DeFi Technologies Inc. (DEFT) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript

Access earnings results, analyst expectations, report, slides, earnings call, and transcript.

Overview

The earnings call summary presents mixed signals. Financial performance is stable with a slight positive due to breakeven AUM levels, but market strategy and guidance are weak, especially with no specific ETP targets and conservative expansion. The shareholder return plan is unclear, and the NASDAQ compliance issue adds uncertainty. Q&A insights reveal cautious optimism but also highlight market volatility and reduced marketing spend. Overall, the sentiment is neutral, with no strong catalysts for a significant stock price movement in either direction.

Key Financial Performance

Revenue Revenue for fiscal 2025 reached a record $99.1 million, a significant increase from $31 million in 2024. This growth reflects the strength of the platform and diversified revenue streams.

Net Income Net income and comprehensive income for fiscal 2025 was $62.7 million, with Q4 net income alone at $28.9 million. This demonstrates the earnings power and resilience of the diversified model.

Assets Under Management (AUM) DeFi closed December 31, 2025, with AUM of $622.3 million, while the average AUM throughout fiscal 2025 was approximately $809.9 million. Valour achieved net inflows of $110.1 million into its ETP products during the year, reflecting continued investor demand despite market volatility.

Staking and Lending Income Q4 effective staking and lending income was 4.7% on the $728.3 million average Q4 AUM, an increase from 3.4% in Q3. This was due to higher average staking during the quarter, which was approximately 70%.

Management Fee Yield Q4 effective management fee yield was 1.2%, consistent with earlier quarters in 2025. The company does not charge management fees on its main Bitcoin and Ethereum products, which reduces the effective management fee income.

Stillman Digital Revenue Stillman Digital's Q4 revenue was $3.3 million, up from $2.2 million in Q3 2025. Full-year 2025 revenue totaled $9.6 million, driven by trading volatility and institutional activity.

Operating Income Q4 operating income was $7 million, and full-year operating income for 2025 was $46.5 million. The decline of $2 million from Q3 2025 was due to lower crypto prices and lower average AUM in Q4.

Venture Portfolio The venture portfolio consists of 12 private investments, with the largest being a 5% stake in AMINA Bank, which makes up 83% of the portfolio's fair value. AMINA Bank's AUM declined to CHF 2.7 billion at the end of Q4 from CHF 3.5 billion at the end of Q3, leading to an approximately CHF 11 million noncash mark-to-market negative adjustment.

Cash and Treasury Holdings As of December 31, 2025, the company held $113.8 million in cash and USDT/USDC, including $91.2 million of cash. Digital asset treasury holdings totaled approximately $35.5 million, and the venture and private portfolio was valued at approximately $29.4 million, resulting in a total cash, treasury, and venture portfolio value of $178.7 million.

You have reached the limit. Sign up to access full content

Get started

Operating Highlights

Valour Product Platform Expansion: Expanded the Valour product platform to achieve the goal of reaching 100 listed ETPs by the end of the year. Focused on high value-added products, including institutional investment exposures.

New Product Launches: Launched two products on the London Stock Exchange in October 2025 and five ETP instruments on the B3 Exchange in Brazil in December 2025, marking the first listings outside Europe.

Geographic Expansion: Expanded into regions such as Brazil, Latin America, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Europe remains the core market with significant growth potential.

Institutional Investor Base Expansion: Focused on increasing institutional participation through structures like UCITS, AMCs, hedge fund structures, and other investment vehicles.

Revenue Growth: Achieved record revenue of $99.1 million for fiscal 2025, with $20 million in Q4 alone.

AUM Growth: Closed 2025 with $622.3 million in AUM, with average AUM throughout the year at $809.9 million. Net inflows of $110.1 million into ETP products during the year.

Staking and Lending Income: Effective staking and lending income increased to 4.7% in Q4 from 3.4% in Q3, with 70% average staking during Q4.

Financial Position: Ended the year with $178.7 million in total cash, treasury, and venture portfolio value, and effectively no debt.

Institutional Infrastructure Development: Focused on building the convergence of decentralized finance and traditional capital markets, creating products and infrastructure for long-term transformation.

Business Intelligence System: Developed a business intelligence system for granular views of inflows, competitor analysis, and product consumption to improve decision-making.

Marketing and Visibility: Introduced a global events, marketing, and communications platform to engage institutional investors and promote products across all inhabited continents.

You have reached the limit. Sign up to access full content

Get started

Risk or Challenges

Market Volatility: The company is declining to provide guidance for 2026 due to general market volatility, including the war in Iran and volatility in crypto prices since Bitcoin peaked in October 2025.

Crypto Price Dependency: Lower crypto prices and lower average AUM in Q4 2025 led to a decline in operating income by $2 million compared to Q3 2025.

Regulatory Challenges: The company faces a multiyear regulatory approval process for projects like Stablecorp, indicating potential delays and hurdles in regulatory compliance.

Geographic Expansion Risks: Expansion into new regions such as Brazil, Latin America, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East involves risks related to market instability and regulatory differences.

Institutional Adoption Challenges: A major priority is increasing institutional participation, but the majority of AUM is still driven by retail investors, indicating challenges in attracting institutional capital.

Staking and Risk Management: Staking percentages are adjusted based on market conditions and internal risk management policies, which could impact revenue generation and operational flexibility.

Economic Uncertainty: The company highlights its financial strength to navigate prolonged market volatility, but economic uncertainties could still impact strategic execution.

You have reached the limit. Sign up to access full content

Get started

Guidance & Outlook

Institutional Participation: The company aims to increase institutional participation in its platform, focusing on structures such as UCITS, AMCs, hedge fund structures, fund of funds, on-chain distribution, and other investment vehicles to access larger pools of capital.

Geographic Expansion: Plans to expand beyond Europe into regions like Brazil, Latin America, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East to access markets with limited regulated digital asset investment products.

Financial Position: The company has a strong financial position with $178.7 million in total cash, treasury, and venture portfolio value, and no debt. This allows for continued investment in growth initiatives, diversification of revenue streams, and potential acquisitions.

Market Recovery and Long-Term Vision: The company is preparing for the convergence of decentralized finance and traditional capital markets, aiming to create products and infrastructure that will transform capital markets over the next 5 to 10 years.

Stillman Digital Growth: Stillman Digital is expected to grow by 15% to 20% in 2026, driven by better monetization of existing flows, enhanced customer acquisition workflows, AI-driven outreach, and geographic expansion.

Product Development and Distribution: Plans to launch UCITS products and expand distribution networks, particularly in Brazil and Latin America, to drive inflows and AUM growth.

Data-Driven Innovations: Development of business intelligence systems and data-driven products like the DEFT Valour Investment Opportunity Index to attract capital and improve product targeting.

You have reached the limit. Sign up to access full content

Get started

Shareholder Return Plan

The selected topic was not discussed during the call.

You have reached the limit. Sign up to access full content

Get started

Key Q&A

Q:What do you plan to do with a big amount of cash?

A:The company plans to use the cash for various purposes, including organically building the business vertically, productifying existing IP and technology, launching new business units like Valour Funds and Valour custody, seeding funds, geographic expansion, and pursuing high ROI trading strategies. They also keep cash for opportunistic acquisitions and actively monetize the cash for Alpha trades.

Q:Why was AMINA Bank taken down so much?

A:AMINA Bank's valuation reflects the compression in EV to AUM multiples due to the crypto market pullback. Despite growing its AUM to CHF 2.7 billion, the valuation is impacted by the broader decline in crypto equity valuations. The company carries AMINA at fair value and expects to write it up if crypto prices and AUM increase.

Q:What is the status of the NASDAQ listing?

A:The company has 180 days to regain compliance of trading back over $1. They believe they are undervalued and should already be trading above $1. They qualify for an additional 180-day extension, giving them over a year to regain compliance. The focus is on increasing revenue and improving the company's narrative to boost the share price.

Q:When can we expect ETP volume and traction in Brazil?

A:The company is taking a conservative approach to expansion in Brazil due to macroeconomic volatility and compressed digital asset prices. They are building organic teams and long-term distribution partnerships in Brazil, the U.K., and Germany. Growth is expected to be slow and steady, with traction already seen in the last month.

Q:What AUM level is needed to reach breakeven?

A:The company needs $425 million in AUM to reach breakeven, assuming a 5.8% monetization rate and $11.5 million from Stillman. As of now, they have $460 million in AUM, which means they are slightly above breakeven.

Q:Did the company have net inflows in the fourth quarter?

A:Yes, the company had net inflows of $6 million in the fourth quarter. The total net inflows for the year were $110 million.

Q:Is there less opportunity for DeFi Alpha during a crypto winter?

A:Yes, there are fewer opportunities for DeFi Alpha during a crypto winter. The company is less aggressive in pursuing trades at current market levels but remains open to new opportunities that may arise.

Q:What is the expected operating expense for 2026?

A:The expected operating expense for 2026 is $36 million, down from the previously estimated $44 million. Most of the savings come from reduced marketing expenses.

Q:How much cash is needed to run the business?

A:The company has a burn rate of $36 million annually. They also need about 5% of AUM as working capital, which translates to $20 million for $400 million in AUM. The total cash needed depends on AUM and operational requirements.

Q:What type of institutional products are planned for 2026?

A:The company plans to offer institutional products such as UCITS funds, CCAF funds, Cayman-based hedge funds, and on-chain tokens or vaults. These products will be marketed globally on fund platforms and to institutional investors.

Q:Does Stillman require additional cash support?

A:No, Stillman is self-sufficient in working capital and does not require additional operational capital from the parent company. The company supports Stillman in growth initiatives like obtaining new licenses.

Q:Is there a target for ETP launches this year?

A:No, there is no specific target for ETP launches this year. The focus is on creating high value-added strategies and investment exposures rather than expanding the number of ETPs.

Q:What are the expectations for Stillman's growth?

A:Stillman is expected to grow at a rate of 15% to 20%. However, no consolidated guidance is provided for the entire company due to market volatility.

Q:How is the company optimizing marketing spend?

A:The company is reducing high-cost, low-return marketing campaigns and focusing on efficient, targeted marketing efforts. They are leveraging direct interactions with institutional investors and using AI for content creation and distribution.

Q:Review of Unclear Management Responses

A:Management avoided providing specific guidance for the consolidated company's growth, citing market volatility. They also did not commit to a specific timeline for providing guidance, suggesting it might be available by summer.

You have reached the limit. Sign up to access full content

Get started

Earnings Word Cloud

The most frequently occurring keywords in this quarter's earning call

DEFT Transcript

DeFi Technologies Inc. (DEFT) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript

Unknown4-7

DeFi Technologies Inc. (DEFT) Q3 2025 Earnings Call Transcript

Unknown11-14

The earnings call shows mixed signals. The share buyback is positive, but the Q&A reveals uncertainties, particularly around DeFi, delayed deals, and unclear geographic expansion details. Management's optimistic guidance is contingent on crypto market recovery, which is uncertain. The lack of specifics in expansion and revenue mix evolution adds to the uncertainty, balancing out the positives, resulting in a neutral sentiment.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does this earnings call transcript come from?

All transcripts are sourced directly from the official live webcast or the company’s official investor relations website. We use the exact words spoken during the call with no paraphrasing of the core discussion.

How soon is the transcript available after the earnings call ends?

Full verbatim transcripts are typically published within 4–12 hours after the call ends. Same-day availability is guaranteed for all S&P 500 and most mid-cap companies.

Is the transcript edited or altered in any way?

No material content is ever changed or summarized in the “Full Transcript” section. We only correct obvious spoken typos (e.g., “um”, “ah”, repeated 10 times”, or clear misspoken ticker symbols) and add speaker names/titles for readability. Every substantive sentence remains 100% as spoken.

Why do some answers appear as “Unclear” or “Inaudible”?

When audio quality is poor or multiple speakers talk over each other, we mark the section instead of guessing. This ensures complete accuracy rather than introducing potential errors.

Who creates the AI Summary and Key Q&A highlights shown above the transcript?

They are generated by a specialized financial-language model trained exclusively on 15+ years of earnings transcripts. The model extracts financial figures, guidance, and tone with 97%+ accuracy and is regularly validated against human analysts. The full raw transcript always remains available for verification.