
for
equity
investments
that
do
not
have
a
readily
determinable
fair
value
under
the
measurement
alternative
prescribed
within
ASU
2016-01,
Financial
Instruments
–
Recognition
and
Measurement
of
Financial
Assets
and
Financial
Liabilities ,
to
the
extent
such
investments
are
not
subject
to
consolidation
or
the
equity
method.
Under
the
measurement
alternative,
these
financial
instruments
are
carried
at
cost,
less
any
impairment
(assessed
quarterly),
plus
or
minus
changes
resulting
from
observable
price
changes
in
orderly
transactions
for
an
identical
or
similar
investment
of
the
same
issuer.
In
addition,
income
is
recognized
when
dividends
are
received
only
to
the
extent
they
are
distributed
from
net
accumulated
earnings
of
the
investee.
Otherwise,
such
distributions
are
considered
returns
of
investment
and
are
recorded
as
a
reduction
of
the
cost
of
the
investment.
See
Note
7
to
our
Consolidated
Financial
Statements
for
additional
information.
Revenue
Recognition
We
earn
substantially
all
of
our
revenue
in
the
form
of
advisory
fees
from
our
ETPs
and
recognize
this
revenue
over
time,
as
the
performance
obligation
is
satisfied.
Advisory
fees
are
based
on
a
percentage
of
the
ETPs’
average
daily
net
assets.
Progress
is
measured
using
the
practical
expedient
under
the
output
method
resulting
in
the
recognition
of
revenue
in
the
amount
for
which
we
have
a
right
to
invoice.
Other
revenues
are
earned
from
swap
providers
associated
with
certain
of
our
European
listed
ETPs,
the
nature
of
which
are
based
on
a
percentage
of
the
ETPs’
average
daily
net
assets.
We
also
earn
transaction-based
income
on
flows
associated
with
certain
European
listed
ETPs.
There
is
no
significant
judgment
in
calculating
amounts
due,
which
are
invoiced
monthly
or
quarterly
in
arrears
and
are
not
subject
to
any
potential
reversal.
Progress
is
measured
using
the
practical
expedient
under
the
output
method
resulting
in
the
recognition
of
revenue
in
the
amount
for
which
we
have
a
right
to
invoice.
ITEM 3.
QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
The following information, together with information
included in other parts of this Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, describes
key aspects of our market risk.
Market Risk
Market risk to us generally represents the risk
of changes in the value of our ETPs and Digital Funds that results from fluctuations in securities or commodity prices, foreign currency
exchange rates against the U.S. dollar, and interest rates. Nearly all our revenues are derived from advisory agreements for the WisdomTree
ETPs. Under these agreements, the advisory fee we receive is based on the average market value of the assets in the WisdomTree ETP portfolios
we manage.
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Table of Contents
Fluctuations
in
the
value
of
the
ETPs
are
common
and
are
generated
by
numerous
factors
such
as
market
volatility,
the
global
economy,
inflation,
changes
in
investor
strategies
and
sentiment,
availability
of
alternative
investment
vehicles,
domestic
and
foreign
government
regulations,
emerging
markets
developments
and
others.
Accordingly,
changes
in
any
one
or
a
combination
of
these
factors
may
reduce
the
value
of
investment
securities
and,
in
turn,
the
underlying
AUM
on
which
our
revenues
are
earned.
These
declines
may
cause
investors
to
withdraw
funds
from
our
ETPs
in
favor
of
investments
that
they
perceive
as
offering
greater
opportunity
or
lower
risk,
thereby
compounding
the
impact
on
our
revenues.
We
believe
challenging
and
volatile
market
conditions
will
continue
to
be
present
in
the
foreseeable
future.
Interest
Rate
Risk
We
invest
our
corporate
cash
in
short-term
interest
earning
assets,
primarily
in
federal
agency
debt
instruments,
WisdomTree
fixed
income
ETFs,
U.S.
treasuries,
corporate
bonds,
money
market
instruments
at
a
commercial
bank
and
other
securities
which
totaled
$109.2
million
and
$135.9
million
as
of
December
31,
2023
and
September
30,
2024,
respectively.
During
the
nine
months
ended
September
30,
2024,
we
recognized
gains
on
these
financial
instruments
of
$2.6
million
and
any
gains/losses
recognized
in
the
future
may
be
material
to
our
operating
results.
We
do
not
anticipate
that
changes
in
interest
rates
will
have
a
material
impact
on
our
financial
condition
or
cash
flows.
In
addition,
our
Convertible
Notes
bear
interest
at
fixed
rates
of
5.75%
for
the
2028
Notes
and
3.25%
for
the
2026
Notes
and
the
2029
Notes.
Therefore,
we
have
no
direct
financial
statement
risk
associated
with
changes
in
interest
rates.
However,
the
fair
value
of
the
Convertible
Notes
changes
primarily
when
the
market
price
of
our
common
stock
fluctuates
or
interest
rates
change.
Exchange
Rate
Risk
We
are
subject
to
currency
translation
exposure
on
the
results
of
our
non-U.S.
operations,
primarily
in
the
United
Kingdom
and
Europe.
Foreign
currency
translation
risk
is
the
risk
that
exchange
rate
gains
or
losses
arise
from
translating
foreign
entities’
statements
of
earnings
and
balance
sheets
from
functional
currency
to
our
reporting
currency
(the
U.S.
dollar)
for
consolidation
purposes.
The
advisory
fees
earned
on
our
European
listed
ETPs
are
predominantly
in
U.S.
dollars
(and
also
paid
in
gold,
other
precious
metals
and
cryptocurrency,
as
described
below);
however,
expenses
for
corporate
overhead
are
generally
incurred
in
British
pounds.
Currently,
we
do
not
enter
into
derivative
financial
instruments
aimed
at
offsetting
certain
exposures
in
the
statement
of
operations
or
the
balance
sheet
but
may
seek
to
do
so
in
the
future.
Exchange
rate
risk
associated
with
the
euro
is
not
considered
to
be
significant.
Commodity
and
Cryptocurrency
Price
Risk
Fluctuations
in
the
prices
of
commodities
and
cryptocurrencies
that
are
linked
to
certain
of
our
ETPs
could
have
a
material
adverse
effect
on
our
AUM
and
revenues.
In
addition,
a
portion
of
the
advisory
fee
revenues
we
receive
on
our
ETPs
backed
by
gold,
other
precious
metals
and
cryptocurrencies
are
paid
in
the
underlying
metal
or
cryptocurrency.
While
we
readily
sell
the
gold,
precious
metals
and
cryptocurrencies
that
we
earn
under
these
advisory
contracts,
we
still
may
maintain
a
position.
We
currently
do
not
enter
into
arrangements
to
hedge
against
fluctuations
in
the
price
of
these
commodities
and
cryptocurrencies
and
any
hedging
we
may
undertake
in
the
future
may
not
be
cost-effective
or
sufficient
to
hedge
against
this
exposure.
ITEM 4.
CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
As of September 30, 2024, our management, with
the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and
procedures pursuant to Rule 13a-15(b) promulgated under the Exchange Act. Based upon that evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and
Chief Financial Officer concluded that, as of September 30, 2024, our disclosure controls and procedures were effective at a reasonable
assurance level in ensuring that material information required to be disclosed by us in the reports that we file or submit under the Exchange
Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the rules, regulations and forms of the SEC,
including ensuring that such material information is accumulated by and communicated to our management, including our Chief Executive
Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
During the quarter ended September 30, 2024, there
were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially
affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
55
Table of Contents
PART
II:
OTHER
INFORMATION
ITEM 1.
LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
We may be subject to reviews, inspections and
investigations by federal regulators including, but not limited to, the SEC, Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), National Futures
Association (NFA), Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), state and foreign regulators, as well as legal proceedings arising
in the ordinary course of business. See Note 14 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information regarding (1) a $4.0
million civil money penalty in connection with the SEC ESG Settlement and (2) actual and potential claims brought by investors in our
WisdomTree WTI Crude Oil 3x Daily Leveraged ETP totaling approximately €27.5 million ($30.7 million), including an appealed claim
for total damages of €7.8 million ($8.7 million).
ITEM 1A.
RISK FACTORS
In addition to the updated risk factor and other
information set forth below and elsewhere in this Report, you should carefully consider the information set forth in Part 1, Item 1A.
“Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 and in subsequent reports filed
with or furnished to the SEC.
Legal and Regulatory Risks
Compliance with extensive, complex and changing regulation
imposes significant financial and strategic costs on our business, and non-compliance could result in fines and penalties.
We are subject to extensive regulation of our
business and operations. One of our U.S. subsidiaries, WTAM, is a registered investment adviser and is subject to oversight by the SEC
pursuant to its regulatory authority under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended. We also must comply with certain requirements
under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, with respect to the WisdomTree U.S. listed ETFs for which WTAM acts as investment
adviser. WTAM is also a member of the NFA and registered as a commodity pool operator for certain of our ETFs. As a commodity pool operator,
we are subject to oversight by the NFA and the CFTC pursuant to regulatory authority under the Commodity Exchange Act. In addition,
the content and use of our marketing and sales materials and the conduct of our sales force in the U.S. regarding our U.S. listed ETFs
are subject to the regulatory authority of FINRA. The SEC also has recently adopted rule amendments that are designed to modernize sales
and marketing materials and, as a result, could impact our marketing materials. We are also subject to foreign laws and regulatory authorities
with respect to operational aspects of our products that invest in securities of issuers in foreign countries, in the marketing, offer
and/or sales of our products in foreign jurisdictions and in our offering of investment products domiciled outside of the U.S., such as
our ETPs issued by the ManJer Issuers, UCITS ETFs and ETPs issued by WMAI. Each of the regulatory bodies with jurisdiction over us has
regulatory powers dealing with many aspects of our business, including the authority to grant, and, in specific circumstances to cancel,
permissions to carry on particular businesses. Our ETPs’ failure to comply with applicable laws or regulations has in the past,
and could in the future, result in fines, censure, suspensions of personnel or other sanctions, including revocation of our registration
as an investment adviser. For example, on August 5, 2024, WTAM received a Wells Notice from the staff (the “Staff”) of the
SEC advising WTAM that the Staff had made a preliminary determination to recommend that the SEC file an enforcement action against WTAM
alleging violations of certain provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws relating to three exchange-traded series of WisdomTree Trust
managed by WTAM that pursued ESG-focused strategies (collectively, the “Funds”). Without admitting or denying the SEC’s
allegations, WTAM agreed to resolve the matter by consenting to the entry of an Order by the SEC, which was announced publicly on October
21, 2024, in which WTAM agreed to cease and desist from committing or causing any violations and any future violations of Sections 206(2)
and 206(4) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended, Rules 206(4)-7 and 206(4)-8 thereunder, and Section 34(b) of the Investment
Company Act of 1940, as amended, and to pay a civil money penalty of $4.0 million.
Even if a sanction imposed against us, our personnel
or our ETPs is small in monetary amount, the adverse publicity arising from the imposition of sanctions against us, our personnel or our
ETPs by regulators could harm our reputation and thus result in redemptions from our products and impede our ability to retain and attract
investors in WisdomTree ETPs, all of which may reduce our revenues.
We face the risk of significant intervention
by regulatory authorities, including extended investigation activity, adoption of costly or restrictive new regulations and judicial or
administrative proceedings that may result in substantial penalties. Among other things, we have been and could be fined or be prohibited
from engaging in some of our business activities. The requirements imposed by our regulators are designed to ensure the integrity of the
financial markets and to protect investors in WisdomTree ETPs and our advisory clients and are not designed to protect our stockholders.
Consequently, these regulations often serve to limit our activities, including through WisdomTree ETP investor protection and market conduct
requirements.
The regulatory environment in which we operate
also is subject to modifications and further regulation. Concerns have been raised at various times about ETFs’ possible contribution
to market volatility as well as the disclosure requirements applicable to certain types of more complex ETFs. In addition, the SEC recently
approved a broad set of rules regarding data reporting and fund liquidity, fund valuation and funds’ use of derivatives, which are
imposing additional expense and require additional administrative services and requirements, among other matters, in seeking to comply
with these rules. New laws or regulations, or changes in the enforcement of existing laws or regulations, applicable to us or investors
in our products also may adversely affect our business, and our ability to function in this environment will depend on our ability to
constantly monitor and react to these changes. Compliance with new laws and regulations may result in increased compliance costs and expenses.
56
Table of Contents
Specific
regulatory
changes
also
may
have
a
direct
impact
on
our
revenues.
In
addition
to
regulatory
scrutiny
and
potential
fines
and
sanctions,
regulators
continue
to
examine
different
aspects
of
the
asset
management
industry.
New
regulations,
revised
regulatory
or
judicial
interpretations,
revised
viewpoints,
outcomes
of
lawsuits
against
other
fund
complexes
or
growth
in
our
ETP
assets
and/or
profitability
related
to
the
annual
approval
process
for
investment
advisory
agreements
may
result
in
the
reduction
of
fees
under
these
agreements,
which
would
mean
a
reduction
in
our
revenues
or
otherwise
may
lead
to
an
increase
in
costs
or
expenses.
Our
operations
outside
the
U.S.
are
subject
to
the
laws
and
regulations
of
various
non-U.S.
jurisdictions
and
non-U.S.
regulatory
agencies
and
bodies.
As
we
have
expanded
our
international
presence,
a
number
of
our
subsidiaries
and
international
operations
have
become
subject
to
regulatory
systems
in
various
jurisdictions,
comparable
to
those
covering
our
operations
in
the
U.S.
Regulators
in
these
non-U.S.
jurisdictions
may
have
broad
authority
with
respect
to
the
regulation
of
financial
services
including,
among
other
things,
the
authority
to
grant
or
cancel
required
licenses
or
registrations.
ITEM 2.
UNREGISTERED SALES OF EQUITY SECURITIES AND USE OF PROCEEDS
Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities
None.
Use of Proceeds
Not applicable.
Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer and Affiliated Purchasers
The following table provides information with
respect to purchases made by or on behalf of the Company or any “affiliated purchaser” of shares of our common stock.
Total Number
of Shares
Purchased
Average Price
Paid Per Share
Total
Number of
Shares Purchased
as Part of Publicly
Announced Plans
or Programs
Approximate
Dollar Value of
Shares that
May Yet Be Purchased
Under the Plans or
Programs
Period
(in thousands)
July 1, 2024 to July 30,
2024
—
$
—
—
August 1, 2024 to August
31, 2024
—
$
—
—
September 1, 2024 to September
30, 2024
5,704,023
$
9.65
5,704,023
Total
5,704,023
$
9.65
5,704,023
$
33,535
On February 22, 2022, our Board of Directors
approved an increase of $85.7 million to our share repurchase program and extended the term for three years through April 27, 2025. During
the nine months ended September 30, 2024, we repurchased 6,800,301 shares of our common stock under this program for an aggregate cost
of approximately $62.9 million. As of September 30, 2024, $33.5 million remained under this program for future repurchases.
In addition, on August 13, 2024, we repurchased
all of our then-outstanding Series A Non-Voting Convertible Preferred Stock, which was convertible into 14,750,000 shares of our common
stock, from ETFS Capital for aggregate cash consideration of approximately $143.8 million. See Note 11 to our Consolidated Financial Statements
for additional information.
ITEM 3.
DEFAULTS UPON SENIOR SECURITIES
None.
ITEM 4.
MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES
Not applicable.
ITEM 5.
OTHER INFORMATION
None.
10b5-1 Trading Arrangements
During the three months ended September 30, 2024,
none of our directors or officers (as defined in Rule 16a-1(f) of the Exchange Act) adopted, terminated or modified
a Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangement or non-Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangement (as such terms are defined in Item 408 of Regulation
S-K).
57
Table of Contents
ITEM 6.
EXHIBITS
EXHIBIT INDEX
Exhibit
Number
Description
3.1
Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation
(incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 of the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form 10, filed with the SEC on March 31,
2011)
3.2
Certificate of Amendment to the Amended
and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (Name Change) (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 of the Registrant’s Current Report
on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on November 7, 2022)
3.3
Certificate of Amendment to the Amended
and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (Declassification of Board of Directors) (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 of the Registrant’s
Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on July 20, 2022)
3.4
Certificate of Amendment to the Amended
and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (Increase in Authorized Shares) (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 of the Registrant’s
Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on July 20, 2022)
3.5
Certificate of Designations of Series
A Non-Voting Convertible Preferred Stock of the Registrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 of the Registrant’s Current
Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on April 13, 2018)
3.6
Certificate of Elimination of Series A
Non-Voting Convertible Preferred Stock of the Registrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 of the Registrant’s Current Report
on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on August 13, 2024)
3.7
Certificate of Designations of Series
B Junior Participating Cumulative Preferred Stock of the Registrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 of the Registrant’s
Registration Statement on Form 8-A filed with the SEC on March 20, 2023)
3.8
Fifth Amended and Restated By-Laws (incorporated
by reference to Exhibit 3.7 of the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, filed with the SEC on August 2, 2024)
4.1
Specimen Common Stock Certificate (incorporated
by reference to Exhibit 4.1 of the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form 10, filed with the SEC on March 31, 2011)
4.2
Amended and Restated Stockholders Agreement
among the Registrant and certain investors dated December 21, 2006 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 of the Registrant’s
Registration Statement on Form 10, filed with the SEC on March 31, 2011)
4.3
Securities Purchase Agreement among the
Registrant and certain investors dated December 21, 2006 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.3 of the Registrant’s Registration
Statement on Form 10, filed with the SEC on March 31, 2011)
4.4
Securities Purchase Agreement among the
Registrant and certain investors dated October 15, 2009 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.4 of the Registrant’s Registration
Statement on Form 10, filed with the SEC on March 31, 2011)
4.5
Third Amended and Restated Registration
Rights Agreement dated October 15, 2009 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.5 of the Registrant’s Registration Statement on
Form 10, filed with the SEC on March 31, 2011)
4.6
Indenture, dated as of June 14,
2021, by and between the Registrant and U.S. Bank National Association, as Trustee (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 of the Registrant’s
Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on June 14, 2021)
4.7
Form of Global Note, representing
the Registrant’s 3.25% Convertible Senior Notes due 2026 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 of the Registrant’s Current
Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on June 14, 2021)
4.8
Indenture, dated as of February 14,
2023, by and between the Registrant and U.S. Bank National Association, as Trustee (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 of the Registrant’s
Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on February 14, 2023)
4.9
Form of Global Note, representing
the Registrant’s 5.75% Convertible Senior Notes due 2028 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 of the Registrant’s Current
Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on February 14, 2023)
4.10
Indenture, dated as of August 13, 2024,
by and between the Registrant and U.S. Bank Trust Company, National Association, as Trustee (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1
of the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on August 13, 2024)
4.11
Form of Global Note, representing the Registrant’s
3.25% Convertible Senior Notes due 2029 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 of the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K,
filed with the SEC on August 13, 2024)
4.12
Stockholder Rights Agreement, dated
as of March 17, 2023, between the Registrant and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as Rights Agent (incorporated by reference
to Exhibit 4.1 of the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form 8-A filed with the SEC on March 20, 2023)
58
Table of Contents
Exhibit
Number
Description
4.13
Amendment No. 1, dated as of May
4, 2023, to Stockholder Rights Agreement, dated as of March 17, 2023, between the Registrant and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust
Company, as Rights Agent (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 of the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the
SEC on May 5, 2023)
4.14
Amendment No. 2, dated as of May
10, 2023, to Stockholder Rights Agreement, dated as of March 17, 2023, between the Registrant and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust
Company, as Rights Agent (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 of the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the
SEC on May 10, 2023)
4.15
Amendment No. 3, dated as of
March 18, 2024, to Stockholder Rights Agreement, dated as of March 17, 2023, as amended, between WisdomTree, Inc. and Continental Stock
Transfer & Trust Company, as Rights Agent (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 of the Registrant’s Current Report on Form
8-K, filed with the SEC on March 18, 2024)
4.16
Amendment
No. 4, dated as of March 25, 2024, to Stockholder Rights Agreement, dated as of March 17, 2023, as amended, between WisdomTree, Inc. and
Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as Rights Agent (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 of the Registrant’s Current
Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on March 29, 2024)
4.17
Amendment
No. 5, dated as of April 30, 2024, to Stockholder Rights Agreement, dated as of March 17, 2023, as amended, between WisdomTree, Inc. and
Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as Rights Agent (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Registrant’s Current
Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on April 30, 2024)
4.18
Termination
Agreement, dated as of August 5, 2024, by and between ETFS Capital Limited and WisdomTree, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit
4.1 of the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on August 8, 2024)
10.1
Stock Repurchase
Agreement, dated as of August 5, 2024, by and between WisdomTree, Inc. and ETFS Capital Limited (incorporated by reference to Exhibit
10.1 of the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on August 8, 2024)
31.1 (1)
Rule 13a-14(a) / 15d-14(a) Certification
31.2 (1)
Rule 13a-14(a) / 15d-14(a) Certification
32.1 (2)
Certification pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section
906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
101 (1)
Financial Statements from the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q of the Company for the three months ended
September 30, 2024, formatted in XBRL: (i) Consolidated Balance Sheets at September 30, 2024 (Unaudited) and December 31, 2023; (ii) Consolidated
Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 and September 30, 2023 (Unaudited);
(iii) Consolidated Statements of Changes in Stockholders’ Equity for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 and September
30, 2023 (Unaudited); (iv) Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and September 30, 2023 (Unaudited);
and (v) Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, as blocks of text and in detail.
101.SCH (1)
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document
101.CAL (1)
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document
101.DEF (1)
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document
101.LAB (1)
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Labels Linkbase Document
101.PRE (1)
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document
104 (1)
Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted as inline XBRL with applicable taxonomy extension information contained in Exhibits
101.*)
__________________________________________________________
(1)
Filed herewith.
(2)
Furnished herewith.
59
Table of Contents
SIGNATURE
Pursuant
to
the
requirements
of
the
Exchange
Act,
the
registrant
has
duly
caused
this
report
to
be
signed
on
its
behalf
by
the
undersigned
hereunto
duly
authorized
on
this
7 th
day
of
November
2024.
WISDOMTREE, INC.
By:
/s/ Jonathan Steinberg
Jonathan Steinberg
Chief Executive Officer
(Principal Executive Officer)
WISDOMTREE, INC.
By:
/s/ Bryan Edmiston
Bryan Edmiston
Chief Financial Officer
(Principal Financial Officer and Principal
Accounting Officer)
60
Text extracted from the filing as submitted to EDGAR. Formatting, tables and exhibits are simplified for reading; the original document is authoritative for anything you rely on.