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Note 4 - Other Recent Events
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2025
Notes to Financial Statements  
Other Events [Text Block]

4. OTHER RECENT EVENTS

 

Columbus Circle Capital Corp I 

 

On May 19, 2025, Columbus Circle Capital Corp I (the "Columbus Circle SPAC"), a blank check company incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company and formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, amalgamation, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization, or similar business combination with one or more businesses (each a “Business Combination”), completed the sale of 25,000,000 units (the “Units”) in its initial public offering (the “IPO”), which included 3,000,000 units issued pursuant to the underwriters’ partial exercise of their over-allotment option. 

 

On June 23, 2025, the Columbus Circle SPAC entered into a definitive business combination agreement with ProCap BTC, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“ProCap BTC”), ProCap Financial, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“ProCap Financial”), Crius SPAC Merger Sub, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“SPAC Merger Sub”), Crius Merger Sub, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Company Merger Sub”), and Inflection Points Inc., d/b/a Professional Capital Management, a Delaware corporation (the "Business Combination Agreement"). Pursuant to the transactions contemplated by the Business Combination Agreement (the “Business Combination”), the Columbus Circle SPAC and ProCap BTC would merge into SPAC Merger Sub and Company Merger Sub, respectively, and become wholly-owned subsidiaries of ProCap Financial, and ProCap Financial became a publicly traded company. Proceeds from the proposed Business Combination, if any, after satisfaction of redemption payments to the Columbus Circle SPAC’s public shareholders and transaction expenses, were expected to be used by ProCap Financial to purchase bitcoin, in connection with ProCap Financial’s business plans and strategies.

 

On December 5, 2025, the transactions contemplated by the Business Combination were consummated (the “Closing”). Upon the Closing, Columbus Circle SPAC and ProCap BTC merged into SPAC Merger Sub and Company Merger Sub, respectively, and became wholly-owned subsidiaries of ProCap Financial. ProCap Financial became the go-forward company following the Closing. ProCap Financials’ common stock and warrants commenced trading on the Nasdaq Global Market on December 8, 2025 under the symbols “BRR” and “BRRWW,” respectively.

 

From May 19, 2025 until December 5, 2025, the Company consolidated the sponsor of the Columbus Circle SPAC, which treated its investment in the Columbus Circle SPAC under the equity method of accounting.  The sponsor distributed all of its assets and ceased operations in December 2025.  The following table shows the impact that the consolidation of the Columbus Circle SPAC sponsor had to the Company's statement of operations during 2025.

 

     
  

2025

 

Revenues

    

Principal transactions and other income

 $32,240 

Total revenue

  32,240 
     

Operating expenses

    

Compensation and benefits

  15,671 

Total operating expenses

  15,671 
     

Operating income / (loss)

  16,569 
     

Non-operating income / (expense)

    
     

Income / (loss) from equity method affiliates

  (2,675)

Income / (loss) before income taxes

  13,894 

Income tax expense / (benefit)

  - 

Net income / (loss)

  13,894 

Less: Net income (loss) attributable to the non-convertible non-controlling interest

  5,854 

Enterprise net income (loss)

  8,040 

Less: Net income (loss) attributable to the convertible non-controlling interest

  - 

Net income / (loss) attributable to Cohen & Company Inc.

 $8,040 

 

The compensation incurred above represented share-based compensation recognized upon completion of the business combination.  See note 3 for the discussion of our accounting policy related to equity compensation for SPACs that the Company sponsors. 

 

As of December 31, 2025, the Company held 2,151,666 shares of BRR which were allocated to the Company by the sponsor of the Columbus Circle Spac.  The Company carried at a value of $7,595 as a component of other investments, at fair value in the Company's consolidated balance sheet.  The BRR shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, which restrictions will lapse and the BRR shares will no longer be subject to these transfer restrictions upon the earliest to occur of the following: (i) the second anniversary of the Closing, (ii) if the closing price of ProCap Financials’ common stock equals or exceeds $10.21 per share (subject to customary adjustments) for any 20 trading days within any consecutive 30-trading day period, and (iii) if the dollar volume-weighted average price for Bitcoin (BTC) during any one hundred twenty (120)-hour period equals or exceeds $140 during any five-day period. Any further change in value of these shares until final liquidation will be recorded as principal transactions gain or loss in the Company's consolidated statement of operations.  The Company recorded a loss of ($452) related to the BRR shares from the date received until December 31, 2025.  

 

In addition, the Company served as underwriter and advisor to the Columbus Circle SPAC.  See note 31.  As partial consideration for these services, the Company received 392,000 shares of BRR and 196,000 warrants.  The shares and warrants are carried at a value of $1,521 and included as a component of other investments, at fair value in the consolidated balance sheet.  

 

Sale of Management Contracts

 

On March 13, 2025, the Company entered into a Master Transaction Agreement (the “MTA”) with an affiliate of Hildene Capital Management, LLC (“Hildene”), an SEC-registered investment adviser based in Stamford, Connecticut.  Hildene has been investing in CDOs backed by trust preferred securities ("TruPS") since the 2007-08 financial crisis and has extensive experience with monitoring banks and insurance companies.

 

Pursuant to the MTA, the Company agreed to sell, assign, transfer, and convey to Hildene all of its rights and obligations in and under the Collateral Management Agreements and Collateral Administration Agreements (each a “CDO Agreement” and together, the “CDO Agreements”) for (i) Alesco Preferred Funding III, Ltd., (ii) Alesco Preferred Funding IV, Ltd., (iii) Alesco Preferred Funding V, Ltd., (iv) Alesco Preferred Funding VI, Ltd., and (v) Alesco Preferred Funding VIII, Ltd. (each an “Issuer,” and, collectively, the “Issuers”) and all books and records with respect to each Issuer (collectively with the CDO Agreements, the “Assigned Assets”).

 

The MTA contemplated multiple closings following the date of the MTA (each an “MTA Closing”), with each MTA Closing to occur following the satisfaction of the conditions to MTA Closing for the assignment of each CDO Agreement pursuant to the MTA.  The most significant condition outside of the Company's and Hildene's control was consent of the preferred security holders of each CDO.  

 

During the year ended December 31, 2025, the Company received all required consents with respect to the MTA Closing, and all of the MTA Closings were consummated.  No further MTA Closings will occur.  The Company recorded a gain of $2,734, which represented the sale price of $3,500 less offsets of $766, which represented management fees received by the Company subsequent to March 1, 2025.  

 

Vellar Opportunities GP, LLC

 

On February 25, 2025, the Operating LLC entered into (i) a Limited Liability Company Interest Purchase Agreement (the “Vellar Purchase Agreement”) with Jason Capone and Solomon Cohen, who is the son of our executive chairman, Daniel G. Cohen, and (ii) a Transition Services Agreement (the “Vellar Transition Services Agreement” and, together with the Vellar Purchase Agreement, the “Vellar Agreements”) with Vellar Opportunities GP LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Vellar GP”).  Prior to entering into the Vellar Agreements, the Operating LLC was the managing member and owner of 33.4% of Vellar GP. 

 

Pursuant to the Vellar Purchase Agreement, the Operating LLC sold all of its 33.4% interest in Vellar GP to each of Solomon Cohen and Jason Capone for an aggregate of $10.  As of February 25, 2025 and as a result of the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Vellar Purchase Agreement, the Company no longer had any investment in Vellar GP. Pursuant to the Vellar Purchase Agreement, the Operating LLC resigned as the managing member of Vellar GP, effective February 25, 2025.  In the first quarter of 2025, the Company recorded a loss on sale of $836, which is included as component of principal transactions and other income in the Company's consolidated statement of operations.  

 

Pursuant to the Vellar Transition Services Agreement, in exchange for the Operating LLC’s agreement to provide certain transitional services to Vellar GP, Vellar GP agreed to (i) pay to the Operating LLC certain defined revenue share amounts up to an aggregate of $4,234 and (ii) decrease the amount that the Operating LLC had previously agreed to pay to Vellar GP in connection with the funding of certain Vellar GP litigation expenses from $2,121 to $1,084.

 

Redemption of Redeemable Financial Instrument and Issuance of the 2024 Note

 

On October 3, 2016, the Operating  LLC entered into an Investment Agreement (the “JKD Investment Agreement”) with JKD Capital Partners I LTD ("JKD Investor"),  pursuant to which JKD Investor agreed to invest into the Operating LLC up to $12,000, of which $6,000 was invested into the Operating LLC on October 3, 2016, an additional $1,000 was invested into the Operating LLC on January 25, 2017, and an additional $1,268 was invested into the Operating LLC on January 9, 2019. The JKD Investor is owned by Jack J. DiMaio, the vice chairman of the board of directors, and his spouse.

 

Effective September 1, 2024, the Company entered into a redemption agreement with the JKD Investor (the “Redemption Agreement”), pursuant to which the Operating LLC redeemed the JKD Investment Agreement in its entirety.  As of September 1, 2024, the investment balance of the JKD Investment Agreement was $7,719. Pursuant to the Redemption Agreement, the Company (i) paid $2,573 of the investment balance in cash and (ii) issued a senior promissory note (the “2024 Note”) in the aggregate principal amount of $5,146, representing the remaining balance then-payable under the JKD Investment Agreement. The 2024 Note bears interest at 12% and its principal was to be repaid as follows: (i) $2,573 of the principal amount was to be due and payable on August 31, 2025, and (ii) $2,573 will be due and payable on August 31, 2026.  The 2024 Note may, with at least 31 days’ prior written notice to the holder of the 2024 Note, be prepaid in whole or in part without penalty or premium.  The Company prepaid the $2,573 of the principal amount that was otherwise due under the 2024 Note on August 31, 2025 on June 30, 2025.  See notes 20 and 31.