Exhibit 99.1
INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENT
| Page | ||
| Balance Sheet of Cohen Circle Acquisition Corp. I: | ||
| Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm | F-2 | |
| Balance Sheet as of October 15, 2024 | F-3 | |
| Notes to Financial Statement | F-4 |
F-1
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
To the Shareholders and the Board of Directors of
Cohen Circle Acquisition Corp. I:
Opinion on the Financial Statement
We have audited the accompanying balance sheet of Cohen Circle Acquisition Corp. I (the “Company”) as of October 15, 2024, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statement”). In our opinion, the financial statement presents fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of October 15, 2024, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Basis for Opinion
This financial statement is the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statement based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statement is free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audit, we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the entity’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
Our audit included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statement, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statement. Our audit also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statement. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
/s/ WithumSmith+Brown, PC
We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2021.
New York, New York
October 21, 2024
F-2
COHEN CIRCLE ACQUISITION CORP. I
BALANCE SHEET
October 15, 2024
| ASSETS | ||||
| Current Assets | ||||
| Cash | $ | 1,174,480 | ||
| Prepaid expenses | 26,800 | |||
| Total Current Assets | 1,201,280 | |||
| Cash held in Trust Account | 231,150,000 | |||
| TOTAL ASSETS | $ | 232,351,280 | ||
| LIABILITIES, CLASS A ORDINARY SHARES SUBJECT TO POSSIBLE REDEMPTION, AND SHAREHOLDERS’ DEFICIT | ||||
| Current Liabilities | ||||
| Accrued offering costs | $ | 279,942 | ||
| Accrued expenses | 12,500 | |||
| Total Current Liabilities | 292,442 | |||
| Deferred underwriting fee | 9,800,000 | |||
| TOTAL LIABILITIES | 10,092,442 | |||
| Commitments and Contingencies | ||||
| Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption, 23,000,000 shares at redemption value of $10.05 per share | 231,150,000 | |||
| Shareholders’ Deficit | ||||
| Preference shares, $0.0001 par value; 5,000,000 shares authorized; no shares issued or outstanding | — | |||
| Class A ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value; 500,000,000 shares authorized; 715,000 shares issued and outstanding (excluding 23,000,000 shares subject to possible redemption) | 72 | |||
| Class B ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value; 50,000,000 shares authorized; 7,905,000 shares issued and outstanding | 791 | |||
| Additional paid-in capital | — | |||
| Accumulated deficit | (8,892,025 | ) | ||
| Total Shareholders’ Deficit | (8,891,162 | ) | ||
| TOTAL LIABILITIES, CLASS A ORDINARY SHARES SUBJECT TO POSSIBLE REDEMPTION, AND SHAREHOLDERS’ DEFICIT | $ | 232,351,280 | ||
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statement.
F-3
COHEN CIRCLE ACQUISITION CORP. I
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENT
October 15, 2024
NOTE 1 — DESCRIPTION OF ORGANIZATION AND BUSINESS OPERATIONS
Cohen Circle Acquisition Corp. I (the “Company”) was incorporated in the Cayman Islands on October 26, 2021. The Company was incorporated for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses (the “Business Combination”).
The Company is not limited to a particular industry or sector for purposes of consummating a Business Combination. The Company is an early stage and emerging growth company and, as such, the Company is subject to all of the risks associated with early stage and emerging growth companies.
As of October 15, 2024, the Company had not commenced any operations. All activity for the period from October 26, 2021 (inception) through October 15, 2024 relates to the Company’s formation and the initial public offering (“Initial Public Offering”), which is described below. The Company will not generate any operating revenues until after the completion of its initial Business Combination, at the earliest. The Company will generate non-operating income in the form of interest income from the proceeds derived from the Initial Public Offering placed in the Trust Account (as defined below). The Company has selected December 31 as its fiscal year end.
The registration statement for the Company’s Initial Public Offering was declared effective on October 10, 2024. On October 15, 2024, the Company consummated the Initial Public Offering of 23,000,000 units (the “Units” and, with respect to the Class A ordinary shares included in the Units being offered, the “Public Shares”), which includes the full exercise by the underwriters of their over-allotment option in the amount of 3,000,000 Units, at $10.00 per Unit, generating proceeds of $230,000,000 which is described in Note 3.
Simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, the Company consummated the sale of an aggregate of 715,000 units (each, a “Placement Unit” and collectively, the “Placement Units”) at a price of $10.00 per Placement Unit in a private placement to Cohen Circle Sponsor I, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (together with Cohen Circle Advisors I, LLC, the “Sponsor”), and the representative of the underwriters, Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. (“Cantor”), generating gross proceeds of $7,150,000, which is described in Note 4.
Transaction costs amounted to $14,373,989, consisting of $4,000,000 of cash underwriting fee, $9,800,000 of deferred underwriting fee, and $573,989 of other offering costs.
The Company’s management has broad discretion with respect to the specific application of the net proceeds of the Initial Public Offering and the sale of Placement Units, although substantially all of the net proceeds are intended to be applied generally toward consummating a Business Combination. There is no assurance that the Company will be able to complete a Business Combination successfully. The Company must complete one or more initial Business Combinations with one or more operating businesses or assets with a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the net assets held in the Trust Account (as defined below) (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the interest earned on the Trust Account). The Company will only complete a Business Combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target business sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”).
Following the closing of the Initial Public Offering, on October 15, 2024, an amount of $231,150,000 ($10.05 per Unit) from the net proceeds of the sale of the Units and the Placement Units was placed in a trust account (“Trust Account”), located in the United States and invested only in (i) U.S. government securities, within the meaning set forth in Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act, with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act, which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations, (ii) as uninvested cash, or (iii) an interest bearing bank demand deposit account or other accounts at a bank, until the earlier of (i) the completion of a Business Combination and (ii) the distribution of the funds held in the Trust Account as described below.
F-4
COHEN CIRCLE ACQUISITION CORP. I
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENT
October 15, 2024
NOTE 1 — DESCRIPTION OF ORGANIZATION AND BUSINESS OPERATIONS (cont.)
The Company will provide the holders of the outstanding Public Shares (the “Public Shareholders”) with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Public Shares upon the completion of a Business Combination either (i) in connection with a general meeting called to approve the Business Combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether the Company will seek shareholder approval of a Business Combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by the Company. The Public Shareholders will be entitled to redeem their Public Shares for a pro rata portion of the amount then in the Trust Account (initially anticipated to be $10.05 per Public Share, plus any pro rata interest then in the Trust Account, net of taxes payable). There will be no redemption rights upon the completion of a Business Combination with respect to the Company’s warrants. The Public Shares subject to redemption were recorded at redemption value and classified as temporary equity upon the completion of the Initial Public Offering in accordance with the Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 480, “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.”
If the Company seeks shareholder approval, it will proceed with a Business Combination only if it obtains the approval of an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, being the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the issued ordinary shares who, being present and entitled to vote at a general meeting of the Company, vote at a general meeting of the Company. If a shareholder vote is not required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements and the Company does not decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other reasons, the Company will, pursuant to its Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association, conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing a Business Combination. If, however, shareholder approval of the transactions is required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements, or the Company decides to obtain shareholder approval for business or other reasons, the Company will offer to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer rules. If the Company seeks shareholder approval in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsor has agreed to vote any Founder Shares (as defined in Note 5), Placement Shares (as defined in Note 4) and Public Shares held by it in favor of approving a Business Combination. Additionally, each public shareholder may elect to redeem their Public Shares, without voting, and if they do vote, irrespective of whether they vote for or against a proposed Business Combination or if they vote at all.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the Company seeks shareholder approval of a Business Combination and it does not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, the Company’s Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association provides that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the Public Shares without the prior consent of the Company. The Company may waive this restriction in its sole discretion.
The Sponsor and Cantor have agreed to waive (i) their redemption rights with respect to any Founder Shares and Placement Shares held by them in connection with the completion of the Company’s Business Combination and (ii) their redemption rights with respect to the Founder Shares and Placement Shares held by them in connection with a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to the Company’s Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association (A) to modify the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to allow redemption in connection with a Business Combination or to redeem 100% of the Public Shares if the Company does not complete a Business Combination within 24 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity. However, the Sponsor will be entitled to redemption rights with respect to Public Shares if the Company fails to consummate a Business Combination or liquidates within 24 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering. Cantor will have the same redemption rights as the Public Shareholders with respect to any Public Shares they acquire.
F-5
COHEN CIRCLE ACQUISITION CORP. I
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENT
October 15, 2024
NOTE 1 — DESCRIPTION OF ORGANIZATION AND BUSINESS OPERATIONS (cont.)
The Company will have 24 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering to complete a Business Combination (the “Combination Period”). If the Company has not completed a Business Combination within the Combination Period, the Company will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible, but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the Public Shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account including interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to the Company to pay its tax obligations (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses and which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding Public Shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of the Company’s remaining shareholders and the Company’s board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to the Company’s obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to the Company’s warrants, which will expire worthless if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period.
The underwriters have agreed to waive their rights to the deferred underwriting commission held in the Trust Account in the event the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period and, in such event, such amounts will be included with the other funds held in the Trust Account that will be available to fund the redemption of the Public Shares. In the event of such distribution, it is possible that the per share value of the assets remaining available for distribution will be less than $10.05 per share.
In order to protect the amounts held in the Trust Account, the Sponsor has agreed to be liable to the Company if and to the extent any claims by a third party (except for the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm) for services rendered or products sold to the Company, or a prospective target business with which the Company has discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the Trust Account to below the lesser of (i) $10.05 per Public Share and (ii) the actual amount per Public Share held in the Trust Account as of the date of the liquidation of the Trust Account, if less than $10.05 per Public Share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, less taxes payable, provided that such liability will not apply to any claims by a third party or prospective target business who executed a waiver of any and all rights to monies held in the Trust Account nor will it apply to any claims under the Company’s indemnity of the underwriters of the Initial Public Offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, the Sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third-party claims. The Company will seek to reduce the possibility that the Sponsor will have to indemnify the Trust Account due to claims of creditors by endeavoring to have all vendors, service providers (except for the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm), prospective target businesses and other entities with which the Company does business, execute agreements with the Company waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to monies held in the Trust Account.
F-6
COHEN CIRCLE ACQUISITION CORP. I
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENT
October 15, 2024
NOTE 2 — SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Basis of Presentation
The accompanying audited financial statement is presented in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC.
Emerging Growth Company
The Company is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”), and it may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in its periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved.
Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such election to opt out is irrevocable. The Company has elected not to opt out of such extended transition period which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, the Company, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of the Company’s financial statement with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of the financial statement in conformity with GAAP requires the Company’s management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statement.
Making estimates requires management to exercise significant judgment. It is at least reasonably possible that the estimate of the effect of a condition, situation or set of circumstances that existed at the date of the financial statement, which management considered in formulating its estimate, could change in the near term due to one or more future confirming events. Accordingly, the actual results could differ significantly from those estimates.
Cash and Cash Equivalents
The Company considers all short-term investments with an original maturity of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents. The Company had $1,174,480 in cash and no cash equivalents as of October 15, 2024.
Cash Held in Trust Account
As of October 15, 2024, the assets held in the Trust Account, amounting to $231,150,000, were held in cash.
Offering Costs
The Company complies with the requirements of the ASC 340-10-S99 and SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin Topic 5A, “Expenses of Offering”. Offering costs consist principally of professional and registration fees that are related to the Initial Public Offering. FASB ASC 470-20, “Debt with Conversion and Other Options,” addresses the allocation of proceeds from the issuance of convertible debt into its equity and debt components. The Company applies this guidance to allocate Initial Public Offering proceeds from the Units between Class A ordinary shares and warrants, using the residual method by allocating Initial Public Offering proceeds first to assigned value of the warrants and then to the Class A ordinary shares. Offering costs allocated to the Class A ordinary shares were charged to temporary equity and offering costs allocated to the Public and Placement Warrants were charged to shareholders’ deficit as Public and Placement Warrants were accounted for under equity treatment after management’s evaluation.
F-7
COHEN CIRCLE ACQUISITION CORP. I
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENT
October 15, 2024
NOTE 2 — SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (cont.)
Concentration of Credit Risk
Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist of a cash account in a financial institution, which, at times, may exceed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation coverage limit of $250,000. Any loss incurred or a lack of access to such funds could have a significant adverse impact on the Company’s financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.
Income Taxes
The Company accounts for income taxes under ASC Topic 740, “Income Taxes,” which requires an asset and liability approach to financial accounting and reporting for income taxes. Deferred income tax assets and liabilities are computed for differences between the financial statement and tax bases of assets and liabilities that will result in future taxable or deductible amounts, based on enacted tax laws and rates applicable to the periods in which the differences are expected to affect taxable income. Valuation allowances are established, when necessary, to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount expected to be realized.
ASC Topic 740 prescribes a recognition threshold and a measurement attribute for the financial statement recognition and measurement of tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. For those benefits to be recognized, a tax position must be more likely than not to be sustained upon examination by taxing authorities. The Company’s management determined that the Cayman Islands is the Company’s only major tax jurisdiction. The Company recognizes accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense. As of October 15, 2024, there were no unrecognized tax benefits and no amounts accrued for interest and penalties. The Company is currently not aware of any issues under review that could result in significant payments, accruals or material deviation from its position.
The Company is considered to be an exempted Cayman Islands company with no connection to any other taxable jurisdiction and is presently not subject to income taxes or income tax filing requirements in the Cayman Islands or the United States. As such, the Company’s tax provision was zero for the period presented.
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
The fair value of the Company’s assets and liabilities, which qualify as financial instruments under ASC 820, “Fair Value Measurement,” approximates the carrying amounts represented in the balance sheet, primarily due to their short-term nature.
F-8
COHEN CIRCLE ACQUISITION CORP. I
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENT
October 15, 2024
NOTE 2 — SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (cont.)
Warrant Instruments
The Company accounted for 7,666,667 Public and 238,333 Private Warrants issued in connection with the Initial Public Offering and the private placement in accordance with the guidance contained in Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) ASC Topic 815, “Derivatives and Hedging”. Accordingly, the Company evaluated and recorded the warrant instruments under equity treatment at fair value. Such guidance provides that the warrants described above were not precluded from equity classification. Equity-classified contracts are initially measured at fair value (or allocated value). Subsequent changes in fair value are not recognized as long as the contracts continue to be classified in equity in accordance with ASC 480 and ASC 815.
Class A Shares Subject to Possible Redemption
The Public Shares contain a redemption feature which allows for the redemption of such Public Shares in connection with the Company’s liquidation, or if there is a shareholder vote or tender offer in connection with the Company’s initial Business Combination. In accordance with FASB ASC Topic 480-10-S99, the Company classifies Public Shares subject to redemption outside of permanent equity as the redemption provisions are not solely within the control of the Company. The Company recognizes changes in redemption value immediately as they occur and will adjust the carrying value of redeemable shares to equal the redemption value at the end of each reporting period. Immediately upon the closing of the Initial Public Offering, the Company recognized the accretion from initial book value to redemption value. The change in the carrying value of redeemable shares will result in charges against additional paid-in capital (to the extent available) and accumulated deficit. Accordingly, as of October 15, 2024, Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption are presented at redemption value as temporary equity, outside of the shareholders’ deficit section of the Company’s balance sheet. As of October 15, 2024, the Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption reflected in the balance sheet are reconciled in the following table:
| Gross proceeds | $ | 230,000,000 | ||
| Less: | ||||
| Proceeds allocated to Public Warrants | (1,303,333 | ) | ||
| Class A ordinary shares issuance costs | (14,275,329 | ) | ||
| Plus: | ||||
| Remeasurement of carrying value to redemption value | 16,728,662 | |||
| Class A Ordinary Shares subject to possible redemption, October 15, 2024 | $ | 231,150,000 |
Recent Accounting Standards
Management does not believe that any recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting standards, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on the Company’s financial statement.
NOTE 3 — INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERING
Pursuant to the Initial Public Offering, on October 15, 2024, the Company sold 23,000,000 Units, which includes the full exercise by the underwriters of their over-allotment option in the amount of 3,000,000 Units, at a price of $10.00 per Unit. Each Unit consists of one Class A ordinary share and one-third of one redeemable warrant (“Public Warrant”). Each whole Public Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment (see Note 7).
NOTE 4 — PRIVATE PLACEMENT
Simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, Cohen Circle Sponsor I, LLC and Cantor purchased an aggregate of 715,000 Placement Units at a price of $10.00 per Placement Unit, for an aggregate purchase price of $7,150,000. Of the 715,000 Placement Units, 445,000 Placement Units were purchased by Cohen Circle Sponsor I, LLC and 270,000 Placement Units were purchased by Cantor. Each Placement Unit consists of one Class A ordinary share (“Placement Share” or, collectively, “Placement Shares”) and one-third of one warrant (each, a “Placement Warrant”). Each whole Placement Warrant is exercisable to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment (see Note 7). If the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period, the proceeds from the sale of the Placement Units will be used to fund the redemption of the Public Shares (subject to the requirements of applicable law), and the Placement Units and all underlying securities will expire worthless.
F-9
COHEN CIRCLE ACQUISITION CORP. I
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENT
October 15, 2024
NOTE 5 — RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
Founder Shares
In November 2021, the Sponsor paid $25,000 to cover certain offering costs of the Company in consideration for 8,663,333 Class B ordinary shares (the “Founder Shares”), which were issued on November 5, 2021. From November 2021 through September 2024, the Company had various share surrender and capitalization events in which a net 758,333 shares have been surrendered by the Sponsor to the Company for no consideration and an aggregate of 7,905,000 Found Shares remain outstanding. All share and per shares amounts have been retroactively adjusted to reflect the share capitalization and share surrender. The Founder Shares included an aggregate of up to 1,005,000 shares subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment option was not exercised in full or in part, so that the number of Founder Shares will equal 25% of the Company’s issued and outstanding shares after the Initial Public Offering and the private placement. On October 15, 2024, the underwriters exercised their over-allotment option in full as part of the closing of the Initial Public Offering. As such 1,005,000 Founder Shares are no longer subject to forfeiture.
The Sponsor has agreed, subject to limited exceptions, not to transfer, assign or sell any of the Founder Shares until the earlier to occur of (A) one year after the completion of the Business Combination; and (B) subsequent to the Business Combination (x) if the last reported sale price of the Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share subdivisions, share dividends, rights issuances, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after the Business Combination or (y) the date on which the Company completes a liquidation, merger, share exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of the Company’s public shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property.
Administrative Support Agreement
The Company entered into an agreement, commencing on October 11, 2024, through the earlier of the Company’s consummation of a Business Combination or its liquidation, to pay an affiliate or designee of the Sponsor a total of $25,000 per month for office space, utilities and shared personnel support services.
Service Agreement
The Company has agreed, commencing on October 11, 2024, through the earlier of the Company’s consummation of a Business Combination or its liquidation, to pay its Chief Financial Officer, R. Maxwell Smeal, $12,500 per month.
Promissory Note — Related Party
On November 3, 2021, the Company issued an unsecured promissory note to the Sponsor, as amended on January 14, 2022, February 28, 2023, and on May 1, 2024 (as amended, the “Promissory Note”), pursuant to which the Company may borrow up to an aggregate principal amount of $500,000. The Promissory Note was non-interest bearing and payable on the earlier of (i) December 31, 2024 or (ii) the consummation of the Initial Public Offering. The Company repaid the outstanding balance of the Promissory Note at the closing of the Initial Public Offering on October 15, 2024. Borrowings under the note are no longer available.
F-10
COHEN CIRCLE ACQUISITION CORP. I
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENT
October 15, 2024
NOTE 5 — RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS (cont.)
Related Party Loans
In addition, in order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsor or an affiliate of the Sponsor has committed to loan the Company up to $250,000 and may, but is not obligated to, loan the Company additional funds to fund its additional working capital requirements and transaction costs (“Working Capital Loans”). If the Company completes a Business Combination, the Company may repay the Working Capital Loans out of the proceeds of the Trust Account released to the Company. Otherwise, the Working Capital Loans may be repaid only out of funds held outside the Trust Account. In the event that a Business Combination does not close, the Company may use a portion of proceeds held outside the Trust Account to repay the Working Capital Loans but no proceeds held in the Trust Account would be used to repay the Working Capital Loans. The Working Capital Loans would either be repaid upon consummation of a Business Combination, without interest, or, at the lender’s discretion, up to $2,000,000 of such Working Capital Loans may be convertible into units upon consummation of the Business Combination at a price of $10.00 per unit. The units would be identical to the Placement Units. As of October 15, 2024, there were no amounts outstanding under the Working Capital Loans.
NOTE 6 — COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
Risks and Uncertainties
The United States and global markets are experiencing volatility and disruption following the geopolitical instability resulting from the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict and the recent escalation of the Israel-Hamas conflict. In response to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (“NATO”) deployed additional military forces to eastern Europe, and the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union and other countries have announced various sanctions and restrictive actions against Russia, Belarus and related individuals and entities, including the removal of certain financial institutions from the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication payment system. Certain countries, including the United States, have also provided and may continue to provide military aid or other assistance to Ukraine and to Israel, increasing geopolitical tensions among a number of nations. The invasion of Ukraine by Russia and the escalation of the Israel-Hamas conflict and the resulting measures that have been taken, and could be taken in the future, by NATO, the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Israel and its neighboring states and other countries have created global security concerns that could have a lasting impact on regional and global economies. Although the length and impact of the ongoing conflicts are highly unpredictable, they could lead to market disruptions, including significant volatility in commodity prices, credit and capital markets, as well as supply chain interruptions and increased cyberattacks against U.S. companies. Additionally, any resulting sanctions could adversely affect the global economy and financial markets and lead to instability and lack of liquidity in capital markets.
Any of the above mentioned factors, or any other negative impact on the global economy, capital markets or other geopolitical conditions resulting from the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the escalation of the Israel-Hamas conflict and subsequent sanctions or related actions, could adversely affect the Company’s search for an initial business combination and any target business with which the Company may ultimately consummate an initial Business Combination.
Registration Rights
The holders of the Founder Shares, Placement Units (including securities contained therein) and units (including securities contained therein) that may be issued upon conversion of Working Capital Loans, and any Class A ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of the Placement Warrants and any Class A ordinary shares and warrants (and underlying Class A ordinary shares) that may be issued upon conversion of the units issued as part of the Working Capital Loans and Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of the Founder Shares, are entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement signed on October 11, 2024, requiring the Company to register such securities for resale (in the case of the Founder Shares, only after conversion to the Class A ordinary shares). These holders will be entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form registration demands, that the Company register such securities for sale under the Securities Act. In addition, these holders will have “piggyback” registration rights to include such securities in other registration statements filed by the Company and rights to require the Company to register for resale such securities pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act. However, the registration rights agreement provides that the Company will not permit any registration statement filed under the Securities Act to become effective until termination of the applicable lock-up period. The registration rights agreement does not contain liquidated damages or other cash settlement provisions resulting from delays in registering the Company’s securities. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Cantor may not exercise its demand and “piggyback” registration rights after five (5) and seven (7) years after the effective date of the Initial Public Offering, and may not exercise its demand rights on more than one occasion. The Company will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
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COHEN CIRCLE ACQUISITION CORP. I
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENT
October 15, 2024
NOTE 6 — COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES (cont.)
Underwriting Agreement
The underwriters had a 45-day option from the date of Initial Public Offering to purchase up to 3,000,000 additional Units to cover over-allotments, if any. On October 15, 2024, simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, the underwriters elected to fully exercise the over-allotment option to purchase the additional 3,000,000 Units at a price of $10.00 per Unit.
The underwriters were entitled to a cash underwriting discount of $0.20 per Unit or $4,000,000 in the aggregate, which was paid upon the closing of the Initial Public Offering, on October 15, 2024. In addition, the underwriters are entitled to a deferred fee of (i) $0.40 per Unit of the gross proceeds of the initial 20,000,000 Units sold in the Initial Public Offering, or $8,000,000 and (ii) $0.60 per Unit of the gross proceeds from the Units sold pursuant to the over-allotment option, or $1,800,000, an aggregate of $9,800,000. The deferred fee will become payable to the underwriters from the amounts held in the Trust Account solely in the event that the Company completes a Business Combination, subject to the terms of the underwriting agreement.
NOTE 7 — SHAREHOLDERS’ DEFICIT
Preference Shares — The Company is authorized to issue 5,000,000 preference shares with a par value of $0.0001 per share with such designations, voting and other rights and preferences as may be determined from time to time by the Company’s board of directors. At October 15, 2024, there were no preference shares issued or outstanding.
Class A Ordinary Shares — The Company is authorized to issue 500,000,000 Class A ordinary shares with a par value of $0.0001 per share. Holders of Class A ordinary shares are entitled to one vote for each share. At October 15, 2024, there are 715,000 Class A ordinary shares issued and outstanding, excluding 23,000,000 Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption.
Class B Ordinary Shares — The Company is authorized to issue 50,000,000 Class B ordinary shares with a par value of $0.0001 per share. Holders of Class B ordinary shares are entitled to one vote for each share. At October 15, 2024, there were 7,905,000 Class B ordinary shares issued and outstanding.
Holders of Class B ordinary shares will vote on the appointment of directors prior to the consummation of a Business Combination. Holders of Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares will vote together as a single class on all other matters submitted to a vote of shareholders except as required by law.
The Class B ordinary shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares in connection with the consummation of a Business Combination, or at any time and from time to time at the option of the holders thereof, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment. In the case that additional Class A ordinary shares, or equity-linked securities, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts sold in the Initial Public Offering and related to the closing of a Business Combination, the ratio at which Class B ordinary shares shall convert into Class A ordinary shares will be adjusted (unless the holders of a majority of the issued and outstanding Class B ordinary shares agree to waive such anti-dilution adjustment with respect to any such issuance or deemed issuance) so that the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of all Class B ordinary shares will equal, in the aggregate, 25% of the sum of all ordinary shares outstanding upon completion of the Initial Public Offering and the private placement plus all Class A ordinary shares and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with a Business Combination (excluding any shares or equity-linked securities issued, or to be issued, to any seller in a Business Combination, and any private placement-equivalent shares and warrants underlying units issued to the Sponsor or its affiliates upon conversion of loans made to the Company).
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COHEN CIRCLE ACQUISITION CORP. I
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENT
October 15, 2024
NOTE 7 — SHAREHOLDERS’ DEFICIT (cont.)
Warrants — As of October 15, 2024, there were 7,905,000 warrants outstanding, including 7,666,667 Public Warrants and 238,333 Placement Warrants. Warrants may only be exercised for a whole number of shares. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the Units and only whole warrants will trade. The Public Warrants will become exercisable on the later of 30 days after the completion of a Business Combination and 12 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering. The Public Warrants will expire five years after the completion of a Business Combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.
The Company will not be obligated to deliver any Class A ordinary shares pursuant to the exercise of a warrant and will have no obligation to settle such warrant exercise unless a registration statement under the Securities Act with respect to the Class A ordinary shares underlying the warrants is then effective and a prospectus relating thereto is current, subject to the Company satisfying its obligations with respect to registration. No warrant will be exercisable and the Company will not be obligated to issue any Class A ordinary shares upon exercise of a warrant unless the issuance of the shares upon such exercise is registered or qualified under the securities laws of the state of the exercising holder, or an exemption is available.
The Company has agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 20 business days after the closing of a Business Combination, the Company will use its best efforts to file, and within 60 business days following a Business Combination to have declared effective, a registration statement covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants. The Company will use its best efforts to cause the same to become effective and to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement, and a current prospectus relating thereto, until the expiration of the warrants in accordance with the provisions of the warrant agreement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if a registration statement covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective within a specified period following the consummation of a Business Combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when the Company shall have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a cashless basis pursuant to the exemption provided by Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act, provided that such exemption is available. If that exemption, or another exemption, is not available, holders will not be able to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis.
Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $18.00. Once the Warrants become exercisable, the Company may redeem the Warrants:
| ● | in whole and not in part; |
| ● | at a price of $0.01 per warrant; |
| ● | upon not less than 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption to each warrant holder; and |
| ● | if, and only if, the closing price of the Company’s Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is given to the warrant holders. |
If and when the warrants become redeemable by the Company, the Company may exercise its redemption right even if it is unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws.
F-13
COHEN CIRCLE ACQUISITION CORP. I
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENT
October 15, 2024
NOTE 7 — SHAREHOLDERS’ DEFICIT (cont.)
In addition, if (x) the Company issues additional Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of a Business Combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per ordinary share (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by the Company’s board of directors, and, in the case of any such issuance to the Sponsor or its affiliates, without taking into account any Founder Shares held by the Sponsor or its affiliates, as applicable, prior to such issuance) (the “Newly Issued Price”), (y) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of a Business Combination on the date of the completion of a Business Combination (net of redemptions), and (z) the volume-weighted average trading price of the Class A ordinary shares during the 20 trading day period starting on the trading day prior to the day on which the Company completes a Business Combination (such price, the “Market Value”) is below $9.20 per share, the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price.
The Placement Warrants are identical to the Public Warrants underlying the Units sold in the Initial Public Offering, except that the Placement Warrants and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of the Placement Warrants will not be transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days after the completion of a Business Combination, subject to certain limited exceptions. Additionally, the Placement Warrants will be exercisable on a cashless basis and be non-redeemable.
NOTE 8 — FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS
The fair value of the Company’s financial assets and liabilities reflects management’s estimate of amounts that the Company would have received in connection with the sale of the assets or paid in connection with the transfer of the liabilities in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. In connection with measuring the fair value of its assets and liabilities, the Company seeks to maximize the use of observable inputs (market data obtained from independent sources) and to minimize the use of unobservable inputs (internal assumptions about how market participants would price assets and liabilities). The following fair value hierarchy is used to classify assets and liabilities based on the observable inputs and unobservable inputs used in order to value the assets and liabilities:
| Level 1: | Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities. An active market for an asset or liability is a market in which transactions for the asset or liability occur with sufficient frequency and volume to provide pricing information on an ongoing basis. | |
| Level 2: | Observable inputs other than Level 1 inputs. Examples of Level 2 inputs include quoted prices in active markets for similar assets or liabilities and quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in markets that are not active. | |
| Level 3: | Unobservable inputs based on assessment of the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability. |
The following table presents information about the Company’s equity instruments that are measured at fair value on October 15, 2024, and indicates the fair value hierarchy of the valuation inputs the Company utilized to determine such fair value:
| Level | October 15, 2024 | |||||||
| Equity: | ||||||||
| Fair value of Public Warrants for the Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption allocation | 3 | $ | 1,303,333 | |||||
The fair value of Public Warrants was determined using the Binomial / Lattice Model. The Public Warrants have been classified within shareholders’ deficit and will not require remeasurement after issuance. The following table presents the quantitative information regarding market assumptions used in the valuation of the Public Warrants:
| October 15, 2024 | ||||
| Share price | $ | 9.94 | ||
| Term (years) | 5.5 | |||
| Risk-free rate | 3.9 | % | ||
| Volatility | 5.0 | % | ||
NOTE 9 — SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
The Company evaluated subsequent events and transactions that occurred after the balance sheet date through the date that the financial statement was issued. Based upon this review, the Company did not identify any subsequent events that would have required adjustment or disclosure in the financial statement.
F-14