Block posts 34% increase in Bitcoin revenue in Q2 but shares stumble

Bitcoin profits on Block’s Cash App dropped slightly from the first quarter of 2023 but remain up 7% from this time last year.

Shares in payment technology firm Block Inc. tumbled after hours despite its second-quarter results beating earnings expectations, including a 34% year-on-year increase in Bitcoin (BTC) revenue.

In a Q2 earnings call, Block reported a whopping $2.4 billion in Bitcoin sales on its Cash App platform, with gross profit from Bitcoin sales coming in at $44 million, a 7% increase from the same time last year.

Block’s revenue for the quarter increased 25.6% from $4.4 billion to $5.53 billion year over year, meaning nearly half came from Bitcoin sales alone.

Our Q2 earnings are now available. $SQ https://t.co/oGcnRuzFb3
— Block Investor Relations (@BlockIR) August 3, 2023

The company attributed the increase in Bitcoin revenue to customers continuing to purchase the crypto asset despite a decline in price over the course of the last year.

“The year-over-year increase in bitcoin revenue and gross profit was driven by an increase in the quantity of bitcoin sold to customers, partially offset by a decrease in the average market price of bitcoin compared to the prior-year period.”

However, the market failed to register a positive response, with the price of Block shares closing down 5.6% in after hours trading, according to data from Google Finance.

Despite beating earnings expectations, Block's share price fell 5.6% in after hours trading. Source: TradingView

Block also highlighted its own Bitcoin investments, noting a purchase of $50 million in Q4 2020 and an additional $170 million in Q1 2021.

"As of June 30, 2023, the fair value of our investment in Bitcoin was $245 million based on observable market prices, which was $142 million greater than the carrying value of the investment after cumulative impairment charges," read the earnings report.

Overall, Block Inc. reported a gross profit of $1.87 billion — a 27% increase year over year — while Cash App continued to show strength with $968 million in gross profits, up 37% on the year.

*Block Inc. gross profits Q2 2023. Source: Block earnings*

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Cash App Bitcoin revenue tops billion in the first quarter

block

Block’s Q1 earnings report reveals a 25% year-on-year increase in Bitcoin revenue from the fintech firm’s flagship product Cash App.

Fintech firm Block, owned by Twitter founder Jack Dorsey, has reported a staggering $2.16 billion in Bitcoin (BTC) revenue on its bellwether product Cash App in Q1.

According to a shareholder letter announcing its Q1 2023 earnings, Block (NYSE:SQ) reported that its Bitcoin revenue — which counts BTC revenue as total sales of the cryptocurrency to customers — was up 18% from $1.83 billion in Q4 and 25% from Q1 2022.

Our Q1 earnings are now available. $SQ https://t.co/oGcnRuzFb3
— Block Investor Relations (@BlockIR) May 4, 2023

Cash App’s total profits reached over $931 million in the first quarter of 2023, marking a 49% increase year-over-year. Notably, Cash App’s profit paled compared to the company’s gross profit, which came in at $1.71 billion. Block also owns the popular business payment service Square, which reported a slight (3.8%) decline in profits from the fourth quarter of 2022.

According to the shareholder letter, the multi-billion-dollar Bitcoin revenues were driven by “an increase in the quantity of Bitcoin sold to customers,” and were “partially offset” by a decrease in the market price of Bitcoin, compared to the same timeframe in 2022.

The fintech firm also reported an earning per share of 40 cents, beating analyst expectations of 35 cents per share by 14%, with its first-quarter revenue rising 26% year-on-year.

*Block’s gross profits are up 32% year-on-year. Source:* *Block shareholder letter*

Speaking to investors in the earnings conference call, Block CEO Jack Dorsey identified both artificial intelligence and “open protocols” as technologies that would aid the company in proactively responding to the “significant shifts” in the global financial system He cited continued United States bank failures and de-dollarization as the primary culprits.

The equities market took kindly to Block’s earnings filings. The fintech firm’s share price briefly surged 5% to $63.50 in after-hours trading, before settling down to a 2.5% gain at the time of publication.

This uptick marked the first instance of relief from a steady decline in Block’s share price, which suffered a significant 25% hit following the release of a scathing report penned by famed short sellers Hindenburg Research.

On March 23, Hindenburg slammed Block for “systematically taking advantage of the demographics it claims to be helping,” and declared that Block’s success with Cash App only hinged on a “willingness to facilitate fraud against consumers and the government.”

“Hindenburg is known for these types of attacks, which are designed solely to allow short sellers to profit from a declined stock price,” wrote Block in response to Hindenburg’s allegations. “We have reviewed the full report in the context of our own data and believe it’s designed to deceive and confuse investors.”

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Block earnings