S-3ASR: Automatic shelf registration statement of securities of well-known seasoned issuers
Published on February 11, 2022
AS FILED WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION ON FEBRUARY 11, 2022
REGISTRATION NO. 333-
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM S-3
REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
MARATHON DIGITAL HOLDINGS, INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Nevada
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)
01-0949984
I.R.S. Employer Identification Number
1180 North Town Center Drive, Suite 100
Las Vegas, NV 89144
702-945-2773
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code of registrant’s principal executive offices)
Copies to:
Jolie Kahn, Esq.
12 E. 49th Street, 11th floor
New York, NY 10017
Phone: (516) 217-6379
Fax: (866) 705-3071
Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: From time to time after the effective date of this registration statement.
If the only securities being registered on this Form are being offered pursuant to dividend or interest reinvestment plans, please check the following box: ☐
If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, other than securities offered only in connection with dividend or interest reinvestment plants, check the following box: ☒
If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a registration statement pursuant to General Instruction I.D. or a post-effective amendment thereto that shall become effective upon filing with the Commission pursuant to Rule 462(e) under the Securities Act, check the following box. ☒
If this Form is a post-effective amendment to a registration statement filed pursuant to General Instruction I.D. filed to register additional securities or additional classes of securities pursuant to Rule 413(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer”, “accelerated filer”, “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer ☒ | Accelerated filer ☐ |
Non-accelerated filer ☐ |
Smaller reporting company ☐ | Emerging growth company ☐ |
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
Title of each class of Securities to be registered |
Amount to be registered(1) |
Proposed maximum offering price per unit(2) |
Proposed maximum aggregate offering price(2) |
Amount of registration fee(3) |
||||||||||||
Common stock, $0.0001 par value per share | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
Preferred stock, $0.0001 par value per share | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
Warrants(4) | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
Units | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
Total(5) | $ | 750,000,000 | $ | 69,525 |
(1) | There are being registered hereunder such indeterminate number of shares of common stock, preferred stock, such indeterminate number of warrants to purchase common stock or preferred stock and such indeterminate number of units consisting of any combination of the securities registered hereunder, as shall have an aggregate initial offering price not to exceed $750,000,000. The securities registered also include such indeterminate amounts and numbers of common stock and preferred stock as may be issued upon conversion of or exchange for preferred stock that provide for conversion or exchange, upon exercise of warrants, issuance of units, or pursuant to the anti-dilution provisions of any such securities. |
(2) | In no event will the aggregate initial offering price of all securities issued from time to time pursuant to this registration statement exceed $750,000,000. |
(3) | Intentionally omitted. |
(4) | Includes warrants to purchase common stock and warrants to purchase preferred stock. |
(5) | Any of the securities registered hereunder may be sold separately, or as units with other securities registered hereby. We will determine the proposed maximum offering price per unit when we issue the above listed securities. The proposed maximum per unit and aggregate offering prices per class of securities will be determined from time to time by the registrant in connection with the issuance by the registrant of the securities registered under this registration statement and is not specified as to each class of security pursuant to General Instruction II.D of Form S-3 under the Securities Act. |
The registrant hereby amends this registration statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this registration statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 or until the registration statement shall become effective on such date as the Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.
The registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act or until this Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”), acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.
EXPLANATORY NOTE
This registration statement contains a base prospectus. The specific terms of the securities offered pursuant to the base prospectus will be specified in a prospectus supplement to be filed subsequent to the filing of this base prospectus. The issuer’s unaffiliated market float of its common stock as of February 11, 2022 exceeded $700 million.
This registration statement contains two prospectuses:
● | a base prospectus which covers the offering, issuance and sale by us of up to $750,000,000 of shares, preferred stock, warrants, and units; and |
● | a sales agreement prospectus covering the offering, issuance and sale by us of up to a maximum aggregate offering price of up to $750,000,000 of our common stock that may be issued and sold from time to time under an At The Market Offering Agreement (the “sales agreement”) with H.C. Wainwright & Co., LLC as sales agent. |
PROSPECTUS, DATED FEBRUARY 11, 2022
MARATHON DIGITAL HOLDINGS, INC.
Common Stock
Preferred Stock
Warrants
Units
We may from time to time, in one or more offerings at prices and on terms that we will determine at the time of each offering, sell common stock, preferred stock, warrants, units or a combination of these securities for an aggregate initial offering price of up to $750,000,000. This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities we may offer, which is not meant to be a complete description of each of the securities. Each time we offer and sell securities, we will provide you with a prospectus supplement that will contain specific information about the terms of that offering. Any prospectus supplement may also add, update, or change information contained in this prospectus. You should carefully read this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement as well as the documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement before you purchase any of the securities offered.
This prospectus may not be used to offer and sell securities unless accompanied by a prospectus supplement.
Our common stock is currently traded on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “MARA.” On February 9, 2022, the last reported sales price for our common stock was $28.99 per share. We will apply to list any shares of common stock sold by us under this prospectus and any prospectus supplement on the Nasdaq Capital Market. The prospectus supplement will contain information, where applicable, as to any other listing of the securities on the Nasdaq Capital Market or any other securities market or exchange covered by the prospectus supplement.
We may offer the securities directly or through agents or to or through underwriters or dealers. If any agents or underwriters are involved in the sale of the securities, their names, and any applicable purchase price, fee, commission or discount arrangement between or among them, will be set forth, or will be calculable from the information set forth, in an accompanying prospectus supplement. We can sell the securities through agents, underwriters or dealers only with delivery of a prospectus supplement describing the method and terms of the offering of such securities. See “Plan of Distribution” section of this prospectus for further information.
The securities offered by this prospectus involve a high degree of risk. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 19 of this prospectus. We may also include specific risk factors in an applicable prospectus supplement under the heading “Risk Factors.” You should carefully review these Risk Factors prior to investing in our securities.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
The date of this prospectus is February 11, 2022.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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This prospectus is part of a registration statement on Form S-3 that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) using a “shelf” registration process as a “well-known seasoned issuer” as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act. Under this shelf registration process, we may sell common shares, preferred shares (including convertible preferred shares), warrants for equity securities, and units comprised of any combination thereof from time to time in one or more offerings up to an initial aggregate offering price of $750,000,000. This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities we may offer, which is not meant to be a complete description of each of the securities.
Each time we sell securities, we will provide a prospectus supplement that will contain specific information about the terms of that offering. The prospectus supplement may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus or in documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus. A prospectus supplement which contains specific information about the terms of the securities being offered may also include a discussion of certain U.S. Federal income tax consequences and any risk factors or other special considerations applicable to the securities offered under this registration statement. To the extent that any statement that we make in a prospectus supplement is inconsistent with statements made in this prospectus or in documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus, you should rely on the information contained in the prospectus supplement. You should carefully read this prospectus and any prospectus supplement together with the additional information described under “Where You Can Find More Information” before buying any securities in this offering.
THIS PROSPECTUS MAY NOT BE USED TO CONSUMMATE A SALE OF SECURITIES UNLESS IT IS ACCOMPANIED BY A PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT.
Neither we, nor any agent, underwriter or dealer has authorized any person to give any information or to make any representation other than those contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement or any related free writing prospectus prepared by us or on our behalf or to which we have referred you. This prospectus, any applicable supplement to this prospectus or any related free writing prospectus do not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities other than the registered securities to which they relate, nor do this prospectus, any applicable supplement to this prospectus or any related free writing prospectus constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities in any jurisdiction to any person to whom it is unlawful to make such offer or solicitation in such jurisdiction.
You should not assume that the information contained in this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement or any related free writing prospectus is accurate on any date subsequent to the date set forth on the front of the applicable document. You should also not assume that any information we have incorporated by reference is correct on any date subsequent to the date of the document incorporated by reference, even though this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement or any related free writing prospectus is delivered, or securities are sold, on a later date.
This prospectus and the information incorporated by reference in this prospectus contain summaries of provisions of certain other documents, but reference is made to the actual documents for complete information. All of the summaries are qualified in their entirety by the actual documents. Copies of some of the documents referred to in this prospectus have been filed, will be filed or will be incorporated by reference as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, and you may obtain copies of those documents as described below under the heading “Where You Can Find More Information” on page 40 of this prospectus.
You should only rely on the information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus, any prospectus supplement or any related free writing prospectus. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with information different from what is contained or incorporated by reference into this prospectus, applicable prospectus supplement or any related free writing prospectus. If any person does provide you with information that differs from what is contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus, applicable prospectus supplement or any related free writing prospectus, you should not rely on it. No dealer, salesperson or other person is authorized to give any information or to represent anything not contained in this prospectus, applicable prospectus supplement or any related free writing prospectus. You should assume that the information contained in this prospectus, any prospectus supplement or any related free writing prospectus is accurate only as of the date on the front of the document and that any information contained in any document we have incorporated by reference therein is accurate only as of the date on its face, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus, any prospectus supplement, any related free writing prospectus or any sale of a security under this registration statement. These documents are not an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy these securities in any circumstances under which the offer or solicitation is unlawful.
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This summary highlights selected information from this prospectus and does not contain all of the information that you should consider in making your investment decision. You should carefully read the entire prospectus, the applicable prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus, including the risks of investing in our securities discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” contained in the applicable prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus, and under similar headings in the documents that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus. You should also carefully read the information incorporated by reference into this prospectus, including our financial statements, and the exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a component.
The terms “Marathon,” the “Company,” “we,” “our” or “us” in this prospectus refer to Marathon Digital Holdings, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries, unless the context suggests otherwise.
About Marathon Digital Holdings, Inc.
We were incorporated in the State of Nevada on February 23, 2010 under the name Verve Ventures, Inc. On December 7, 2011, we changed our name to American Strategic Minerals Corporation and were engaged in exploration and potential development of uranium and vanadium minerals business. In June 2012, we discontinued our minerals business and began to invest in real estate properties in Southern California. In October 2012, we discontinued our real estate business when our former CEO joined the firm and we commenced our IP licensing operations, at which time the Company’s name was changed to Marathon Patent Group, Inc. On November 1, 2017, we entered into a merger agreement with Global Bit Ventures, Inc. (“GBV”), which is focused on mining digital assets. We purchased cryptocurrency mining machines and established a data center in Canada to mine digital assets. We intend to expand its activities in the mining of new digital assets, while at the same time harvesting the value of our remaining IP assets. On March 1, 2021, the Company’s name was changed to Marathon Digital Holdings, Inc.
On June 28, 2018, our Board has determined that it is in the best interests of the Company and our shareholders to allow the Amended Merger Agreement with GBV to expire on its current termination date of June 28, 2018 without further negotiation or extension. The Board approved to issue 3,000,000 shares of our common stock to GBV as a termination fee for us canceling the proposed merger between the two companies.
All share and per share values for all periods presented in the accompanying consolidated financial statements have been retroactively adjusted to reflect the 1:4 Reverse Split which occurred on April 8, 2019.
On September 30, 2019, the Company consummated the purchase of 6000 S-9 Bitmain 13.5 TH/s Bitcoin Antminers (“Miners”) from SelectGreen Blockchain Ltd. (the “Seller”), a British Columbia corporation, for which the purchase price was $4,086,250 or 2,335,000 shares of its common stock at a price of $1.75 per share. As a result of an exchange cap requirement imposed in conjunction with the Company’s Listing of Additional Shares application filed with Nasdaq to the transaction, the Company issued 1,276,442 shares of its common stock which represented $2,233,773 of the $4,086,250 (constituting 19.9% of the issued and outstanding shares on the date of the Asset Purchase Agreement) and upon the receipt of shareholder approval, at the Annual Shareholders Meeting to be held on November 15, 2019, the Company can issue the balance of the 1,058,558 unregistered common stock shares. The shareholders did approve the issuance of the additional shares at the Annual Shareholders Meeting. The Company has issued an additional 474,808 at $0.90 per share on December 27, 2019. On March 30, 2020, the Seller has agreed to amend the total of number of shares to be issued was reduced to 2,101,500 shares and the rest of 350,250 shares was issued at $0.49 per share. There was no mining payable outstanding as of September 30, 2020.
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As of April 6, 2020, the Company received notice from the Nasdaq Capital Market that the Company has failed to maintain a minimum closing bid price of $1.00 per share of its Common Stock over the last consecutive 30 business days based upon the closing bid price for its common stock as required by Rule 5550(a)(2). However, the Rules also provide the Company a compliance period of 180 calendar days in which to regain compliance during which time it must maintain a minimum closing bid price of at least $1.00 per share for a minimum period of 10 consecutive business days, which must be completed by October 5, 2020. On April 20, 2020, the Company received a further notice from the Nasdaq Capital Market that the Company’s time to maintain a minimum closing bid price of at least $1.00 per share for a minimum period of 10 consecutive business days has been extended from October 5, 2020 to December 17, 2020. As of August 6, 2020, the Company has regained compliance with Rule 5550(a)(2) as the closing bid price has been in excess of $1.00 per share for the past ten trading days.
On May 11, 2020, the Company announced the purchase of 700 M30S+ (80 TH) miners. On May 12, 2020, the Company announced the purchase 660 Bitmain S19 Pro Miners. On June 11, 2020, the Company announced the purchase of an additional 500 of the latest generation Bitmain S19 Pro Miners, bringing the Company’s total Hashrate to approximately 240 PH/s when fully deployed.
On May 20, 2020, the Company amended its note, originally dated August 31, 2017, with Bi-Coastal Consulting Defined Benefit Plan to reduce the conversion price to $0.60 per share. The current principal balance of the Note was $999,105.60 and accrued the interest was $215,411.30. The Company agreed to the reduction in the conversion price from $0.80 to $0.60 to incentivize the Note holder to convert the Note to common stock. As the Note has been fully converted to common stock, the Company has no Long-Term debt.
On July 28, 2020, we closed a public offering of 7,666,666 shares of common stock, including the exercise in full by the underwriter of the option to purchase an additional 999,999 shares of common stock, at a public offering price of $0.90 per share. The gross proceeds of this offering, before deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and other offering expenses payable by Marathon, were approximately $6.9 million.
On July 29, 2020, the Company announced the purchase of 700 next generation M31S+ ASIC Miners from MicroBT. The miners are expected to arrive mid-August. Additionally, Bitmain has notified the Company that 660 of the 1,660 Bitmain S-19 Pro Miners previously purchased will be delivered in mid-August.
On August 13, 2020, the Company entered into a Long Term Purchase Contract with Bitmaintech PTE., LTD (“Bitmain”) for the purchase of 10,500 next generation Antminer S-19 Pro ASIC Miners. The purchase price per unit is $2,362 ($2,206 with a 6.62% discount) for a total purchase price of $24,801,000 (with a 6.62% discount for a discounted price of $23,159,174). The parties confirm that the total hashrate of the Antminers under this agreement shall not be less than 1,155,000 TH/s.
The Company shall pay for the Antminers as follows:
(1) | Twenty percent (20%) of the total purchase price shall be paid as a nonrefundable down payment within forty-eight (48) hours of execution of the agreement. |
(2) | The Company shall pay the twenty percent (20%) of the total purchase price prior to September 20, 2020. |
(3) | The Company shall pay the ten percent (10%) of the total purchase price prior to October 10, 2020. |
(4) | The Company shall pay the remaining fifty percent (50%) of the total purchase price in equal monthly installments due not less than fifty-five (55) days prior to the scheduled delivery of the Product(s) as follows: |
a) | eight-point thirty-three percent (8.33%) no later than 55 days prior to each scheduled delivery period as to the first installment of products to be shipped to the Company in January 2021. | |
b) | eight-point thirty-three percent (8.33%) no later than 55 days prior to each scheduled delivery period as to the second installment of the products to be shipped to the Company in February 2021. | |
c) | eight-point thirty-three percent (8.33%) no later than 55 days prior to each scheduled delivery period as to the third installment of the products to be shipped to the Company in March 2021. |
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d) | eight-point thirty-three percent (8.33%) no later than 55 days prior to each scheduled delivery period as to the fourth installment of the products to be shipped to the Company in April 2021. | |
e) | eight-point thirty-three percent (8.33%) no later than 55 days prior to each scheduled delivery period as to the fifth installment of the products to be shipped to the Company in May 2021. | |
f) | eight-point thirty-three percent (8.33%) no later than 55 days prior to each scheduled delivery period as to the sixth installment of the products to be shipped to the Company in June 2021. |
Subject to the timely payment of the purchase price, Bitmain shall deliver products according to the following schedule: 1,500 Units on or before January 31, 2021; and 1,800 units on or before each of February 28, 2021; March 31, 2021; April 30, 2021, May 31, 2021 and June 30, 2021.
On October 23, 2020, Marathon Digital Holdings, Inc. (the “Company”) executed a contract with Bitmain to purchase an additional 10,000 next generation Antminer S-19 Pro ASIC Miners. The 2021 delivery schedule will be 2,500 Units in January, 4,500 Units in February and the final 3,000 Units in March 2021.The purchase price is $21,815,432.00 with 30% due upon the execution of the contract and the balance paid over the next 4 months.
On December 8, 2020, Marathon Digital Holdings, Inc. (the “Company”) executed a contract with Bitmain to purchase an additional 10,000 next generation Antminer S-19j Pro ASIC Miners, with 6,000 units to be delivered in August 2021, and the remaining 4,000 units to be delivered in September 2021. The purchase price is $21,923,071.00 with 10% of the purchase price due within 48 hours of execution of the contract, 30% due on January 14, 2021, 10% due on February 15, 2021, 30% due on June 15, 2021 and 20% due on July 15, 2021.
On December 23, 2020, Marathon Digital Holdings, Inc. (the “Company”) executed a contract with Bitmain to purchase an additional 70,000 next generation Antminer S-19 ASIC Miners, with 7,000 units to be delivered in July 2021, and the remaining 63,000 units to be delivered in December 2021. The purchase price is $167,763,451.93. The purchase price for the miners shall be paid as follows: 20% within 48 hours of signing of contract; 30% on or before March 1, 2021; 4.75% on June 15, 2021; 1.76% on July 15, 2021; 4.58% on August 15, 2021; 10.19% on September 15, 2021; 17.63% on October 15, 2021 and 11.55% on November 15, 2021.
Effective December 31, 2020, The Board of Directors of Marathon Digital Holdings, Inc. (the “Company”) ratified the following arrangements approved by its Compensation Committee:
Merrick Okamoto, CEO was awarded a cash bonus of $2,000,000 which was paid before year end 2020. He was also awarded a special bonus of 1,000,000 RSUs with immediate vesting. He was given a new three-year employment agreement effective January 1, 2021 with the same salary and bonus as the prior agreement. He was also granted the following: award of 1,000,000 RSUs when the company’s market capitalization reaches and sustains a market capitalization for 30 consecutive days above $500,000,000; award of 1,000,000 RSUs priced when the company’s market capitalization reaches and sustains a market capitalization for 30 consecutive days above $750,000,000; award of 2,000,000 RSUs priced at lowest closing stock price in past 30 trading days when the company’s market capitalization reaches and sustains a market capitalization for 30 consecutive days above $1,000,000,000; and award of 2,000,000 RSUs when the company’s market capitalization reaches and sustains a market capitalization for 30 consecutive days above $2,000,000,000.
Sim Salzman, CFO, was granted a bonus payment of $40,000 in cash; and a bonus of 91,324 RSUs with immediate vesting. James Crawford, COO, was granted a bonus payment of $127,308 in cash and a stock bonus of 57,990 RSUs with immediate vesting. Furthermore, per his employment agreement, his base salary for the 2021 will be increased by 3%.
Compensation for directors of the board for 2021 as follows: (i) cash compensation of $60,000 per year for each director, plus an additional $15,000 per year for each committee chair, paid 25% at the end of each calendar quarter; (ii) for existing directors, the equivalent of 54,795 RSUs; and (iii) for newly elected directors, a one-time grant of 91,324 RSUs, vesting 25% each calendar quarter during 2021. For clarification, new directors will also receive the same annual compensation as existing directors in addition to their one time grant.
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On January 4, 2021, the Company also announced that it had successfully completed its previously announced $200 million shelf offering by utilizing its at-the-market (ATM) facility. As a result, the Company ended the 2020 fiscal year with $217.6 million in cash and 74,656,549 shares outstanding.
On January 15, 2021, Marathon Digital Holdings, Inc., a Nevada corporation (the “Company”), held an annual meeting of stockholders (the “Meeting”). As of the record date for the Meeting, 51,403,280 shares of common stock were issued and outstanding. A total of 33,981,556 shares of common stock, constituting a quorum, were present and accounted for at the Meeting. At the Meeting, the Company’s stockholders approved the following proposals:
VOTES CAST
Common shares |
PROPOSAL #1 Increase
in Shares |
PROPOSAL #2a Election
of Merrick |
PROPOSAL #2b Election
of |
PROPOSAL #3 Ratification
of |
PROPOSAL #4 Nonbinding |
|||||||||||||||
Yes | 10,112,531 | 12,184,952 | 12,216,945 | 32,948,526 | 11,146,174 | |||||||||||||||
No | 2,278,676 | 464,134 | 1,093,170 | |||||||||||||||||
Abstain | 163,325 | 369,187 | 337,194 | 567,470 | 315,663 | |||||||||||||||
Broker Non-Vote | 21,427,024 | 21,427,417 | 21,427,417 | 1,426 | 21,426,549 |
On January 12, 2021, Marathon Digital Holdings, Inc., a Nevada corporation (the “Company”), entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”) with certain purchasers named therein (the “Purchasers”), pursuant to which the Company agreed to issue and sell, in a registered direct offering (the “Offering”), 12,500,000 shares of its common stock (the “Securities”) at an offering price of $20.00 per share.
The Purchase Agreement contains customary representations and warranties and agreements of the Company and the Purchasers and customary indemnification rights and obligations of the parties. The closing of the Offering occurred on January 15, 2021. The Company received gross proceeds of $250,000,000 in connection with the Offering, before deducting placement agent fees and related offering expenses.
Pursuant to a letter agreement, dated August 2020 (the “Engagement Letter”), the Company engaged H.C. Wainwright & Co., LLC (the “Placement Agent”) as placement agent in connection with the Offering. The Placement Agent agreed to use its reasonable best efforts to arrange for the sale of the Securities. The Company agreed to pay to the Placement Agent a cash fee of 5.0% of the aggregate gross proceeds raised in the Offering. The Company also issued to designees of the Placement Agent warrants to purchase up to 3.0% of the aggregate number of shares of Common Stock sold in the transactions, or warrants to purchase up to 375,000 shares of Common Stock (the “Placement Agent Warrants”). The Placement Agent Warrants have an exercise price equal to 125% of the offering price per share (or $25.00 per share). The Company also agreed to pay the Placement Agent $50,000 for accountable expenses, to reimburse an investor’s legal fees in an amount up to $7,500 and to pay $12,900 for the Placement Agent’s clearing fees. Pursuant to the terms of the Engagement Letter, the Placement Agent has the right, for a period of twelve months following the closing of the Offerings, to act (i) as financial advisor in connection with any merger, consolidation or similar business combination by the Company and (ii) as sole book-running manager, sole underwriter or sole placement agent in connection with certain debt and equity financing transactions by the Company.
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Effective January 19, 2021, David Lieberman resigned as a director of Marathon Digital Holdings, Inc. (the “Company”). On the same date, the Company’s Board appointed Kevin DeNuccio as a director to fill the vacancy created by Mr. Lieberman’s resignation.
Mr. DeNuccio is the Founder and General Partner of Wild West Capital LLC since 2012 where he focused on angel investments, primarily in SAAS software start-ups.
He brings to Marathon more than 25 years of experience as a chief executive, global sales leader, public and private board member, and more than a dozen angel investments, managing and growing leading technology businesses. He served in senior executive positions with Verizon, Cisco Systems, Ericsson, Redback Networks, Wang Laboratories and Unisys Corporation.
On January 25, 2021, the Company announced that it has purchased 4,812.66 BTC in an aggregate purchase price of $150 million.
Effective March 1, 2021, the Company changed its name to Marathon Digital Holdings, Inc.
On March 7, 2021, the Company entered into a termination agreement with the 9349-0001 Quebec Inc., to agree to terminate the outstanding lease. As of that date, the Company was fully released and discharged from any and all obligations under the Lease Agreement. In November 2017, the Company assumed a lease in connection with the mining operations in Quebec, Canada.
On April 26, 2021, the Company appointed Fred Thiel as its new chief executive officer. Mr. Thiel has succeeded Merrick Okamoto, who has served as the Company’s chief executive officer since 2018, and who will serve as executive chairman of the board of directors following the transition.
On March 25, 2021, Marathon Digital Holdings, Inc. (the “Company”) entered into a licensing agreement with DMG Blockchain Solutions, Inc. to license DMG’s proprietary Blockseer pool technology for use in its new Marathon OFAC Pool . Pursuant to the terms and conditions of the Agreement, the Company will be granted an exclusive and irrevocable license to use the technology in the U.S., and DMG will receive: $500,000 in restricted common stock of the Company (stock to be issued in a transaction exempt from registration under Section 4(a)(2) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended); a monthly license fee with a sliding scale based on the MARAPool’s block rewards and transaction fees received by the pool; and technical support services to be provided on an as-needed basis with payment in US dollars. As of September 30, 2021, DMG has received shares equivalent to $500,000 in restricted common stock of the Company.
On May 20, 2021, the Company appointed Georges Antoun and Jay Leupp to its board of directors, effective immediately, as Peter Benz transitions to become the company’s vice president of corporate development and Michael Berg steps down from his position of director to pursue other projects. As a result, Marathon’s board of directors now consists of five directors, including three independent directors and two inside directors.
On May 21, 2021, Marathon Digital Holdings, Inc. (the “Company”) entered into a binding letter of intent with Compute North, LLC to host 73,000 Bitcoin Miners over a staged in implementation between October 2021 and March 2022. The hosting cost is $0.50 per machine per month and the hosting rate will be $0.044 per kWh. In order to build out the infrastructure without paying for the capital expenditure, the Company will provide an 18 month bridge loan to Compute North of up to $67 million dollars, in tranches, based upon specified requirements being met. The terms of the contract are limited to three years with increases thereafter capped at three percent per year thereafter. The Company has also agreed to pay up to $14 million in expedite fees for construction/electrical and supply chain expediting activities. As of September 30, 2021, the Company paid $8 million of the $14 million in expedite fees recorded as a deposit on the balance sheet . On September 3, 2021, the Company entered into a master agreement with Compute North, LLC whereas the Company will pay an initial deposit of $14.6 million in aggregate over five installments. As of September 30, 2021, the Company paid $9.1 million of the $14.6 million initial deposit recorded as a deposit on the balance sheet.
On July 30, 2021, Marathon Digital Holdings, Inc. (the “Company”) entered into a fully executed contract with Bitmain to purchase an additional 30,000 S-19j Pro ASIC Miners, with 5,000 units scheduled to be delivered in each of January 2022, February 2022, March 2022, April 2022, May 2022, and June 2022. The purchase price is $126,000,000 with (i) 25% of the purchase price due paid within one day of execution of the contract, (ii) 35% of the purchase price of each batch due in consecutive months with 35% of the January 2022 batch due immediately, and then 35% of each of the remaining five batches due on the 15th of each consecutive month starting August 15, 2021, through December 15, 2021 and (iii) the remaining 40% of the purchase price of each batch due on the 15th of each consecutive month starting November 15, 2021 and then 40% of each of the remaining five batches due on the 15th of each consecutive month through April 2022.
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On August 9, 2021, the Company appointed Sarita James and Said Ouissal to its board of directors, effective immediately. As a result, Marathon’s board of directors now consists of seven directors, including five independent directors and two inside directors.
On August 23, 2021 , the Company issued 2,722,435 shares of common stock pursuant to the 2018 Equity Incentive Plan.
On August 27, 2021, Marathon Digital Holdings, Inc. (the “Company”) entered into a Master Securities Loan Agreement (the “Agreement”) with NYDIG Funding, LLC (“NYDIG”). Pursuant to the Agreement, the Company will loan its bitcoin (“BTC”) to NYDIG with an interest rate of three percent (3%) per annum. Interest accrues daily and is payable on a monthly basis. The Agreement provides that the Company may recall its BTC at any time. NYDIG shall, prior to or concurrently with the transfer of the BTC to NYDIG, but in no case later than the close of business on the day of such transfer, transfer to the Company collateral with a market value at least equal to 100% of the market value of the loaned BTC, and the Company is granted a first priority lien on such collateral. As of August 27, 2021, the Company loaned 300 BTC to NYDIG.
As previously disclosed in the Company’s monthly production updates, there have been multiple instances of the power generating station in Hardin, MT operating below peak capacity and thus limiting the Company’s ability to mine bitcoin during 2021. To mitigate these issues in the future, system upgrades will be performed on the power generating station beginning in November 2021 and continuing into 2022. Each phase of this maintenance will require the plant, and therefore the Company’s mining operations in Hardin, MT, to be offline for approximately three to five days. The upgrades are intended to improve the power generating station’s efficacy and efficiency, increase safety, mitigate the potential for unexpected downtime in the future, and ultimately improve the Company’s ability to effectively mine bitcoin. The Company believes that the impact of these upgrades on its mining operations will minimize future downtime and thus counterbalance any maintenance downtime experienced as a result of these repairs.
On October 1, 2021, Marathon Digital Holdings, Inc. (the “Company”) entered into a Revolving Credit and Security Agreement (the “Agreement”) with Silvergate Bank (the “Bank”) pursuant to which Silvergate has agreed to loan the Company up to $100,000,000 on a revolving basis pursuant to the terms of the Agreement and the $100,000,000 principal amount revolving credit note issued by the Company in favor of the Bank under the Agreement (“Note”). The terms of the facility (“RLOC”) set forth in the Agreement and Note are as follows:
Initial Term: | One (1) Year |
Availability: | The RLOC shall be made available from time to time to the Company for periodic draws (provided no event of default then exists) from its closing date up to and including the one- year anniversary of the loan date. |
Origination Fee: | 0.25% of the Loan Commitment to the Bank (or $250,000); due at RLOC closing. |
Unused Commitment Fee: | 0.25% per annum of the portion of the unused Loan Commitment, payable monthly in arrears. |
Renewal: |
The RLOC may be renewed annually by agreement between the Bank and the Company, subject to (without limitation): (i) Company makes a request for renewal, in writing, no less than sixty (60) days prior to the then current maturity date, (ii) no event of default then exists, (iii) Company provides all necessary documentation to extend the RLOC, (iv) Company has paid all applicable fees related to the loan renewal, and (v) the Bank has approved such extension request according to its internal credit policies as determined by the Bank in its sole and absolute discretion.
If the Bank approves a request by Company to renew the RLOC upon any maturity, then a Renewal Fee of 0.25% of the Loan Commitment (or $250,000) shall be due and payable upon extension of the Loan Commitment. |
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Payments: | Interest only to be paid monthly, with principal all due at maturity. |
Collateral: | The RLOC will be secured by a pledge of a sufficient amount of Company’s right, title and interest in and to bitcoin and/or U.S. Dollar (“USD”) stored in a custody account for the benefit of the Bank (the “Collateral Account”). the Bank will establish a Collateral Account with a regulated custodial entity (the “Custodian”) that has been approved by the Bank. the Bank and Custodian will have a custodial agreement to perfect the security interest in the pledged Collateral Account which, among other things, allows for 1) the Bank to monitor the balance of the Collateral Account and 2) allows the Bank to have exclusive control over the Collateral Account including liquidation of the collateral in the event of Company’s default under the terms of the RLOC. the Bank may also file a UCC financing statement on the pledged collateral. |
Minimum Advance Rate: | At origination, the Company must ensure the Collateral Account balance has sufficient bitcoin (and/or US$) to cause a Loan to Value (the “LTV”) ratio of 65% (or less) (“Minimum Advance Rate”) on the unpaid principal balance of the RLOC. |
Covenants: | The Company must maintain a minimum debt to equity ratio of 0.5:1. The Company must maintain a minimum liquidity of $25,000,000. |
On October 6, 2020, the Company entered into a series of agreements with multiple parties to design and build a data center for up to 100-megawatts in Hardin, MT. In conjunction therewith, the Company filed a Current Report on Form 8-K on October 13, 2020. The 8-K discloses that, pursuant to a Data Facility Services Agreement, the Company issued 6,000,000 shares of restricted Common Stock, in transactions exempt from registration under Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. During the quarter ended September 30, 2021, the Company and certain of its executives received a subpoena from the SEC to produce documents and communications concerning the Hardin, Montana data center facility described in our Form 8-K dated October 13, 2020. We understand that the SEC may be investigating whether or not there may have been any violations of the federal securities law. We are cooperating with the SEC.
On November 18, 2021, Marathon Digital Holdings, Inc. (the “Company”) issued $650,000,000 principal amount of its 1.00% Convertible Senior Notes due 2026 (the “Notes”). The Notes were issued pursuant to, and are governed by, an indenture (the “Indenture”), dated as of November 18, 2021, between the Company and U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee (the “Trustee”). Pursuant to the purchase agreement between the Company and the initial purchasers of the Notes, the Company also granted the initial purchasers an option, for settlement within a period of 13 days from, and including, November 18, 2021 to purchase up to an additional $97,500,000 principal amount of Notes. As noted below, this option was exercised and an additional $97,500,000 principal amount of Notes was issued on November 23, 2021.
The Notes will be the Company’s senior, unsecured obligations and will be (i) equal in right of payment with the Company’s existing and future senior, unsecured indebtedness; (ii) senior in right of payment to the Company’s existing and future indebtedness that is expressly subordinated to the Notes; (iii) effectively subordinated to the Company’s existing and future secured indebtedness, to the extent of the value of the collateral securing that indebtedness; and (iv) structurally subordinated to all existing and future indebtedness and other liabilities, including trade payables, and (to the extent the Company is not a holder thereof) preferred equity, if any, of the Company’s subsidiaries.
The Notes will accrue interest at a rate of 1.00% per annum, payable semi-annually in arrears on June 1 and December 1 of each year, beginning on June 1, 2022. The Notes will mature on December 1, 2026, unless earlier repurchased, redeemed or converted. Before the close of business on the business day immediately before June 1, 2026, noteholders will have the right to convert their Notes only upon the occurrence of certain events. From and after June 1, 2026, noteholders may convert their Notes at any time at their election until the close of business on the second scheduled trading day immediately before the maturity date. The Company will settle conversions by paying or delivering, as applicable, cash, shares of its common stock or a combination of cash and shares of its common stock, at the Company’s election. The initial conversion rate is 13.1277 shares of common stock per $1,000 principal amount of Notes, which represents an initial conversion price of approximately $76.17 per share of common stock. The conversion rate and conversion price will be subject to customary adjustments upon the occurrence of certain events. In addition, if certain corporate events that constitute a “Make-Whole Fundamental Change” (as defined in the Indenture) occur, then the conversion rate will, in certain circumstances, be increased for a specified period of time.
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The Notes will be redeemable, in whole or in part (subject to certain limitations described below), at the Company’s option at any time, and from time to time, on or after December 6, 2024 and on or before the 21st scheduled trading day immediately before the maturity date, at a cash redemption price equal to the principal amount of the Notes to be redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to, but excluding, the redemption date, but only if the last reported sale price per share of the Company’s common stock exceeds 130% of the conversion price on (1) each of at least 20 trading days, whether or not consecutive, during the 30 consecutive trading days ending on, and including, the trading day immediately before the date the Company sends the related redemption notice; and (2) the trading day immediately before the date the Company sends such notice. However, the Company may not redeem less than all of the outstanding Notes unless at least $100.0 million aggregate principal amount of Notes are outstanding and not called for redemption as of the time the Company sends the related redemption notice. In addition, calling any Note for redemption will constitute a Make-Whole Fundamental Change with respect to that Note, in which case the conversion rate applicable to the conversion of that Note will be increased in certain circumstances if it is converted during the related redemption conversion period.
If certain corporate events that constitute a “Fundamental Change” (as defined in the Indenture) occur, then, subject to a limited exception for certain cash mergers, noteholders may require the Company to repurchase their Notes at a cash repurchase price equal to the principal amount of the Notes to be repurchased, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to, but excluding, the fundamental change repurchase date. The definition of Fundamental Change includes certain business combination transactions involving the Company and certain de-listing events with respect to the Company’s common stock.
The Notes will have customary provisions relating to the occurrence of “Events of Default” (as defined in the Indenture), which include the following: (i) certain payment defaults on the Notes (which, in the case of a default in the payment of interest on the Notes, will be subject to a 30-day cure period); (ii) the Company’s failure to send certain notices under the Indenture within specified periods of time; (iii) the Company’s failure to comply with certain covenants in the Indenture relating to the Company’s ability to consolidate with or merge with or into, or sell, lease or otherwise transfer, in one transaction or a series of transactions, all or substantially all of the assets of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, to another person; (iv) a default by the Company in its other obligations or agreements under the Indenture or the Notes if such default is not cured or waived within 60 days after notice is given in accordance with the Indenture; (v) certain defaults by the Company or any of its subsidiaries with respect to indebtedness for borrowed money of at least $50,000,000; and (vi) certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency and reorganization involving the Company or any of its significant subsidiaries.
If an Event of Default involving bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization events with respect to the Company (and not solely with respect to a significant subsidiary of the Company) occurs, then the principal amount of, and all accrued and unpaid interest on, all of the Notes then outstanding will immediately become due and payable without any further action or notice by any person. If any other Event of Default occurs and is continuing, then, the Trustee, by notice to the Company, or noteholders of at least 25% of the aggregate principal amount of Notes then outstanding, by notice to the Company and the Trustee, may declare the principal amount of, and all accrued and unpaid interest on, all of the Notes then outstanding to become due and payable immediately. However, notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company may elect, at its option, that the sole remedy for an Event of Default relating to certain failures by the Company to comply with certain reporting covenants in the Indenture consists exclusively of the right of the noteholders to receive special interest on the Notes for up to 270 days at a specified rate per annum not exceeding 0.50% on the principal amount of the Notes.
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On November 23, 2021, Marathon Digital Holdings, Inc. (the “Company”) issued $97,500,000 aggregate principal amount of the Company’s 1.00% Convertible Senior Notes due 2026 (the “Option Notes”) to Jefferies LLC, as representative of the several initial purchasers (collectively, the “Initial Purchasers”) in connection with the exercise of the Initial Purchasers’ option to purchase additional notes. The Option Notes, together with the $650,0000,000 aggregate principal amount of the Company’s 1.00% Convertible Senior Notes due 2026 that were previously issued, were issued in connection with a private offering to qualified institutional buyers pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and were issued pursuant to the Indenture dated as of November 18, 2021 by and between the Company and U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee.
Effective November 30, 2021, Marathon Digital Holdings, Inc. (the “Company”) entered into an amended five year hosting agreement with Compute North, LLC (“Compute North”) to host 73,000 S19 miners to be deployed during the first two quarters of 2022 at a hosting fee of $0.044 per kilowatt hour with substantially the same terms as the Company’s prior hosting agreements with Compute North. On that same date, the Company also entered into a joint venture with Compute North to form Marathon Compute North 1 LLC (the “LLC”) of which the equity is owned 82% by Marathon and 18% by Compute North. The LLC entered into a hosting agreement with Compute North to host 30,000 S19 miners along substantially similar terms to the hosting agreement between the Company and Compute North also at $0.044 per kilowatt hour.
On December 15, 2021, Marathon Digital Holdings, Inc. (the “Company”) entered into a Severance and Release Agreement (“Agreement”) with Merrick Okamoto, its Executive Chairman (“Okamoto”). Pursuant to the Agreement, Okamoto is retiring effective December 31, 2021. He is providing a standard release to the Company in exchange for payment of 83,333 restricted stock units of the Company, which shall vest immediately upon grant. The shares underlying the RSUs are being issued pursuant to the Company’s registration statement on Form S-8 (file no. 333-258928), filed with the SEC on August 19, 2021. Additionally on December 31, 2021, the Company shall pay Okamoto the following: (i) accrued wages of $30,942.92, his annual 2021 bonus in the amount of $371,315 and any remaining approved and unpaid Company expenses incurred by him, if any. He is also entitled to medical insurance reimbursement as currently maintained through December 31, 2022, and thereafter is entitled to COBRA at his own expense, to the extent available by law.
On December 21, 2021, Marathon Digital Holdings, Inc. (the “Company”) executed a contract with Bitmain to purchase an additional 78,000 next generation Antminer S-19 XP Miners, with 13,000 units being delivered in each of July 2022, August 2022, September 2022, October 2022, November 2022 and December 2022. The purchase price is $879,060,000. The purchase price for the miners shall be paid as follows: 35% of the total amount within two days of execution of the purchase contract, 35% of each single shipment price at least six months prior to each such shipment, and the remaining 30% of each single shipment price at least one month prior to each such shipment.
On December 17, 2021, a putative class action complaint was filed in the United States District Court for the District Court of Nevada, against the company and present and former senior management. The Complaint alleges securities fraud related to the disclosures of an SEC investigation previously made by the Company on November 15, 2021. No action has been taken in the lawsuit since it was filed.
Effective December 27, 2021, Marathon Digital Holdings, Inc. (the “Company”) appointed Ashu Swami as its Chief Technology Officer and entered into an Executive Employment Agreement (“Agreement”) with Mr. Swami.
Mr. Swami joins Marathon Digital Holdings from Core Scientific where he served as the CPO since Feb 2021, leading the company’s foray into DeFi and heading the mining hardware and software optimization tech. Prior to that, from Jan 2019 to Feb 2021, he was the CTO of Apifiny, a hybrid CEX and DEX crypto exchange. Previously, from Jan 2016 to Dec 2018, Mr. Swami headed a SPV of Quadeye Securities which pioneered and traded Mining Swaps, operated cloud mining data centers, and served as the Chief Advisor to Fortune 50 companies including Intel Corp on Blockchain initiatives. From May 2013 to Dec 2015, he founded LocalPad, a p2p marketplace and payments plugin that provided ebay-in-a-box like functionality to large blogs to monetize their user base. Prior to that, from May 2007 to Apr 2013, Mr. Swami was a Portfolio Manager and led the high frequency market-making business at Morgan Stanley Program Trading to become a top 5 market maker in US ETFs. Previously, since May 2002, Mr. Swami spent over 4 years as a Sr Component Designer and then Tech Lead in Intel’s Enterprise Platforms Group. Mr. Swami holds a BTech in CSE from IIT Bombay, and M.B.A. from Duke University.
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Pursuant to the terms of the Agreement, Mr. Swami is employed as CTO for a one year term which shall automatically renew unless either he or the Company notifies the other at least 90 days before the end of the initial or any renewal term of the intent to terminate the Agreement. Mr. Swami’s base salary is $275,000 per year with a cash bonus of up to $137,500 per year. Mr. Swami shall also be granted 80,000 restricted stock units, of which 20,000 shall vest on the one year anniversary of the effective date of the Agreement, and then 5000 RSUs shall vest on each subsequent three month anniversary with the last 5000 RSUs vesting on the four year anniversary of the effective date of the Agreement. Upon certain not for cause termination events under the Agreement, Mr. Swami would be entitled to vesting of all unvested RSUs and a severance payment of six months of salary in addition to all accrued and unpaid salary and vacation and the like. The Agreement contains other commercially standard terms for events of termination and the like.
Blockchain and Cryptocurrencies Generally
Bitcoin is a digital asset that is issued by and transmitted through an open source protocol collectively maintained by a peer-to-peer network of decentralized user nodes. This network hosts a public transaction ledger, known as the bitcoin blockchain, on which bitcoin holdings and transactions in bitcoin are recorded. Balances of bitcoin are stored in individual “wallet” functions, which associate network public addresses with a “private key” that controls the transfer of bitcoin. The bitcoin blockchain can be updated without any single entity owning or operating the network. New bitcoin is created and allocated by the protocol that governs bitcoin through a “mining” process that rewards users that verify transactions in the bitcoin blockchain. The bitcoin protocol limits the total issuance of bitcoin over time to 21 million.
Bitcoin can be used to pay for goods and services, or it can be converted to fiat currencies, such as the U.S. dollar, at rates of exchange determined by market forces on bitcoin trading platforms, which operate 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week and are not regulated in as comprehensive a manner as traditional securities exchanges. As a result, trading on these markets is likely more subject to manipulation than on securities markets regulated by the SEC, and pricing on these markets is likely affected by such manipulative activity. In addition to these platforms, over-the-counter markets and derivatives markets for bitcoin also exist; however, these markets are still maturing and many are unregulated.
Bitcoin exists entirely in electronic form, as virtually irreversible public transaction ledger entries on the blockchain, and transactions in bitcoin are recorded and authenticated not by a central repository, but by a decentralized peer-to-peer network. This decentralization avoids certain threats common to centralized computer networks, such as denial of service attacks, and reduces the dependency of the bitcoin network on any single system. While the bitcoin network as a whole is decentralized, the private keys used to access bitcoin balances are not widely distributed and are held on hardware (which can be physically controlled by the holder or by a third party such as a custodian) or via software programs on third-party servers and loss of such private keys results in an inability to access, and effective loss of, the corresponding bitcoin. Consequently, bitcoin holdings are susceptible to all of the risks inherent in holding any electronic data, such as power failure, data corruption, security breach, communication failure, and user error, among others. These risks, in turn, make bitcoin subject to theft, destruction, or loss of value from hackers, corruption, or technology-specific factors such as viruses that do not affect conventional fiat currency. In addition, the bitcoin network relies on open source developers to maintain and improve the bitcoin protocol. Accordingly, bitcoin may be subject to protocol design changes, governance disputes such as “forked” protocols, competing protocols, and other open source-specific risks that do not affect conventional proprietary software.
Distributed blockchain technology is a decentralized and encrypted ledger that is designed to offer a secure, efficient, verifiable, and permanent way of storing records and other information without the need for intermediaries. Cryptocurrencies serve multiple purposes. They can serve as a medium of exchange, store of value or unit of account. Examples of cryptocurrencies include: bitcoin, bitcoin cash, and litecoin. Blockchain technologies are being evaluated for a multitude of industries due to the belief in their ability to have a significant impact in many areas of business, finance, information management, and governance.
Cryptocurrencies are decentralized currencies that enable near instantaneous transfers. Transactions occur via an open source, cryptographic protocol platform which uses peer-to-peer technology to operate with no central authority. The online network hosts the public transaction ledger, known as the blockchain, and each cryptocurrency is associated with a source code that comprises the basis for the cryptographic and algorithmic protocols governing the blockchain. In a cryptocurrency network, every peer has its own copy of the blockchain, which contains records of every historical transaction - effectively containing records of all account balances. Each account is identified solely by its unique public key (making it effectively anonymous) and is secured with its associated private key (kept secret, like a password). The combination of private and public cryptographic keys constitutes a secure digital identity in the form of a digital signature, providing strong control of ownership.
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No single entity owns or operates the network. The infrastructure is collectively maintained by a decentralized public user base. As the network is decentralized, it does not rely on either governmental authorities or financial institutions to create, transmit or determine the value of the currency units. Rather, the value is determined by market factors, supply and demand for the units, the prices being set in transfers by mutual agreement or barter among transacting parties, as well as the number of merchants that may accept the cryptocurrency. Since transfers do not require involvement of intermediaries or third parties, there are currently little to no transaction costs in direct peer-to-peer transactions. Units of cryptocurrency can be converted to fiat currencies, such as the US dollar, at rates determined on various exchanges, such as Cumberland, Coinsquare (in Canada), Coinbase, Bitsquare, Bitstamp, and others. Cryptocurrency prices are quoted on various exchanges and fluctuate with extreme volatility.
We believe cryptocurrencies offer many advantages over traditional, fiat currencies, although many of these factors also present potential disadvantages and may introduce additional risks, including:
● | acting as a fraud deterrent, as cryptocurrencies are digital and cannot be counterfeited or reversed arbitrarily by a sender; | |
● | immediate settlement; | |
● | elimination of counterparty risk; | |
● | no trusted intermediary required; | |
● | lower fees; | |
● | identity theft prevention; | |
● | accessible by everyone; | |
● | transactions are verified and protected through a confirmation process, which prevents the problem of double spending; | |
● | decentralized – no central authority (government or financial institution); and | |
● | recognized universally and not bound by government imposed or market exchange rates. |
However, cryptocurrencies may not provide all of the benefits they purport to offer at all or at any time.
Bitcoin was first introduced in 2008 and was first introduced as a means of exchange in 2009. Bitcoin is a consensus network that enables a new payment system and a completely new form of digital money. It is the first decentralized peer-to-peer payment network that is powered by its users with no central authority or middlemen. From a user perspective, we believe bitcoin can be viewed as cash for the Internet. The bitcoin network shares a public ledger called the “blockchain.” This ledger contains every transaction ever processed, allowing a user’s computer to verify the validity of each transaction. The authenticity of each transaction is protected by digital signatures corresponding to the sending addresses, allowing all users to have full control over sending bitcoins currency rewards from their own bitcoin addresses. In addition, anyone can process transactions using the computing power of specialized hardware and earn a reward in bitcoins for this service. This process is often called “mining.”
As with many new and emerging technologies, there are potentially significant risks. Businesses (including the Company) which are seeking to develop, promote, adopt, transact or rely upon blockchain technologies and cryptocurrencies have a limited track record and operate within an untested new environment. These risks are not only related to the businesses the Company pursues, but the sector and industry as a whole, as well as the entirety of the concept behind blockchain and cryptocurrency as value. Factors such as access to computer processing capacity, interconnectivity, electricity cost, environmental factors (such as cooling capacity) and location play an important role in “mining,” which is the term for using the specialized computers in connection with the blockchain for the creation of new units of cryptocurrency.
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Mathematically Controlled Supply
The method for creating new bitcoins is mathematically controlled in a manner so that the supply of bitcoins grows at a limited rate pursuant to a pre-set schedule. The number of bitcoins awarded for solving a new block is automatically halved every 210,000 blocks. Thus, the current fixed reward for solving a new block is 12.5 bitcoins per block and the reward decreased by half to become 6.25 bitcoins around May 10, 2020, which is the current reward (based on estimates of the rate of block solution calculated by BitcoinClock.com). This deliberately controlled rate of bitcoin creation means that the number of bitcoins in existence will never exceed 21 million and that bitcoins cannot be devalued through excessive production unless the Bitcoin Network’s source code (and the underlying protocol for bitcoin issuance) is altered. The Company monitors the Blockchain network and, as of December 9, 2020, based on the information we collected from our network access, more than 18.45 million bitcoins have been mined.
Digital Asset Mining
We intend to power and secure blockchains by verifying blockchain transactions using custom hardware and software. We are currently using our hardware to mine bitcoin (“BTC”) and expect to mine BTC, and potentially other cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin relies on different technologies based on the blockchain. Wherein bitcoin is a digital currency, we will be compensated in BTC based on the mining transactions we perform, which is how we will earn revenue.
Blockchains are decentralized digital ledgers that record and enable secure peer-to-peer transactions without third party intermediaries. Blockchains enable the existence of digital assets by allowing participants to confirm transactions without the need for a central certifying authority. When a participant requests a transaction, a peer-to-peer network consisting of computers, known as nodes, validate the transaction and the user’s status using known algorithms. After the transaction is verified, it is combined with other transactions to create a new block of data for the ledger. The new block is added to the existing blockchain in a way that is permanent and unalterable, and the transaction is complete.
Digital assets (also known as cryptocurrency) are a medium of exchange that uses encryption techniques to control the creation of monetary units and to verify the transfer of funds. Many consumers use digital assets because it offers cheaper and faster peer-to-peer payment options without the need to provide personal details. Every single transaction and the ownership of every single digital asset in circulation is recorded in the blockchain. Miners use powerful computers that tally the transactions to run the blockchain. These miners update each time a transaction is made and ensure the authenticity of information. The miners receive a transaction fee for their service in the form of a portion of the new digital “coins” that are issued.
Performance Metrics – Hashing
We operate mining hardware which performs computational operations in support of the blockchain measured in “hash rate” or “hashes per second.” A “hash” is the computation run by mining hardware in support of the blockchain; therefore, a miner’s “hash rate” refers to the rate at which it is capable of solving such computations. The original equipment used for mining bitcoin utilized the Central Processing Unit (CPU) of a computer to mine various forms of cryptocurrency. Due to performance limitations, CPU mining was rapidly replaced by the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), which offers significant performance advantages over CPUs. General purpose chipsets like CPUs and GPUs have since been replaced in the mining industry by Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASIC) chips. These ASIC chips are designed specifically to maximize the rate of hashing operations.
We measure our mining performance and competitive position based on overall hash rate being produced in our mining sites. The latest equipment utilized in our mining operation performs in the range of approximately 86 – 110 terahash per second (TH/s) per unit. This mining hardware is on the cutting edge of available mining equipment and we believe our acquisition of our units places us among leaders of publicly-traded cryptocurrency miners; however, advances and improvements to the technology are ongoing and may be available in quantities to the market in the near future which may affect our perceived position. We believe that our current inventory of miners establishes us among the top public companies in the United States mining cryptocurrency.
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Government Regulation
Government regulation of blockchain and cryptocurrency is being actively considered by the United States federal government via a number of agencies and regulatory bodies, as well as similar entities in other countries. State government regulations also may apply to our activities and other activities in which we participate or may participate in the future. Other regulatory bodies are governmental or semi-governmental and have shown an interest in regulating or investigating companies engaged in the blockchain or cryptocurrency business.
Businesses that are engaged in the transmission and custody of bitcoin and other digital assets, including brokers and custodians, can be subject to U.S. Treasury Department regulations as money services businesses as well as state money transmitter licensing requirements. Bitcoin and other digital assets are subject to anti-fraud regulations under federal and state commodity laws, and digital asset derivative instruments are substantively regulated by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Certain jurisdictions, including, among others, New York and a number of countries outside the United States, have developed regulatory requirements specifically for digital assets and companies that transact in them.
Regulations may substantially change in the future and it is presently not possible to know how regulations will apply to our businesses, or when they will be effective. As the regulatory and legal environment evolves, we may become subject to new laws, further regulation by the SEC and other agencies, which may affect our mining and other activities. For instance, various bills have also been proposed in Congress related to our business, which may be adopted and have an impact on us. For additional discussion regarding our belief about the potential risks existing and future regulation pose to our business, see the Section entitled “Risk Factors” herein.
In addition, since transactions in bitcoin provide a reasonable degree of pseudo anonymity, they are susceptible to misuse for criminal activities, such as money laundering. This misuse, or the perception of such misuse (even if untrue), could lead to greater regulatory oversight of bitcoin platforms, and there is the possibility that law enforcement agencies could close bitcoin platforms or other bitcoin-related infrastructure with little or no notice and prevent users from accessing or retrieving bitcoin held via such platforms or infrastructure. For example, in her January 2021 nomination hearing before the Senate Finance Committee, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen noted that cryptocurrencies have the potential to improve the efficiency of the financial system but that they can be used to finance terrorism, facilitate money laundering, and support malign activities that threaten U.S. national security interests and the integrity of the U.S. and international financial systems. Accordingly, Secretary Yellen expressed her view that federal regulators needed to look closely at how to encourage the use of cryptocurrencies for legitimate activities while curtailing their use for malign and illegal activities. Furthermore, in December 2020, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”), a unit of the Treasury Department focused on money laundering, proposed a new set of rules for cryptocurrency-based exchanges aimed at reducing the use of cryptocurrencies for money laundering. These proposed rules would require filing reports with FinCEN regarding cryptocurrency transactions in excess of $10,000 and also impose record-keeping requirements for cryptocurrency transactions in excess of $3,000 involving users who manage their own private keys. In January 2021, the Biden Administration issued a memorandum freezing federal rulemaking, including these proposed FinCEN rules, to provide additional time for the Biden Administration to review the rulemaking that had been proposed by the Trump Administration. As a result, it remains unclear whether these proposed rules will take effect.
Intellectual Property
We actively use specific hardware and software for our cryptocurrency mining operation. In certain cases, source code and other software assets may be subject to an open source license, as much technology development underway in this sector is open source. For these works, we intend to adhere to the terms of any license agreements that may be in place.
We do not currently own, and do not have any current plans to seek, any patents in connection with our existing and planned blockchain and cryptocurrency related operations. We do expect to rely upon trade secrets, trademarks, service marks, trade names, copyrights and other intellectual property rights and expect to license the use of intellectual property rights owned and controlled by others. In addition, we have developed and may further develop certain proprietary software applications for purposes of our cryptocurrency mining operation.
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Competition
In cryptocurrency mining, companies, individuals and groups generate units of cryptocurrency through mining. Miners can range from individual enthusiasts to professional mining operations with dedicated data centers. Miners may organize themselves in mining pools. The Company competes or may in the future compete with other companies that focus all or a portion of their activities on owning or operating cryptocurrency exchanges, developing programming for the blockchain, and mining activities. At present, the information concerning the activities of these enterprises is not readily available as the vast majority of the participants in this sector do not publish information publicly or the information may be unreliable. Published sources of information include “bitcoin.org” and “blockchain.info”; however, the reliability of that information and its continued availability cannot be assured.
Several public companies (traded in the U.S. and Internationally), such as the following, may be considered to compete with us, although we believe there is no company, including the following, which engages in the same scope of activities as we do.
● | Overstock.com Inc. | |
● | Bitcoin Investment Trust | |
● | Blockchain Industries, Inc. (formerly Omni Global Technologies, Inc.) | |
● | Bitfarms Technologies Ltd. (formerly Blockchain Mining Ltd) | |
● | DMG Blockchain Solutions Inc. | |
● | Digihost International, Inc. | |
● | Hive Blockchain Technologies Inc. | |
● | Hut 8 Mining Corp. | |
● | HashChain Technology, Inc. | |
● | MGT Capital Investments, Inc. | |
● | DPW Holdings, Inc. | |
● | Layer1 Technologies, LLC | |
● | Northern Data AG | |
● | Riot Blockchain, Inc. |
While there is limited available information regarding our non-public competitors, we believe that our recent acquisition and deployment of miners (as discussed further above) positions us well among the publicly traded companies involved in the cryptocurrency mining industry. The cryptocurrency industry is a highly competitive and evolving industry and new competitors and/or emerging technologies could enter the market and affect our competitiveness in the future.
Employees
As of February 11, 2022, we had 10 full-time employees. We believe our employee relations to be good.
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Accounting for Digital Currencies
The lack of U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (U.S. GAAP) instruction regarding the proper accounting treatment of digital currency assets has created uncertainty regarding the reporting and proper asset classification of digital currency holdings. Management intends to exercise its business judgment in determining appropriate accounting treatment for the recognition of revenue from mining of digital currencies. Management, in conjunction with its outside public accountants and its auditors, has examined various factors surrounding the substance of the Company’s operations and the available guidance published for public company accounting practices in Accounting Standards Codification.
The Company intends to account for its digital currency assets as indefinite life intangible assets. An intangible asset with an indefinite useful life is not amortized, but rather is assessed for impairment annually, or more frequently, when events or changes in circumstances occur which indicate that it is more likely than not that the indefinite-lived asset is impaired. Impairment exists when the carrying amount exceeds its fair value. In testing for impairment, the Company will have the option to first perform a qualitative assessment to determine whether it is more likely than not that an impairment exists. If it is determined that it is not more likely than not that an impairment exists, a quantitative impairment test is not necessary. If the Company concludes otherwise, it is required to perform a quantitative impairment test. To the extent an impairment loss is recognized, the loss establishes the new cost basis of the asset. Subsequent reversal of impairment losses is not permitted. Realized gain or loss on the sale of digital currencies is included in other income or expenses in the Company’s statements of operations.
Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. Before making an investment decision, you should consider carefully the risks, uncertainties and all risk factors set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement and the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus, including the risk factors discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 and each subsequent filed quarterly report on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K, which may be amended, supplemented or superseded from time to time by the other reports we file with the SEC in the future.
In addition to those risk factors incorporated by reference herein, the Company has identified the following uncertainties and risk factors which may affect our business:
We may be classified as an inadvertent investment company.
We are not engaged in the business of investing, reinvesting, or trading in securities, and we do not hold ourselves out as being engaged in those activities. Under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), however, a company may be deemed an investment company under Section 3(a)(1)(C) of the 1940 Act if the value of its investment securities is more than 40% of its total assets (exclusive of government securities and cash items) on a consolidated basis.
We have commenced digital asset mining, the outputs of which are cryptocurrencies, which may be deemed a security. In the event that the digital assets held by us exceed 40% of our total assets, exclusive of cash, we inadvertently become an investment company. An inadvertent investment company can avoid being classified as an investment company if it can rely on one of the exclusions under the 1940 Act. One such exclusion, Rule 3a-2 under the 1940 Act, allows an inadvertent investment company a grace period of one year from the earlier of (a) the date on which an issuer owns securities and/or cash having a value exceeding 50% of the issuer’s total assets on either a consolidated or unconsolidated basis and (b) the date on which an issuer owns or proposes to acquire investment securities having a value exceeding 40% of the value of such issuer’s total assets (exclusive of government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis. We are putting in place policies that we expect will work to keep the investment securities held by us at less than 40% of our total assets, which may include acquiring assets with our cash, liquidating our investment securities or seeking a no-action letter from the SEC if we are unable to acquire sufficient assets or liquidate sufficient investment securities in a timely manner.
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As Rule 3a-2 is available to a company no more than once every three years, and assuming no other exclusion were available to us, we would have to keep within the 40% limit for at least three years after we cease being an inadvertent investment company. This may limit our ability to make certain investments or enter into joint ventures that could otherwise have a positive impact on our earnings. In any event, we do not intend to become an investment company engaged in the business of investing and trading securities.
Classification as an investment company under the 1940 Act requires registration with the SEC. If an investment company fails to register, it would have to stop doing almost all business, and its contracts would become voidable. Registration is time consuming and restrictive and would require a restructuring of our operations, and we would be very constrained in the kind of business we could do as a registered investment company. Further, we would become subject to substantial regulation concerning management, operations, transactions with affiliated persons and portfolio composition, and would need to file reports under the 1940 Act regime. The cost of such compliance would result in the Company incurring substantial additional expenses, and the failure to register if required would have a materially adverse impact to conduct our operations.
Failure to effectively manage our growth could place strains on our managerial, operational and financial resources and could adversely affect our business and operating results.
Our growth has placed, and is expected to continue to place, a strain on our limited managerial, operational and financial resources and systems. Further, as our subsidiary companies’ businesses grow, we will be required to continue to manage multiple relationships. Any further growth by us or our subsidiary companies, or an increase in the number of our strategic relationships, may place additional strain on our managerial, operational and financial resources and systems. Although we may not grow as we expect, if we fail to manage our growth effectively or to develop and expand our managerial, operational and financial resources and systems, our business and financial results would be materially harmed.
Digital Assets such as bitcoin are likely to be regulated as securities or investment securities.
Bitcoin is the oldest and most well-known form of digital asset. Bitcoin and other forms of digital assets/cryptocurrencies have been the source of much regulatory consternation, resulting in differing definitional outcomes without a single unifying statement. When the interests of investor protection are paramount, for example in the offer or sale of Initial Coin Offering (“ICO”) tokens, the SEC has no difficulty determining that the token offerings are securities under the “Howey” test as stated by the United States Supreme Court, a conclusion with which Marathon agrees. As such, ICO offerings would require registration under the Securities Act or an available exemption therefrom for offers or sales in the United States to be lawful. Section 5(a) of the Securities Act provides that, unless a registration statement is in effect as to a security, it is unlawful for any person, directly or indirectly, to engage in the offer or sale of securities in interstate commerce. Section 5(c) of the Securities Act provides a similar prohibition against offers to sell, or offers to buy, unless a registration statement has been filed. Although we do not believe our mining activities require registration for us to conduct such activities and accumulate digital assets the SEC, CFTC, Nasdaq or other governmental or quasi-governmental agency or organization may conclude that our activities involve the offer or sale of “securities”, or ownership of “investment securities”, and we may face regulation under the Securities Act or the 1940 Act. Such regulation or the inability to meet the requirements to continue operations, would have a material adverse effect on our business and operations.
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The further development and acceptance of digital asset networks and other digital assets, which represent a 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 digital asset systems may adversely affect an investment in us.
Digital assets such as bitcoins, that may be used, among other things, to buy and sell goods and services are a new and rapidly evolving industry of which the digital asset networks are prominent, but not unique, parts. The growth of the digital asset industry in general, and the digital asset networks of bitcoin in particular, are subject to a high degree of uncertainty. The factors affecting the further development of the digital asset industry, as well as the digital asset networks, include:
● | continued worldwide growth in the adoption and use of bitcoins and other digital assets; | |
● | government and quasi-government regulation of bitcoins and other digital assets and their use, or restrictions on or regulation of access to and operation of the digital asset network or similar digital assets systems; | |
● | the maintenance and development of the open-source software protocol of the bitcoin network; | |
● | 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; | |
● | general economic conditions and the regulatory environment relating to digital assets; and | |
● | the impact of regulators focusing on digital assets and digital securities and the costs associated with such regulatory oversight. |
● | A decline in the popularity or acceptance of the digital asset networks of bitcoin, or similar digital asset systems, could adversely affect an investment in us. |
If we acquire digital securities, even unintentionally, we may violate the Investment Company Act of 1940 and incur potential third-party liabilities.
The Company intends to comply with the 1940 Act in all respects. To that end, if holdings of cryptocurrencies are determined to constitute investment securities of a kind that subject the Company to registration and reporting under the 1940 Act, the Company will limit its holdings to less than 40% of its assets. Section 3(a)(1)(C) of the 1940 Act defines “investment company” to mean any issuer that is engaged or proposes to engage in the business of investing, reinvesting, owning, holding, or trading in securities, and owns or proposes to acquire investment securities having a value exceeding 40% of the value of such issuer’s total assets (exclusive of Government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis. Section 3(a)(2) of the 1940 Act defines “investment securities” to include all securities except (A) Government securities, (B) securities issued by employees’ securities companies, and (C) securities issued by majority-owned subsidiaries which (i) are not investment companies and (ii) are not relying on the exception from the definition of investment company in section 3(c)(1) or 3(c)(7) of the 1940 Act. As noted above, the SEC has not stated whether bitcoin and cryptocurrency is an investment security, as defined in the 1940 Act.
COVID-19 or any pandemic, epidemic or outbreak of an infectious disease in the United States or elsewhere may adversely affect our business.
The COVID-19 virus has had unpredictable and unprecedented impacts in the United States and around the world. The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak of COVID-19 as a “pandemic,” or a worldwide spread of a new disease. Many countries around the world have imposed quarantines and restrictions on travel and mass gatherings to slow the spread of the virus. In the United States, federal, state and local governments have enacted restrictions on travel, gatherings, and workplaces, with exceptions made for essential workers and businesses. As of the date of this prospectus, we have not been declared an essential business. As a result, we may be required to substantially reduce or cease operations in response to governmental action or decree as a result of COVID-19. We are still assessing the effect on our business from COVID-19 and any actions implemented by the federal, state and local governments. We have implemented safety protocols to protect our staff, but we cannot offer any assurance that COVID-19 or any other pandemic, epidemic or outbreak of an infectious disease in the United States or elsewhere, will not materially and adversely affect our business.
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If a malicious actor or botnet obtains control in excess of 50% of the processing power active on any digital asset network, including the bitcoin network, it is possible that such actor or botnet could manipulate the blockchain in a manner that adversely affects an investment in us.
If a malicious actor or botnet (a volunteer or hacked collection of computers controlled by networked software coordinating the actions of the computers) obtains a majority of the processing power dedicated to mining on any digital asset network, including the bitcoin network, it may be able to alter the blockchain by constructing alternate blocks if it is able to solve for such blocks faster than the remainder of the miners on the blockchain can add valid blocks. In such alternate blocks, the malicious actor or botnet could control, exclude or modify the ordering of transactions, though it could not generate new digital assets or transactions using such control. Using alternate blocks, the malicious actor could “double-spend” its own digital assets (i.e., spend the same digital assets in more than one transaction) and prevent the confirmation of other users’ transactions for so long as it maintains control. To the extent that such malicious actor or botnet does not yield its majority control of the processing power or the digital asset community does not reject the fraudulent blocks as malicious, reversing any changes made to the blockchain may not be possible. Such changes could adversely affect an investment in us.
The approach towards and possible crossing of the 50% threshold indicate a greater risk that a single mining pool could exert authority over the validation of digital asset transactions. To the extent that the digital assets ecosystems do not act to ensure greater decentralization of digital asset mining processing power, the feasibility of a malicious actor obtaining in excess of 50% of the processing power on any digital asset network (e.g., through control of a large mining pool or through hacking such a mining pool) will increase, which may adversely impact an investment in us.
If the award of digital assets for solving blocks and transaction fees for recording transactions are not sufficiently high to incentivize miners, miners may cease expending hashrate to solve blocks and confirmations of transactions on the blockchain could be slowed temporarily. A reduction in the hashrate expended by miners on any digital asset network could increase the likelihood of a malicious actor obtaining control in excess of fifty percent (50%) of the aggregate hashrate active on such network or the blockchain, potentially permitting such actor to manipulate the blockchain in a manner that adversely affects an investment in us.
Bitcoin miners record transactions when they solve for and add blocks of information to the blockchain. When a miner solves for a block, it creates that block, which includes data relating to (i) the solution to the block, (ii) a reference to the prior block in the blockchain to which the new block is being added and (iii) all transactions that have occurred but have not yet been added to the blockchain. The miner becomes aware of outstanding, unrecorded transactions through the data packet transmission and propagation discussed above. Typically, bitcoin transactions will be recorded in the next chronological block if the spending party has an internet connection and at least one minute has passed between the transaction’s data packet transmission and the solution of the next block. If a transaction is not recorded in the next chronological block, it is usually recorded in the next block thereafter.
As the award of new digital assets for solving blocks declines, and if transaction fees are not sufficiently high, miners may not have an adequate incentive to continue mining and may cease their mining operations. For example, the current fixed reward on the bitcoin network for solving a new block is twelve and a half (12.5) bitcoins per block; the reward decreased from twenty-five (25) bitcoin in July 2016. It is estimated that it will halve again in about four (4) years. This reduction may result in a reduction in the aggregate hashrate of the bitcoin network as the incentive for miners will decrease. Moreover, miners ceasing operations would reduce the aggregate hashrate on the bitcoin network, which would adversely affect the confirmation process for transactions (i.e., temporarily decreasing the speed at which blocks are added to the blockchain until the next scheduled adjustment in difficulty for block solutions) and make the bitcoin network more vulnerable to a malicious actor obtaining control in excess of fifty percent (50%) of the aggregate hashrate on the bitcoin network. Periodically, the bitcoin network has adjusted the difficulty for block solutions so that solution speeds remain in the vicinity of the expected ten (10) minute confirmation time targeted by the bitcoin network protocol.
Marathon believes that from time to time there will be further considerations and adjustments to the bitcoin network, and others regarding the difficulty for block solutions. More significant reductions in aggregate hashrate on digital asset networks could result in material, though temporary, delays in block solution confirmation time. Any reduction in confidence in the confirmation process or aggregate hashrate of any digital asset network may negatively impact the value of digital assets, which will adversely impact an investment in us.
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To the extent that the profit margins of digital asset mining operations are not high, operators of digital asset mining operations are more likely to immediately sell their digital assets earned by mining in the digital asset exchange market, resulting in a reduction in the price of digital assets that could adversely impact an investment in us.
Over the past two years, digital asset mining operations have evolved from individual users mining with computer processors, graphics processing units and first-generation servers. Currently, new processing power brought onto the digital asset networks is predominantly added by incorporated and unincorporated “professionalized” mining operations. Professionalized mining operations may use proprietary hardware or sophisticated machines. They require the investment of significant capital for the acquisition of this hardware, the leasing of operating space (often in data centers or warehousing facilities), incurring of electricity costs and the employment of technicians to operate the mining farms. As a result, professionalized mining operations are of a greater scale than prior miners and have more defined, regular expenses and liabilities. These regular expenses and liabilities require professionalized mining operations to more immediately sell digital assets earned from mining operations on the digital asset exchange market, whereas it is believed that individual miners in past years were more likely to hold newly mined digital assets for more extended periods. The immediate selling of newly mined digital assets greatly increases the supply of digital assets on the digital asset exchange market, creating downward pressure on the price of each digital asset.
The extent to which the value of digital assets mined by a professionalized mining operation exceeds the allocable capital and operating costs determines the profit margin of such operation. A professionalized mining operation may be more likely to sell a higher percentage of its newly mined digital assets rapidly if it is operating at a low profit margin—and it may partially or completely cease operations if its profit margin is negative. In a low profit margin environment, a higher percentage could be sold into the digital asset exchange market more rapidly, thereby potentially reducing digital asset prices. Lower digital asset prices could result in further tightening of profit margins, particularly for professionalized mining operations with higher costs and more limited capital reserves, creating a network effect that may further reduce the price of digital assets until mining operations with higher operating costs become unprofitable and remove mining power from the respective digital asset network. The network effect of reduced profit margins resulting in greater sales of newly mined digital assets could result in a reduction in the price of digital assets that could adversely impact an investment in us.
To the extent that any miners cease to record transactions in solved blocks, transactions that do not include the payment of a transaction fee will not be recorded on the blockchain until a block is solved by a miner who does not require the payment of transaction fees. Any widespread delays in the recording of transactions could result in a loss of confidence in that digital asset network, which could adversely impact an investment in us.
To the extent that any miners cease to record transaction in solved blocks, such transactions will not be recorded on the blockchain. Currently, there are no known incentives for miners to elect to exclude the recording of transactions in solved blocks; however, to the extent that any such incentives arise (e.g., a collective movement among miners or one or more mining pools forcing bitcoin users to pay transaction fees as a substitute for or in addition to the award of new bitcoins upon the solving of a block), actions of miners solving a significant number of blocks could delay the recording and confirmation of transactions on the blockchain. Any systemic delays in the recording and confirmation of transactions on the blockchain could result in greater exposure to double-spending transactions and a loss of confidence in certain or all digital asset networks, which could adversely impact an investment in us.
The acceptance of digital asset network software patches or upgrades by a significant, but not overwhelming, percentage of the users and miners in any digital asset network could result in a “fork” in the respective blockchain, resulting in the operation of two separate networks until such time as the forked blockchains are merged. The temporary or permanent existence of forked blockchains could adversely impact an investment in us.
Digital asset networks are open source projects and, although there is an influential group of leaders in, for example, the bitcoin network community known as the “Core Developers,” there is no official developer or group of developers that formally controls the bitcoin network. Any individual can download the bitcoin network software and make any desired modifications, which are proposed to users and miners on the bitcoin network through software downloads and upgrades, typically posted to the bitcoin development forum on GitHub.com. A substantial majority of miners and bitcoin users must consent to those software modifications by downloading the altered software or upgrade that implements the changes; otherwise, the changes do not become a part of the bitcoin network. Since the bitcoin network’s inception, changes to the bitcoin network have been accepted by the vast majority of users and miners, ensuring that the bitcoin network remains a coherent economic system; however, a developer or group of developers could potentially propose a modification to the bitcoin network that is not accepted by a vast majority of miners and users, but that is nonetheless accepted by a substantial population of participants in the bitcoin network. In such a case, and if the modification is material and/or not backwards compatible with the prior version of bitcoin network software, a fork in the blockchain could develop and two separate bitcoin networks could result, one running the pre-modification software program and the other running the modified version (i.e., a second “bitcoin” network). Such a fork in the blockchain typically would be addressed by community-led efforts to merge the forked blockchains, and several prior forks have been so merged. This kind of split in the bitcoin network could materially and adversely impact an investment in us and, in the worst-case scenario, harm the sustainability of the bitcoin network’s economy.
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Intellectual property rights claims may adversely affect the operation of some or all digital asset networks.
Third parties may assert intellectual property claims relating to the holding and transfer of digital assets and their source code. Regardless of the merit of any intellectual property or other legal action, any threatened action that reduces confidence in some or all digital asset networks’ long-term viability or the ability of end-users to hold and transfer digital assets may adversely affect an investment in us. Additionally, a meritorious intellectual property claim could prevent us and other end-users from accessing some or all digital asset networks or holding or transferring their digital assets. As a result, an intellectual property claim against us or other large digital asset network participants could adversely affect an investment in us.
The digital asset exchanges on which digital assets trade are relatively new and, in most cases, largely unregulated and may therefore be more exposed to fraud and failure than established, regulated exchanges for other products. To the extent that the digital asset exchanges representing a substantial portion of the volume in digital asset trading are involved in fraud or experience security failures or other operational issues, such digital asset exchanges’ failures may result in a reduction in the price of some or all digital assets and can adversely affect an investment in us.
The digital asset exchanges on which the digital assets trade are new and, in most cases, largely unregulated. Furthermore, many digital asset exchanges (including several of the most prominent USD denominated digital asset exchanges) do not provide the public with significant information regarding their ownership structure, management teams, corporate practices or regulatory compliance. As a result, the marketplace may lose confidence in, or may experience problems relating to, digital asset exchanges, including prominent exchanges handling a significant portion of the volume of digital asset trading.
A lack of stability in the digital asset exchange market and the closure or temporary shutdown of digital asset exchanges due to fraud, business failure, hackers or malware, or government-mandated regulation may reduce confidence in the digital asset networks and result in greater volatility in digital asset values. These potential consequences of a digital asset exchange’s failure could adversely affect an investment in us.
Political or economic crises may motivate large-scale sales of digital assets, which could result in a reduction in some or all digital assets’ values and adversely affect an investment in us.
As an alternative to fiat currencies that are backed by central governments, digital assets such as bitcoins, which are relatively new, are subject to supply and demand forces based upon the desirability of an alternative, decentralized means of buying and selling goods and services, and it is unclear how such supply and demand will be impacted by geopolitical events. Nevertheless, political or economic crises may motivate large-scale acquisitions or sales of digital assets either globally or locally. Large-scale sales of digital assets would result in a reduction in their value and could adversely affect an investment in us.
Our ability to adopt technology in response to changing security needs or trends poses a challenge to the safekeeping of our digital assets.
The history of digital asset exchanges has shown that exchanges and large holders of digital assets must adapt to technological change in order to secure and safeguard their digital assets. We rely on Bitgo Inc.’s multi-signature enterprise storage solution to safeguard our digital assets from theft, loss, destruction or other issues relating to hackers and technological attack. Our digital assets will also be moved to various exchanges in order to exchange them for fiat currency during which time we will be relying on the security of such exchanges to safeguard our digital assets. We believe that it may become a more appealing target of security threats as the size of our bitcoin holdings grow. To the extent that either Bitgo Inc. or we are unable to identify and mitigate or stop new security threats, our digital assets may be subject to theft, loss, destruction or other attack, which could adversely affect an investment in us.
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Security threats to us could result in, a loss of our digital assets, or damage to the reputation and our brand, each of which could adversely affect an investment in us.
Security breaches, computer malware and computer hacking attacks have been a prevalent concern in the digital asset exchange markets, for example since the launch of the bitcoin network. Any security breach caused by hacking, which involves efforts to gain unauthorized access to information or systems, or to cause intentional malfunctions or loss or corruption of data, software, hardware or other computer equipment, and the inadvertent transmission of computer viruses, could harm our business operations or result in loss of our digital assets. Any breach of our infrastructure could result in damage to our reputation which could adversely affect an investment in us. Furthermore, we believe that, as our assets grow, it may become a more appealing target for security threats such as hackers and malware.
We primarily rely on Bitgo Inc.’s (https://www.bitgo.com/) multi-signature enterprise storage solution to safeguard its digital assets from theft, loss, destruction or other issues relating to hackers and technological attack. Nevertheless, Bitgo Inc.’s security system may not be impenetrable and may not be free from defect or immune to acts of God, and any loss due to a security breach, software defect or act of God will be borne by the Company. The Company’s digital assets will also be stored with exchanges such as Bitgo, Kraken, Bitfinex, Itbit and Coinbase and others prior to selling them.
The security system and operational infrastructure may be breached due to the actions of outside parties, error or malfeasance of an employee of ours, or otherwise, and, as a result, an unauthorized party may obtain access to our, private keys, data or bitcoins. Additionally, outside parties may attempt to fraudulently induce employees of ours to disclose sensitive information in order to gain access to our infrastructure. As the techniques used to obtain unauthorized access, disable or degrade service, or sabotage systems change frequently, or may be designed to remain dormant until a predetermined event and often are not recognized until launched against a target, we may be unable to anticipate these techniques or implement adequate preventative measures. If an actual or perceived breach of our security system occurs, the market perception of the effectiveness of our security system could be harmed, which could adversely affect an investment in us.
In the event of a security breach, we may be forced to cease operations, or suffer a reduction in assets, the occurrence of each of which could adversely affect an investment in us.
A loss of confidence in our security system, or a breach of our security system, may adversely affect us and the value of an investment in us.
We will take measures to protect us and our digital assets from unauthorized access, damage or theft; however, it is possible that the security system may not prevent the improper access to, or damage or theft of our digital assets. A security breach could harm our reputation or result in the loss of some or all of our digital assets. A resulting perception that our measures do not adequately protect our digital assets could result in a loss of current or potential shareholders, reducing demand for our Common Stock and causing our shares to decrease in value.
Digital Asset transactions are irrevocable and stolen or incorrectly transferred digital assets may be irretrievable. As a result, any incorrectly executed digital asset transactions could adversely affect an investment in us.
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 the respective 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 our transfers of digital assets will regularly be made to or from vendors, consultants, services providers, etc. it is possible that, through computer or human error, or through theft or criminal action, our digital assets could be transferred from us in incorrect amounts or to unauthorized third parties. To the extent that we are unable to seek a corrective transaction with such third party or are incapable of identifying the third party which has received our digital assets through error or theft, we will be unable to revert or otherwise recover incorrectly transferred Company digital assets. To the extent that we are unable to seek redress for such error or theft, such loss could adversely affect an investment in us.
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5 https://www.bitgo.com/
The limited rights of legal recourse against us, and our lack of insurance protection expose us and our shareholders to the risk of loss of our digital assets for which no person is liable.
The digital assets held by us are not insured. Therefore, a loss may be suffered with respect to our digital assets which is not covered by insurance and for which no person is liable in damages which could adversely affect our operations and, consequently, an investment in us.
Digital assets held by us are not subject to FDIC or SIPC protections.
We do not hold our digital assets with a banking institution or a member of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) or the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (“SIPC”) and, therefore, our digital assets are not subject to the protections enjoyed by depositors with FDIC or SIPC member institutions.
We may not have adequate sources of recovery if our digital assets are lost, stolen or destroyed.
If our digital assets are lost, stolen or destroyed under circumstances rendering a party liable to us, the responsible party may not have the financial resources sufficient to satisfy our claim. For example, as to a particular event of loss, the only source of recovery for us might be limited, to the extent identifiable, other responsible third parties (e.g., a thief or terrorist), any of which may not have the financial resources (including liability insurance coverage) to satisfy a valid claim of ours.
The sale of our digital assets to pay expenses at a time of low digital asset prices could adversely affect an investment in us.
We may sell our digital assets to pay expenses on an as-needed basis, irrespective of then-current prices. Consequently, our digital assets may be sold at a time when the prices on the respective digital asset exchange market are low, which could adversely affect an investment in us.
Regulatory changes or actions may restrict the use of bitcoins or the operation of the bitcoin network in a manner that adversely affects an investment in us.
Until recently, little or no regulatory attention has been directed toward bitcoin and the bitcoin network by U.S. federal and state governments, foreign governments and self-regulatory agencies. As bitcoin has grown in popularity and in market size, the Federal Reserve Board, U.S. Congress and certain U.S. agencies (e.g., the CFTC, the Commission, FinCEN and the Federal Bureau of Investigation) have begun to examine the operations of the bitcoin network, bitcoin users and the bitcoin exchange market.
Digital assets currently face an uncertain regulatory landscape in not only the United States but also in many foreign jurisdictions such as the European Union, China and Russia. While certain governments such as Germany, where the Ministry of Finance has declared bitcoin to be “Rechnungseinheiten” (a form of private money that is recognized as a unit of account, but not recognized in the same manner as fiat currency), have issued guidance as to how to treat bitcoin, most regulatory bodies have not yet issued official statements regarding intention to regulate or determinations on regulation of bitcoin, the bitcoin network and bitcoin users.
The effect of any future regulatory change on us, bitcoins, or other digital assets is impossible to predict, but such change could be substantial and adverse to us and could adversely affect an investment in us.
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It may be illegal now, or in the future, to acquire, own, hold, sell or use digital assets in one or more countries, and ownership of, holding or trading in our securities may also be considered illegal and subject to sanction.
Although currently digital assets are not regulated or are lightly regulated in most countries, including the United States, one or more countries such as China and Russia may take regulatory actions in the future that severely restricts the right to acquire, own, hold, sell or use digital assets or to exchange digital assets for fiat currency. Such an action may also result in the restriction of ownership, holding or trading in our securities. Such restrictions may adversely affect an investment in us.
If regulatory changes or interpretations of our activities require our registration as a money services business (“MSB”) under the regulations promulgated by FinCEN under the authority of the U.S. Bank Secrecy Act, we may be required to register and comply with such regulations. If regulatory changes or interpretations of our activities require the licensing or other registration of us as a money transmitter (or equivalent designation) under state law in any state in which we operate, we may be required to seek licensure or otherwise register and comply with such state law. In the event of any such requirement, to the extent Marathon decides to continue, the required registrations, licensure and regulatory compliance steps may result in extraordinary, non-recurring expenses to us. We may also decide to cease Marathon’s operations. Any termination of certain Company operations in response to the changed regulatory circumstances may be at a time that is disadvantageous to investors.
To the extent that the activities of Marathon cause it to be deemed an MSB under the regulations promulgated by FinCEN under the authority of the U.S. Bank Secrecy Act, Marathon may be required to comply with FinCEN regulations, including those that would mandate Marathon to implement anti-money laundering programs, make certain reports to FinCEN and maintain certain records.
To the extent that the activities of Marathon cause it to be deemed a “money transmitter” (“MT”) or equivalent designation, under state law in any state in which Marathon operates, Marathon may be required to seek a license or otherwise register with a state regulator and comply with state regulations that may include the implementation of anti-money laundering programs, maintenance of certain records and other operational requirements. Currently, the NYSDFS has finalized its “BitLicense” framework for businesses that conduct “virtual currency business activity,” the Conference of State Bank Supervisors has proposed a model form of state level “virtual currency” regulation and additional state regulators including those from California, Idaho, Virginia, Kansas, Texas, South Dakota and Washington have made public statements indicating that virtual currency businesses may be required to seek licenses as money transmitters. In July 2016, North Carolina updated the law to define “virtual currency” and the activities that trigger licensure in a business-friendly approach that encourages companies to use virtual currency and blockchain technology. Specifically, the North Carolina law does not require miners or software providers to obtain a license for multi-signature software, smart contract platforms, smart property, colored coins and non-hosted, non-custodial wallets. Starting January 1, 2016, New Hampshire requires anyone who exchanges a digital currency for another currency must become a licensed and bonded money transmitter. In numerous other states, including Connecticut and New Jersey, legislation is being proposed or has been introduced regarding the treatment of bitcoin and other digital assets. Marathon will continue to monitor for developments in such legislation, guidance or regulations.
Such additional federal or state regulatory obligations may cause Marathon to incur extraordinary expenses, possibly affecting an investment in the Shares in a material and adverse manner. Furthermore, Marathon and its service providers may not be capable of complying with certain federal or state regulatory obligations applicable to MSBs and MTs. If Marathon is deemed to be subject to and determines not to comply with such additional regulatory and registration requirements, we may act to dissolve and liquidate Marathon. Any such action may adversely affect an investment in us.
Current interpretations require the regulation of bitcoins under the CEA by the CFTC, we may be required to register and comply with such regulations. To the extent that we decide to continue operations, the required registrations and regulatory compliance steps may result in extraordinary, non-recurring expenses to us. We may also decide to cease certain operations. Any disruption of our operations in response to the changed regulatory circumstances may be at a time that is disadvantageous to investors.
Current and future legislation, CFTC and other regulatory developments, including interpretations released by a regulatory authority, may impact the manner in which bitcoins are treated for classification and clearing purposes. In particular, bitcoin derivatives are not excluded from the definition of “commodity future” by the CFTC. We cannot be certain as to how future regulatory developments will impact the treatment of bitcoins under the law.
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Bitcoins have been deemed to fall within the definition of a commodity and, we may be required to register and comply with additional regulation under the CEA, including additional periodic report and disclosure standards and requirements. Moreover, we may be required to register as a commodity pool operator and to register us as a commodity pool with the CFTC through the National Futures Association. Such additional registrations may result in extraordinary, non-recurring expenses, thereby materially and adversely impacting an investment in us. If we determine not to comply with such additional regulatory and registration requirements, we may seek to cease certain of our operations. Any such action may adversely affect an investment in us. No CFTC orders or rulings are applicable to our business.
If regulatory changes or interpretations require the regulation of bitcoins under the Securities Act and Investment Company Act by the Commission, we may be required to register and comply with such regulations. To the extent that we decide to continue operations, the required registrations and regulatory compliance steps may result in extraordinary, non-recurring expenses to us. We may also decide to cease certain operations. Any disruption of our operations in response to the changed regulatory circumstances may be at a time that is disadvantageous to investors. This would likely have a material adverse effect on us and investors may lose their investment.
Current and future legislation and the Commission rulemaking and other regulatory developments, including interpretations released by a regulatory authority, may impact the manner in which bitcoins are treated for classification and clearing purposes. The Commission’s July 25, 2017 Report expressed its view that digital assets may be securities depending on the facts and circumstances. As of the date of this prospectus, we are not aware of any rules that have been proposed to regulate bitcoins as securities. We cannot be certain as to how future regulatory developments will impact the treatment of bitcoins under the law. Such additional registrations may result in extraordinary, non-recurring expenses, thereby materially and adversely impacting an investment in us. If we determine not to comply with such additional regulatory and registration requirements, we may seek to cease certain of our operations. Any such action may adversely affect an investment in us.
To the extent that digital assets including bitcoins and other digital assets we may own are deemed by the Commission to fall within the definition of a security, we may be required to register and comply with additional regulation under the 1940 Act, including additional periodic reporting and disclosure standards and requirements and the registration of our Company as an investment company. Additionally, one or more states may conclude bitcoins and other digital assets we may own are a security under state securities laws which would require registration under state laws including merit review laws which would adversely impact us since we would likely not comply. As stated earlier in this prospectus, some states including California define the term “investment contract” more strictly than the Commission. Such additional registrations may result in extraordinary, non-recurring expenses of our Company, thereby materially and adversely impacting an investment in our Company. If we determine not to comply with such additional regulatory and registration requirements, we may seek to cease all or certain parts of our operations. Any such action would likely adversely affect an investment in us and investors may suffer a complete loss of their investment.
If federal or state legislatures or agencies initiate or release tax determinations that change the classification of bitcoins as property for tax purposes (in the context of when such bitcoins are held as an investment), such determination could have a negative tax consequence on our Company or our shareholders.
Current IRS guidance indicates that digital assets such as bitcoin should be treated and taxed as property, and that transactions involving the payment of bitcoin for goods and services should be treated as barter transactions. While this treatment creates a potential tax reporting requirement for any circumstance where the ownership of a bitcoin passes from one person to another, usually by means of bitcoin transactions (including off-blockchain transactions), it preserves the right to apply capital gains treatment to those transactions which may adversely affect an investment in our Company.
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The loss or destruction of a private key required to access a digital asset may be irreversible. Our loss of access to our private keys or our experience of a data loss relating to our Company’s digital assets could adversely affect an investment in our Company.
Digital assets are controllable only by the possessor of both the unique public key and private key relating to the local or online digital wallet in which the digital assets are held. We are required by the operation of digital asset networks to publish the public key relating to a digital wallet in use by us when it first verifies a spending transaction from that digital wallet and disseminates such information into the respective network. We safeguard and keep private the private keys relating to our digital assets by primarily utilizing Bitgo Inc.’s enterprise multi-signature storage solution; to the extent a private key is lost, destroyed or otherwise compromised and no backup of the private key is accessible, we will be unable to access the digital assets held by it and the private key will not be capable of being restored by the respective digital asset network. Any loss of private keys relating to digital wallets used to store our digital assets could adversely affect an investment in us.
Because many of our digital assets are held by digital asset exchanges, we face heightened risks from cybersecurity attacks and financial stability of digital asset exchanges.
Marathon may transfer their digital asset from its wallet to digital asset exchanges prior to selling them. Digital assets not held in Marathon’s wallet are subject to the risks encountered by digital asset exchanges including a DDoS Attack or other malicious hacking, a sale of the digital asset exchange, loss of the digital assets by the digital asset exchange and other risks similar to those described herein. Marathon does not maintain a custodian agreement with any of the digital asset exchanges that hold the Marathon’s digital assets. These digital asset exchanges do not provide insurance and may lack the resources to protect against hacking and theft. If this were to occur, Marathon may be materially and adversely affected.
If the award of digital assets for solving blocks and transaction fees for recording transactions are not sufficiently high to cover expenses related to running data center operations, it may have adverse effects on an investment in us.
If the award of new digital assets for solving blocks declines and transaction fees are not sufficiently high, we may not have an adequate incentive to continue our mining operations, which may adversely impact an investment in us.
As the number of digital assets awarded for solving a block in the blockchain decreases, the incentive for miners to continue to contribute processing power to the respective digital asset network will transition from a set reward to transaction fees. Either the requirement from miners of higher transaction fees in exchange for recording transactions in the blockchain or a software upgrade that automatically charges fees for all transactions may decrease demand for digital assets and prevent the expansion of the digital asset networks to retail merchants and commercial businesses, resulting in a reduction in the price of digital assets that could adversely impact an investment in us.
In order to incentivize miners to continue to contribute processing power to any digital asset network, such network may either formally or informally transition from a set reward to transaction fees earned upon solving for a block. This transition could be accomplished either by miners independently electing to record in the blocks they solve only those transactions that include payment of a transaction fee or by the digital asset network adopting software upgrades that require the payment of a minimum transaction fee for all transactions. If transaction fees paid for digital asset transactions become too high, the marketplace may be reluctant to accept digital assets as a means of payment and existing users may be motivated to switch from one digital asset to another digital asset or back to fiat currency. Decreased use and demand for bitcoins that we have accumulated may adversely affect their value and may adversely impact an investment in us.
Fluctuations in the price of bitcoin may significantly influence the market price of our common stock
To the extent investors view the value of our common stock as linked to the value or change in the value of our bitcoin, fluctuations in the price of bitcoin may significantly influence the market price of our common stock.
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Our bitcoin holdings could subject us to regulatory scrutiny
As noted above, several bitcoin investment vehicles have attempted to list their shares on a U.S. national securities exchange to permit them to function in the manner of an ETF with continuous share creation and redemption at NAV. To date the SEC has declined to approve any such listing, citing concerns over the surveillance of trading in markets for the underlying bitcoin as well as concerns about fraud and manipulation in bitcoin trading markets. Even though we do not function in the manner of an ETF and do not offer continuous share creation and redemption at NAV, it is possible that we nevertheless could face regulatory scrutiny from the SEC, as a company with securities traded on The Nasdaq Global Select Market.
In addition, as digital assets, including bitcoin, have grown in popularity and market size, there has been increasing focus on the extent to which digital assets can be used to launder the proceeds of illegal activities or fund criminal or terrorist activities, or entities subject to sanctions regimes. While we have implemented and maintain policies and procedures reasonably designed to promote compliance with applicable anti-money laundering and sanctions laws and regulations and take care to only acquire our bitcoin through entities subject to anti money laundering regulation and related compliance rules in the United States, if we are found to have purchased any of our bitcoin from bad actors that have used bitcoin to launder money or persons subject to sanctions, we may be subject to regulatory proceedings and further transactions or dealings in bitcoin may be restricted or prohibited.
Due to the unregulated nature and lack of transparency surrounding the operations of many bitcoin trading venues, they may experience fraud, security failures or operational problems, which may adversely affect the value of our bitcoin
Bitcoin trading venues are relatively new and, in some cases, unregulated. Furthermore, there are many bitcoin trading venues which 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 bitcoin trading venues, including prominent exchanges that handle a significant volume of bitcoin trading.
Negative perception, a lack of stability in the broader bitcoin markets and the closure or temporary shutdown of bitcoin trading venues due to fraud, business failure, hackers or malware, or government-mandated regulation may reduce confidence in bitcoin and result in greater volatility in the prices of bitcoin. To the extent investors view our common stock as linked to the value of our bitcoin holdings, these potential consequences of a bitcoin trading venue’s failure could have a material adverse effect on the market value of our common stock.
The price of bitcoin may be influenced by regulatory, commercial, and technical factors that are highly uncertain
Bitcoin and other digital assets are relatively novel and are subject to various risks and uncertainties that may adversely impact their price. For example, the application of securities laws and other regulations to such assets is unclear in certain respects, and it is possible that regulators in the United States or foreign countries may create new regulations or interpret laws in a manner that adversely affects the price of bitcoin. The growth of the digital assets industry in general, and the use and acceptance of bitcoin in particular, may also impact the price of bitcoin and is subject to a high degree of uncertainty. The pace of worldwide growth in the adoption and use of bitcoin may depend, for instance, on public familiarity with digital assets, ease of buying and accessing bitcoin, institutional demand for bitcoin as an investment asset, consumer demand for bitcoin as a means of payment, and the availability and popularity of alternatives to bitcoin. Even if growth in bitcoin adoption occurs in the near or medium-term, there is no assurance that bitcoin usage will continue to grow over the long-term. Because bitcoin has no physical existence beyond the record of transactions on the Bitcoin blockchain, a variety of technical factors related to the Bitcoin blockchain could also impact the price of bitcoin. For example, malicious attacks by “miners” who validate bitcoin transactions, inadequate mining fees to incentivize validating of bitcoin transactions, hard “forks” of the Bitcoin blockchain into multiple blockchains, and advances in quantum computing could undercut the integrity of the Bitcoin blockchain and negatively affect the price of bitcoin. The liquidity of bitcoin may also be reduced and damage to the public perception of bitcoin may occur, if financial institutions were to deny banking services to businesses that hold bitcoin, provide bitcoin-related services or accept bitcoin as payment, which could also decrease the price of bitcoin.
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If we or our third-party service providers experience a security breach or cyberattack and unauthorized parties obtain access to our bitcoin, we may lose some or all of our bitcoin and our financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected
Security breaches and cyberattacks are of particular concern with respect to our bitcoin. Bitcoin and other blockchain-based cryptocurrencies have been, and may in the future be, subject to security breaches, cyberattacks, or other malicious activities. A successful security breach or cyberattack could result in a partial or total loss of our bitcoin in a manner that may not be covered by insurance or indemnity provisions of the custody agreement with a custodian who holds our bitcoin. Such a loss could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
Regulatory change reclassifying bitcoin as a security could lead to our classification as an “investment company” under the Investment Company Act of 1940 and could adversely affect the market price of bitcoin and the market price of our common stock.
While senior SEC officials have stated their view that bitcoin is not a “security” for purposes of the federal securities laws, the SEC has so far refused to permit the listing of any bitcoin-based exchange traded funds, citing, among other things, concerns regarding bitcoin market integrity and custodial protections. It is possible that the SEC could take a contrary position to the one taken by its senior officials or a federal court could conclude that bitcoin is a security. Such a determination could lead to our classification as an “investment company” under the Investment Company Act of 1940, which would subject us to significant additional regulatory controls that could have a material adverse effect on our business and operations and also may require us to substantially change the manner in which we conduct our business.
In addition, if bitcoin is determined to constitute a security for purposes of the federal securities laws, the additional regulatory restrictions imposed by those laws could adversely affect the market price of bitcoin and in turn adversely affect the market price of our common stock.
Variability in intellectual property laws may adversely affect our intellectual property position.
Intellectual property laws, and patent laws and regulations in particular, have been subject to significant variability either through administrative or legislative changes to such laws or regulations or changes or differences in judicial interpretation, and it is expected that such variability will continue to occur. Additionally, intellectual property laws and regulations differ among states, and countries. Variations in the patent laws and regulations or in interpretations of patent laws and regulations in the United States and other countries may diminish the value of our intellectual property and may change the impact of third-party intellectual property on us. Accordingly, we cannot predict the scope of patents that may be granted to us, the extent to which we will be able to enforce our patents against third parties, or the extent to which third parties may be able to enforce their patents against us.
We may seek to internally develop additional new inventions and intellectual property, which would take time and be costly. Moreover, the failure to obtain or maintain intellectual property rights for such inventions would lead to the loss of our investments in such activities.
We may in the future seek to engage in commercial business ventures or seek internal development of new inventions or intellectual property. These activities would require significant amounts of financial, managerial and other resources and would take time to achieve. Such activities could also distract our management team from its present business initiatives, which could have a material and adverse effect on our business. There is also the risk that such initiatives may not yield any viable new business or revenue, inventions or technology, which would lead to a loss of our investment in such activities.
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In addition, even if we are able to internally develop new inventions, in order for those inventions to be viable and to compete effectively, we would need to develop and maintain, and we would be heavily reliant upon, a proprietary position with respect to such inventions and intellectual property. However, there are significant risks associated with any such intellectual property we may develop principally including the following:
● | patent applications we may file may not result in issued patents or may take longer than we expect to result in issued patents; | |
● | we may be subject to interference proceedings; | |
● | we may be subject to opposition proceedings in the U.S. or foreign countries; | |
● | any patents that are issued to us may not provide meaningful protection; | |
● | we may not be able to develop additional proprietary technologies that are patentable; | |
● | other companies may challenge patents issued to us; | |
● | other companies may have independently developed and/or patented (or may in the future independently develop and patent) similar or alternative technologies, or duplicate our technologies; | |
● | other companies may design around technologies we have developed; and | |
● | enforcement of our patents would be complex, uncertain and very expensive. |
We cannot be certain that patents will be issued as a result of any future patent applications, or that any of our patents, once issued, will provide us with adequate protection from competing products. For example, issued patents may be circumvented or challenged, declared invalid or unenforceable or narrowed in scope. In addition, since publication of discoveries in scientific or patent literature often lags behind actual discoveries, we cannot be certain that we will be the first to make our additional new inventions or to file patent applications covering those inventions. It is also possible that others may have or may obtain issued patents that could prevent us from commercializing our products or require us to obtain licenses requiring the payment of significant fees or royalties in order to enable us to conduct our business. As to those patents that we may acquire, our continued rights will depend on meeting any obligations to the seller and we may be unable to do so. Our failure to obtain or maintain intellectual property rights for our inventions would lead to the loss of our investments in such activities, which would have a material adverse effect on us.
Moreover, patent application delays could cause delays in recognizing revenue from our internally generated patents and could cause us to miss opportunities to license patents before other competing technologies are developed or introduced into the market. We are not actively pursuing any commercialization opportunities or internally generated patents.
Our future success depends on our ability to expand our organization to match the growth of our activities.
As our operations grow, the administrative demands upon us will grow, and our success will depend upon our ability to meet those demands. We are organized as a holding company, with numerous subsidiaries. Both the parent company and each of our subsidiaries require certain financial, managerial and other resources, which could create challenges to our ability to successfully manage our subsidiaries and operations and impact our ability to assure compliance with our policies, practices and procedures. These demands include, but are not limited to, increased executive, accounting, management, legal services, staff support and general office services. We may need to hire additional qualified personnel to meet these demands, the cost and quality of which is dependent in part upon market factors outside of our control. Further, we will need to effectively manage the training and growth of our staff to maintain an efficient and effective workforce, and our failure to do so could adversely affect our business and operating results. Currently, we have limited personnel in our organization to meet our organizational and administrative demands.
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Risks Relating to Marathon’s Stock
Exercise or conversion of warrants and other convertible securities will dilute shareholder’s percentage of ownership.
We have issued convertible securities, options and warrants to purchase shares of our Common Stock to our officers, directors, consultants and certain shareholders. In the future, we may grant additional options, warrants and convertible securities. The exercise, conversion or exchange of options, warrants or convertible securities, including for other securities, will dilute the percentage ownership of our shareholders. The dilutive effect of the exercise or conversion of these securities may adversely affect our ability to obtain additional capital. The holders of these securities may be expected to exercise or convert such options, warrants and convertible securities at a time when we would be able to obtain additional equity capital on terms more favorable than such securities or when our Common Stock is trading at a price higher than the exercise or conversion price of the securities. The exercise or conversion of outstanding warrants, options and convertible securities will have a dilutive effect on the securities held by our shareholders. We have in the past, and may in the future, exchange outstanding securities for other securities on terms that are dilutive to the securities held by other shareholders not participating in such exchange.
Our Common Stock may be delisted from The Nasdaq Capital Market (“Nasdaq”) if we fail to comply with continued listing standards.
Our Common Stock is currently traded on Nasdaq under the symbol “MARA”. If we fail to meet any of the continued listing standards of Nasdaq, our Common Stock could be delisted from Nasdaq. The continued listing standards include specifically enumerated criteria, such as:
● | a $1.00 minimum closing bid price; | |
● | stockholders’ equity of $2.5 million; | |
● | 500,000 shares of publicly-held Common Stock with a market value of at least $1 million; | |
● | 300 round-lot stockholders; and | |
● | compliance with Nasdaq’s corporate governance requirements, as well as additional or more stringent criteria that may be applied in the exercise of Nasdaq’s discretionary authority. |
Our stock price may be volatile.
The market price of our Common Stock is likely to be highly volatile and could fluctuate widely in price in response to various factors, many of which are beyond our control, including the following:
● | changes in our industry including changes which adversely affect bitcoin and other digital assets; | |
● | competitive pricing pressures; | |
● | our ability to obtain working capital financing; | |
● | additions or departures of key personnel; | |
● | sales of our Common Stock; | |
● | our ability to execute our business plan; | |
● | operating results that fall below expectations; | |
● | loss of any strategic relationship; | |
● | regulatory developments; and | |
● | economic and other external factors. |
In addition, the securities markets have from time to time experienced significant price and volume fluctuations that are unrelated to the operating performance of particular companies. These market fluctuations may also materially and adversely affect the market price of our Common Stock.
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We have never paid nor do we expect in the near future to pay cash dividends.
We have never paid cash dividends on our capital stock and do not anticipate paying any cash dividends on our Common Stock for the foreseeable future. While it is possible that we may declare a dividend after a large settlement, investors should not rely on such a possibility, nor should they rely on an investment in us if they require income generated from dividends paid on our capital stock. Any income derived from our Common Stock would only come from rise in the market price of our Common Stock, which is uncertain and unpredictable.
Offers or availability for sale of a substantial number of shares of our Common Stock may cause the price of our Common Stock to decline.
If our stockholders sell substantial amounts of our Common Stock in the public market upon the expiration of any statutory holding period or lockup agreements, under Rule 144, or issued upon the exercise of outstanding warrants or other convertible securities, it could create a circumstance commonly referred to as an “overhang” and in anticipation of which the market price of our Common Stock could fall. The existence of an overhang, whether or not sales have occurred or are occurring, also could make more difficult our ability to raise additional financing through the sale of equity or equity-related securities in the future at a time and price that we deem reasonable or appropriate. The shares of our restricted Common Stock will be freely tradable upon the earlier of: (i) effectiveness of a registration statement covering such shares and (ii) the date on which such shares may be sold without registration pursuant to Rule 144 (or other applicable exemption) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (“Securities Act”).
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This prospectus contains forward-looking statements. Such statements include statements regarding our expectations, hopes, beliefs or intentions regarding the future, including but not limited to statements regarding our market, strategy, competition, development plans (including acquisitions and expansion), financing, revenues, operations, and compliance with applicable laws. Forward-looking statements involve certain risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially from those discussed in any such statement. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking statements include the risks described in greater detail in the following paragraphs. All forward-looking statements in this document are made as of the date hereof, based on information available to us as of the date hereof, and we assume no obligation to update any forward-looking statement. Market data used throughout this prospectus is based on published third party reports or the good faith estimates of management, which estimates are based upon their review of internal surveys, independent industry publications and other publicly available information.
You should review carefully the section entitled “Risk Factors” within this prospectus for a discussion of these and other risks that relate to our business and investing in shares of our Common Stock.
All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this prospectus. We disclaim any obligation to update or revise these statements unless required by law, and you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Although we believe that our plans, intentions and expectations reflected in or suggested by the forward-looking statements we make in this prospectus are reasonable, we can give no assurance that these plans, intentions or expectations will be achieved. We disclose important factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from our expectations under “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this prospectus. These cautionary statements qualify all forward-looking statements attributable to us or persons acting on our behalf.
RATIO OF EARNINGS TO FIXED CHARGES
If we offer debt securities and/or preference equity securities under this prospectus, we will, if required at that time, provide a ratio of earnings to fixed charges and/or ratio of earnings to combined fixed charges and preference dividends to earnings, respectively, in the applicable prospectus supplement for such offering.
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Unless otherwise indicated in a prospectus supplement, We intend to use to use a substantial portion of the net proceeds to purchase additional Bitcoin Mining servers. The remaining proceeds will be used for general corporate purposes. We will set forth in a prospectus supplement relating to a specific offering any intended use for the net proceeds received from the sale of securities in that offering. We will have significant discretion in the use of any net proceeds. Investors will be relying on the judgment of our management regarding the application of the proceeds of any sale of securities. We may invest the net proceeds temporarily until we use them for their stated purpose, as applicable.
General
We are authorized to issue 200,000,000 shares of common stock, at $0.0001 par value per share. As of February 9, 2022, we have 102,948,569 shares of our common stock issued and outstanding.
Holders of the Company’s common stock are entitled to one vote for each share on all matters submitted to a stockholder vote. Holders of common stock do not have cumulative voting rights. Therefore, holders of a majority of the shares of common stock voting for the election of directors can elect all of the directors. Holders of the Company’s common stock representing a third of the voting power of the Company’s capital stock issued, outstanding and entitled to vote, represented in person or by proxy, are necessary to constitute a quorum at any meeting of stockholders. A vote by the holders of a majority of the Company’s outstanding shares is required to effectuate certain fundamental corporate changes such as liquidation, merger or an amendment to the Company’s certificate of incorporation.
Holders of the Company’s common stock are entitled to share in all dividends that the board of directors, in its discretion, declares from legally available funds. In the event of a liquidation, dissolution or winding up, each outstanding share entitles its holder to participate pro rata in all assets that remain after payment of liabilities and after providing for each class of stock, if any, having preference over the common stock. The Company’s common stock has no pre-emptive rights, no conversion rights and there are no redemption provisions applicable to the Company’s common stock.
Transfer Agent and Registrar
The transfer agent and registrar for our common stock is Equity Stock Transfer, Inc., NY, NY.
Listing
Our common stock is currently traded on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “MARA.”
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED STOCK
General
The Company’s articles of incorporation authorize the issuance of 50,000,000 shares of “blank check” preferred stock, $0.0001 par value per share, in one or more series, of which no series or shares were outstanding as of September 30, 2020, subject to any limitations prescribed by law, without further vote or action by the stockholders. Each such series of preferred stock shall have such number of shares, designations, preferences, voting powers, qualifications, and special or relative rights or privileges as shall be determined by our board of directors, which may include, among others, dividend rights, voting rights, liquidation preferences, conversion rights and preemptive rights.
Preferred stock is available for possible future financings or acquisitions and for general corporate purposes without further authorization of stockholders unless such authorization is required by applicable law, the rules of the Nasdaq Capital Market or other securities exchange or market on which our stock is then listed or admitted to trading.
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Our board of directors may authorize the issuance of preferred stock with voting or conversion rights that could adversely affect the voting power or other rights of the holders of common stock. The issuance of preferred stock, while providing flexibility in connection with possible acquisitions and other corporate purposes could, under some circumstances, have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control of the Company.
A prospectus supplement relating to any series of preferred stock being offered will include specific terms relating to the offering. Such prospectus supplement will include:
● | the title and stated or par value of the preferred stock; | |
● | the number of shares of the preferred stock offered, the liquidation preference per share and the offering price of the preferred stock; | |
● | the dividend rate(s), period(s) and/or payment date(s) or method(s) of calculation thereof applicable to the preferred stock; | |
● | whether dividends shall be cumulative or non-cumulative and, if cumulative, the date from which dividends on the preferred stock shall accumulate; | |
● | the provisions for a sinking fund, if any, for the preferred stock; | |
● | any voting rights of the preferred stock; | |
● | the provisions for redemption, if applicable, of the preferred stock; | |
● | any listing of the preferred stock on any securities exchange; | |
● | the terms and conditions, if applicable, upon which the preferred stock will be convertible into our common stock, including the conversion price or the manner of calculating the conversion price and conversion period; | |
● | if appropriate, a discussion of Federal income tax consequences applicable to the preferred stock; | |
● | and any other specific terms, preferences, rights, limitations or restrictions of the preferred stock. |
The terms, if any, on which the preferred stock may be convertible into or exchangeable for our common stock will also be stated in the preferred stock prospectus supplement. The terms will include provisions as to whether conversion or exchange is mandatory, at the option of the holder or at our option, and may include provisions pursuant to which the number of shares of our common stock to be received by the holders of preferred stock would be subject to adjustment.
We may issue warrants for the purchase of preferred stock or common stock. Warrants may be issued independently or together with any preferred stock or common stock, and may be attached to or separate from any offered securities. Each series of warrants will be issued under a separate warrant agreement to be entered into between a warrant agent specified in the agreement and us. The warrant agent will act solely as our agent in connection with the warrants of that series and will not assume any obligation or relationship of agency or trust for or with any holders or beneficial owners of warrants. This summary of some provisions of the securities warrants is not complete. You should refer to the securities warrant agreement, including the forms of securities warrant certificate representing the securities warrants, relating to the specific securities warrants being offered for the complete terms of the securities warrant agreement and the securities warrants. The securities warrant agreement, together with the terms of the securities warrant certificate and securities warrants, will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission in connection with the offering of the specific warrants.
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The applicable prospectus supplement will describe the following terms, where applicable, of the warrants in respect of which this prospectus is being delivered:
● | the title of the warrants; | |
● | the aggregate number of the warrants; | |
● | the price or prices at which the warrants will be issued; | |
● | the designation, amount and terms of the offered securities purchasable upon exercise of the warrants; | |
● | if applicable, the date on and after which the warrants and the offered securities purchasable upon exercise of the warrants will be separately transferable; | |
● | the terms of the securities purchasable upon exercise of such warrants and the procedures and conditions relating to the exercise of such warrants; |
● | any provisions for adjustment of the number or amount of securities receivable upon exercise of the warrants or the exercise price of the warrants; | |
● | the price or prices at which and currency or currencies in which the offered securities purchasable upon exercise of the warrants may be purchased; | |
● | the date on which the right to exercise the warrants shall commence and the date on which the right shall expire; | |
● | the minimum or maximum amount of the warrants that may be exercised at any one time; | |
● | information with respect to book-entry procedures, if any; | |
● | if appropriate, a discussion of Federal income tax consequences; and | |
● | any other material terms of the warrants, including terms, procedures and limitations relating to the exchange and exercise of the warrants. |
Warrants for the purchase of common stock or preferred stock will be offered and exercisable for U.S. dollars only. Warrants will be issued in registered form only.
Upon receipt of payment and the warrant certificate properly completed and duly executed at the corporate trust office of the warrant agent or any other office indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, we will, as soon as practicable, forward the purchased securities. If less than all of the warrants represented by the warrant certificate are exercised, a new warrant certificate will be issued for the remaining warrants.
Prior to the exercise of any securities warrants to purchase preferred stock or common stock, holders of the warrants will not have any of the rights of holders of the common stock or preferred stock purchasable upon exercise, including in the case of securities warrants for the purchase of common stock or preferred stock, the right to vote or to receive any payments of dividends on the preferred stock or common stock purchasable upon exercise.
As specified in the applicable prospectus supplement, we may issue units consisting of shares of common stock, shares of preferred stock or warrants or any combination of such securities.
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The applicable prospectus supplement will specify the following terms of any units in respect of which this prospectus is being delivered:
● | the terms of the units and of any of the common stock, preferred stock and warrants comprising the units, including whether and under what circumstances the securities comprising the units may be traded separately; | |
● | a description of the terms of any unit agreement governing the units; and | |
● | a description of the provisions for the payment, settlement, transfer or exchange of the units. |
We may sell the securities offered through this prospectus (i) to or through underwriters or dealers, (ii) directly to purchasers, including our affiliates, (iii) through agents, (iv) via so called “at-the-market” or “ATM” offerings, or (v) through a combination of any of these methods. The securities may be distributed at a fixed price or prices, which may be changed, market prices prevailing at the time of sale, prices related to the prevailing market prices, or negotiated prices. The prospectus supplement will include the following information:
● | the terms of the offering; | |
● | the names of any underwriters or agents; | |
● | the name or names of any managing underwriter or underwriters; | |
● | the purchase price of the securities; | |
● | any over-allotment options under which underwriters may purchase additional securities from us; | |
● | the net proceeds from the sale of the securities; | |
● | any delayed delivery arrangements; | |
● | any underwriting discounts, commissions and other items constituting underwriters’ compensation; | |
● | any initial public offering price; | |
● | any discounts or concessions allowed or reallowed or paid to dealers; | |
● | any commissions paid to agents; and | |
● | any securities exchange or market on which the securities may be listed. |
Agents, underwriters, and dealers may be entitled, under agreements entered into with us, to indemnification by us against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. Our agents, underwriters, and dealers, or their affiliates, may be customers of, engage in transactions with or perform services for us, in the ordinary course of business.
Sale through Underwriters or Dealers
Only underwriters named in the prospectus supplement are underwriters of the securities offered by the prospectus supplement.
If underwriters are used in the sale, the underwriters will acquire the securities for their own account, including through underwriting, purchase, security lending or repurchase agreements with us. The underwriters may resell the securities from time to time in one or more transactions, including negotiated transactions. Underwriters may sell the securities in order to facilitate transactions in any of our other securities (described in this prospectus or otherwise), including other public or private transactions and short sales. Underwriters may offer securities to the public either through underwriting syndicates represented by one or more managing underwriters or directly by one or more firms acting as underwriters. Unless otherwise indicated in the prospectus supplement, the obligations of the underwriters to purchase the securities will be subject to certain conditions, and the underwriters will be obligated to purchase all the offered securities if they purchase any of them. The underwriters may change from time to time any initial public offering price and any discounts or concessions allowed or reallowed or paid to dealers.
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If dealers are used in the sale of securities offered through this prospectus, we will sell the securities to them as principals. They may then resell those securities to the public at varying prices determined by the dealers at the time of resale. The prospectus supplement will include the names of the dealers and the terms of the transaction.
Direct Sales and Sales through Agents
We may sell the securities offered through this prospectus directly. In this case, no underwriters or agents would be involved. Such securities may also be sold through agents designated from time to time. The prospectus supplement will name any agent involved in the offer or sale of the offered securities and will describe any commissions payable to the agent. Unless otherwise indicated in the prospectus supplement, any agent will agree to use its reasonable best efforts to solicit purchases for the period of its appointment.
We may sell the securities directly to institutional investors or others who may be deemed to be underwriters within the meaning of the Securities Act with respect to any sale of those securities. The terms of any such sales will be described in the prospectus supplement.
Delayed Delivery Contracts
If the prospectus supplement indicates, we may authorize agents, underwriters or dealers to solicit offers from certain types of institutions to purchase securities at the public offering price under delayed delivery contracts. These contracts would provide for payment and delivery on a specified date in the future. The contracts would be subject only to those conditions described in the prospectus supplement. The applicable prospectus supplement will describe the commission payable for solicitation of those contracts.
Continuous Offering Program
Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, we may enter into a continuous offering program equity distribution agreement with a broker-dealer, under which we may offer and sell shares of our common stock from time to time through a broker-dealer as our sales agent. If we enter into such a program, sales of the shares of common stock, if any, will be made by means of ordinary brokers’ transactions on the Nasdaq Capital Market at market prices, block transactions and such other transactions as agreed upon by us and the broker-dealer. Under the terms of such a program, we also may sell shares of common stock to the broker-dealer, as principal for its own account at a price agreed upon at the time of sale. If we sell shares of common stock to such broker-dealer as principal, we will enter into a separate agreement with such broker-dealer, and we will describe this agreement in a separate prospectus supplement or pricing supplement.
Market Making, Stabilization and Other Transactions
Unless the applicable prospectus supplement states otherwise, other than our common stock all securities we offer under this prospectus will be a new issue and will have no established trading market. We may elect to list offered securities on an exchange or in the over-the-counter market. Any underwriters that we use in the sale of offered securities may make a market in such securities, but may discontinue such market making at any time without notice. Therefore, we cannot assure you that the securities will have a liquid trading market.
Any underwriter may also engage in stabilizing transactions, syndicate covering transactions and penalty bids in accordance with Rule 104 under the Exchange Act. Stabilizing transactions involve bids to purchase the underlying security in the open market for the purpose of pegging, fixing or maintaining the price of the securities. Syndicate covering transactions involve purchases of the securities in the open market after the distribution has been completed in order to cover syndicate short positions.
Penalty bids permit the underwriters to reclaim a selling concession from a syndicate member when the securities originally sold by the syndicate member are purchased in a syndicate covering transaction to cover syndicate short positions. Stabilizing transactions, syndicate covering transactions and penalty bids may cause the price of the securities to be higher than it would be in the absence of the transactions. The underwriters may, if they commence these transactions, discontinue them at any time.
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The validity of the issuance of the securities offered by this prospectus will be passed upon for us by Jolie Kahn, Esq. of New York, NY. If certain legal matters in connection with an offering of the securities covered by this prospectus and a related prospectus supplement are passed upon by counsel for the underwriters, if any, of such offering, that counsel will be named in the related prospectus supplement for such offering.
The consolidated balance sheets of Marathon Digital Holdings, Inc. as of December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, and the related consolidated statements of operations stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for the years then ended have been audited by RBSM LLP, as stated in their report, which is incorporated herein by reference. Such consolidated financial statements are incorporated herein by reference in reliance upon such report given on the authority of such firm as experts in accounting and auditing.
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
We file annual, quarterly and special reports, along with other information with the SEC. Our SEC filings are available to the public over the Internet at the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. You may also read and copy any document we file at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, NE, Washington, D.C. 20549. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information on the Public Reference Room. Our SEC filings are also available on our website, https://ir.marathondh.com/under the heading “Investors.” The information on this website is expressly not incorporated by reference into, and does not constitute a part of, this prospectus.
This prospectus is part of a registration statement on Form S-3 that we filed with the SEC to register the securities offered hereby under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. This prospectus does not contain all of the information included in the registration statement, including certain exhibits and schedules. You may obtain the registration statement and exhibits to the registration statement from the SEC at the address listed above or from the SEC’s internet site.
INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE
This prospectus is part of a registration statement filed with the SEC. The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” into this prospectus the information that we file with them, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those documents. The information incorporated by reference is considered to be part of this prospectus, and information that we file later with the SEC will automatically update and supersede this information. The following documents are incorporated by reference and made a part of this prospectus:
● | Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 filed on March 16, 2021 and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2021 (and as amended), June 30, 2021 and September 30, 2021, filed on May 10 and 12, 2021, August 13, 2021 and November 15, 2021, respectively; | |
● | Our Definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A and accompanying additional proxy materials filed with the SEC on June 16, 2021; | |
● | Current Reports on Form 8-K (excluding any reports or portions thereof that are deemed to be furnished and not filed) filed on January 7, 2021, January 15, 2021, January 15, 2021, January 22, 2021, January 26, 2021, March 16, 2021, March 30, 2021, April 30, 2021, May 26, 2021, May 27, 2021, July 19, 2021, July 22, 2021, August 4, 2021, August 11, 2021, August 19, 2021, September 2, 2021, September 9, 2021, September 16, 2021, October 7, 2021, November 15, 2021, November 18, 2021, November 19, 2021, November 24, 2021, December 6, 2021, December 21, 2021, December 28, 2021 and January 3, 2022; and | |
● | Our registration statement on Form 8-A filed on April 12, 2012 and July 22, 2014. |
We also incorporate by reference all additional documents that we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the terms of Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act that are made after the date of the initial registration statement but prior to effectiveness of the registration statement and after the date of this prospectus but prior to the termination of the offering of the securities covered by this prospectus. We are not, however, incorporating, in each case, any documents or information that we are deemed to furnish and not file in accordance with Securities and Exchange Commission rules.
You may request, and we will provide you with, a copy of these filings, at no cost, by calling us at (702) 945-2773 or by writing to us at the following address:
Marathon Digital Holdings, Inc. 1180 North Town Center Drive, Suite 100 Las Vegas, NV 89114 |
40 |
$750,000,000
Common Stock
Preferred Stock
Warrants
Units
MARATHON DIGITAL HOLDINGS, INC.
Prospectus
February 11, 2022
PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT
(To prospectus dated February 11, 2022)
$750,000,000
MARATHON DIGITAL HOLDINGS, INC.
Common Stock
We have entered into an At The Market Offering Agreement, or sales agreement, with H.C. Wainwright & Co., LLC, or Wainwright, relating to shares of our common stock offered by this prospectus supplement. In accordance with the terms of the sales agreement, we may offer and sell shares of our common stock having an aggregate offering price of up to $750,000,000 from time to time through Wainwright acting as our sales agent pursuant to this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus.
Our common stock is traded on the Nasdaq Capital Market, or Nasdaq, under the symbol “MARA.” The last reported sale price of our common stock on February 9, 2022 was $28.99 per share.
Sales of our common stock, if any, under this prospectus supplement will be made by any method permitted that is deemed an “at the market offering” as defined in Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, including sales made directly on or through Nasdaq or any other existing trading market in the United States for our common stock, sales made to or through a market maker other than on an exchange or otherwise, directly to Wainwright as principal, in negotiated transactions at market prices prevailing at the time of sale or at prices related to such prevailing market prices and/or in any other method permitted by law. If we and Wainwright agree on any method of distribution other than sales of shares of our common stock on or through Nasdaq or another existing trading market in the United States at market prices, we will file a further prospectus supplement providing all information about such offering as required by Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act. Wainwright is not required to sell any specific number or dollar amount of securities, but will act as our sales agent using commercially reasonable efforts consistent with its normal trading and sales practices. There is no arrangement for funds to be received in any escrow, trust or similar arrangement.
Wainwright will be entitled to compensation at a commission rate equal to 3.0% of the gross sales price per share sold. In connection with the sale of the common stock on our behalf, Wainwright will be deemed to be an “underwriter” within the meaning of the Securities Act and the compensation of Wainwright will be deemed to be underwriting commissions or discounts. We have also agreed to provide indemnification and contribution to Wainwright with respect to certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act.
Investing in our securities involves significant risks. Please read the information contained in or incorporated by reference under the heading “Risk Factors” beginning on page S-17 of this prospectus supplement, and under similar headings in other documents filed after the date hereof and incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities, or determined if this prospectus is accurate or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
H.C. WAINWRIGHT & CO.
The date of this prospectus supplement is February 11, 2022
Prospectus Supplement
Page | |
ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT | S-1 |
PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT SUMMARY | S-2 |
THE OFFERING | S-16 |
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS | S-17 |
RISK FACTORS | S-17 |
USE OF PROCEEDS | S-18 |
DIVIDEND POLICY | S-19 |
DILUTION | S-19 |
PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION | S-20 |
LEGAL MATTERS | S-20 |
EXPERTS | S-20 |
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION | S-21 |
INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE | S-21 |
ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT
This document is part of the registration statement that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, using a “shelf” registration process and consists of two parts. The first part is this prospectus supplement, which describes the specific terms of this offering. The second part, the accompanying prospectus, gives more general information, some of which may not apply to this offering. Generally, when we refer only to the “prospectus,” we are referring to both parts combined. This prospectus supplement may add to, update or change information in the accompanying prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus. By using a shelf registration statement, we may offer shares of our common stock having an aggregate offering price of up to $750,000,000 from time to time under this prospectus supplement at prices and on terms to be determined by market conditions at the time of offering.
If information in this prospectus supplement is inconsistent with the accompanying prospectus or with any document incorporated by reference that was filed with the SEC before the date of this prospectus supplement, you should rely on this prospectus supplement. This prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and the documents incorporated into each by reference include important information about us, the securities being offered and other information you should know before investing in our securities. You should also read and consider information in the documents we have referred you to in the sections of this prospectus supplement entitled “Where You Can Find More Information” and “Incorporation by Reference.”
You should rely only on this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, the documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference herein or therein and any free writing prospectus prepared by us or on our behalf. We have not, and the underwriters have not, authorized anyone to provide you with information that is in addition to or different from that contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. We and the underwriters are not offering to sell these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should not assume that the information contained in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus or any free writing prospectus, or incorporated by reference herein, is accurate as of any date other than as of the date of this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus or any free writing prospectus, as the case may be, or in the case of the documents incorporated by reference, the date of such documents regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus or any sale of our securities. Our business, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates.
We further note that the representations, warranties and covenants made by us in any agreement that is filed as an exhibit to any document that is incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus were made solely for the benefit of the parties to such agreement, including, in some cases, for the purpose of allocating risk among the parties to such agreements, and should not be deemed to be a representation, warranty or covenant to you. Moreover, such representations, warranties or covenants were accurate only as of the date when made. Accordingly, such representations, warranties and covenants should not be relied on as accurately representing the current state of our affairs.
Unless otherwise indicated in this prospectus or the context otherwise requires, all references to “we,” “us,” “our,” “the Company,” and “Marathon” refer to Marathon Digital Holdings, Inc. and its subsidiaries.
No action is being taken in any jurisdiction outside the United States to permit a public offering of the securities or possession or distribution of this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus in that jurisdiction. Persons who come into possession of this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus in jurisdictions outside the United States are required to inform themselves about and to observe any restrictions as to this offering and the distribution of this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus applicable to that jurisdiction.
S-1 |
This summary highlights information contained elsewhere or incorporated by reference in this prospectus. This summary does not contain all of the information that you should consider before deciding to invest in our common stock. You should read this entire prospectus carefully, including the “Risk Factors” section contained in this prospectus, our consolidated financial statements and the related notes thereto and the other documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus.
Our Company
About Marathon Digital Holdings, Inc.
We were incorporated in the State of Nevada on February 23, 2010 under the name Verve Ventures, Inc. On December 7, 2011, we changed our name to American Strategic Minerals Corporation and were engaged in exploration and potential development of uranium and vanadium minerals business. In June 2012, we discontinued our minerals business and began to invest in real estate properties in Southern California. In October 2012, we discontinued our real estate business when our former CEO joined the firm and we commenced our IP licensing operations, at which time the Company’s name was changed to Marathon Patent Group, Inc. On November 1, 2017, we entered into a merger agreement with Global Bit Ventures, Inc. (“GBV”), which is focused on mining digital assets. We purchased cryptocurrency mining machines and established a data center in Canada to mine digital assets. We intend to expand its activities in the mining of new digital assets, while at the same time harvesting the value of our remaining IP assets. On March 1, 2021, the Company’s name was changed to Marathon Digital Holdings, Inc.
On June 28, 2018, our Board has determined that it is in the best interests of the Company and our shareholders to allow the Amended Merger Agreement with GBV to expire on its current termination date of June 28, 2018 without further negotiation or extension. The Board approved to issue 3,000,000 shares of our common stock to GBV as a termination fee for us canceling the proposed merger between the two companies.
All share and per share values for all periods presented in the accompanying consolidated financial statements have been retroactively adjusted to reflect the 1:4 Reverse Split which occurred on April 8, 2019.
On September 30, 2019, the Company consummated the purchase of 6000 S-9 Bitmain 13.5 TH/s Bitcoin Antminers (“Miners”) from SelectGreen Blockchain Ltd. (the “Seller”), a British Columbia corporation, for which the purchase price was $4,086,250 or 2,335,000 shares of its common stock at a price of $1.75 per share. As a result of an exchange cap requirement imposed in conjunction with the Company’s Listing of Additional Shares application filed with Nasdaq to the transaction, the Company issued 1,276,442 shares of its common stock which represented $2,233,773 of the $4,086,250 (constituting 19.9% of the issued and outstanding shares on the date of the Asset Purchase Agreement) and upon the receipt of shareholder approval, at the Annual Shareholders Meeting to be held on November 15, 2019, the Company can issue the balance of the 1,058,558 unregistered common stock shares. The shareholders did approve the issuance of the additional shares at the Annual Shareholders Meeting. The Company has issued an additional 474,808 at $0.90 per share on December 27, 2019. On March 30, 2020, the Seller has agreed to amend the total of number of shares to be issued was reduced to 2,101,500 shares and the rest of 350,250 shares was issued at $0.49 per share. There was no mining payable outstanding as of September 30, 2020.
S-2 |
As of April 6, 2020, the Company received notice from the Nasdaq Capital Market that the Company has failed to maintain a minimum closing bid price of $1.00 per share of its Common Stock over the last consecutive 30 business days based upon the closing bid price for its common stock as required by Rule 5550(a)(2). However, the Rules also provide the Company a compliance period of 180 calendar days in which to regain compliance during which time it must maintain a minimum closing bid price of at least $1.00 per share for a minimum period of 10 consecutive business days, which must be completed by October 5, 2020. On April 20, 2020, the Company received a further notice from the Nasdaq Capital Market that the Company’s time to maintain a minimum closing bid price of at least $1.00 per share for a minimum period of 10 consecutive business days has been extended from October 5, 2020 to December 17, 2020. As of the date of this prospectus, the Company’s closing bid price has been at least $1.00 per share for 10 consecutive business days.
On May 11, 2020, the Company announced the purchase of 700 M30S+ (80 TH) miners. On May 12, 2020, the Company announced the purchase 660 Bitmain S19 Pro Miners. On June 11, 2020, the Company announced the purchase of an additional 500 of the latest generation Bitmain S19 Pro Miners, bringing the Company’s total Hashrate to approximately 240 PH/s when fully deployed.
On May 20, 2020, the Company amended its note, originally dated August 31, 2017, with Bi-Coastal Consulting Defined Benefit Plan to reduce the conversion price to $0.60 per share. The current principal balance of the Note was $999,105.60 and accrued the interest was $215,411.30. The Company agreed to the reduction in the conversion price from $0.80 to $0.60 to incentivize the Note holder to convert the Note to common stock. As the Note has been fully converted to common stock, the Company has no Long-Term debt.
On July 28, 2020, we closed a public offering of 7,666,666 shares of common stock, including the exercise in full by the underwriter of the option to purchase an additional 999,999 shares of common stock, at a public offering price of $0.90 per share. The gross proceeds of this offering, before deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and other offering expenses payable by Marathon, were approximately $6.9 million.
On July 29, 2020, the Company announced the purchase of 700 next generation M31S+ ASIC Miners from MicroBT. The miners are expected to arrive mid-August. Additionally, Bitmain has notified the Company that 660 of the 1,660 Bitmain S-19 Pro Miners previously purchased will be delivered in mid-August.
On August 13, 2020, the Company entered into a Long Term Purchase Contract with Bitmaintech PTE., LTD (“Bitmain”) for the purchase of 10,500 next generation Antminer S-19 Pro ASIC Miners. The purchase price per unit is $2,362 ($2,206 with a 6.62% discount) for a total purchase price of $24,801,000 (with a 6.62% discount for a discounted price of $23,159,174). The parties confirm that the total hashrate of the Antminers under this agreement shall not be less than 1,155,000 TH/s.
The Company shall pay for the Antminers as follows:
(1) | Twenty percent (20%) of the total purchase price shall be paid as a nonrefundable down payment within forty-eight (48) hours of execution of the agreement. |
(2) | The Company shall pay the twenty percent (20%) of the total purchase price prior to September 20, 2020. |
(3) | The Company shall pay the ten percent (10%) of the total purchase price prior to October 10, 2020. |
(4) | The Company shall pay the remaining fifty percent (50%) of the total purchase price in equal monthly installments due not less than fifty-five (55) days prior to the scheduled delivery of the Product(s) as follows: |
a) | eight-point thirty-three percent (8.33%) no later than 55 days prior to each scheduled delivery period as to the first installment of products to be shipped to the Company in January 2021. |
b) | eight-point thirty-three percent (8.33%) no later than 55 days prior to each scheduled delivery period as to the second installment of the products to be shipped to the Company in February 2021. |
S-3 |
c) | eight-point thirty-three percent (8.33%) no later than 55 days prior to each scheduled delivery period as to the third installment of the products to be shipped to the Company in March 2021. |
d) | eight-point thirty-three percent (8.33%) no later than 55 days prior to each scheduled delivery period as to the fourth installment of the products to be shipped to the Company in April 2021. |
e) | eight-point thirty-three percent (8.33%) no later than 55 days prior to each scheduled delivery period as to the fifth installment of the products to be shipped to the Company in May 2021. |
f) | eight-point thirty-three percent (8.33%) no later than 55 days prior to each scheduled delivery period as to the sixth installment of the products to be shipped to the Company in June 2021. |
Subject to the timely payment of the purchase price, Bitmain shall deliver products according to the following schedule: 1,500 Units on or before January 31, 2021; and 1,800 units on or before each of February 28, 2021; March 31, 2021; April 30, 2021, May 31, 2021 and June 30, 2021.
On October 23, 2020, Marathon Digital Holdings, Inc. (the “Company”) executed a contract with Bitmain to purchase an additional 10,000 next generation Antminer S-19 Pro ASIC Miners. The 2021 delivery schedule will be 2,500 Units in January, 4,500 Units in February and the final 3,000 Units in March 2021.The purchase price is $21,815,432.00 with 30% due upon the execution of the contract and the balance paid over the next 4 months.
On December 8, 2020, Marathon Digital Holdings, Inc. (the “Company”) executed a contract with Bitmain to purchase an additional 10,000 next generation Antminer S-19j Pro ASIC Miners, with 6,000 units to be delivered in August 2021, and the remaining 4,000 units to be delivered in September 2021. The purchase price is $21,923,071.00 with 10% of the purchase price due within 48 hours of execution of the contract, 30% due on January 14, 2021, 10% due on February 15, 2021, 30% due on June 15, 2021 and 20% due on July 15, 2021.
On December 23, 2020, Marathon Digital Holdings, Inc. (the “Company”) executed a contract with Bitmain to purchase an additional 70,000 next generation Antminer S-19 ASIC Miners, with 7,000 units to be delivered in July 2021, and the remaining 63,000 units to be delivered in December 2021. The purchase price is $167,763,451.93. The purchase price for the miners shall be paid as follows: 20% within 48 hours of signing of contract; 30% on or before March 1, 2021; 4.75% on June 15, 2021; 1.76% on July 15, 2021; 4.58% on August 15, 2021; 10.19% on September 15, 2021; 17.63% on October 15, 2021 and 11.55% on November 15, 2021.
Effective December 31, 2020, The Board of Directors of Marathon Digital Holdings, Inc. (the “Company”) ratified the following arrangements approved by its Compensation Committee:
Merrick Okamoto, CEO was awarded a cash bonus of $2,000,000 which was paid before year end 2020. He was also awarded a special bonus of 1,000,000 RSUs with immediate vesting. He was given a new three-year employment agreement effective January 1, 2021 with the same salary and bonus as the prior agreement. He was also granted the following: award of 1,000,000 RSUs when the company’s market capitalization reaches and sustains a market capitalization for 30 consecutive days above $500,000,000; award of 1,000,000 RSUs priced when the company’s market capitalization reaches and sustains a market capitalization for 30 consecutive days above $750,000,000; award of 2,000,000 RSUs priced at lowest closing stock price in past 30 trading days when the company’s market capitalization reaches and sustains a market capitalization for 30 consecutive days above $1,000,000,000; and award of 2,000,000 RSUs when the company’s market capitalization reaches and sustains a market capitalization for 30 consecutive days above $2,000,000,000.
S-4 |
Sim Salzman, CFO, was granted a bonus payment of $40,000 in cash; and a bonus of 91,324 RSUs with immediate vesting. James Crawford, COO, was granted a bonus payment of $127,308 in cash and a stock bonus of 57,990 RSUs with immediate vesting. Furthermore, per his employment agreement, his base salary for the 2021 will be increased by 3%.
Compensation for directors of the board for 2021 as follows: (i) cash compensation of $60,000 per year for each director, plus an additional $15,000 per year for each committee chair, paid 25% at the end of each calendar quarter; (ii) for existing directors, the equivalent of 54,795 RSUs; and (iii) for newly elected directors, a one-time grant of 91,324 RSUs, vesting 25% each calendar quarter during 2021. For clarification, new directors will also receive the same annual compensation as existing directors in addition to their one time grant.
On January 4, 2021, the Company also announced that it had successfully completed its previously announced $200 million shelf offering by utilizing its at-the-market (ATM) facility. As a result, the Company ended the 2020 fiscal year with $217.6 million in cash and 74,656,549 shares outstanding.
On January 15, 2021, Marathon Digital Holdings, Inc., a Nevada corporation (the “Company”), held an annual meeting of stockholders (the “Meeting”). As of the record date for the Meeting, 51,403,280 shares of common stock were issued and outstanding. A total of 33,981,556 shares of common stock, constituting a quorum, were present and accounted for at the Meeting. At the Meeting, the Company’s stockholders approved the following proposals:
VOTES CAST
Common shares |
PROPOSAL #1 Increase
in Shares |
PROPOSAL #2a Election
of Merrick |
PROPOSAL #2b Election
of |
PROPOSAL #3 Ratification
of |
PROPOSAL #4 Nonbinding |
|||||||||||||||
Yes | 10,112,531 | 12,184,952 | 12,216,945 | 32,948,526 | 11,146,174 | |||||||||||||||
No | 2,278,676 | 464,134 | 1,093,170 | |||||||||||||||||
Abstain | 163,325 | 369,187 | 337,194 | 567,470 | 315,663 | |||||||||||||||
Broker Non-Vote | 21,427,024 | 21,427,417 | 21,427,417 | 1,426 | 21,426,549 |
On January 12, 2021, Marathon Digital Holdings, Inc., a Nevada corporation (the “Company”), entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”) with certain purchasers named therein (the “Purchasers”), pursuant to which the Company agreed to issue and sell, in a registered direct offering (the “Offering”), 12,500,000 shares of its common stock (the “Securities”) at an offering price of $20.00 per share.
The Purchase Agreement contains customary representations and warranties and agreements of the Company and the Purchasers and customary indemnification rights and obligations of the parties. The closing of the Offering occurred on January 15, 2021. The Company received gross proceeds of $250,000,000 in connection with the Offering, before deducting placement agent fees and related offering expenses.
S-5 |
Pursuant to a letter agreement, dated August 2020 (the “Engagement Letter”), the Company engaged H.C. Wainwright & Co., LLC (the “Placement Agent”) as placement agent in connection with the Offering. The Placement Agent agreed to use its reasonable best efforts to arrange for the sale of the Securities. The Company agreed to pay to the Placement Agent a cash fee of 5.0% of the aggregate gross proceeds raised in the Offering. The Company also issued to designees of the Placement Agent warrants to purchase up to 3.0% of the aggregate number of shares of Common Stock sold in the transactions, or warrants to purchase up to 375,000 shares of Common Stock (the “Placement Agent Warrants”). The Placement Agent Warrants have an exercise price equal to 125% of the offering price per share (or $25.00 per share). The Company also agreed to pay the Placement Agent $50,000 for accountable expenses, to reimburse an investor’s legal fees in an amount up to $7,500 and to pay $12,900 for the Placement Agent’s clearing fees. Pursuant to the terms of the Engagement Letter, the Placement Agent has the right, for a period of twelve months following the closing of the Offerings, to act (i) as financial advisor in connection with any merger, consolidation or similar business combination by the Company and (ii) as sole book-running manager, sole underwriter or sole placement agent in connection with certain debt and equity financing transactions by the Company.
Effective January 19, 2021, David Lieberman resigned as a director of Marathon Digital Holdings, Inc. (the “Company”). On the same date, the Company’s Board appointed Kevin DeNuccio as a director to fill the vacancy created by Mr. Lieberman’s resignation.
Mr. DeNuccio is the Founder and General Partner of Wild West Capital LLC since 2012 where he focused on angel investments, primarily in SAAS software start-ups.
He brings to Marathon more than 25 years of experience as a chief executive, global sales leader, public and private board member, and more than a dozen angel investments, managing and growing leading technology businesses. He served in senior executive positions with Verizon, Cisco Systems, Ericsson, Redback Networks, Wang Laboratories and Unisys Corporation.
On January 25, 2021, the Company announced that it has purchased 4,812.66 BTC in an aggregate purchase price of $150 million.
Effective March 1, 2021, the Company changed its name to Marathon Digital Holdings, Inc.
On March 7, 2021, the Company entered into a termination agreement with the 9349-0001 Quebec Inc., to agree to terminate the outstanding lease. As of that date, the Company was fully released and discharged from any and all obligations under the Lease Agreement. In November 2017, the Company assumed a lease in connection with the mining operations in Quebec, Canada.
On April 26, 2021, the Company appointed Fred Thiel as its new chief executive officer. Mr. Thiel has succeeded Merrick Okamoto, who has served as the Company’s chief executive officer since 2018, and who will serve as executive chairman of the board of directors following the transition.
On March 25, 2021, Marathon Digital Holdings, Inc. (the “Company”) entered into a licensing agreement with DMG Blockchain Solutions, Inc. to license DMG’s proprietary Blockseer pool technology for use in its new Marathon OFAC Pool . Pursuant to the terms and conditions of the Agreement, the Company will be granted an exclusive and irrevocable license to use the technology in the U.S., and DMG will receive: $500,000 in restricted common stock of the Company (stock to be issued in a transaction exempt from registration under Section 4(a)(2) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended); a monthly license fee with a sliding scale based on the MARAPool’s block rewards and transaction fees received by the pool; and technical support services to be provided on an as-needed basis with payment in US dollars. As of September 30, 2021, DMG has received shares equivalent to $500,000 in restricted common stock of the Company.
On May 20, 2021, the Company appointed Georges Antoun and Jay Leupp to its board of directors, effective immediately, as Peter Benz transitions to become the company’s vice president of corporate development and Michael Berg steps down from his position of director to pursue other projects. As a result, Marathon’s board of directors now consists of five directors, including three independent directors and two inside directors.
S-6 |
On May 21, 2021, Marathon Digital Holdings, Inc. (the “Company”) entered into a binding letter of intent with Compute North, LLC to host 73,000 Bitcoin Miners over a staged in implementation between October 2021 and March 2022. The hosting cost is $0.50 per machine per month and the hosting rate will be $0.044 per kWh. In order to build out the infrastructure without paying for the capital expenditure, the Company will provide an 18 month bridge loan to Compute North of up to $67 million dollars, in tranches, based upon specified requirements being met. The terms of the contract are limited to three years with increases thereafter capped at three percent per year thereafter. The Company has also agreed to pay up to $14 million in expedite fees for construction/electrical and supply chain expediting activities. As of September 30, 2021, the Company paid $8 million of the $14 million in expedite fees recorded as a deposit on the balance sheet . On September 3, 2021, the Company entered into a master agreement with Compute North, LLC whereas the Company will pay an initial deposit of $14.6 million in aggregate over five installments. As of September 30, 2021, the Company paid $9.1 million of the $14.6 million initial deposit recorded as a deposit on the balance sheet.
On July 30, 2021, Marathon Digital Holdings, Inc. (the “Company”) entered into a fully executed contract with Bitmain to purchase an additional 30,000 S-19j Pro ASIC Miners, with 5,000 units scheduled to be delivered in each of January 2022, February 2022, March 2022, April 2022, May 2022, and June 2022. The purchase price is $126,000,000 with (i) 25% of the purchase price due paid within one day of execution of the contract, (ii) 35% of the purchase price of each batch due in consecutive months with 35% of the January 2022 batch due immediately, and then 35% of each of the remaining five batches due on the 15th of each consecutive month starting August 15, 2021, through December 15, 2021 and (iii) the remaining 40% of the purchase price of each batch due on the 15th of each consecutive month starting November 15, 2021 and then 40% of each of the remaining five batches due on the 15th of each consecutive month through April 2022.
On August 9, 2021, the Company appointed Sarita James and Said Ouissal to its board of directors, effective immediately. As a result, Marathon’s board of directors now consists of seven directors, including five independent directors and two inside directors.
On August 23, 2021 , the Company issued 2,722,435 shares of common stock pursuant to the 2018 Equity Incentive Plan.
On August 27, 2021, Marathon Digital Holdings, Inc. (the “Company”) entered into a Master Securities Loan Agreement (the “Agreement”) with NYDIG Funding, LLC (“NYDIG”). Pursuant to the Agreement, the Company will loan its bitcoin (“BTC”) to NYDIG with an interest rate of three percent (3%) per annum. Interest accrues daily and is payable on a monthly basis. The Agreement provides that the Company may recall its BTC at any time. NYDIG shall, prior to or concurrently with the transfer of the BTC to NYDIG, but in no case later than the close of business on the day of such transfer, transfer to the Company collateral with a market value at least equal to 100% of the market value of the loaned BTC, and the Company is granted a first priority lien on such collateral. As of August 27, 2021, the Company loaned 300 BTC to NYDIG.
As previously disclosed in the Company’s monthly production updates, there have been multiple instances of the power generating station in Hardin, MT operating below peak capacity and thus limiting the Company’s ability to mine bitcoin during 2021. To mitigate these issues in the future, system upgrades will be performed on the power generating station beginning in November 2021 and continuing into 2022. Each phase of this maintenance will require the plant, and therefore the Company’s mining operations in Hardin, MT, to be offline for approximately three to five days. The upgrades are intended to improve the power generating station’s efficacy and efficiency, increase safety, mitigate the potential for unexpected downtime in the future, and ultimately improve the Company’s ability to effectively mine bitcoin. The Company believes that the impact of these upgrades on its mining operations will minimize future downtime and thus counterbalance any maintenance downtime experienced as a result of these repairs.
On October 1, 2021, Marathon Digital Holdings, Inc. (the “Company”) entered into a Revolving Credit and Security Agreement (the “Agreement”) with Silvergate Bank (the “Bank”) pursuant to which Silvergate has agreed to loan the Company up to $100,000,000 on a revolving basis pursuant to the terms of the Agreement and the $100,000,000 principal amount revolving credit note issued by the Company in favor of the Bank under the Agreement (“Note”). The terms of the facility (“RLOC”) set forth in the Agreement and Note are as follows:
Initial Term: | One (1) Year |
Availability: | The RLOC shall be made available from time to time to the Company for periodic draws (provided no event of default then exists) from its closing date up to and including the one- year anniversary of the loan date. |
S-7 |
Origination Fee: | 0.25% of the Loan Commitment to the Bank (or $250,000); due at RLOC closing. |
Unused Commitment Fee: | 0.25% per annum of the portion of the unused Loan Commitment, payable monthly in arrears. |
Renewal: |
The RLOC may be renewed annually by agreement between the Bank and the Company, subject to (without limitation): (i) Company makes a request for renewal, in writing, no less than sixty (60) days prior to the then current maturity date, (ii) no event of default then exists, (iii) Company provides all necessary documentation to extend the RLOC, (iv) Company has paid all applicable fees related to the loan renewal, and (v) the Bank has approved such extension request according to its internal credit policies as determined by the Bank in its sole and absolute discretion.
If the Bank approves a request by Company to renew the RLOC upon any maturity, then a Renewal Fee of 0.25% of the Loan Commitment (or $250,000) shall be due and payable upon extension of the Loan Commitment. |
Payments: | Interest only to be paid monthly, with principal all due at maturity. |
Collateral: | The RLOC will be secured by a pledge of a sufficient amount of Company’s right, title and interest in and to bitcoin and/or U.S. Dollar (“USD”) stored in a custody account for the benefit of the Bank (the “Collateral Account”). the Bank will establish a Collateral Account with a regulated custodial entity (the “Custodian”) that has been approved by the Bank. the Bank and Custodian will have a custodial agreement to perfect the security interest in the pledged Collateral Account which, among other things, allows for 1) the Bank to monitor the balance of the Collateral Account and 2) allows the Bank to have exclusive control over the Collateral Account including liquidation of the collateral in the event of Company’s default under the terms of the RLOC. the Bank may also file a UCC financing statement on the pledged collateral. |
Minimum Advance Rate: | At origination, the Company must ensure the Collateral Account balance has sufficient bitcoin (and/or US$) to cause a Loan to Value (the “LTV”) ratio of 65% (or less) (“Minimum Advance Rate”) on the unpaid principal balance of the RLOC. |
Covenants: | The Company must maintain a minimum debt to equity ratio of 0.5:1. The Company must maintain a minimum liquidity of $25,000,000. |
On October 6, 2020, the Company entered into a series of agreements with multiple parties to design and build a data center for up to 100-megawatts in Hardin, MT. In conjunction therewith, the Company filed a Current Report on Form 8-K on October 13, 2020. The 8-K discloses that, pursuant to a Data Facility Services Agreement, the Company issued 6,000,000 shares of restricted Common Stock, in transactions exempt from registration under Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. During the quarter ended September 30, 2021, the Company and certain of its executives received a subpoena from the SEC to produce documents and communications concerning the Hardin, Montana data center facility described in our Form 8-K dated October 13, 2020. We understand that the SEC may be investigating whether or not there may have been any violations of the federal securities law. We are cooperating with the SEC.
On November 18, 2021, Marathon Digital Holdings, Inc. (the “Company”) issued $650,000,000 principal amount of its 1.00% Convertible Senior Notes due 2026 (the “Notes”). The Notes were issued pursuant to, and are governed by, an indenture (the “Indenture”), dated as of November 18, 2021, between the Company and U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee (the “Trustee”). Pursuant to the purchase agreement between the Company and the initial purchasers of the Notes, the Company also granted the initial purchasers an option, for settlement within a period of 13 days from, and including, November 18, 2021 to purchase up to an additional $97,500,000 principal amount of Notes. As noted below, this option was exercised and an additional $97,500,000 principal amount of Notes was issued on November 23, 2021.
S-8 |
The Notes will be the Company’s senior, unsecured obligations and will be (i) equal in right of payment with the Company’s existing and future senior, unsecured indebtedness; (ii) senior in right of payment to the Company’s existing and future indebtedness that is expressly subordinated to the Notes; (iii) effectively subordinated to the Company’s existing and future secured indebtedness, to the extent of the value of the collateral securing that indebtedness; and (iv) structurally subordinated to all existing and future indebtedness and other liabilities, including trade payables, and (to the extent the Company is not a holder thereof) preferred equity, if any, of the Company’s subsidiaries.
The Notes will accrue interest at a rate of 1.00% per annum, payable semi-annually in arrears on June 1 and December 1 of each year, beginning on June 1, 2022. The Notes will mature on December 1, 2026, unless earlier repurchased, redeemed or converted. Before the close of business on the business day immediately before June 1, 2026, noteholders will have the right to convert their Notes only upon the occurrence of certain events. From and after June 1, 2026, noteholders may convert their Notes at any time at their election until the close of business on the second scheduled trading day immediately before the maturity date. The Company will settle conversions by paying or delivering, as applicable, cash, shares of its common stock or a combination of cash and shares of its common stock, at the Company’s election. The initial conversion rate is 13.1277 shares of common stock per $1,000 principal amount of Notes, which represents an initial conversion price of approximately $76.17 per share of common stock. The conversion rate and conversion price will be subject to customary adjustments upon the occurrence of certain events. In addition, if certain corporate events that constitute a “Make-Whole Fundamental Change” (as defined in the Indenture) occur, then the conversion rate will, in certain circumstances, be increased for a specified period of time.
The Notes will be redeemable, in whole or in part (subject to certain limitations described below), at the Company’s option at any time, and from time to time, on or after December 6, 2024 and on or before the 21st scheduled trading day immediately before the maturity date, at a cash redemption price equal to the principal amount of the Notes to be redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to, but excluding, the redemption date, but only if the last reported sale price per share of the Company’s common stock exceeds 130% of the conversion price on (1) each of at least 20 trading days, whether or not consecutive, during the 30 consecutive trading days ending on, and including, the trading day immediately before the date the Company sends the related redemption notice; and (2) the trading day immediately before the date the Company sends such notice. However, the Company may not redeem less than all of the outstanding Notes unless at least $100.0 million aggregate principal amount of Notes are outstanding and not called for redemption as of the time the Company sends the related redemption notice. In addition, calling any Note for redemption will constitute a Make-Whole Fundamental Change with respect to that Note, in which case the conversion rate applicable to the conversion of that Note will be increased in certain circumstances if it is converted during the related redemption conversion period.
If certain corporate events that constitute a “Fundamental Change” (as defined in the Indenture) occur, then, subject to a limited exception for certain cash mergers, noteholders may require the Company to repurchase their Notes at a cash repurchase price equal to the principal amount of the Notes to be repurchased, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to, but excluding, the fundamental change repurchase date. The definition of Fundamental Change includes certain business combination transactions involving the Company and certain de-listing events with respect to the Company’s common stock.
The Notes will have customary provisions relating to the occurrence of “Events of Default” (as defined in the Indenture), which include the following: (i) certain payment defaults on the Notes (which, in the case of a default in the payment of interest on the Notes, will be subject to a 30-day cure period); (ii) the Company’s failure to send certain notices under the Indenture within specified periods of time; (iii) the Company’s failure to comply with certain covenants in the Indenture relating to the Company’s ability to consolidate with or merge with or into, or sell, lease or otherwise transfer, in one transaction or a series of transactions, all or substantially all of the assets of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, to another person; (iv) a default by the Company in its other obligations or agreements under the Indenture or the Notes if such default is not cured or waived within 60 days after notice is given in accordance with the Indenture; (v) certain defaults by the Company or any of its subsidiaries with respect to indebtedness for borrowed money of at least $50,000,000; and (vi) certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency and reorganization involving the Company or any of its significant subsidiaries.
S-9 |
If an Event of Default involving bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization events with respect to the Company (and not solely with respect to a significant subsidiary of the Company) occurs, then the principal amount of, and all accrued and unpaid interest on, all of the Notes then outstanding will immediately become due and payable without any further action or notice by any person. If any other Event of Default occurs and is continuing, then, the Trustee, by notice to the Company, or noteholders of at least 25% of the aggregate principal amount of Notes then outstanding, by notice to the Company and the Trustee, may declare the principal amount of, and all accrued and unpaid interest on, all of the Notes then outstanding to become due and payable immediately. However, notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company may elect, at its option, that the sole remedy for an Event of Default relating to certain failures by the Company to comply with certain reporting covenants in the Indenture consists exclusively of the right of the noteholders to receive special interest on the Notes for up to 270 days at a specified rate per annum not exceeding 0.50% on the principal amount of the Notes.
On November 23, 2021, Marathon Digital Holdings, Inc. (the “Company”) issued $97,500,000 aggregate principal amount of the Company’s 1.00% Convertible Senior Notes due 2026 (the “Option Notes”) to Jefferies LLC, as representative of the several initial purchasers (collectively, the “Initial Purchasers”) in connection with the exercise of the Initial Purchasers’ option to purchase additional notes. The Option Notes, together with the $650,0000,000 aggregate principal amount of the Company’s 1.00% Convertible Senior Notes due 2026 that were previously issued, were issued in connection with a private offering to qualified institutional buyers pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and were issued pursuant to the Indenture dated as of November 18, 2021 by and between the Company and U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee.
Effective November 30, 2021, Marathon Digital Holdings, Inc. (the “Company”) entered into an amended five year hosting agreement with Compute North, LLC (“Compute North”) to host 73,000 S19 miners to be deployed during the first two quarters of 2022 at a hosting fee of $0.044 per kilowatt hour with substantially the same terms as the Company’s prior hosting agreements with Compute North. On that same date, the Company also entered into a joint venture with Compute North to form Marathon Compute North 1 LLC (the “LLC”) of which the equity is owned 82% by Marathon and 18% by Compute North. The LLC entered into a hosting agreement with Compute North to host 30,000 S19 miners along substantially similar terms to the hosting agreement between the Company and Compute North also at $0.044 per kilowatt hour.
On December 15, 2021, Marathon Digital Holdings, Inc. (the “Company”) entered into a Severance and Release Agreement (“Agreement”) with Merrick Okamoto, its Executive Chairman (“Okamoto”). Pursuant to the Agreement, Okamoto is retiring effective December 31, 2021. He is providing a standard release to the Company in exchange for payment of 83,333 restricted stock units of the Company, which shall vest immediately upon grant. The shares underlying the RSUs are being issued pursuant to the Company’s registration statement on Form S-8 (file no. 333-258928), filed with the SEC on August 19, 2021. Additionally on December 31, 2021, the Company shall pay Okamoto the following: (i) accrued wages of $30,942.92, his annual 2021 bonus in the amount of $371,315 and any remaining approved and unpaid Company expenses incurred by him, if any. He is also entitled to medical insurance reimbursement as currently maintained through December 31, 2022, and thereafter is entitled to COBRA at his own expense, to the extent available by law.
On December 21, 2021, Marathon Digital Holdings, Inc. (the “Company”) executed a contract with Bitmain to purchase an additional 78,000 next generation Antminer S-19 XP Miners, with 13,000 units being delivered in each of July 2022, August 2022, September 2022, October 2022, November 2022 and December 2022. The purchase price is $879,060,000. The purchase price for the miners shall be paid as follows: 35% of the total amount within two days of execution of the purchase contract, 35% of each single shipment price at least six months prior to each such shipment, and the remaining 30% of each single shipment price at least one month prior to each such shipment.
On December 17, 2021, a putative class action complaint was filed in the United States District Court for the District Court of Nevada, against the company and present and former senior management. The Complaint alleges securities fraud related to the disclosures of an SEC investigation previously made by the Company on November 15, 2021. No action has been taken in the lawsuit since it was filed.
S-10 |
Effective December 27, 2021, Marathon Digital Holdings, Inc. (the “Company”) appointed Ashu Swami as its Chief Technology Officer and entered into an Executive Employment Agreement (“Agreement”) with Mr. Swami.
Mr. Swami joins Marathon Digital Holdings from Core Scientific where he served as the CPO since Feb 2021, leading the company’s foray into DeFi and heading the mining hardware and software optimization tech. Prior to that, from Jan 2019 to Feb 2021, he was the CTO of Apifiny, a hybrid CEX and DEX crypto exchange. Previously, from Jan 2016 to Dec 2018, Mr. Swami headed a SPV of Quadeye Securities which pioneered and traded Mining Swaps, operated cloud mining data centers, and served as the Chief Advisor to Fortune 50 companies including Intel Corp on Blockchain initiatives. From May 2013 to Dec 2015, he founded LocalPad, a p2p marketplace and payments plugin that provided ebay-in-a-box like functionality to large blogs to monetize their user base. Prior to that, from May 2007 to Apr 2013, Mr. Swami was a Portfolio Manager and led the high frequency market-making business at Morgan Stanley Program Trading to become a top 5 market maker in US ETFs. Previously, since May 2002, Mr. Swami spent over 4 years as a Sr Component Designer and then Tech Lead in Intel’s Enterprise Platforms Group. Mr. Swami holds a BTech in CSE from IIT Bombay, and M.B.A. from Duke University.
Pursuant to the terms of the Agreement, Mr. Swami is employed as CTO for a one year term which shall automatically renew unless either he or the Company notifies the other at least 90 days before the end of the initial or any renewal term of the intent to terminate the Agreement. Mr. Swami’s base salary is $275,000 per year with a cash bonus of up to $137,500 per year. Mr. Swami shall also be granted 80,000 restricted stock units, of which 20,000 shall vest on the one year anniversary of the effective date of the Agreement, and then 5000 RSUs shall vest on each subsequent three month anniversary with the last 5000 RSUs vesting on the four year anniversary of the effective date of the Agreement. Upon certain not for cause termination events under the Agreement, Mr. Swami would be entitled to vesting of all unvested RSUs and a severance payment of six months of salary in addition to all accrued and unpaid salary and vacation and the like. The Agreement contains other commercially standard terms for events of termination and the like.
Blockchain and Cryptocurrencies Generally
Bitcoin is a digital asset that is issued by and transmitted through an open source protocol collectively maintained by a peer-to-peer network of decentralized user nodes. This network hosts a public transaction ledger, known as the bitcoin blockchain, on which bitcoin holdings and transactions in bitcoin are recorded. Balances of bitcoin are stored in individual “wallet” functions, which associate network public addresses with a “private key” that controls the transfer of bitcoin. The bitcoin blockchain can be updated without any single entity owning or operating the network. New bitcoin is created and allocated by the protocol that governs bitcoin through a “mining” process that rewards users that verify transactions in the bitcoin blockchain. The bitcoin protocol limits the total issuance of bitcoin over time to 21 million.
Bitcoin can be used to pay for goods and services, or it can be converted to fiat currencies, such as the U.S. dollar, at rates of exchange determined by market forces on bitcoin trading platforms, which operate 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week and are not regulated in as comprehensive a manner as traditional securities exchanges. As a result, trading on these markets is likely more subject to manipulation than on securities markets regulated by the SEC, and pricing on these markets is likely affected by such manipulative activity. In addition to these platforms, over-the-counter markets and derivatives markets for bitcoin also exist; however, these markets are still maturing and many are unregulated.
Bitcoin exists entirely in electronic form, as virtually irreversible public transaction ledger entries on the blockchain, and transactions in bitcoin are recorded and authenticated not by a central repository, but by a decentralized peer-to-peer network. This decentralization avoids certain threats common to centralized computer networks, such as denial of service attacks, and reduces the dependency of the bitcoin network on any single system. While the bitcoin network as a whole is decentralized, the private keys used to access bitcoin balances are not widely distributed and are held on hardware (which can be physically controlled by the holder or by a third party such as a custodian) or via software programs on third-party servers and loss of such private keys results in an inability to access, and effective loss of, the corresponding bitcoin. Consequently, bitcoin holdings are susceptible to all of the risks inherent in holding any electronic data, such as power failure, data corruption, security breach, communication failure, and user error, among others. These risks, in turn, make bitcoin subject to theft, destruction, or loss of value from hackers, corruption, or technology-specific factors such as viruses that do not affect conventional fiat currency. In addition, the bitcoin network relies on open source developers to maintain and improve the bitcoin protocol. Accordingly, bitcoin may be subject to protocol design changes, governance disputes such as “forked” protocols, competing protocols, and other open source-specific risks that do not affect conventional proprietary software.
S-11 |
Distributed blockchain technology is a decentralized and encrypted ledger that is designed to offer a secure, efficient, verifiable, and permanent way of storing records and other information without the need for intermediaries. Cryptocurrencies serve multiple purposes. They can serve as a medium of exchange, store of value or unit of account. Examples of cryptocurrencies include: bitcoin, bitcoin cash, and litecoin. Blockchain technologies are being evaluated for a multitude of industries due to the belief in their ability to have a significant impact in many areas of business, finance, information management, and governance.
Cryptocurrencies are decentralized currencies that enable near instantaneous transfers. Transactions occur via an open source, cryptographic protocol platform which uses peer-to-peer technology to operate with no central authority. The online network hosts the public transaction ledger, known as the blockchain, and each cryptocurrency is associated with a source code that comprises the basis for the cryptographic and algorithmic protocols governing the blockchain. In a cryptocurrency network, every peer has its own copy of the blockchain, which contains records of every historical transaction - effectively containing records of all account balances. Each account is identified solely by its unique public key (making it effectively anonymous) and is secured with its associated private key (kept secret, like a password). The combination of private and public cryptographic keys constitutes a secure digital identity in the form of a digital signature, providing strong control of ownership.
No single entity owns or operates the network. The infrastructure is collectively maintained by a decentralized public user base. As the network is decentralized, it does not rely on either governmental authorities or financial institutions to create, transmit or determine the value of the currency units. Rather, the value is determined by market factors, supply and demand for the units, the prices being set in transfers by mutual agreement or barter among transacting parties, as well as the number of merchants that may accept the cryptocurrency. Since transfers do not require involvement of intermediaries or third parties, there are currently little to no transaction costs in direct peer-to-peer transactions. Units of cryptocurrency can be converted to fiat currencies, such as the US dollar, at rates determined on various exchanges, such as Cumberland, Coinsquare (in Canada), Coinbase, Bitsquare, Bitstamp, and others. Cryptocurrency prices are quoted on various exchanges and fluctuate with extreme volatility.
We believe cryptocurrencies offer many advantages over traditional, fiat currencies, although many of these factors also present potential disadvantages and may introduce additional risks, including:
● | acting as a fraud deterrent, as cryptocurrencies are digital and cannot be counterfeited or reversed arbitrarily by a sender; | |
● | immediate settlement; | |
● | elimination of counterparty risk; | |
● | no trusted intermediary required; | |
● | lower fees; | |
● | identity theft prevention; | |
● | accessible by everyone; | |
● | transactions are verified and protected through a confirmation process, which prevents the problem of double spending; | |
● | decentralized – no central authority (government or financial institution); and | |
● | recognized universally and not bound by government imposed or market exchange rates. |
However, cryptocurrencies may not provide all of the benefits they purport to offer at all or at any time.
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Bitcoin was first introduced in 2008 and was first introduced as a means of exchange in 2009. Bitcoin is a consensus network that enables a new payment system and a completely new form of digital money. It is the first decentralized peer-to-peer payment network that is powered by its users with no central authority or middlemen. From a user perspective, we believe bitcoin can be viewed as cash for the Internet. The bitcoin network shares a public ledger called the “blockchain.” This ledger contains every transaction ever processed, allowing a user’s computer to verify the validity of each transaction. The authenticity of each transaction is protected by digital signatures corresponding to the sending addresses, allowing all users to have full control over sending bitcoins currency rewards from their own bitcoin addresses. In addition, anyone can process transactions using the computing power of specialized hardware and earn a reward in bitcoins for this service. This process is often called “mining.”
As with many new and emerging technologies, there are potentially significant risks. Businesses (including the Company) which are seeking to develop, promote, adopt, transact or rely upon blockchain technologies and cryptocurrencies have a limited track record and operate within an untested new environment. These risks are not only related to the businesses the Company pursues, but the sector and industry as a whole, as well as the entirety of the concept behind blockchain and cryptocurrency as value. Factors such as access to computer processing capacity, interconnectivity, electricity cost, environmental factors (such as cooling capacity) and location play an important role in “mining,” which is the term for using the specialized computers in connection with the blockchain for the creation of new units of cryptocurrency.
Mathematically Controlled Supply
The method for creating new bitcoins is mathematically controlled in a manner so that the supply of bitcoins grows at a limited rate pursuant to a pre-set schedule. The number of bitcoins awarded for solving a new block is automatically halved every 210,000 blocks. Thus, the current fixed reward for solving a new block is 12.5 bitcoins per block and the reward decreased by half to become 6.25 bitcoins around May 10, 2020, which is the current reward (based on estimates of the rate of block solution calculated by BitcoinClock.com). This deliberately controlled rate of bitcoin creation means that the number of bitcoins in existence will never exceed 21 million and that bitcoins cannot be devalued through excessive production unless the Bitcoin Network’s source code (and the underlying protocol for bitcoin issuance) is altered. The Company monitors the Blockchain network and, as of December 9, 2020, based on the information we collected from our network access, more than 18.45 million bitcoins have been mined.
Digital Asset Mining
We intend to power and secure blockchains by verifying blockchain transactions using custom hardware and software. We are currently using our hardware to mine bitcoin (“BTC”) and expect to mine BTC, and potentially other cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin relies on different technologies based on the blockchain. Wherein bitcoin is a digital currency, we will be compensated in BTC based on the mining transactions we perform, which is how we will earn revenue.
Blockchains are decentralized digital ledgers that record and enable secure peer-to-peer transactions without third party intermediaries. Blockchains enable the existence of digital assets by allowing participants to confirm transactions without the need for a central certifying authority. When a participant requests a transaction, a peer-to-peer network consisting of computers, known as nodes, validate the transaction and the user’s status using known algorithms. After the transaction is verified, it is combined with other transactions to create a new block of data for the ledger. The new block is added to the existing blockchain in a way that is permanent and unalterable, and the transaction is complete.
Digital assets (also known as cryptocurrency) are a medium of exchange that uses encryption techniques to control the creation of monetary units and to verify the transfer of funds. Many consumers use digital assets because it offers cheaper and faster peer-to-peer payment options without the need to provide personal details. Every single transaction and the ownership of every single digital asset in circulation is recorded in the blockchain. Miners use powerful computers that tally the transactions to run the blockchain. These miners update each time a transaction is made and ensure the authenticity of information. The miners receive a transaction fee for their service in the form of a portion of the new digital “coins” that are issued.
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Performance Metrics – Hashing
We operate mining hardware which performs computational operations in support of the blockchain measured in “hash rate” or “hashes per second.” A “hash” is the computation run by mining hardware in support of the blockchain; therefore, a miner’s “hash rate” refers to the rate at which it is capable of solving such computations. The original equipment used for mining bitcoin utilized the Central Processing Unit (CPU) of a computer to mine various forms of cryptocurrency. Due to performance limitations, CPU mining was rapidly replaced by the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), which offers significant performance advantages over CPUs. General purpose chipsets like CPUs and GPUs have since been replaced in the mining industry by Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASIC) chips. These ASIC chips are designed specifically to maximize the rate of hashing operations.
We measure our mining performance and competitive position based on overall hash rate being produced in our mining sites. The latest equipment utilized in our mining operation performs in the range of approximately 86 – 110 terahash per second (TH/s) per unit. This mining hardware is on the cutting edge of available mining equipment and we believe our acquisition of our units places us among leaders of publicly-traded cryptocurrency miners; however, advances and improvements to the technology are ongoing and may be available in quantities to the market in the near future which may affect our perceived position. We believe that our current inventory of miners establishes us among the top public companies in the United States mining cryptocurrency.
Government Regulation
Government regulation of blockchain and cryptocurrency is being actively considered by the United States federal government via a number of agencies and regulatory bodies, as well as similar entities in other countries. State government regulations also may apply to our activities and other activities in which we participate or may participate in the future. Other regulatory bodies are governmental or semi-governmental and have shown an interest in regulating or investigating companies engaged in the blockchain or cryptocurrency business.
Businesses that are engaged in the transmission and custody of bitcoin and other digital assets, including brokers and custodians, can be subject to U.S. Treasury Department regulations as money services businesses as well as state money transmitter licensing requirements. Bitcoin and other digital assets are subject to anti-fraud regulations under federal and state commodity laws, and digital asset derivative instruments are substantively regulated by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Certain jurisdictions, including, among others, New York and a number of countries outside the United States, have developed regulatory requirements specifically for digital assets and companies that transact in them.
Regulations may substantially change in the future and it is presently not possible to know how regulations will apply to our businesses, or when they will be effective. As the regulatory and legal environment evolves, we may become subject to new laws, further regulation by the SEC and other agencies, which may affect our mining and other activities. For instance, various bills have also been proposed in Congress related to our business, which may be adopted and have an impact on us. For additional discussion regarding our belief about the potential risks existing and future regulation pose to our business, see the Section entitled “Risk Factors” herein.
In addition, since transactions in bitcoin provide a reasonable degree of pseudo anonymity, they are susceptible to misuse for criminal activities, such as money laundering. This misuse, or the perception of such misuse (even if untrue), could lead to greater regulatory oversight of bitcoin platforms, and there is the possibility that law enforcement agencies could close bitcoin platforms or other bitcoin-related infrastructure with little or no notice and prevent users from accessing or retrieving bitcoin held via such platforms or infrastructure. For example, in her January 2021 nomination hearing before the Senate Finance Committee, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen noted that cryptocurrencies have the potential to improve the efficiency of the financial system but that they can be used to finance terrorism, facilitate money laundering, and support malign activities that threaten U.S. national security interests and the integrity of the U.S. and international financial systems. Accordingly, Secretary Yellen expressed her view that federal regulators needed to look closely at how to encourage the use of cryptocurrencies for legitimate activities while curtailing their use for malign and illegal activities. Furthermore, in December 2020, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”), a unit of the Treasury Department focused on money laundering, proposed a new set of rules for cryptocurrency-based exchanges aimed at reducing the use of cryptocurrencies for money laundering. These proposed rules would require filing reports with FinCEN regarding cryptocurrency transactions in excess of $10,000 and also impose record-keeping requirements for cryptocurrency transactions in excess of $3,000 involving users who manage their own private keys. In January 2021, the Biden Administration issued a memorandum freezing federal rulemaking, including these proposed FinCEN rules, to provide additional time for the Biden Administration to review the rulemaking that had been proposed by the Trump Administration. As a result, it remains unclear whether these proposed rules will take effect.
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Intellectual Property
We actively use specific hardware and software for our cryptocurrency mining operation. In certain cases, source code and other software assets may be subject to an open source license, as much technology development underway in this sector is open source. For these works, we intend to adhere to the terms of any license agreements that may be in place.
We do not currently own, and do not have any current plans to seek, any patents in connection with our existing and planned blockchain and cryptocurrency related operations. We do expect to rely upon trade secrets, trademarks, service marks, trade names, copyrights and other intellectual property rights and expect to license the use of intellectual property rights owned and controlled by others. In addition, we have developed and may further develop certain proprietary software applications for purposes of our cryptocurrency mining operation.
Competition
In cryptocurrency mining, companies, individuals and groups generate units of cryptocurrency through mining. Miners can range from individual enthusiasts to professional mining operations with dedicated data centers. Miners may organize themselves in mining pools. The Company competes or may in the future compete with other companies that focus all or a portion of their activities on owning or operating cryptocurrency exchanges, developing programming for the blockchain, and mining activities. At present, the information concerning the activities of these enterprises is not readily available as the vast majority of the participants in this sector do not publish information publicly or the information may be unreliable. Published sources of information include “bitcoin.org” and “blockchain.info”; however, the reliability of that information and its continued availability cannot be assured.
Several public companies (traded in the U.S. and Internationally), such as the following, may be considered to compete with us, although we believe there is no company, including the following, which engages in the same scope of activities as we do.
● | Overstock.com Inc. | |
● | Bitcoin Investment Trust | |
● | Blockchain Industries, Inc. (formerly Omni Global Technologies, Inc.) | |
● | Bitfarms Technologies Ltd. (formerly Blockchain Mining Ltd) | |
● | DMG Blockchain Solutions Inc. | |
● | Digihost International, Inc. | |
● | Hive Blockchain Technologies Inc. | |
● | Hut 8 Mining Corp. | |
● | HashChain Technology, Inc. | |
● | MGT Capital Investments, Inc. | |
● | DPW Holdings, Inc. | |
● | Layer1 Technologies, LLC | |
● | Northern Data AG | |
● | Riot Blockchain, Inc. |
S-15 |
While there is limited available information regarding our non-public competitors, we believe that our recent acquisition and deployment of miners (as discussed further above) positions us well among the publicly traded companies involved in the cryptocurrency mining industry. The cryptocurrency industry is a highly competitive and evolving industry and new competitors and/or emerging technologies could enter the market and affect our competitiveness in the future.
Common stock offered by us pursuant to this prospectus | Shares of our common stock having an aggregate offering price of up to $750 million. | |
Common stock to be outstanding after this offering | Up to 128,819,559 shares, assuming the sale of 25,870,990 shares at a sales price of $28.99 per share, which was the closing price on the Nasdaq Capital Market on February 9, 2022. The actual number of shares issued and outstanding will vary depending on the price at which shares may be sold from time to time during this offering. | |
Manner of offering | “At the market offering” that may be made from time to time on the Nasdaq Capital Market or other trading market for our common stock in the U.S. through our sales agent, H.C. Wainwright & Co., LLC. See the section entitled “Plan of Distribution” on page S-20 of this prospectus. | |
Use of proceeds | We intend to use to use a substantial portion of the net proceeds to purchase additional Bitcoin Mining servers. The remaining proceeds will be used for general corporate purposes. See the section entitled “Use of Proceeds” on page S-19 of this prospectus. | |
Risk factors | See “Risk Factors” beginning on page S-17 of this prospectus supplement and the other information included in, or incorporated by reference into, our prospectus for a discussion of certain factors you should carefully consider before deciding to invest in shares of our common stock. | |
Nasdaq Capital Market symbol | MARA |
The number of shares of our common stock to be outstanding immediately after this offering is based on 102,948,569 shares of common stock outstanding as of February 9, 2022, and excludes the following:
326,779 Warrants outstanding to purchase common stock, 0 stock options and 1,133,073 restricted stock units (as of February 9, 2022).
S-16 |
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Certain statements made herein that look forward in time or express management’s expectations or beliefs with respect to the occurrence of future events are forward-looking statements as defined under Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and are subject to the safe harbor created therein for forward-looking statements. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements concerning our anticipated operating results, research and development, clinical trials, regulatory proceedings, and financial resources, and can be identified by use of words such as, for example, “anticipate,” “estimate,” “expect,” “project,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe” and “would,” “should,” “could” or “may.” All statements, other than statements of historical facts, included herein that address activities, events, or developments that the Company expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future, are forward-looking statements, including statements regarding:
● | our early stage of development; | |
● | we have incurred significant operating losses since our inception and cannot assure you that we will generate revenue or profit; | |
● | our dependence on additional outside capital; | |
● | we may be unable to enter into strategic partnerships for the development, commercialization, manufacturing and distribution of our proposed product candidates; | |
● | uncertainties related to our technology and clinical trials; | |
● | we may be unable to demonstrate the efficacy and safety of our developmental product candidates in human trials; | |
● | we may be unable to improve upon, protect and/or enforce our intellectual property; | |
● | we are subject to extensive and costly regulation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and by foreign regulatory authorities, which must approve our product candidates in development and could restrict the sales and marketing and pricing of such products; | |
● | competition and stock price volatility in the biotechnology industry; | |
● | limited trading volume for our stock, concentration of ownership of our stock, and other risks detailed herein and from time to time in our SEC reports; and | |
● | other risks detailed herein and from time to time in our SEC reports, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020, and our subsequent SEC filings. |
We caution investors that actual results or business conditions may differ materially from those projected or suggested in forward-looking statements as a result of various factors including, but not limited to, those described above and in the Risk Factors section of our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, and our subsequent SEC filings. All forward-looking statements contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus are expressly qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements. Unless required by law, we undertake no obligation to publicly update or review any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise. These cautionary statements qualify all forward-looking statements attributable to us or persons acting on our behalf.
Investment in our common stock involves risks. Before deciding whether to invest in our common stock, you should consider carefully the risk factors discussed below and those contained in the section entitled “Risk Factors” contained in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, as filed with the SEC on March 16, 2021, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, as well as any amendment or update to our risk factors reflected in subsequent filings with the SEC. If any of the risks or uncertainties described in our SEC filings actually occurs, our business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flow could be materially and adversely affected. This could cause the trading price of our common stock to decline, resulting in a loss of all or part of your investment. The risks and uncertainties we have described are not the only ones facing our company. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also affect our business operations.
S-17 |
Risks Associated with this Offering
We have broad discretion in the use of the net proceeds of this offering and may not use them effectively.
We intend to use to use a substantial portion of the net proceeds to purchase additional Bitcoin Mining servers. The remaining proceeds will be used for general corporate purposes. Our management will have broad discretion in the application of the net proceeds from this offering and could spend the proceeds in ways that do not improve our results of operations or enhance the value of our common stock. The failure by management to apply these funds effectively could result in financial losses that could have a material adverse effect on our business, cause the price of our common stock to decline and delay the development of our product candidates.
You may experience future dilution as a result of future equity offerings.
In order to raise additional capital, we may in the future offer additional shares of our common stock or other securities convertible into or exchangeable for our common stock at prices that may not be the same as the price per share in this offering. We may sell shares or other securities in any other offering at a price per share that is less than the price per share paid by investors in this offering, and investors purchasing shares or other securities in the future could have rights superior to existing stockholders. The price per share at which we sell additional shares of our common stock, or securities convertible or exchangeable into common stock, in future transactions may be higher or lower than the price per share paid by investors in this offering.
The common stock offered hereby will be sold in “at-the-market” offerings, and investors who buy shares at different times will likely pay different prices.
Investors who purchase shares in this offering at different times will likely pay different prices, and so may experience different outcomes in their investment results. We will have discretion, subject to market demand, to vary the timing, prices and numbers of shares sold, and there is no minimum or maximum sales price. Investors may experience a decline in the value of their shares as a result of share sales made at prices lower than the prices they paid.
The actual number of shares we will issue under the sales agreement, at any one time or in total, is uncertain.
Subject to certain limitations in the sales agreement and compliance with applicable law, we have the discretion to deliver a sales notice to Wainwright at any time throughout the term of the sales agreement. The number of shares that are sold by Wainwright after we deliver a sales notice will fluctuate based on the market price of the common stock during the sales period and limits we set with Wainwright. Because the price per share of each share sold will fluctuate based on the market price of our common stock during the sales period, it is not possible at this stage to predict the number of shares that will be ultimately issued.
You will experience immediate and substantial dilution.
The offering price per share in this offering may exceed the net tangible book value per share of our common stock outstanding prior to this offering. Assuming that an aggregate of 25,870,990 shares of our common stock are sold at a price of $28.99 per share, the last reported sale price of our common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market on February 9, 2022, for aggregate gross proceeds of $750 million, you will experience immediate dilution of $18.16 per share, representing the difference between our as adjusted net tangible book value per share as of September 30, 2021 after giving effect to this offering and the assumed offering price. The exercise of outstanding stock options and warrants, or the conversion of outstanding preferred stock into common stock, will result in further dilution of your investment. See the section entitled “Dilution” below for a more detailed illustration of the dilution you would incur if you participate in this offering.
We may issue and sell shares of our common stock having aggregate sales proceeds of up to $750 million from time to time. Because there is no minimum offering amount required as a condition to close this offering, the actual total public offering amount, commissions and proceeds to us, if any, are not determinable at this time. We estimate that the net proceeds from the sale of the shares of common stock that we are offering may be up to approximately $727.2 million, after deducting Wainwright’s commission and estimated offering expenses payable by us.
S-18 |
We intend to use to use a substantial portion of the net proceeds to purchase additional Bitcoin Mining servers. The remaining proceeds will be used for general corporate purposes.
We have never declared or paid any cash dividends on our common stock. We currently intend to retain any future earnings and do not expect to declare or pay any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Any future determination to pay dividends will be at the discretion of our board of directors, subject to applicable laws, and will depend on our financial condition, results of operations, capital requirements, general business conditions and other factors that our board of directors considers relevant.
If you invest in our common stock, your interest will be diluted to the extent of the difference between the price per share you pay in this offering and the net tangible book value per share of our common stock immediately after this offering. Our net tangible book value of our common stock as of September 30, 2021 was approximately $659.5 million, or approximately $6.43 per share of common stock based upon 102,506,558 shares outstanding. Net tangible book value per share is equal to our total tangible assets, less our total liabilities, divided by the total number of shares outstanding as of September 30, 2021.
After giving effect to the sale of our common stock in the aggregate amount of $750 million at an assumed offering price of $28.99 per share, the last reported sale price of our common stock on The Nasdaq Capital Market on February 9, 2022, and after deducting estimated offering commissions and expenses payable by us, our net tangible book value as of September 30, 2021 would have been $1,390,641,578, or $10.83 per share of common stock. This represents an immediate increase in net tangible book value of $4.40 per share to our existing stockholders and an immediate dilution in net tangible book value of $18.16 per share to new investors in this offering.
The following table illustrates this calculation on a per share basis:
Assumed Offering price per share | $ | 28.99 | ||
Net tangible book value per share as of September 30, 2021 | $ | 6.43 | ||
Increase in net tangible book value per share attributable to the offering | $ | 4.40 | ||
As-adjusted net tangible book value per share after giving effect to the offering | $ | 10.83 | ||
Dilution in net tangible book value per share to new investors | $ | 18.16 |
The number of shares of our common stock to be outstanding immediately after this offering is based on 102,506,558 shares of our common stock outstanding as of September 30, 2021. The number of shares outstanding as of September 30, 2021 excludes:
326,779 Warrants outstanding to purchase common stock, 0 stock options and 1,133,073 restricted stock units (as of September 30, 2021).
The foregoing table does not give effect to the exercise of any outstanding options or warrants or the conversion of preferred stock to common stock. To the extent options and warrants are exercised, or to the extent preferred stock is converted to common stock, there may be further dilution to new investors.
The table above assumes for illustrative purposes that an aggregate of 25,870,990 shares of our common stock are sold at a price of $28.99 per share, the last reported sale price of our common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market on February 9, 2022, for aggregate gross proceeds of $750,000,000. The shares, if any, sold in this offering will be sold from time to time at various prices.
S-19 |
We have entered into an At The Market Offering Agreement, or the sales agreement, with H.C. Wainwright & Co., LLC, or Wainwright, under which we may issue and sell our common stock from time to time through Wainwright acting as sales agent, subject to certain limitations, including the number of shares registered under the registration statement to which the offering relates. The sales, if any, of shares made under the sales agreement will be made by any method that is deemed an “at the market offering” as defined in Rule 415 promulgated under the Securities Act. If we and Wainwright agree on any method of distribution other than sales of shares of our common stock on or through the Nasdaq Capital Market or another existing trading market in the United States at market prices, we will file a further prospectus supplement providing all information about such offering as required by Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act.
Each time we wish to issue and sell common stock under the sales agreement, we will notify Wainwright of the number of shares to be issued, the dates on which such sales are anticipated to be made, any minimum price below which sales may not be made and other sales parameters as we deem appropriate. Once we have so instructed Wainwright, unless Wainwright declines to accept the terms of the notice, Wainwright has agreed to use its commercially reasonable efforts consistent with its normal trading and sales practices to sell such shares up to the amount specified on such terms. The obligations of Wainwright under the sales agreement to sell our common stock are subject to a number of conditions that we must meet. We may instruct Wainwright not to sell common stock if the sales cannot be effected at or above the price designated by us from time to time. We or Wainwright may suspend the offering of common stock upon notice and subject to other conditions.
We will pay Wainwright commissions for its services in acting as agent in the sale of common stock. Wainwright will be entitled to a commission in an amount equal to 3.0% of the gross proceeds from the sale of common stock offered hereby. In addition, we have agreed to reimburse Wainwright for fees and disbursements related to its legal counsel in an amount not to exceed $100,000. We estimate that the total expenses for the offering, excluding compensation payable to Wainwright under the terms of the sales agreement, will be approximately $250,000.
Settlement for sales of common stock will generally occur on the second business day following the date on which any sales are made, or on some other date that is agreed upon by us and Wainwright in connection with a particular transaction, in return for payment of the net proceeds to us. There is no arrangement for funds to be received in an escrow, trust or similar arrangement.
In connection with the sale of the common stock on our behalf in this “at the market offering”, Wainwright will be deemed to be an “underwriter” within the meaning of the Securities Act and the compensation of Wainwright will be deemed to be underwriting commissions or discounts. We have agreed to provide indemnification and contribution to Wainwright against certain civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act.
The offering of our common stock pursuant to the sales agreement will terminate upon the earlier of (i) the sale of all of our common stock provided for in this prospectus or (ii) termination of the sales agreement as provided therein.
Wainwright and its affiliates may in the future provide various investment banking and other financial services for us and our affiliates, for which services they may in the future receive customary fees. To the extent required by Regulation M, Wainwright will not engage in any market making activities involving our common stock while the offering is ongoing under this prospectus.
The validity of the common stock offered hereby will be passed upon by Jolie Kahn, Esq., NY, NY. Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP, New York, New York, is counsel for Wainwright in connection with this offering.
The consolidated balance sheets of Marathon Digital Holdings, Inc. as of December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, and the related consolidated statements of operations stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for the years then ended have been audited by RBSM, LLP, as stated in their report, which is incorporated herein by reference. Such consolidated financial statements are incorporated herein by reference in reliance upon such report given on the authority of such firm as experts in accounting and auditing.
S-20 |
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
We file reports with the SEC on an annual basis using Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K. You may read and copy any such reports and amendments thereto at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549 on official business days during the hours of 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for information on the Public Reference Room. Additionally, the SEC maintains a website that contains annual, quarterly, and current reports, proxy statements, and other information that issuers (including us) file electronically with the SEC. The SEC’s website address is http://www.sec.gov. You can also obtain copies of materials we file with the SEC from our Internet website found at www.marathonpg.com. Our stock is quoted on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “MARA.”
This prospectus is only part of a registration statement on Form S-3 that we have filed with the SEC under the Securities Act and therefore omits certain information contained in the registration statement. We have also filed exhibits and schedules with the registration statement that are excluded from this prospectus, and you should refer to the applicable exhibit or schedule for a complete description of any statement referring to any contract or other document. You may inspect a copy of the registration statement, including the exhibits and schedules, without charge, at the public reference room or obtain a copy from the SEC upon payment of the fees prescribed by the SEC.
This prospectus is part of a registration statement filed with the SEC. The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” into this prospectus the information that we file with them, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those documents. The information incorporated by reference is considered to be part of this prospectus, and information that we file later with the SEC will automatically update and supersede this information. The following documents are incorporated by reference and made a part of this prospectus:
● | Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 filed on March 16, 2021 and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2021 (and as amended), June 30, 2021 and September 30, 2021, filed on May 10 and 12, 2021, August 13, 2021 and November 15, 2021, respectively; | |
● | Our Definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A and accompanying additional proxy materials filed with the SEC on June 16, 2021; | |
● | Current Reports on Form 8-K (excluding any reports or portions thereof that are deemed to be furnished and not filed) filed on January 7, 2021, January 15, 2021, January 15, 2021, January 22, 2021, January 26, 2021, March 16, 2021, March 30, 2021, April 30, 2021, May 26, 2021, May 27, 2021, July 19, 2021, July 22, 2021, August 4, 2021, August 11, 2021, August 19, 2021, September 2, 2021, September 9, 2021, September 16, 2021, October 7, 2021, November 15, 2021, November 18, 2021, November 19, 2021, November 24, 2021, December 6, 2021, December 21, 2021, December 28, 2021 and January 3, 2022; and | |
● | Our registration statement on Form 8-A filed on April 12, 2012 and July 22, 2014. |
We also incorporate by reference all additional documents that we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the terms of Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act that are made after the date of the initial registration statement but prior to effectiveness of the registration statement and after the date of this prospectus but prior to the termination of the offering of the securities covered by this prospectus. We are not, however, incorporating, in each case, any documents or information that we are deemed to furnish and not file in accordance with Securities and Exchange Commission rules.
You may request, and we will provide you with, a copy of these filings, at no cost, by calling us at (702) 945-2773 or by writing to us at the following address:
Marathon Digital Holdings, Inc. 1180 North Town Center Drive, Suite 100 Las Vegas, NV 89114 |
S-21 |
$750,000,000
MARATHON DIGITAL HOLDINGS, INC.
Common Stock
PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT
H.C. Wainwright & Co.
February 11 , 2022
PART II
INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS
Item 14. Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution.
The following table sets forth the costs and expenses payable by the Registrant in connection with this offering, other than underwriting commissions and discounts, all of which are estimated except for the SEC registration fee.
Item | Amount | |||
SEC registration fee | $ | 74,160 | ||
Printing and engraving expenses | * | |||
Legal fees and expenses | * | |||
Accounting fees and expenses | * | |||
Transfer agent and registrar’s fees and expenses | * | |||
Miscellaneous expenses | * | |||
* | ||||
Total | $ | * |
* Unable to calculate and to be disclosed by prospectus supplement.
Item 15. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.
Nevada Revised Statutes Sections 78.7502 and 78.751 provide us with the power to indemnify any of our directors and officers. The director or officer must have conducted himself/herself in good faith and reasonably believe that his/her conduct was in, or not opposed to, our best interests. In a criminal action, the director, officer, employee or agent must not have had reasonable cause to believe his/her conduct was unlawful.
Under Nevada Revised Statutes Section 78.751, advances for expenses may be made by agreement if the director or officer affirms in writing that he/she believes he/she has met the standards and will personally repay the expenses if it is determined such officer or director did not meet the standards.
Our Articles of Incorporation provide that our officers and directors shall be indemnified and held harmless to the fullest extent legally permissible under the laws of the State of Nevada against all expenses, liability and loss (including attorneys’ fees, judgments, fines and amounts paid or to be paid in settlement) reasonably incurred or suffered by them in connection with any civil, criminal, administrative or investigative action, suit or proceeding related to their service as an officer or director. Such right of indemnification shall be a contract right which may be enforced in any manner desired by such person. We must pay the expenses of officers and directors incurred in defending a civil or criminal action, suit or proceeding as they are incurred and in advance of the final disposition of the action, suit or proceeding, upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of the director or officer to repay the amount if it is ultimately determined by a court of competent jurisdiction that he is not entitled to be indemnified by us. Such right of indemnification shall not be exclusive of any other right which such directors or officers may have or hereafter acquire.
Our Articles of Incorporation provide that we may adopt bylaws to provide at all times the fullest indemnification permitted by the laws of the State of Nevada, and may purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any of officers and directors. The indemnification provided in our Articles of Incorporation shall continue as to a person who has ceased to be a director, officer, employee or agent, and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of such person.
Our Bylaws provide that a director or officer shall have no personal liability to us or our stockholders for damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director or officer, except for damages for breach of fiduciary duty resulting from (a) acts or omissions which involve intentional misconduct, fraud, or a knowing violation of law, or (b) the payment of dividends in violation of Nevada Revised Statutes Section 78.300.
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Item 16. Exhibits.
* To be filed by amendment or by a Current Report on Form 8-K and incorporated by reference herein.
** Filed herewith.
(1) | Previously filed as Exhibit 3.1 to Current Report on Form 8-K filed December 9, 2011 and incorporated herein by reference. |
(2) | Previously filed as Exhibit 3.1 to Current Report on Form 8-K filed February 20, 2013 and incorporated herein by reference. |
(3) | Previously filed as Exhibit 3.1 to Current Report on Form 8-K filed July 19, 2013 and incorporated herein by reference. |
(4) | Previously filed as Exhibit 3.4 to Registration Statement on Form S-4 filed January 24, 2018 and incorporated herein by reference. |
(5) | Previously filed as Exhibit 3.2 to Current Report on Form 8-K filed December 9, 2011 and incorporated herein by reference |
(6) | Previously filed as Exhibit 3.2 to Current Report on Form 8-K filed May 7, 2014 and incorporated herein by reference. |
(7) | Previously filed as Exhibit 4.1 to Current Report on Form 8-K filed December 1, 2017 and incorporated herein by reference. |
(8) | Previously filed as Exhibit 4.1 to Current Report on Form 8-K filed December 22, 2017 and incorporated herein by reference. |
(9) | Previously filed as Exhibit 4.4 to Registration Statement on Form S-4 filed January 24, 2018 and incorporated herein by reference. |
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Item 17. Undertakings
(a) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:
(1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement:
(i) To include any prospectus required by section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933;
(ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than 20% change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration statement.
(iii) To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement;
provided, however, Paragraphs (a)(1)(i), (a)(1)(ii) and (a)(1)(iii) of this section do not apply if the registration statement is on Form S-3 and the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the registrant pursuant to section 13 or section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are incorporated by reference in the registration statement, or is contained in a form of prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) that is part of the registration statement.
(2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.
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(3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.
(4) That, for the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser:
(i) Each prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3) shall be deemed to be part of the registration statement as of the date the filed prospectus was deemed part of and included in the registration statement; and
(ii) Each prospectus required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(2), (b)(5), or (b)(7) as part of a registration statement in reliance on Rule 430B relating to an offering made pursuant to Rule 415(a)(1)(i), (vii), or (x) for the purpose of providing the information required by section 10(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the earlier of the date such form of prospectus is first used after effectiveness or the date of the first contract of sale of securities in the offering described in the prospectus. As provided in Rule 430B, for liability purposes of the issuer and any person that is at that date an underwriter, such date shall be deemed to be a new effective date of the registration statement relating to the securities in the registration statement to which that prospectus relates, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such effective date, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such effective date; or
(5) That, for the purpose of determining liability of the registrant under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities, the undersigned registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of the undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser:
(i) Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424;
(ii) Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by the undersigned registrant;
(iii) The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant; and
(iv) Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser.
(b) The registrant hereby undertakes that for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the registrant’s annual report pursuant to section 13(a) or section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference in the registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.
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(c) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.
(d) The registrant hereby undertakes that:
(1) For purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, the information omitted from the form of prospectus filed as part of this registration statement in reliance upon Rule 430A and contained in a form of prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(1) or (4) or 497(h) under the Securities Act shall be deemed to be part of this registration statement as of the time it was declared effective.
(2) For the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each post-effective amendment that contains a form of prospectus shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing Form S-3 and has duly caused this registration statement or Amendment thereto to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in Las Vegas, NV, on February 11, 2022.
MARATHON DIGITAL HOLDINGS, INC. | ||
By: | /s/ Fred Thiel | |
Name: | Fred Thiel | |
Title: | Chief Executive Officer and Executive Chairman | |
(Principal Executive Officer) | ||
By: | /s/ Simeon Salzman | |
Name: | Simeon Salzman | |
Title: | Chief Financial Officer | |
(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) |
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
Signature | Title | Date | ||
/s/ Fred Thiel | Chief Executive Officer and Executive Chairman (Principal Executive Officer) | February 11, 2022 | ||
Fred Thiel | ||||
/s/ Simeon Salzman | Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) | February 11, 2022 | ||
Simeon Salzman | ||||
/s/ Kevin DeNuccio | Director | February 11, 2022 | ||
Kevin DeNuccio | ||||
/s/ Sarita James | Director | February 11, 2022 | ||
Sarita James | ||||
/s/ Said Ouissal | Director | February 11, 2022 | ||
Said Ouissal | ||||
/s/ Georges Antoun | Director | February 11, 2022 | ||
Georges Antoun | ||||
/s/ Jay Leupp | Director | February 11, 2022 | ||
Jay Leupp |