We may be unable to raise additional capital needed to grow our business.
While we may need to raise additional capital to expand our operations, pursue our growth strategies and respond to competitive pressures or working capital requirements, we may not be able to obtain additional debt or equity financing on favorable terms, if at all, which could impair our growth and adversely affect our existing operations. The global economy, including credit and financial markets, has recently experienced extreme volatility and disruptions, including diminished credit availability, rising interest and inflation rates, declines in consumer confidence, declines in economic growth, increases in unemployment rates and uncertainty about economic stability. Such macroeconomic conditions could also make it more difficult for us to incur additional debt or obtain equity financing. Further, the digital asset industry has been negatively impacted by recent events such as the bankruptcies of Core Scientific, Celsius Network, Voyager Digital Ltd., Three Arrows Capital and FTX. In response to these events, the digital asset markets, including the market for Bitcoin specifically, have experienced extreme price volatility and several other entities in the digital asset industry have been, and may continue to be, negatively affected, further undermining confidence in the digital asset markets and in Bitcoin. In light of conditions impacting our industry, it may be more difficult for us to obtain equity or debt financing in the future.
If we raise additional equity financing, our stockholders may experience significant dilution of their ownership interests, and the per share value of our Class A common stock could decline. Furthermore, if we engage in additional debt financing, the holders of debt likely would have priority over the holders of our Class A common stock on order of payment preference. We may be required to accept terms that restrict our ability to incur additional indebtedness, take other actions including accepting terms that require us to maintain specified liquidity or other ratios that could otherwise not be in the interests of our stockholders.
We may pursue strategic transactions, which could be difficult to identify and implement, and could disrupt our business or change our business profile significantly.
Our ability as an organization to successfully acquire technologies or businesses is unproven. However, we believe that our long-term growth depends, in part, on our ability to develop and monetize additional aspects of our platform, which we may pursue through acquisitions, investments in other companies, partnerships, alliances or other strategic transactions. We cannot assure you that we will be able to identify suitable transactions and, even if we are able to identify such transactions, that we will be able to consummate any such acquisitions on acceptable terms. Any future strategic transactions we pursue may involve a number of risks that could adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.
Our holdings of digital assets expose us to exchange, security, valuation and liquidity risks, which could negatively affect us.
The market price of Bitcoin has historically been volatile and may affect our business by fluctuating the value of funds available to us which could materially and adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Further, because we do not currently hedge our investment in Bitcoin, and do not intend to for the foreseeable future, we are directly exposed to Bitcoin’s price volatility and surrounding risks.
The market price of Bitcoin is impacted by a variety of factors and is determined primarily using data from various exchanges, over-the-counter markets and derivative platforms. As described above, the digital asset industry has been negatively impacted by market price volatility. Such prices may also be subject to factors that impact commodities which could subject us to additional influence from fraudulent or illegitimate actors, real or perceived scarcity and political, economic, regulatory or other conditions. Pricing may be the result of, and may continue to result in, speculation regarding future appreciation in the value of Bitcoin, our Class A common stock price and manipulation of market prices for both Bitcoin and shares of our Class A common stock. Further, volatility in digital asset pricing could lead to other impacts such as increased risks of legal proceedings or governmental scrutiny of us and our affiliates, users, suppliers and partners either in the United States or in other jurisdictions. Continued volatility in the digital asset industry could adversely affect an investment in our Class A common stock.
Most of our expenses, like team member salaries, are denominated in U.S. dollars and paid using Bitcoin. At the time of payment, amounts are translated from U.S. dollar to Bitcoin based on the current Bitcoin rate (as determined by Gilded, see the section titled “Human Capital Management” in Part I, Item 1 of this Amended Registration Statement). The Bitcoin used for payments is primarily derived from revenue from ongoing operations received in Bitcoin. The company pays the transfer fees related to outgoing payments. We are subject to translational risk because we may be required to pay a larger amount of Bitcoin to satisfy these expenses if the dollar value of Bitcoin decreases.