Forward Industries(FORD) - 2026 Q1 - Earnings Call Transcript

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Revenue in Q1 2026 increased more than four times to $21.4 million, compared to $4.6 million in Q1 2025 [16] - Gross margin increased significantly to 78.6% in Q1 2026, compared to 24.5% in Q1 2025 [16] - Net loss for Q1 2026 was approximately $585.6 million, compared to a net loss of $0.7 million in Q1 2025, primarily due to a loss on digital assets [18] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Forward held approximately 6,962,501 Solana, with more than 99% staked, generating a staking yield between approximately 6.5% and 7.2% [12] - Fully diluted SOL per share increased from 0.0604 at the end of September 2025 to 0.0624 at the end of December 2025, representing a growth of roughly 13% [13][14] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - Solana continues to lead across key metrics, including decentralized exchange trading volumes, active users, and developer engagement [6] - Institutional engagement has expanded significantly, with major asset managers like WisdomTree launching tokenized funds on Solana [7] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company aims to build a permanent capital vehicle that participates directly in the growth of the Solana ecosystem, evolving beyond a treasury into an active value-generating business [5] - Forward Industries is focused on compounding SOL per share by participating directly in economic activities occurring on-chain [6] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management acknowledges the volatility in the market but emphasizes the importance of Solana's current performance and real-world applications [6] - The company believes that the opportunity in front of Solana is increasingly clear, with a focus on long-term growth [5] Other Important Information - Forward became one of the first public companies to have its SEC-registered shares live on a public blockchain, with FWDI now issued on Solana [8] - The company launched fwdSOL, a proprietary liquid staking token, representing approximately 25% of its SOL holdings [9] Q&A Session Summary Question: Thoughts on recent token price volatility - Management noted that SOL is down approximately 70% from its all-time high, which is typical in the crypto market, and emphasized maintaining a clean balance sheet [19][20] Question: Potential M&A framework - The company is looking for accretive businesses in both DAT and non-DAT M&A, with a focus on product market fit and scalable unit economics [23] Question: Importance of SOL per share as a KPI - SOL per share growth is considered the North Star KPI, with a target to consistently generate returns greater than the staking yield [24] Question: Capital allocation strategy in different market conditions - The company plans to be adaptive, focusing on balance sheet quality and potential M&A opportunities when trading at discounts [40][41] Question: Staking yields and network usage growth - Management clarified that increased validator participation does not impact staking yields, and they expect yields to increase as network activity grows [44][46] Question: Related party G&A expenses - Related party expenses are associated with the launch of the digital asset treasury strategy and are expected to decrease in the coming months [50]