Square, Inc. Invests $50 Million in Bitcoin

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Square, Inc. (NYSE: SQ) announced today that it has purchased approximately 4,709 bitcoins at an aggregate purchase price of $50 million. Square believes that cryptocurrency is an instrument of economic empowerment and provides a way for the world to participate in a global monetary system, which aligns with the company’s purpose. The investment represents approximately one percent of Square’s total assets as of the end of the second quarter of 2020.

“We believe that bitcoin has the potential to be a more ubiquitous currency in the future,” said Square’s Chief Financial Officer, Amrita Ahuja. “As it grows in adoption, we intend to learn and participate in a disciplined way. For a company that is building products based on a more inclusive future, this investment is a step on that journey.”

Square has previously invested in bitcoin from a product, leadership, and legal innovation perspective, and today adds this financial investment. The company launched bitcoin trading in 2018 with Cash App, which enables the buying and selling of bitcoin. In 2019, the company formed Square Crypto, an independent team solely focused on contributing to bitcoin open-source work for the benefit of all, and also recently launched the Cryptocurrency Open Patent Alliance (COPA), a non-profit organization encouraging crypto innovation and opening access to patented crypto inventions.

Square has open sourced documentation to articulate the process behind the execution of its purchase as others consider similar strategies. The whitepaper can be found at investors.block.xyz.

Square, Inc. changed its name to Block, Inc. on December 1, 2021.

Block, Inc. (NYSE: SQ) is a global technology company with a focus on financial services. Made up of Square, Cash App, Spiral, TIDAL, and TBD, we build tools to help more people access the economy. Square helps sellers run and grow their businesses with its integrated ecosystem of commerce solutions, business software, and banking services. With Cash App, anyone can easily send, spend, or invest their money in stocks or Bitcoin. Spiral builds and funds free, open-source Bitcoin projects. Artists use TIDAL to help them succeed as entrepreneurs and connect more deeply with fans. TBD is building an open developer platform to make it easier to access Bitcoin and other blockchain technologies without having to go through an institution.

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Safe Harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other than statements of historical fact could be deemed forward-looking, including, but not limited to, statements regarding the proposed acquisition of Credit Karma Tax by Square (the “Company”), the future performance and expected financial results for future periods of the Company, the Company’s ability to integrate Credit Karma Tax’s products into its Cash App ecosystem, and the Company’s expectations regarding scale, economics, and the demand for or benefits from its current and future products, product features, and services. Such statements are subject to a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions, and other factors that may cause the Company’s actual results, performance, or achievements to differ materially from results expressed or implied in this press release, and reported results should not be considered as an indication of future performance. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these statements.

Risks that contribute to the uncertain nature of the forward-looking statements include, among others, the possibility that the transaction will not close or that the closing may be delayed; the ability to secure required regulatory approvals or otherwise satisfy other closing conditions in a timely manner, or at all; the possibility that the proposed transaction may not advance the parties’ business strategies; the ability of Cash App to retain the customers of Credit Karma Tax; the ability to realize the expected benefits from the transaction in the expected time period, or at all; disruptions from the transaction on ongoing operations; inability to retain key personnel; potentially incurring significant transaction costs; and unknown, underestimated, or undisclosed commitments or liabilities, as well as other risks listed or described from time to time in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC), including the Company’s most recently filed Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q or Annual Report on Form 10-K, which is on file with the SEC and available on the Investor Relations page of the Company’s website. All forward-looking statements are based on information and estimates available to the Company at the time of this press release and are not guarantees of future performance. Except as required by law, the Company assumes no obligation to update any of the statements in this press release.