EX-99.3 15 ea025853201ex99-3_brera.htm RISK FACTORS

Exhibit 99.3

 

Risks Related to Our Business and Digital Asset Trading Strategy and Cryptocurrencies

 

We intend to use the net proceeds from the PIPE Offering to purchase digital assets, including SOL, the price of which has been, and will likely continue to be, highly volatile. Our financial results and the market price of our Class B Ordinary Shares may be affected by the prices of SOL.

 

As part of our capital allocation strategy for assets that are not required to provide working capital for our ongoing operations, we have invested and will continue to invest in SOL. As of the date of this Report, we hold over 7 million SOL, including staking rewards. The price of SOL has historically been subject to dramatic price fluctuations and is highly volatile. Moreover, digital assets, such as SOL, are relatively novel and the application of securities laws and other regulations to such assets is unclear in many respects. It is possible that regulators may interpret laws in a manner that adversely affects the liquidity or value of SOL. In addition, because our Treasury Policy is currently primarily concentrated in SOL, adverse developments specific to Solana, including protocol-level failures, governance decisions, validator network instability, or ecosystem contraction, could disproportionately impact our financial condition.

 

Any decrease in the fair value of SOL below our carrying value for such assets could require us to incur a loss due to the decrease in fair market value, and such charge could be material to our financial results for the applicable reporting period, which may create significant volatility in our reported earnings. Any decrease in reported earnings or increased volatility of such earnings could have a material adverse effect on the market price of our Class B Ordinary Shares. In addition, the application of generally accepted accounting principles in the United States, with respect to SOL, may change in the future and could have a material adverse effect on our financial results and the market price of our Class B Ordinary Shares.

 

In addition, if investors view the value of our Class B Ordinary Shares as dependent upon or linked to the value or change in the value of our SOL holdings, the price of SOL may significantly influence the market price of our Class B Ordinary Shares.

 

The further development and acceptance of Solana and other cryptocurrency networks, which represent a relatively new and rapidly changing industry, are subject to a variety of factors that are difficult to evaluate. The slowing or stopping of the development or acceptance of Solana and other cryptocurrency networks may adversely affect an investment in us.

 

Cryptocurrency networks and chains are a new and rapidly evolving industry of which Solana is a prominent, but not unique, part. The growth of Solana and the cryptocurrency industry is subject to a high degree of uncertainty. The factors affecting the further development of Solana and the cryptocurrency industry include:

 

  continued worldwide growth in the adoption and use of SOL and other cryptocurrencies, including those competitive with SOL;

  

  government and quasi-government regulation of SOL and other cryptocurrencies and their use, or restrictions on or regulation of access to and operation of Solana or similar cryptocurrency systems;
     
  the maintenance and development of the open-source software protocol of Solana;
     
  changes in consumer demographics and public tastes and preferences;
     
  the availability and popularity of other forms or methods of buying and selling goods and services, including new means of using fiat currencies; and
     
  general economic conditions and the regulatory environment relating to cryptocurrencies and cryptocurrency service providers.

 

A decline in the popularity or acceptance of Solana and other cryptocurrency networks may harm the price of our Class B Ordinary Shares. There is no assurance that Solana or the service providers necessary to accommodate it will continue in existence or grow. Furthermore, there is no assurance that the availability of and access to cryptocurrency service providers will not be negatively affected by government regulation or supply and demand of Solana.

 

 

 

 

The digital asset trading platforms on which cryptocurrency trades are relatively new and largely unregulated or may not be complying with existing regulations.

 

The digital asset trading platforms through which SOL and other cryptocurrencies trade are new and largely unregulated or may not be complying with existing regulations. These markets are local, national and international and include a broadening range of cryptocurrencies and participants. Significant trading may occur on systems and platforms with minimum predictability. Spot markets may impose daily, weekly, monthly or customer-specific transaction or withdrawal limits or suspend withdrawals entirely, rendering the exchange of SOL for fiat currency difficult or impossible. Participation in spot markets requires users to take on credit risk by transferring SOL from a personal account to a third-party’s account.

 

Digital asset trading platforms do not appear to be subject to, or may not comply with, regulation in a manner similar to other regulated trading platforms, such as national securities exchanges or designated contract markets. Many digital asset trading platforms are unlicensed, are unregulated, operate without extensive supervision by governmental authorities, and do not provide the public with significant information regarding their ownership structure, management team, corporate practices, cybersecurity, and regulatory compliance. In particular, those located outside the United States may be subject to significantly less stringent regulatory and compliance requirements in their local jurisdictions. Digital asset trading platforms may be out of compliance with existing regulations.

 

Tools to detect and deter fraudulent or manipulative trading activities (such as market manipulation, front-running of trades, and wash-trading) may not be available to or employed by digital asset trading platforms or may not exist at all. As a result, the marketplace may lose confidence in, or may experience problems relating to, these venues and the digital assets that trade on these venues.

 

No digital asset trading platform on which cryptocurrency trades is immune from these risks. The closure or temporary shutdown of digital asset trading platforms due to fraud, business failure, hackers or malware, or government-mandated regulation may reduce confidence in cryptocurrency and can slow down the mass adoption of it. Further, digital asset trading platform failures can have an adverse effect on cryptocurrency markets and the price of cryptocurrency and could therefore have a negative impact on the performance of the Class B Ordinary Shares.

 

Negative perception, a lack of stability in the digital asset trading platforms, manipulation of cryptocurrency trading platforms by customers and/or the closure or temporary shutdown of such trading platforms due to fraud, business failure, hackers or malware, or government-mandated regulation may reduce confidence in cryptocurrency generally and result in greater volatility in the market price of SOL and other cryptocurrency and the Class B Ordinary Shares. Furthermore, the closure or temporary shutdown of a cryptocurrency trading platform may impact our ability to determine the value of our cryptocurrency holdings.

  

We have recently adopted a digital asset treasury strategy with a focus on SOL, and we may be unable to successfully implement this new strategy.

 

We have recently adopted our Treasury Policy primarily dedicated to SOL, including potential investments in SOL, including through staking and other decentralized finance activities. There is no assurance that we will be able to successfully implement this new strategy or operate SOL-related activities at the scale or profitability currently anticipated. Solana operates with a proof-of-stake consensus mechanism, which differs significantly from bitcoin’s Proof-of-Work mining mechanism. This strategic shift requires specialized employee skillsets and operational, technical and compliance infrastructure to support SOL and related staking activities. This also requires that we implement different security protocols, and treasury management practices. Further, there is ongoing scrutiny and limited formal guidance from regulatory agencies, including Nasdaq and the SEC, with respect to the treatment of public company cryptocurrency strategies. There is no assurance that we will be able to execute this strategy by building out the needed infrastructure within the timeframe that we currently anticipate. Errors by key management could result in significant loss of funds and reduced rewards. As a result, our shift towards SOL could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition.

 

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Our shift towards a SOL-focused strategy requires substantial changes in our day-to-day operations and exposes us to significant operational risks.

 

Our shift towards a SOL-focused strategy, including staking and other decentralized finance activities, exposes us to significant operational risks. SOL’s proof-of-stake consensus mechanism requires that we operate or delegate to validator nodes, employ secure key management and implement slashing protection. It also requires that we maintain constant up time to ensure that we are eligible for staking rewards and to avoid penalties. In addition, the SOL ecosystem rapidly evolves, with frequent upgrades and protocol changes that may require significant adjustments to our operational setup. The upgrades and protocol changes may require that we incur unanticipated costs and could cause temporary service disruptions. We may also need to employ third-party service providers in our operations, which may introduce risks outside of our control, including significant cybersecurity risks. Any of these operational risks could materially and adversely affect our ability to execute our SOL strategy, prevent us from realizing positive returns and severely hurt our financial condition.

 

Our concentration in a single digital asset exposes us to unique liquidity and other risks that may prevent us from converting SOL into fiat currency or other assets when desired, particularly during periods of market stress.

 

We have and intend to purchase SOL and increase our overall holdings of SOL in the future. The intended concentration of our SOL holdings limits the risk mitigation that we could achieve if we were to purchase a more diversified portfolio of treasury assets, and the absence of diversification enhances the risks inherent in our Treasury Policy. The price of SOL experienced a significant decline in 2022, and any similar future significant declines in the price of SOL could have a more pronounced impact on our financial condition than if we used our cash to purchase a more diverse portfolio of assets. Furthermore, liquidity in digital asset markets can quickly deteriorate in response to negative news, regulatory scrutiny, or systemic events affecting exchanges or stablecoins. In the event of a market-wide liquidity crunch, we may be unable to sell, stake, or otherwise monetize our SOL holdings at prevailing quoted prices—or at all—without significantly affecting the market price of SOL. Limited liquidity may also impair our ability to fund working-capital needs, rep ay indebtedness, or pursue acquisition opportunities, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and prospects.

 

Solana is created and transmitted through the operations of the peer-to-peer Solana network, a decentralized network of computers running software following the Solana protocol. If the Solana network is disrupted or encounters any unanticipated difficulties, the value of SOL could be negatively impacted.

 

If the Solana network is disrupted or encounters any unanticipated difficulties, then the processing of transactions on the Solana network may be disrupted, which in turn may prevent us from depositing or withdrawing SOL from our accounts with our custodian or otherwise affecting SOL transactions. Such disruptions could include, for example: the insolvency, business failure, interruption, default, failure to perform, security breach, or other problems of participants, custodians, or others; the closing of SOL trading platforms due to fraud, failures, security breaches or otherwise; or network outages or congestion, power outages, or other problems or disruptions affecting the Solana network. In 2021 and 2022, the Solana network experienced performance degradation including liveness disruptions due to network congestion; although the Solana network has been upgraded to address those congestion issues, there is no assurance that future issues may not arise. The implementation of material network upgrades, such as the proposed Alpenglow consensus upgrade or the continued integration of the Firedancer validator client, could result in future degradation of performance. Any disruption of the Solana network could materially impact the operation of decentralized finance on the network, resulting in the inability of the Company to transfer or sell SOL, and the price of SOL.

  

SOL and other digital assets are novel assets, and are subject to significant legal, commercial, regulatory and technical uncertainty, which could materially adversely affect the Company’s financial position, operations and prospects.

 

SOL and other digital assets, as well as applications on blockchain networks such as Solana, are relatively novel and are subject to significant uncertainty, which could adversely impact their price. The application of state and federal securities laws and other laws and regulations to digital assets and blockchain-based applications is unclear in certain respects, and it is possible that regulators in the United States or foreign countries may interpret or apply existing laws and regulations in a manner that adversely affects the price of SOL or other digital assets, or the ability of blockchain-based applications to operate.

 

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The U.S. federal government, states, regulatory agencies, and foreign countries may also enact new laws and regulations, or pursue regulatory, legislative, enforcement or judicial actions, that could materially impact the price of SOL or the ability of individuals or institutions such as us to own or transfer SOL and utilize blockchain-based applications on networks such as Solana. For example, the U.S. executive branch, the SEC, the European Union’s Markets in Crypto Assets Regulation, among others, have been active in recent years, and in the United Kingdom, the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023 became law. It is not possible to predict whether, or when, any of these developments will lead to Congress granting additional authorities to the SEC, CFTC, or other regulators, or whether, or when, any other federal, state or foreign legislative bodies will take any similar actions. It is also not possible to predict the nature of any such additional authorities, how additional legislation or regulatory oversight might impact the ability of digital asset markets to function or the willingness of financial and other institutions to continue to provide services to the digital assets industry, nor how any new regulations or changes to existing regulations might impact the value of digital assets generally and SOL specifically. The consequences of increased regulation of digital assets and digital asset activities could adversely affect the market price of SOL and in turn adversely affect the market price of our common stock.

 

Moreover, the risks of engaging in a digital asset treasury strategy are relatively novel and have created, and could continue to create complications due to the lack of experience that third parties have with companies engaging in such a strategy, such as increased costs of director and officer liability insurance or the potential inability to obtain such coverage on acceptable terms in the future.

 

The growth of the digital assets industry in general, and the use and acceptance of SOL in particular, may also impact the price of SOL and is subject to a high degree of uncertainty. The pace of worldwide growth in the adoption and use of the Solana network and SOL may depend, for instance, on public familiarity with digital assets, ease of buying, accessing or gaining exposure to SOL, institutional demand for SOL as an investment asset, the participation of traditional financial institutions in the digital assets industry, consumer demand for SOL as a means of payment, and the availability and popularity of alternatives to SOL. Even if growth in SOL adoption occurs in the near or medium term, there is no assurance that SOL and Solana network usage will continue to grow over the long term.

 

Because SOL have no physical existence beyond the record of transactions on the Solana blockchain, a variety of technical factors related to the Solana blockchain could also impact the price of SOL. For example, malicious attacks by validators, inadequate validation and staking rewards to incentivize validating of Solana transactions, hard “forks” of the Solana blockchain into multiple blockchains, difficulties with upgrades to the Solana network (such as the proposed Alpenglow consensus upgrade or integration of the Firedancer validator client) and advances in digital computing, algebraic geometry, and quantum computing could undercut the integrity of the Solana blockchain and negatively affect the price of SOL. The liquidity of SOL may also be reduced and damage to the public perception of Solana may occur, if financial institutions were to deny or limit banking services to businesses that hold SOL, provide Solana-related services or accept SOL as payment, which could also decrease the price of SOL. Similarly, the open-source nature of the Solana blockchain means the contributors and developers of the Solana blockchain are generally not directly compensated for their contributions in maintaining and developing the blockchain, and any failure to properly monitor and upgrade the Solana blockchain could adversely affect the Solana blockchain and negatively affect the price of SOL.

 

The liquidity of SOL may also be impacted to the extent that changes in applicable laws and regulatory requirements negatively impact the ability of exchanges and trading venues to provide services for SOL and other digital assets.

 

In connection with our SOL treasury strategy, we expect to interact with various smart contracts deployed on the Solana network, which may expose us to risks and technical vulnerabilities.

 

In connection with our SOL treasury strategy, including staking, liquid staking, and other decentralized finance activities, we expect to interact with various smart contracts deployed on the Solana network in order to optimize our strategy and generate income. Smart contracts are self-executing code that operate without human intervention once deployed. Although smart contracts are integral to the functionality of staking deposit contracts, liquid staking protocols, and decentralized finance applications, they are subject to many known risks such as technical vulnerabilities, coding errors, security flaws, and exploits. Any vulnerability in a smart contract we interact with could result in the loss or theft of SOL or other digital assets, which could have a materially adverse impact on our business. In addition, certain smart contracts are upgradable or subject to certain governance controls which could result in unforeseen code errors, asset or account freezing, or the loss of digital assets. A vulnerability in a smart contract could create an unintended and unforeseeable consequence that has adverse financial consequences, such as the loss of or inability to access funds. There is no assurance that the smart contracts we integrate with or rely upon will function as intended or remain secure. Exploitation of such vulnerabilities could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition. 

 

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Blockchain technologies are based on theoretical conjectures as to the impossibility of solving certain cryptographical puzzles quickly. These premises may be incorrect or may become incorrect due to technological advances.

 

Blockchain technologies are premised on theoretical conjectures as to the impossibility, in practice, of solving certain mathematical problems quickly. Those conjectures remain unproven, however, and mathematical or technological advances could conceivably prove them to be incorrect. Blockchain technology companies may also be negatively affected by cryptography or other technological or mathematical advances, such as the development of quantum computers with significantly more power than computers presently available, that undermine or vitiate the cryptographic consensus mechanism underpinning the Solana network and other distributed ledger protocols. If either of these events were to happen, markets that rely on blockchain technologies could quickly collapse, and an investment in our Class B Ordinary Shares may be adversely affected.

 

Technical shortcomings or defects in the Solana network, including changes to its validator structure, governance model, or core software, could diminish the utility and value of SOL and harm our business.

 

The Solana network is a public, open-source blockchain protocol that is not under our control. Its ongoing viability depends on the continued consensus and cooperation of independent developers, validators, node operators, and other ecosystem participants. If the Solana network experiences a successful cyber-attack, a material software bug, a “hard fork” that fragments the network, or a prolonged outage, market confidence in SOL could be severely undermined. Similarly, decisions by influential validators to adopt protocol changes, modify transaction-fee structures, or alter burn practices or network governance could adversely affect SOL’s economics and, therefore, the value of our holdings.

 

If validators exit the Solana network, it could increase the likelihood of a malicious actor obtaining control.

 

Validators exiting the network could make Solana more vulnerable to a malicious actor obtaining control of a large percentage of staked SOL, which might enable them to manipulate the Solana network by censoring or manipulating specific transactions. If the Solana network suffers such an attack, the price of SOL could be negatively affected, and a loss of confidence in the Solana network could result. Any reduction in confidence in the transaction confirmation process or staking power of the Solana network may adversely affect an investment in the Class B Ordinary Shares.

 

We face risks relating to the potential compromise of the Solana network and other cryptocurrencies’ network security by emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence and quantum computing, which may materially and adversely impact our operations and financial condition.

 

The security and integrity of Solana and other cryptocurrencies’ network are fundamentally dependent on the robustness of its cryptographic algorithms. SOL and other cryptocurrencies’ protocol relies heavily on public key cryptography and hashing algorithms to secure transactions, safeguard private keys, and prevent double-spending. Advances in emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence (“AI”) and quantum computing may pose significant risks to Solana and other cryptocurrencies’ network’s security and operational stability.

 

Quantum computing, in particular, presents a long-term threat to the cryptographic assumptions underpinning SOL and other cryptocurrencies. Should quantum computing achieve sufficient maturity, it could undermine the effectiveness of the cryptographic algorithms used to secure the blockchain, such as elliptic curve digital signature algorithms (ECDSA). A sufficiently powerful quantum computer could potentially reverse-engineer private keys from public addresses or compromise the blockchain’s consensus mechanism, leading to the theft of digital assets, double-spending, and other forms of fraud. Although current quantum computing capabilities are not yet at this level, advancements in quantum technologies could materialize more rapidly than anticipated, creating significant systemic risks for the Solana network.

 

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AI may also pose indirect security risks. AI-driven cyberattacks, including advanced phishing schemes, autonomous malware, and intelligent blockchain analysis tools, could increase the sophistication and success rate of attacks targeting SOL and other cryptocurrencies’ users, exchanges, custodians, and node operators. The use of AI to exploit vulnerabilities in software, mining hardware, or network protocols could threaten the stability and reliability of the Solana and other cryptocurrencies’ ecosystems.

  

There can be no assurance that SOL and other cryptocurrencies’ current cryptographic safeguards will be sufficient to protect against future technological advances. While research and development efforts are ongoing to develop quantum-resistant cryptographic protocols, the Solana and other cryptocurrencies’ networks may face challenges in adopting such technologies at scale, particularly given their decentralized governance structure. Any successful attack or perceived vulnerability arising from AI or quantum computing could materially and adversely affect the price, liquidity, and adoption of SOL and other cryptocurrencies and could negatively impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

The trading prices of many digital assets, including SOL, have experienced extreme volatility in recent periods and may continue to do so. Extreme volatility in the future, including further declines in the trading prices of SOL, could have a material adverse effect on the value of the Class B Ordinary Shares.

 

The trading prices of many digital assets, including SOL, have experienced extreme volatility in recent periods and may continue to do so, including as a result of shifts in market sentiment, speculative trading, macroeconomic trends, technology-related disruptions, and regulatory announcements. Digital asset trading markets, including the Solana network, are relatively new, largely unregulated, and, at times, subject to limited liquidity. As a result, trading activity on or reported by these digital asset trading platforms, including SOL, is generally significantly less regulated than trading in regulated U.S. securities and commodities markets and may reflect behavior that would be prohibited in regulated U.S. trading venues. Furthermore, many digital asset trading platforms lack certain safeguards put in place by more traditional exchanges to enhance the stability of trading on the platform. The digital asset markets may also be experiencing a bubble or may experience a bubble in the future, which may undermine confidence and affect liquidity of the digital asset markets. A rapid decrease in the price of SOL—whether as a result of negative perception, a lack of stability in the digital asset trading platforms, market manipulation of cryptocurrency trading platforms by customers, a cyber-security incident, regulatory action, or other factors—could materially reduce the value of any SOL we hold, force us to recognize impairment charges, trigger defaults or covenant breaches in any future financing arrangements, and could have a material adverse effect on the value of our Class B Ordinary Shares that may result in the loss of all or substantially all of its value.

 

Part of our future business strategy may include acquisitions and investments in companies with Solana-focused or blockchain strategies, and there are risks associated with the integration of any assets or operations acquired and our ability to manage those risks. In addition, we may be unable to make attractive acquisitions or successfully integrate acquired businesses, assets or properties, and any inability to do so may disrupt our business and hinder our ability to grow. 

 

We intend to pursue a strategy focused on both SOL accumulation and future acquisitions. Accordingly, in the future we may make acquisitions of businesses or assets that we expect to complement or expand our current assets. However, we may not be able to identify attractive acquisition opportunities in the future. Even if we do identify attractive acquisition opportunities, we may not be able to complete the acquisition or do so on commercially acceptable terms. No assurance can be given that we will be able to identify additional suitable acquisition opportunities, negotiate acceptable terms, obtain financing for acquisitions on acceptable terms or successfully acquire identified targets.

 

The success of any acquisition will depend on our ability to integrate effectively the acquired business or asset into our existing operations. The process of integrating acquired businesses and assets may involve unforeseen difficulties and may require a disproportionate amount of our managerial and financial resources. The integration of acquisitions is a complex, costly and time-consuming process, and our management may face significant challenges in such process. Some of the factors affecting integration will be outside of our control, and any one of them could result in increased costs and diversion of management’s time and energy, as well as decreases in the amount of expected revenue.

 

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Our failure to achieve consolidation savings, to incorporate the acquired businesses and assets into our existing operations successfully or to minimize any unforeseen operational difficulties could have a material and adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

 

Additional ability to achieve the objectives of our business strategy depends in significant part on our ability to obtain equity and debt financing. If we are unable to obtain equity or debt financing on favorable terms or at all, we may not be able to successfully execute on our business strategy.

  

If we lose key personnel, including our Chief Investment Officer, Consultant and Strategic Advisor, or if we fail to recruit additional highly skilled personnel, our ability to operate and manage our digital asset treasury strategy will be impaired.

 

Our ability to operate and manage our digital asset treasury strategy depends upon our ability to attract and retain highly qualified personnel, including our Chief Investment Officer and members of our executive team, and other key personnel, including the Consultant and Strategic Advisor. The loss of the services of any of our executive officers, key employees, and the Consultant and Strategic Advisor, and our inability to find suitable replacements, could result in significant disruption in our operations and management of our digital assets.

 

Despite our efforts to retain valuable members of our management, employees and consultants, such key personnel may terminate their employment with us on short notice. Although we have agreements with our key employees and consultants, these agreements provide for at-will employment, which means that any of our employees or consultants could leave our employment at any time, with or without notice. We do not maintain “key man” insurance policies on any of our employees or consultants.

  

If we are unable to raise additional capital on acceptable terms, our ability to implement and sustain our Treasury Policy may be compromised.

 

Our strategy contemplates the discretionary purchase of SOL and related yield-generating instruments. The capital required to acquire, stake, and actively manage SOL may exceed our existing cash resources and cash flows from operations. Market conditions, our share price performance, the volatility of digital assets, and regulatory uncertainties could impair our ability to access debt or equity capital on terms acceptable to us, or at all. Failure to obtain necessary financing could force us to curtail or abandon our digital asset strategy, which could materially harm our growth prospects and the value of our securities.

 

We may be subject to regulatory developments related to crypto assets and crypto asset markets, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

 

As SOL and other digital assets are relatively novel and the application of state and federal securities laws and other laws and regulations to digital assets is unclear in certain respects, it is possible that regulators in the United States or foreign countries may interpret or apply existing laws and regulations in a manner that adversely affects the price of SOL, The U.S. federal government, states, regulatory agencies, and foreign countries may also enact new laws and regulations, or pursue regulatory, legislative, enforcement or judicial actions, that could materially impact the price of SOL or the ability of individuals or institutions such as us to own or transfer SOL.

 

If SOL is determined to constitute a security for purposes of the federal securities laws, the additional regulatory restrictions imposed by such a determination could adversely affect the market price of SOL and in turn adversely affect the market price of our Class B Ordinary Shares. Moreover, the risks of us engaging in our Treasury Policy have created, and could continue to create complications due to the lack of experience that third parties have with companies engaging in such a strategy, such as increased costs of director and officer liability insurance or the potential inability to obtain such coverage on acceptable terms in the future.

 

Additionally, if regulatory changes or interpretations require us to register as a money services business with The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) under the U.S. Bank Secrecy Act, or as a money transmitter under state laws, we may be subject to extensive additional regulatory requirements, resulting in significant compliance costs and operational burdens. In such a case, we may incur extraordinary expenses to meet these requirements or, alternatively, may determine that continued operations are not viable. If we decide to cease certain operations in response to new regulatory obligations, such actions could occur at a time that is unfavorable to investors.

 

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Future regulatory developments regarding the treatment of digital assets, staking rewards, or digital asset treasury strategies for U.S. federal, state, or international tax purposes could materially affect the way we account for, recognize, and report our SOL holdings and related income.

 

Regulatory change reclassifying SOL as a security could lead to our falling within the definition of “investment company” under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), and could adversely affect the market price of SOL and the market price of our Class B Ordinary Shares.

 

Under Sections 3(a)(1)(A) and (C) of the 1940 Act, a company generally will be deemed to be an “investment company” for purposes of the 1940 Act if (1) it is, or holds itself out as being, engaged primarily, or proposes to engage primarily, in the business of investing, reinvesting or trading in securities or (2) it is engaged, or proposes to engage, in the business of investing, reinvesting, owning, holding or trading in securities and it owns or proposes to acquire investment securities having a value exceeding 40% of the value of its total assets (exclusive of U.S. government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis. We do not believe that we are an “investment company,” as such term is defined in the 1940 Act, and are not registered as an “investment company” under the 1940 Act as of the date of this Report.

 

While the SEC has not stated a view as to whether SOL is or is not a “security” for purposes of the federal securities laws, a determination by the SEC or a court of competent jurisdiction that SOL is a security could lead to our meeting the definition of “investment company” under the 1940 Act, if the portion of our assets that consists of investments in SOL exceeds the 40% limit prescribed in the 1940 Act, which would subject us to significant additional regulatory requirements that could have a material adverse effect on our business and operations and may also require us to change the manner in which we conduct our business.

  

We monitor our assets and income in order to conduct our business activities in a manner such that we do not fall within the definition of “investment company” under the 1940 Act or would qualify under one of the exemptions or exclusions provided by the 1940 Act and corresponding SEC rules. If SOL is determined to be a security for purposes of the federal securities laws, we would take steps to reduce our holdings of SOL as a percentage of our total assets. These steps may include, among others, selling SOL that we might otherwise hold for the long term and deploying our cash in assets that are not considered to be investment securities under the 1940 Act, in which case we may be forced to sell our SOL at unattractive prices. We may also seek to acquire additional assets that are not considered to be investment securities under the 1940 Act, and we may need to incur debt, issue additional equity or enter into other financing arrangements that are not otherwise attractive to our business. Any of these actions could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition. Moreover, we can make no assurance that we would successfully be able to take the necessary steps to avoid meeting the definition of “investment company” under the 1940 Act and becoming subject to its requirements. If SOL is determined to constitute a security for purposes of the federal securities laws, and if we are not able to come within an available exemption or exclusion under the 1940 Act, then we would have to register as an investment company and require us to change the manner in which we conduct our business. In addition, such a determination could adversely affect the market price of SOL and in turn adversely affect the market price of our Class B Ordinary Shares.

 

The classification of digital assets that we hold as a commodity could subject us to additional CFTC regulation, resulting in significant compliance costs or the cessation of certain operations.

 

Under current interpretations, SOL are classified as a commodity under the Commodity Exchange Act and are subject to regulation by the CFTC. If our activities require CFTC registration, we may be required to comply with extensive regulatory obligations, which could result in significant costs and operational disruptions. Additionally, current and future legislative or regulatory developments, including new CFTC interpretations, could further impact how SOL and SOL derivatives are classified and traded.

 

If SOL are further regulated as a commodity, we may be required to register as a commodity pool operator and register the Company as a commodity pool with the CFTC through the National Futures Association. Compliance with these additional regulatory requirements could result in substantial, non-recurring expenses, adversely affecting an investment in our securities. If we determine not to comply with such regulations, we may be forced to cease certain operations, which could negatively impact our investors.

 

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We are not subject to legal and regulatory obligations that apply to investment companies such as mutual funds and exchange-traded funds, or to obligations applicable to investment advisers.

 

Mutual funds, exchange-traded funds and their directors and management are subject to extensive regulation as “investment companies” and “investment advisers” under U.S. federal and state law; this regulation is intended for the benefit and protection of investors. We are not subject to, and do not otherwise voluntarily comply with, these laws and regulations. This means, among other things, that the execution of or changes to our Treasury Reserve Policy or our SOL strategy, our use of leverage, the manner in which our SOL is custodied, our ability to engage in transactions with affiliated parties and our operating and investment activities generally are not subject to the extensive legal and regulatory requirements and prohibitions that apply to investment companies and investment advisers. For example, although a significant change to our Treasury Reserve Policy would require the approval of our Board, no stockholder or regulatory approval would be necessary. Consequently, our Board has broad discretion over the investment, leverage and cash management policies it authorizes, whether in respect of our SOL holdings or other activities we may pursue, and has the power to change our current policies, including our strategy of acquiring and holding SOL, See “Use of Proceeds.”

 

Due to the unregulated nature and lack of transparency surrounding the operations of many digital asset trading venues, digital asset trading venues experience greater risk of fraud, market manipulation and other deceptive marketing practices, as well as security failures or regulatory or operational problems than trading venues for more established asset classes, which may result in a loss of confidence in digital asset trading venues and adversely affect the value of digital assets, and the Company’s financial position, operations and prospects.

 

Digital asset trading venues are relatively new and, in many cases, unregulated. Furthermore, there are many digital asset trading venues that do not provide the public with significant information regarding their ownership structure, management teams, corporate practices and regulatory compliance. As a result, the marketplace may lose confidence in digital asset trading venues, including prominent exchanges that handle a significant volume of such trading and/or are subject to regulatory oversight, in the event one or more digital asset trading venues cease or pause for a prolonged period the trading of digital assets, or experience fraud, significant volumes of withdrawal, security failures or operational problems.

 

Negative perception, a lack of stability in the broader digital asset markets and the closure, temporary shutdown or operational disruption of digital asset trading venues, lending institutions, institutional investors, institutional miners, custodians, or other major participants in the digital asset ecosystem, due to fraud, business failure, cybersecurity events, government-mandated regulation, bankruptcy, or for any other reason, may result in a decline in confidence in digital assets and the broader digital asset ecosystem and greater volatility in the price of digital assets. The price of our listed securities may be affected by the value of our future digital asset holdings, and the failure of a major participant in the ecosystem could have a material adverse effect on the market price of our listed securities.

  

Our historical financial statements do not reflect the potential variability in earnings that we may experience in the future relating to our proposed holdings of digital assets. Accordingly, it may be difficult to evaluate the Company’s business and future prospects, and the Company may not be able to achieve or maintain profitability in any given period.

 

Our historical financial statements do not reflect the potential variability in earnings that we may experience in the future from holding or selling digital assets. The price of digital assets generally has historically been subject to dramatic price fluctuations and is highly volatile. We will need to perform an analysis each quarter to identify whether events or changes in circumstances indicate that our digital assets are impaired. As a result, volatility in our earnings may be significantly more than what we experienced in prior periods.

 

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Digital asset holdings are less liquid than cash and cash equivalents and may not be able to serve as a source of liquidity for us to the same extent as cash and cash equivalents.

 

Historically, the digital asset market has been characterized by significant volatility in price, limited liquidity and trading volumes compared to sovereign currencies markets, concerns regarding pseudonymity of digital asset addresses, a developing regulatory landscape, potential susceptibility to market abuse and manipulation, compliance and internal control failures at exchanges, and various other risks inherent in its entirely electronic, virtual form and decentralized network. During times of market instability, we may not be able to sell our digital assets at favorable prices or at all. As a result, digital asset holdings may not be able to serve as a source of liquidity for us to the same extent as cash and cash equivalents. Further, digital assets we hold with our custodians and transact with our trade execution partners do not enjoy the same protections or insurance as are available to cash or securities deposited with or transacted by institutions subject to regulation by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or the Securities Investor Protection Corporation. Additionally, we may be unable to enter into term loans or other capital raising transactions collateralized by our unencumbered digital assets or otherwise generate funds using our digital asset holdings, including in particular during times of market instability or when the price of digital assets has declined significantly. If we are unable to sell our digital assets, enter into additional capital raising transactions, including capital raising transactions using SOL as collateral, or otherwise generate funds using our SOL holdings, or if we are forced to sell our digital assets at a significant loss, in order to meet our working capital requirements, our business and financial condition could be negatively impacted.

 

The availability of spot ETPs for SOL and other digital assets may adversely affect the market price of our listed securities.

 

Although bitcoin, SOL and other digital assets have experienced a surge of investor attention since bitcoin was developed in 2008, until recently investors in the United States had limited means to gain direct exposure to SOL through traditional investment channels, and instead generally were only able to hold SOL through “hosted” wallets provided by digital asset service providers or through “unhosted” wallets that expose the investor to risks associated with loss or hacking of their private keys. Given the relative novelty of digital assets, general lack of familiarity with the processes needed to hold SOL directly, as well as the potential reluctance of financial planners and advisers to recommend direct SOL holdings to their retail customers because of the manner in which such holdings are custodied, some investors have sought exposure to bitcoin, SOL and other digital assets through investment vehicles that hold bitcoin, SOL and other digital assets and issue shares representing fractional undivided interests in their underlying digital asset holdings. These vehicles, which were previously offered only to “accredited investors” on a private placement basis, have in the past traded at substantial premiums (and sometimes discounts) to net asset value, possibly due to the relative scarcity of traditional investment vehicles providing investment exposure to digital assets.

 

On January 10, 2024, the SEC approved the listing and trading of spot bitcoin exchange-traded products (“ETPs”), the shares of which can be sold in public offerings and are traded on U.S. national securities exchanges. The approved ETPs commenced trading directly to the public on January 11, 2024, with a trading volume of $4.6 billion on the first trading day. The SEC has not yet approved the listing of spot SOL ETPs, but is expected to consider such applications by October 2025. To the extent investors view our common stock as providing exposure to SOL, it is possible that the value of our common stock may also include a premium over the value of our SOL due to the prior scarcity of traditional investment vehicles providing investment exposure to SOL and other digital assets, and that the value of our common stock may decline due to investors having a greater range of options to gain exposure to SOL if SOL ETPs are approved and investors choosing to gain such exposure through ETPs rather than our common stock. The listing and trading of spot ETPs for SOL or other digital assets offers investors another alternative to gain exposure to digital assets, which could result in a decline in the trading price of SOL as well as a decline in the value of our common stock relative to the value of our SOL.

 

Although we are an operating company, and we believe we offer a different value proposition than a SOL investment vehicle such as a spot SOL ETP, investors may nevertheless view our common stock as an alternative to an investment in an ETP and choose to purchase shares of a spot SOL ETP instead of our common stock. They may do so for a variety of reasons, including if they believe that ETPs offer a “pure play” exposure to SOL that is generally not subject to federal income tax at the entity level as we are, or the other risk factors applicable to an operating business, such as ours. Additionally, unlike spot SOL ETPs, we (i) do not seek for our shares of common stock to track the value of the underlying SOL we hold before payment of expenses and liabilities, (ii) do not benefit from various exemptions and relief under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including Regulation M, and other securities laws, which enable ETPs to continuously align the value of their shares to the price of the underlying assets they hold through share creation and redemption, (iii) are a Delaware corporation rather than a statutory trust, and do not operate pursuant to a trust agreement that would require us to pursue one or more stated investment objectives, and (iv) are not required to provide daily transparency as to our SOL holdings or our daily net asset value. Furthermore, recommendations by broker-dealers to buy, hold, or sell complex products and non-traditional ETPs, or an investment strategy involving such products, may be subject to additional or heightened scrutiny that would not be applicable to broker-dealers making recommendations with respect to our common stock. Based on how we are viewed in the market relative to ETPs, and other vehicles which offer economic exposure to SOL, such as SOL futures exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), leveraged SOL futures ETFs, and similar vehicles offered on international exchanges, any premium or discount in our common stock relative to the value of our SOL holdings may increase or decrease in different market conditions.

 

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As a result of the foregoing factors, the availability of spot ETPs for bitcoin, SOL and other digital assets could have a material adverse effect on the market price of our listed securities.

  

Digital asset lending arrangements may expose us to risks of borrower default, operational failures and cybersecurity threats.

 

Although we are not initially planning to lend SOL to counterparties, from time to time, we may generate income through lending digital assets, which carries significant risks. The volatility of such digital assets increases the likelihood that borrowers may default due to market downturns, liquidity crises, fraud or other financial distress. These lending transactions may be unsecured and so may be subordinated to the secured debt of the borrower. If a borrower becomes insolvent, we may be unable to recover the loaned SOL, leading to substantial financial losses.

 

Additionally, digital asset lending platforms are vulnerable to operational and cybersecurity risks. Technical failures, software bugs or system outages could disrupt lending activities, delay transactions or result in inaccurate record-keeping. Cybersecurity threats, including hacking, phishing and other malicious attacks, pose further risks, potentially leading to the loss, theft or misappropriation of our loaned SOL. A successful cyberattack or security breach could materially and adversely impact our financial position, reputation and ability to conduct future lending activities.

 

Decentralized finance arrangements may expose us to risks of smart contract risk, operational failures and cybersecurity threats.

 

From time to time, we may generate income through the use of digital assets including SOL or stablecoins in decentralized protocols including decentralized finance (“DeFi”) applications. DeFi applications include over-collateralized borrow-lend vaults, token-exchange pools, and other financial or commercial arrangements. Although these protocols are largely designed to limit counterparty risk in transactions, they introduce novel risks relating to software code bugs, liquidation risks, and governance risks that are designed to operate in decentralized environments but can be subject to failures or exploits. In addition: (a) network congestion or downtime can increase the likelihood of asset loss or liquidation; (b) the volatility of digital assets deployed into DeFi applications may increase the likelihood of liquidation due to market downturns, liquidity crises, governance attacks or other exploits, leading to substantial financial losses; (c) the uncertainty in the accounting treatment of certain DeFi applications; (d) DeFi applications generally operate on a user-to-protocol basis where a user of a DeFi application does not know the identity of other parties utilizing the DeFi application; and (e) the use of monitoring and forensics software to mitigate risks of engaging in DeFi application may not prevent engaging in DeFi pools that are also used by bad actors.

 

The reliance on open-source code by digital asset networks exposes us to risks related to competitive networks and products built on such code, the failure of individuals to maintain that code, and discovery of security vulnerabilities that could threaten the ability of such networks to operate.

 

Digital asset networks are open-source projects and, although there may be an influential group of leaders in the network community, generally there is no official developer or group of developers that formally controls the digital asset network. Without guaranteed financial incentives, there may be insufficient resources to address emerging issues, upgrade security or implement necessary improvements to the network in a timely manner. If the digital asset network’s software is not properly maintained or developed, it could become vulnerable to security threats, operational inefficiencies and reduced trust, all of which could negatively impact the digital assets’ long-term viability and our business.

 

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The lack of legal recourse and insurance for digital assets increases the risk of total loss in the event of theft or destruction.

 

Digital assets that we acquire will not be insured against theft, loss or destruction. If an event occurs where we lose our digital assets, whether due to cyberattacks, fraud or other malicious activities, we may not have any viable legal recourse or ability to recover the lost assets. Unlike funds held in insured banking institutions, our digital assets are not protected by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or the Securities Investor Protection Corporation. If our digital assets are lost under circumstances that render another party liable, there is no guarantee that the responsible party will have the financial resources to compensate us. As a result, we and our stockholders could face significant financial losses.

 

We rely on third-party custodians, trading platforms, and other counterparties to acquire, secure, stake, and dispose of SOL. Any failure or malfeasance by these counterparties could result in total or partial loss of our digital assets.

 

Our ability to implement our Treasury Policy depends on the performance, solvency, and information-technology infrastructure of third-party exchanges, custodians, blockchain validators, and decentralized finance protocols. These counterparties may experience cyber-attacks, internal control failures, fraud, insolvency, or regulatory enforcement that could freeze, delay, or permanently impair access to our SOL holdings or the yield we expect to generate from staking or other on-chain activities. In addition, concentrated holdings of SOL by a limited number of counterparties heighten our exposure to counterparty and systemic risk. Any loss or inaccessibility of SOL held on our behalf could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

 

The irreversibility of digital asset transactions exposes us to risks of theft, loss and human error, which could negatively impact our business.

 

Digital asset transactions are not, from an administrative perspective, reversible without the consent and active participation of the recipient of the transaction or, in theory, control or consent of a majority of the processing power on that digital asset network. Once a transaction has been verified and recorded in a block that is added to the blockchain, an incorrect transfer of digital assets or a theft of digital assets generally will not be reversible, and we may not be capable of seeking compensation for any such transfer or theft.

 

Although we plan to regularly transfer digital assets to or from vendors, consultants and services providers, it is possible that, through computer or human error, or through theft or criminal action, such assets could be transferred in incorrect amounts or to unauthorized third parties.

 

To the extent we are unable to seek a corrective transaction to identify the third party which has received our digital assets through error or theft, we will be unable to revert or otherwise recover the impacted digital assets, and any such loss could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

  

We will be subject to significant competition in the growing digital asset industry and the Company’s business, operating results, and financial condition may be adversely affected if the Company is unable to compete effectively.

 

Following the launch of the Company’s proposed digital asset treasury strategy, the Company will operate in a competitive environment and will compete against other companies and other entities with similar strategies, including companies with significant holdings in SOL and other digital assets, and the Company’s business, operating results, and financial condition may be adversely affected if the Company is unable to compete effectively.

 

Solana faces unique technical, governance and concentration risks that could materially affect its long-term viability.

 

Solana is a high-throughput Layer 1 blockchain with architectural features that differ significantly from other blockchains, such as Ethereum. While these features allow for rapid processing of transactions, they introduce risks that could adversely impact the value of SOL and the stability of the Solana network. Historically, Solana has suffered network outages, slow operations and validator coordination failures. If such challenges were to persist, the confidence of the Solana development community and its users will be adversely affected, which could cause a rapid decline in the value of SOL. In addition, Solana’s consensus mechanism (Proof of History combined with Proof of Stake) is novel and relatively untested at a large scale over time. Structural flaws could emerge that require a fork, which may have an adverse impact on the Solana network and our holdings.

 

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Solana validators are relatively small in number, compared to some other leading blockchains, which may lead to coordinated censorship.

 

Solana has fewer validators than certain other blockchains but has a high Nakamoto coefficient, which refers to the minimum number of validators or node operators that need to cooperate to take over a blockchain network. In contrast, Ethereum has a higher number of validators. In theory, a malicious actor might more easily be able to gain control of a network with fewer validators. Such control of the network could allow a malicious actor to censor transactions, reverse transactions (double-spending), or manipulate block validations.

 

Solana is subject to technological obsolescence, including competition from emerging blockchain and artificial intelligence protocols.

 

The digital asset ecosystem is characterized by rapid technological innovation, short development cycles, and intense competition among blockchains and related infrastructure providers. Solana faces intense competition among existing protocols, such as Aptos, Hyperliquid, Sei and Sui, the Ethereum Layer 2 blockchains such as Base, and new entrants that are currently being developed. Competitors may in the future offer superior scalability, security, interoperability, decentralization, programmability and adoption, and may attract developers away from the Solana ecosystem. Advancements in AI and blockchain technology are likely to accelerate the development of such protocols, including the development of additional networks that natively integrate AI into consensus mechanisms and other core features. If Solana is unable to evolve to address such increased competition or if market participants believe that Solana’s core technology stack is outdated or less attractive compared with other blockchain networks, Solana may be considered technologically obsolete by the next generation of protocols. The decline in the Solana network would materially impact the market value of SOL and adversely affect the value of our SOL treasury holdings and our stock price.

 

The Company may be subject to additional tax liability if regulation or policy changes adversely affect the tax treatment of rewards from staking SOL.

 

The U.S. federal income tax treatment of rewards from staking digital assets such as SOL or utilizing liquid staking tokens remains uncertain and is currently the subject of debate and regulatory attention. Under current guidance by the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”), staking rewards and transaction fees may be treated as ordinary income upon receipt, although additional guidance is expected pursuant to the President’s Working Group July 2025 report “Strengthening American Leadership in Digital Financial Technology.” If regulation or policy changes, or the interpretation or enforcement thereof, results in adverse tax treatment of rewards from staking SOL, we could be subject to increased audits by the IRS and additional tax liabilities.

 

The Solana blockchain experiences a high number of “spam” transactions which can cause periods of congestion or outages or make it difficult for users to have their transactions processed.

 

Solana’s high throughput and lower transaction fees compared to other blockchains have made it an attractive target for large volumes of low-value or “spam” transactions, which are often generated by automated bots or malicious actors seeking to exploit the network’s resources. These spam transactions can congest the network, delay or prevent the processing of legitimate transactions, and in some cases, cause partial or complete performance degradation for the blockchain. During periods of high congestion, users may experience significant delays, increased transaction fees, or failed transactions, which can erode confidence in the network and reduce its utility for both users and developers. In addition, repeated or prolonged network disruptions may discourage new projects from building on Solana, limit the adoption of decentralized applications, and negatively impact the value of SOL. The Solana development team and community have implemented, and may in the future implement additional, technical upgrades or other measures to address these issues, but there can be no assurance that such efforts will be successful or sufficient to prevent future disruptions.

 

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A high percentage of Solana validators rely on software provided by Jito Labs, a third party unaffiliated with Solana Labs. If Jito Labs were to stop maintaining such software or if such software failed to function properly, it could have an adverse effect on the Solana blockchain and value of SOL.

 

A significant portion of Solana validators utilize software developed and maintained by Jito Labs, an independent third party that is not affiliated with Solana Labs or the Solana Foundation. This reliance on third-party software introduces additional operational and security risks to the Solana network. If Jito Labs were to discontinue support for its software, experience operational difficulties, or if the software were to contain critical bugs, vulnerabilities, or backdoors, the performance and security of the Solana network could be compromised. For example, a failure or exploit in the Jito Labs software could result in network instability, validator downtime or other adverse outcomes. The software offered by Jito Labs has also reduced the impact of “spam” transactions on the Solana blockchain. If Jito Labs were to stop offering or supporting its software, there could be a far greater impact of “spam” transactions on the Solana network which could congest the network, delay or prevent the processing of legitimate transactions, and in some cases, cause partial or complete outages of the blockchain. Any such events could materially and negatively affect the value of SOL, reduce confidence in the network, and impair the ability of the Company to realize the expected benefits of its investment in SOL.

  

If we or our third-party service providers experience a security breach or cyberattack and unauthorized parties obtain access to our SOL, or if our private keys are lost or destroyed, or other similar circumstances or events occur, we may lose some or all of our SOL and our financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.

 

Substantially all of the SOL we own is held in custody accounts at U.S.-based institutional-grade digital asset custodians. Security breaches and cyberattacks are of particular concern with respect to our SOL. SOL and other blockchain-based cryptocurrencies and the entities that provide services to participants in the Solana ecosystem have been, and may in the future be, subject to security breaches, cyberattacks, or other malicious activities. For example, in October 2021 it was reported that hackers exploited a flaw in the account recovery process and stole from the accounts of at least 6,000 customers of the Coinbase exchange, although the flaw was subsequently fixed and Coinbase reimbursed affected customers. Similarly, in November 2022, hackers exploited weaknesses in the security architecture of the FTX Trading digital asset exchange and reportedly stole over $400 million in digital assets from customers. A successful security breach or cyberattack could result in:

 

  a partial or total loss of our SOL in a manner that may not be covered by insurance or the liability provisions of the custody agreements with the custodians who hold our SOL;

 

  harm to our reputation and brand;
     
  improper disclosure of data and violations of applicable data privacy and other laws; or
     
  significant regulatory scrutiny, investigations, fines, penalties, and other legal, regulatory, contractual and financial exposure.

 

Further, any actual or perceived data security breach or cybersecurity attack directed at other companies with digital assets or companies that operate digital asset networks, regardless of whether we are directly impacted, could lead to a general loss of confidence in the broader Solana ecosystem or in the use of the Solana network to conduct financial transactions, which could negatively impact us.

 

Attacks upon systems across a variety of industries, including industries related to Solana, are increasing in frequency, persistence, and sophistication, and, in many cases, are being conducted by sophisticated, well-funded and organized groups and individuals, including state actors. The techniques used to obtain unauthorized, improper or illegal access to systems and information (including personal data and digital assets), disable or degrade services, or sabotage systems are constantly evolving, may be difficult to detect quickly, and often are not recognized or detected until after they have been launched against a target. These attacks may occur on our systems or those of our third-party service providers or partners. We may experience breaches of our security measures due to human error, malfeasance, insider threats, system errors or vulnerabilities or other irregularities. In particular, we expect that unauthorized parties will attempt to gain access to our systems and facilities, as well as those of our partners and third-party service providers, through various means, such as hacking, social engineering, phishing and fraud. Threats can come from a variety of sources, including criminal hackers, hacktivists, state-sponsored intrusions, industrial espionage, and insiders. In addition, certain types of attacks could harm us even if our systems are left undisturbed. For example, certain threats are designed to remain dormant or undetectable, sometimes for extended periods of time, or until launched against a target and we may not be able to implement adequate preventative measures. Further, there has been an increase in such activities due to the increase in work-from-home arrangements. The risk of cyberattacks could also be increased by cyberwarfare in connection with the ongoing Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas conflicts, or other future conflicts, including potential proliferation of malware into systems unrelated to such conflicts. Any future breach of our operations or those of others in the Solana industry, including third-party services on which we rely, could materially and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

 

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Our custodians currently maintain insurance coverage over the digital assets that they are custodying, including our digital asset holdings, however those insurance coverages may not cover losses arising from cyberattacks, operational failures, or insolvencies at custodians or execution venues. We do not independently maintain our own insurance coverage over our digital asset holdings. 

 

Our Treasury Policy also contemplates the use of DeFi protocols which exposes us to unique risks, including:

 

  Vulnerabilities or flaws in a smart contract could allow attackers to drain assets, prevent us from accessing our holdings, or manipulate protocol operations. Once deployed, smart contracts are difficult to amend, and in many cases cannot be modified at all without widespread validator or governance consensus.
     
  DeFi protocols, wallets, and bridges have been frequent targets of sophisticated cyberattacks, including flash-loan attacks, cross-chain bridge exploits, and private key compromises. Losses from such incidents are often immediate, irreversible, and may not be covered by insurance or contractual recourse.
     
  The legal and regulatory treatment of DeFi remains highly uncertain. Regulators could impose restrictions or obligations on participants or on protocols themselves, which could adversely affect our ability to use such platforms or the value of assets held in them.
     
  DeFi protocols are governed by decentralized communities through on-chain voting mechanisms, which may be subject to capture by a small number of participants. Protocol governance decisions could adversely affect our ability to use or recover assets. Additionally, protocols may change rules, fees, or parameters without advance notice.

 

If we or our counterparties suffer losses as a result of DeFi protocol failures, hacks, or exploits, we may be unable to recover some or all of our assets. Such an event could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and the market price of our Class B Ordinary Shares.

 

As of the date of this Report we have not engaged a significant portion of our assets with DeFi protocols yet.

 

We face other risks related to our SOL treasury reserve business model.

 

Our SOL treasury reserve business model exposes us to various risks, including the following:

 

  SOL and other digital assets are subject to significant legal, commercial, regulatory, and technical uncertainty, and our SOL strategy subjects us to enhanced regulatory oversight;
     
  regulatory changes could impact our ability to stake on validators or receive rewards;
     
  regulatory scrutiny of our activities may increase, potentially limiting our operations;
     
  potential litigation risks exist related to smart contract vulnerabilities, or our business activities;
     
  uncertainty around SOL’s regulatory status may impact our ability to list on certain exchanges;
     
  changes in political administration may not guarantee a favorable regulatory environment for SOL;

 

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  future SEC actions or court decisions could retroactively classify SOL as a security, potentially leading to penalties or forced unwinding of transactions;
     
  increased regulatory focus on Layer-1 blockchains beyond Bitcoin and Ethereum could result in new compliance requirements;
     
  our use of call and put options on SOL exposes us to derivative-specific risks, including potential leverage effects, counterparty default risk, valuation and liquidity challenges, and the possibility that option strategies may not effectively hedge downside risk or may limit upside participation;
     
  our SOL staking rewards depend on validator selection and performance; poor validator performance could reduce rewards;
     
  concentration of influence by the Solana Foundation or Solana Labs could impact protocol governance in ways that are adverse to us.
     
  market instability or liquidity freezes could prevent us from liquidating SOL or using it as collateral when needed.

 

Risks Related to Our Use of Derivatives on SOL

 

We utilize call options and put options on SOL as part of our treasury reserve strategy. These derivatives are intended to (i) hedge downside exposure to SOL price volatility and (ii) accelerate our accumulation of SOL in a capital-efficient manner. While these option strategies may enhance our risk-adjusted returns, they expose us to additional risks, including the following:

 

  Most SOL options are traded over-the-counter or on non-qualified crypto venues. If a counterparty fails to perform on its obligations, we may be unable to realize gains, recover premiums, or receive delivery of SOL, potentially resulting in a total loss of value associated with the position.
     
  Options can introduce effective leverage, amplifying gains but also magnifying losses. We may be required to post collateral or margin, which could reduce liquidity available for our operations. Option contracts may also be illiquid, particularly during periods of market stress, making it difficult to exit or adjust positions.
     
  While put options may provide downside protection and call options may accelerate accumulation, there is no guarantee these strategies will be effective. Options may expire worthless, may not move in correlation with SOL spot prices, or may limit upside gains.
     
  Option valuations are sensitive to assumptions about implied volatility, time to maturity, and counterparty pricing. These variables may fluctuate significantly, resulting in mark-to-market losses or earnings volatility.
     
  The regulatory treatment of SOL derivatives remains uncertain. Future guidance could limit our ability to continue using derivatives or require us to account for them in a manner that increases earnings volatility.

 

Any of these risks could materially and adversely affect the value of our SOL treasury, our financial condition, and the market price of our Class B Ordinary Shares.

 

 

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