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Gemini Space Station, Inc. (GEMI)·Q3 2025 Earnings Summary
Executive Summary
- Net revenue was $49.8M, up 52% q/q, and total revenue was $50.6M, up 106% y/y, driven by stronger exchange activity and a sharp ramp in services (credit card, staking, custody) .
- EPS missed consensus materially as IPO-related stock-based comp and higher marketing spend drove total operating expenses to $171.4M; revenue modestly beat, while EBITDA missed by a wide margin (see Estimates Context) *.
- FY25 guidance introduced: Services & Interest Revenue $60–$70M; Technology + G&A $140–$155M; Marketing $45–$60M; with medium-term MTU growth targeted at 20–25% CAGR .
- Key catalysts: record card adoption (64K sign-ups; >100K open accounts; $350M spend), staking expansion (SOL launch; $741M staked balances), and regulated global expansion (MiCA in EU; Australia launch), offset by higher credit provisioning and transaction losses tied to scaling the card portfolio .
What Went Well and What Went Wrong
What Went Well
- Exchange volumes reached $16.4B (+45% q/q) with institutional at $14.6B (+49% q/q), supporting transaction revenue of $26.3M (+26% q/q) .
- Services revenue surged to $19.9M (+111% q/q), led by credit card ($8.5M) and staking ($5.9M), plus $2.1M advisory revenue from warrants recognized over time .
- Management emphasized the “trust, engagement, liquidity” flywheel: “Trust drives engagement, engagement builds liquidity, and liquidity strengthens trust.” .
What Went Wrong
- Total operating expenses rose to $171.4M (+$72.7M q/q) on IPO-related stock-based comp ($45.8M), elevated marketing, rewards, and transaction costs tied to scaling .
- Transaction losses increased to $7.7M (+$4.1M q/q), including provision for credit losses on the card portfolio rising to $2.8M amid rapid growth .
- EPS and EBITDA missed consensus as spend stepped up; management noted marketing is a flexible lever but will remain elevated to drive durable user growth *.
Financial Results
- S&P Global disclaimer: Asterisked values retrieved from S&P Global.
- Non-GAAP note: Adjusted EBITDA definition and reconciliation discussed in 8-K; excludes stock-based comp and other non-cash/non-recurring items .
Segment Revenue Breakdown
KPIs
Guidance Changes
Earnings Call Themes & Trends
Management Commentary
- Strategic message: “Trust drives engagement, engagement builds liquidity, and liquidity strengthens trust. It is an integrated model that compounds over time…” .
- Product roadmap: building a global on-chain “super app” integrating stablecoins, tokenized equities, and digital commodities; upcoming small business card; prediction markets pending CFTC progress .
- Card-led acquisition: “More than 55% of newly acquired U.S. transacting users… first originated through card onboarding” .
- Capital efficiency: Warehouse facility to finance card receivables ($48.9M debt; $67.9M pledged at quarter-end) to scale lending responsibly .
Q&A Highlights
- Card momentum and unit economics: Card is the lead acquisition vector; Solana auto-stake feature increased staking engagement; marketing remains a flexible lever aligned to CAC/payback targets .
- Credit performance: Losses were “really low” versus prior periods; provision increased with portfolio growth; underwriting discipline and fraud mitigation emphasized .
- Pricing: Staking take rate increased to 25% from 15%; no material changes to card take rates .
- Institutional exchange traction: New trading firms onboarding; competitive fees; improved liquidity .
Estimates Context
- Comparison: Revenue beat; EPS missed; EBITDA missed significantly*.
- S&P Global disclaimer: Asterisked values retrieved from S&P Global.
- Context: Elevated operating expenses (stock-based comp, marketing, rewards, transaction processing, credit provisioning) drove the miss despite strong top-line momentum .
Key Takeaways for Investors
- Services diversification is working: credit card, staking, and custody now ~43% of total net revenue contracts ($19.93M of $46.27M), de-risking reliance on trading cycles .
- Card flywheel is a durable growth lever (acquisition, engagement, cross-sell) but requires sustained marketing and prudent credit risk management; watch provisioning trends and warehouse financing capacity .
- Staking monetization improved via take-rate increase to 25% and SOL staking launch; monitor competitive responses and regulatory developments .
- Operating expense normalization is key to narrowing losses after IPO-related comp; track GAAP vs non-GAAP progression and marketing efficiency claims .
- Regulatory expansion (MiCA, Australia) broadens TAM; near-term execution risk balanced by clearer frameworks .
- Near-term trading implications: Revenue momentum positive; cost intensity and EBITDA/EPS misses may cap upside until expense leverage materializes.
- Medium-term thesis: Building a regulated on-chain “super app” with recurring revenue streams and institutional liquidity depth could support margin expansion as scale and financing structures mature .
Sources
- Q3 2025 8-K and shareholder letter (Item 2.02; Exhibit 99.1):
- Q3 2025 10-Q:
- Q3 2025 Earnings Call:
- IPO Press Releases (Q3 context):
S&P Global disclaimer: Asterisked values retrieved from S&P Global.