fbpx
Wikipedia

Block, Inc.

Block, Inc. is an American public company founded in 2009 by Jack Dorsey and Jim McKelvey. Named Square, Inc. until 2021,[9] it owns various businesses within the financial technology sector. Block’s service network reaches 95 countries, reporting nearly 51 million users and 4 million merchant clients as of 2023.[10][11][12]

Block, Inc.
Former headquarters in the Mid-Market neighborhood of San Francisco
FormerlySquare, Inc. (2009–2021)
Company typePublic
Industry
FoundedFebruary 14, 2009; 15 years ago (2009-02-14) in St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Founder
HeadquartersNo headquarters[2]: 16
Area served
95 countries including United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Spain
Key people
ProductsSquare (POS terminal and auxiliary equipment), Cash App (peer to peer money transfer app), Bitkey (self-custody Bitcoin hardware wallet)
Services
Revenue US$17.53 billion (2022)
−US$625 million (2022)
−US$541 million (2022)
Total assets US$31.36 billion (2022)
Total equity US$17.22 billion (2022)
OwnerJack Dorsey (10%)
Number of employees
12,428 (2022)
Subsidiaries
Websiteblock.xyz
Footnotes / references
[3][2][4][5][6][7][8]

Block's inaugural product Square, launched in 2009, is a financial services platform for small and medium-sized businesses. Square enables the use of smartphones or tablets as point-of-sale registers for processing credit card payments,[13] and facilitates operations such as customer bookings,[14] e-Commerce,[15] inventory,[16] payroll, shift schedules,[17] banking, and borrowing business loans.[18] Additionally, Block’s portfolio includes Cash App, a consumer-focused app introduced in 2013. This app offers peer-to-peer transactions, direct deposits,[19][20] a savings account, a debit card, investing in stocks and Bitcoin,[21][22] a tax filing service,[23] and personal loans.[24] Block also owns Afterpay, a buy now, pay later service;[25] TBD, a decentralized platform targeting Bitcoin and decentralized finance;[26][27] Bitkey, a self-custody Bitcoin hardware wallet;[28][29] Tidal, a subscription-based music streaming service;[30] and Weebly, a web hosting provider.

History edit

The original inspiration for Square occurred to Jack Dorsey in 2009 when his friend Jim McKelvey was unable to complete a $2,000 sale of his glass faucets and fittings because he could not accept credit cards.[31] Co-founders Dorsey—who also co-founded Twitter—and McKelvey began developing the company out of a small office in St. Louis.[32] The name "Square" derives from the company's square-shaped card readers.[33][34]

In October 2020, Square put approximately 1% of their total assets ($50 million) in Bitcoin (4,709 bitcoins), citing Bitcoin's "potential to be a more ubiquitous currency in the future" as their main reasoning.[35] The company purchased approximately 3,318 bitcoins in February 2021 for a cost of around $170 million, bringing Square's total holdings to around 8,027 bitcoins (equivalent to around US$500 million in 2021, around US$190 million as of February 2023).[36]

On March 2, 2021, Square reached an agreement to acquire majority ownership in Tidal. Square paid $297 million in cash and stock for Tidal, with Jay-Z joining the company's board of directors. Jay-Z, as well as other artists who currently own stock in Tidal, will remain stakeholders.[37][38][39]

On December 1, 2021, Square announced that it would change its company name to Block, Inc. on December 10.[40][41] The change was announced shortly after Dorsey resigned as CEO of Twitter.[42] On December 10, 2021, the name change took effect, and Square, Inc. became Block, Inc..[43] On December 16, less than a week into the rebrand, H&R Block, sued the company for trademark infringement, claiming that the name seeks to confuse customers by misappropriating the Block brand name, which H&R owns.[44] The lawsuit was resolved in April 2023 when the two companies jointly agreed to dismiss the suit.[45]

On January 31, 2022, Block completed its acquisition of Afterpay.[46]

Subsidiaries, products, services edit

Square edit

Square is a payments platform aimed at small and medium businesses that allows them to accept credit card payments and use smartphones or tablets or computers as payment registers for a point-of-sale system (POS).[13][47] The platform was founded in 2009 by Dorsey and McKelvey. Square also offers additional features to manage various operations including staff payroll and shift schedules,[17] customer bookings,[14] inventory, e-Commerce,[15][16] banking and business loans.[18]

In 2022, a Protocol survey showed that 35% of U.S. small business owners used Square, a higher percentage than its competitors in the survey, while also highlighting the POS market's continued fragmentation. [48] In April 2023, Square was reported to have four million merchants as its customers.[10]

Cash App edit

Launched in October 2013, Cash App (formerly Square Cash) allows person-to-person money transfer via the app or website for debit card users.[19][20] In March 2015, the firm introduced Square Cash for businesses, which includes the ability for individuals, organizations, and business owners to use a unique username, known as a $cashtag, to send and receive money.[49] As of 2023, Cash App also offers a savings account and a debit card, and services such as direct deposit and investing in stocks and Bitcoin.[21][22] In March 2023, USA Today reported that Cash App offered a free tax-filing service while cautioning that it didn't accommodate "every tax situation" and didn't offer "live tax support".[23] In October 2023, it was reported that Cash App also allowed users to borrow up to $200 from the app, and that "not everyone is an eligible user for this feature".[24]

In February 2023, Block reported 51 million "monthly active users" for Cash App.[11][50]

Afterpay edit

Afterpay is an Australian digital payment platform in which a bought product can be paid off in four installments. This idea made in 2008 by a then eighteen-year-old Nick Molnar was geared towards millennials and inspired by the aftermath of the 2008 Global Financial Crisis. Molnar and Partner/ Co-founder Anthony Eisen launched their platform in 2014 and in four years their product reached a market capitalization of around $3.3 billion. In February 2020, Afterpay was reported to have 3.6 million active customers in the US, 3.1 million in Australia and New Zealand, and 600,000 in the UK. In August 2021, Afterpay and Square announced that Afterpay would be acquired by Square.[51] Block paid US$29 billion in stock for the acquisition and the process was finalized in January 2022.[46][25] Although Afterpay is now owned by Block inc., Molnar and Eisen still spearhead Afterpay's merchant and consumer businesses.

Tidal edit

Tidal is a digital music streaming service that gives users access to over 80 million songs from genres and artists across the world.[52] Tidal was founded on the basis of artists getting paid rightfully for their work, meaning fully and directly instead of through traditional means. Tidal was first launched in 2014 by a Norwegian company called Aspiro. Aspiro was purchased by Jay-Z in 2015 for $56 million.[53] In early 2017, the Sprint Corporation purchased 33% of the company for $200 million and then in 2021 Square Inc. paid $297 million for a majority ownership of the company.[30] Tidal now operates in 61 countries worldwide.[52] In June, 2022, through the disclosure of the Annual Stockholder Meeting 2022, Block reported that the stake acquired in the Tidal music service was 86.8%.[54]

TBD edit

TBD is a Bitcoin-focussed subsidiary of Block.[26] TBD serves as a decentralized platform which allows developers to build decentralized finance (DeFi) applications to run on programmable blockchains.[27]

Bitkey edit

In December 2023, Block launched Bitkey, a self-custody Bitcoin cryptocurrency hardware wallet, in 95 countries. The wallet allows investors to own, manage and store their Bitcoin off exchanges. Bitkey includes a mobile app, hardware device, and a set of recovery tools in case the customer loses the phone, their hardware or both. The wallet cannot access or move a customer’s Bitcoin without them.[28][29]

Weebly edit

Weebly is a web hosting service. Weebly was founded in 2006 by David Rusenko, Dan Veltri, and Chris Fanini after they all met as students at Pennsylvania State University.[55] In 2007, Weebly raised $650,000 in initial capital from a group of angel investors. In 2018, Square Inc. (Now Block Inc.) bought Weebly in exchange for $365 million in cash and stock.[56] The company slowly grew and updated its capabilities over the course of a decade and now Weebly is a free online website creator that operates out of the web browser. The site offers users access to drag and drop features to build their websites, with unlimited storage options and custom URLs.

Financials edit

Square received angel investments from Marissa Mayer, Kevin Rose, Biz Stone, Dennis Crowley, Shawn Fanning, MC Hammer, and Esther Dyson.[citation needed] Since then, it has raised several additional rounds of funding:

The company's valuation in October 2014 was $6 billion.[60] On November 19, 2015, Square had its IPO on the New York Stock Exchange with an initial valuation of $2.9 billion, down by more than half from its last valuation in October 2014 at $6 billion. The series E funding shares had different rights than the common shares sold at the IPO, therefore the $6 billion 'valuation' from October 2014 is wrong. Although the firm was yet to make a profit as of 2015 and had lost $420 million since 2012, it had decreased its losses from 44% of revenues to 16% in the six months leading up to its IPO.[61] For the fiscal year 2018, Square reported losses of US$38 million, with an annual revenue of US$3.299 billion, an increase of 49.0% over the previous fiscal cycle.

Year[62] Revenue
in mil. US$
Net income
in mil. US$
Total assets
in mil. US$
Employees
2012 203 −85 0
2013 552 −104 318
2014 850 −154 542 1,282
2015 1,267 −212 895 1,449
2016 1,709 −172 1,211 1,853
2017 2,214 −63 2,187 2,338
2018 3,299 −38 3,281 3,349
2019 4,714 375 4,551 3,835
2020 9,498 213 9,870 5,477
2021 17,661 166 13,925 8,521
2022 17,532 −541 31,364 12,428

Business edit

Operations edit

Block was co-founded by Twitter creator Jack Dorsey under the name Square.[63] Dorsey also serves as chief executive officer and Amrita Ahuja serves as chief financial officer.[63][64] Block's office is in San Francisco.[65] The firm has more than 5,000 employees.[66]

Block's payment platform, Square, has been available in the United States since 2010 and the company launched in Canada at the end of 2012.[67] In March 2020, Square implemented remote work due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In May 2020, Square announced that some of its workers would be allowed to be permanent remote workers.[68] As of 2021, although Block's real estate footprint remains intact, they no longer have a designated headquarters location.[2]

Financing and acquisitions edit

In August 2014, Victory Park Capital, an asset management firm, invested in Square Capital.[69] In May 2015, Square Capital raised additional funding, with Victory Park Capital tripling its initial investment.[70] As of 2016, Square had loaned $1 billion to companies through Square Capital since the program's inception.[71] On November 19, 2015, Square Inc. became a public company via an initial public offering.[72][73] On April 19, 2018, Square announced that it had acquired Zesty, a food delivery service that caters to corporate offices.[74][75] On April 26, 2018, Square announced that it would acquire Weebly, a website-building service, for $365 million.[76] In May 2019, Square announced that it had acquired Eloquent Labs, an artificial intelligence startup helping improve the customer service experience.[77]

In February 2020, Square announced that it had acquired Dessa, a Toronto-based deep learning company.[78] In November 2020, Square announced it was acquiring Credit Karma Tax, a free do-it-yourself tax-filing service, from Credit Karma for $50 million and would make it a part of its Cash App unit.[79] In March 2021, Square announced it was acquiring a significant majority in music streaming platform Tidal for $293 million in a deal of stock and cash.[80] In the same month, Square's Q1 sales surged 266% as transactions jumped amid economic recovery.[81] In August 2021, Square announced its acquisition of Afterpay, a company offering a "buy now, pay later" service. Square finalized the $29 billion stock deal on January 31, 2022.[82][46]

Controversies edit

Allegations of illegal activity edit

On March 23, 2023, investment research firm Hindenburg Research disclosed a short position in Block, leading to a 15% drop in the company's shares that day. Hindenburg's accusations of Block included exaggerating user counts, failing to curb fraud and illegal activity on Cash App, and permitting impersonation of high-profile individuals. It also wrote in its report that Block "embraced predatory offerings and compliance worst practices in order to fuel growth and profit from facilitation of fraud against consumers and the government."[83][84]

Block responded to the allegations in a press release saying, "We intend to work with the SEC and explore legal action against Hindenburg Research for the factually inaccurate and misleading report they shared about our Cash App business today".[85]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Clifford, Catherine (2020-05-21). "Twitter billionaire Jack Dorsey on giving away his money: 'If someone is in pain, I am in pain'". CNBC. Retrieved 2020-06-03.
  2. ^ a b c "Square, Inc. Annual Form 10-K (2021)". U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. February 26, 2022. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  3. ^ "Square, Inc. Annual Form 10-K (2022)". U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. February 23, 2023.
  4. ^ "Square Inc. Co-Founder Tristan O'Tierney Dies at 35". Bloomberg News. March 2, 2019. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
  5. ^ "Wall Street Breakfast: Square, Match Group Ready For Market Debut". Seeking Alpha. 19 November 2015. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
  6. ^ "Inside Square's Massive New San Francisco Headquarters". Mashable. October 11, 2013. Retrieved June 10, 2015.
  7. ^ . bloomberg.com. Archived from the original on 10 April 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2022. Dorsey owns about 10% of Block, formerly known as Square, according to a February 2022 regulatory filing.
  8. ^ Jacob, Denny (April 22, 2022). "Block CEO Jack Dorsey's Title Now Block Head and Chairperson". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2022-10-29.
  9. ^ Browning, Kellen (1 December 2021). "Square, Jack Dorsey's payments company, changes its name to Block". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  10. ^ a b Mullen, Caitlin (2023-04-18). "Square rolls out new features for merchants". Retail Dive. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
  11. ^ a b Hollerith, David (2023-02-23). "Block reports revenue, profits that top expectations amid bitcoin drag". Yahoo Finance. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
  12. ^ Sureban, Haripriya; BL Bengaluru Bureau (2023-12-07). "Block Inc launches self-custody bitcoin wallet Bitkey in India". Business Line. Retrieved 2024-02-03.
  13. ^ a b Morrison, Sara (2022-10-07). "Everyone wants a tip now. Do you have to give them one?". Vox. Retrieved 2023-10-30.
  14. ^ a b Sherman, Matt (2023-10-24). "Square Appointments Review". Merchant Maverick. Retrieved 2023-10-30.
  15. ^ a b Smith, Amy Nichol (2022-02-22). "Square Online Store Review 2023: Features, Pros & Cons – Forbes Advisor". www.forbes.com. Retrieved 2023-11-03.
  16. ^ a b Stevens, Courtenay (2022-12-14). "Everything You Need to Know about Square Inventory Management". Business.org. Retrieved 2023-11-03.
  17. ^ a b O'Reilly, Dennis (2023-05-25). "Square Payroll Software Review and Prices". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved 2023-10-30.
  18. ^ a b Irrera, Anna (2021-07-20). "Square launches small business banking". Reuters. Retrieved 2023-10-30.
  19. ^ a b Hamburger, Ellis (2013-10-15). "Square Cash lets anyone with a debit card send money instantly over email". The Verge. Retrieved 2020-12-20.
  20. ^ a b Freitas, Taylor (2022-04-29). "What is Cash App and how does it work?". ZDNET. Retrieved 2023-10-30.
  21. ^ a b Staples, Ana (2023-08-22). "What is Cash App and how does it work?". CNBC. Retrieved 2023-10-30.
  22. ^ a b Papandrea, Dawn (2023-08-28). "How to Use Cash App". U.S. News & World Report.
  23. ^ a b Jones, Jenn (2023-09-11). "Best tax software of November 2023". USA TODAY Blueprint. Retrieved 2023-11-09.
  24. ^ a b Moorhead, Caitlyn (2023-10-16). "Cash App Borrow: How To Borrow Money on Cash App". GOBankingRates. Retrieved 2023-10-30.
  25. ^ a b Gariffo, Michael (2022-02-01). "Block completes acquisition of "buy now, pay later" specialist Afterpay". ZDNET. Retrieved 2023-10-30.
  26. ^ a b Lowrey, Annie (2023-06-17). "Is Crypto Dead?". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2023-12-12.
  27. ^ a b Adams, Michael (2023-12-01). "6 Best Cryptocurrency Stocks Of December 2023 – Forbes Advisor". www.forbes.com. Retrieved 2023-12-12.
  28. ^ a b Sureban, BL Bengaluru Bureau & Haripriya (2023-12-07). "Block Inc launches self-custody bitcoin wallet Bitkey in India". BusinessLine. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
  29. ^ a b "Jack Dorsey's Block opens up preorders for Bitcoin hardware wallet Bitkey in more than 95 countries". Fortune Crypto. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
  30. ^ a b Rosman, Katherine (2021-03-04). "Square Acquires Tidal in $297 Million Deal". The New York Times. Retrieved 2023-10-30.
  31. ^ "Square Brings Credit Card Swiping to the Mobile Masses, Starting Today". Fast Company. May 11, 2010. Retrieved September 19, 2011.
  32. ^ "Why Square's New Office Is A Really Big Deal for St. Louis". St. Louis Magazine. 2015-09-15.
  33. ^ "Square's name and design were changed by a lunch at Apple". thenextweb.com. 2011-05-26. Retrieved September 19, 2011.
  34. ^ "Square Was Almost Named Squirrel Until Dorsey Talked To Apple". pulse2.com. May 26, 2011. Retrieved September 19, 2011.
  35. ^ Oliver Effron (8 October 2020). "Square just bought $50 million in bitcoin". CNN. Retrieved 2020-10-22.
  36. ^ Bursztynsky, Jessica (2021-02-23). "Square buys $170 million worth of bitcoin". CNBC. Retrieved 2021-03-02.
  37. ^ "Square, Inc. to buy majority of Tidal and put Jay-Z on board". ABC News. Associated Press. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
  38. ^ Murphy Kelly, Samantha (4 March 2021). "Square to acquire majority stake in music service Tidal for $297 million". CNN. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
  39. ^ Singleton, Micah. "Square Is Acquiring a Majority Stake in Tidal for $297M". Billboard. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  40. ^ Vigna, Paul (2021-12-01). "Square Changes Name to Block, Days After CEO Jack Dorsey Leaves Twitter". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2021-12-01.
  41. ^ "Square, Inc. Changes Name to Block" (Press release). Block, Inc. 2021-12-01. Retrieved 2021-12-01 – via Business Wire.
  42. ^ Wagner, Kurt (1 December 2021). "Square Changes Name to Block in Nod to New Businesses". Bloomberg. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  43. ^ "Jack Dorsey's Square changes corporate name to Block". CNBC. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
  44. ^ "H&R Block Is Suing Jack Dorsey's Block Over Name Change". Bloomberg. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
  45. ^ Brittain, Blake (2023-04-24). "H&R Block settles trademark lawsuit against Block over name change". Reuters. Retrieved 2023-09-30.
  46. ^ a b c "Block, Inc. Completes Acquisition of Afterpay" (Press release). Block, Inc. January 31, 2022.
  47. ^ "Square POS Reviews & Ratings 2023". www.trustradius.com. 2023-09-11. Retrieved 2023-11-02.
  48. ^ Geron, Tomio (2022-01-05). "Square, Clover and Lightspeed are popular, but no POS provider dominates - Protocol". www.protocol.com. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
  49. ^ "Square Introduces Square Cash for Businesses, With a Low 1.5 Percent Processing Fee". Re/code. March 23, 2015.
  50. ^ PYMNTS (2023-05-05). "Block's Cash App Hits 53 Million Monthly Active Users, Direct Deposits up 69%". www.pymnts.com. Retrieved 2023-10-30.
  51. ^ "Afterpay to be acquired by Square in $39 billion deal". SmartCompany. 2021-08-01. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  52. ^ a b Pocket-lint (2022-02-03). "What is Tidal and how does it work?". www.pocket-lint.com. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  53. ^ Sisario, Ben (2015-03-13). "Jay Z Buys the Music Streaming Firm, Aspiro". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  54. ^ "Page 188 from Block, Inc. Annual Stockholder Meeting 2022" (PDF).
  55. ^ Levy, Steven (2007-05-20). "A Boot Camp for the Next Tech Billionaires". Newsweek. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
  56. ^ "Square is acquiring website builder Weebly for $365M". TechCrunch. 26 April 2018. Retrieved 2022-04-25.[permanent dead link]
  57. ^ a b c Taylor, Harriet (9 November 2015). "On paper, Khosla's firm could net a massive return on Square IPO". CNBC.
  58. ^ Square Inc. (December 18, 2014). "Square A milestone: We're now 1,000 employees strong". Linkedin.com. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
  59. ^ Isaac, Mike (October 5, 2014). "Square Raises $150 Million at a $6 Billion Valuation". The New York Times.
  60. ^ Rao, Leena (October 5, 2014). "Square Closes $150 Million Round At $6 Billion Valuation". Fortune.
  61. ^ "Square's IPO: Swiped". The Economist. 21 November 2015. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
  62. ^ "Investor Relations". Block, Inc. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
  63. ^ a b "About Square". Square Inc. Retrieved March 15, 2011.
  64. ^ Want, Selina (3 January 2019). "Square Names Activision Blizzard's Ahuja as Finance Chief". Bloomberg. from the original on 2019-06-01. Retrieved 2019-01-28.
  65. ^ Evangelista, Benny (October 14, 2013). "New offices give Square workers lots of options". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved January 6, 2014.
  66. ^ "Block Inc - Company Profile and News - Bloomberg Markets". Bloomberg. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  67. ^ Matt Hartley (October 24, 2012). "Square launches in Canada". Financial Post. Retrieved October 24, 2012.
  68. ^ Petrin, Kae M. (19 May 2020). "Square Adopts Permanent Work-From-Home Policy For Workers In St. Louis, Nationwide". KWMU. Retrieved 2020-06-03.
  69. ^ . Victory Park Capital. August 19, 2014. Archived from the original on July 13, 2015. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
  70. ^ "Square secures funding from new and existing investors to expand its popular small business financing program" (Press release). Square, Inc. May 12, 2015. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
  71. ^ Yeung, Ken (1 November 2016). "Square has provided more than $1 billion in loans to businesses". VentureBeat. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
  72. ^ "Square shakes off weak IPO with first-day trading pop". New York Post. 2015-11-19. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
  73. ^ Soper, Alex Barinka alexbarinka Spencer. "Square Files for IPO as CEO Dorsey Juggles Twitter Revamp". Bloomberg. Retrieved 2015-10-16.
  74. ^ Bary, Emily. "Square acquires food-delivery platform Zesty to boost office-catering business". MarketWatch. Retrieved 2018-04-25.
  75. ^ Carson, Biz. "Square's Delivery Business Caviar Moves Into Corporate Catering With Acquisition Of Zesty". Forbes. Retrieved 2018-04-25.
  76. ^ Balakrishnan, Anita (2018-04-26). "Square to buy Weebly for $365 million". CNBC. Retrieved 2018-04-27.
  77. ^ "Square acquires conversational AI startup Eloquent Labs". TechCrunch. 7 May 2019. Retrieved 2019-05-08.[permanent dead link]
  78. ^ "Square acquires deepfake research firm Dessa". VentureBeat. 2020-02-07. Retrieved 2020-05-21.
  79. ^ Weil, Dan (2020-11-25). "Square to Buy Credit Karma Tax for $50 Million, Expanding Reach". TheStreet. from the original on 2020-12-06. Retrieved 2020-12-20.
  80. ^ Rosman, Katherine (2021-03-04). "Square acquires majority of Tidal, Jay-Z's streaming service, in $297 million deal". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-06-08.
  81. ^ McCormick, Emily (May 6, 2021). "Square Q1 sales surge 266% as transactions jump amid economic recovery, bitcoin revenue soars". Yahoo! Finance. from the original on 2021-06-08. Retrieved 2021-06-08 – via MSN.
  82. ^ Peters, Jay (August 1, 2021). "Square to buy Afterpay, which offers a 'buy now, pay later' service, for $29 billion in stock". The Verge. from the original on 2021-08-01. Retrieved 2021-08-02.
  83. ^ "Hindenburg takes aim at Dorsey's payments firm Block, shares plunge". Reuters. March 23, 2023. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
  84. ^ de la Merced, Michael J. (March 23, 2023). "Short Seller Accuses Jack Dorsey's Block of Facilitating Fraud". The New York Times.
  85. ^ Goswami, Rohan; Sigalos, MacKenzie (2023-03-23). "Block shares plunge 19% after short seller Hindenburg says Jack Dorsey's company facilitates fraud". CNBC. Retrieved 2023-03-23.

External links edit

  • Official website
  • Business data for Block, Inc.:
    • Bloomberg
    • Google
    • SEC filings
    • Yahoo!

block, this, article, about, parent, company, business, facing, financial, services, operates, square, financial, services, square, redirects, here, video, game, company, square, video, game, company, american, public, company, founded, 2009, jack, dorsey, mck. This article is about the parent company For the business facing financial services it operates see Square financial services Square Inc redirects here For the video game company see Square video game company Block Inc is an American public company founded in 2009 by Jack Dorsey and Jim McKelvey Named Square Inc until 2021 9 it owns various businesses within the financial technology sector Block s service network reaches 95 countries reporting nearly 51 million users and 4 million merchant clients as of 2023 10 11 12 Block Inc Former headquarters in the Mid Market neighborhood of San FranciscoFormerlySquare Inc 2009 2021 Company typePublicTraded asNYSE SQ Class A Russell 1000 componentASX SQ2 Block Inc CDI IndustryFinancial servicesMobile paymentPoint of saleFoundedFebruary 14 2009 15 years ago 2009 02 14 in St Louis Missouri U S FounderJack Dorsey 1 Jim McKelveyTristan O TierneyHeadquartersNo headquarters 2 16 Area served95 countries including United States Canada Australia Japan United Kingdom Ireland France SpainKey peopleJack Dorsey Chairperson principal executive officer Jim McKelvey Director ProductsSquare POS terminal and auxiliary equipment Cash App peer to peer money transfer app Bitkey self custody Bitcoin hardware wallet ServicesCash AppSquareBitkeyRevenueUS 17 53 billion 2022 Operating income US 625 million 2022 Net income US 541 million 2022 Total assetsUS 31 36 billion 2022 Total equityUS 17 22 billion 2022 OwnerJack Dorsey 10 Number of employees12 428 2022 SubsidiariesWeeblyTidal 86 8 AfterpayWebsiteblock wbr xyzFootnotes references 3 2 4 5 6 7 8 Block s inaugural product Square launched in 2009 is a financial services platform for small and medium sized businesses Square enables the use of smartphones or tablets as point of sale registers for processing credit card payments 13 and facilitates operations such as customer bookings 14 e Commerce 15 inventory 16 payroll shift schedules 17 banking and borrowing business loans 18 Additionally Block s portfolio includes Cash App a consumer focused app introduced in 2013 This app offers peer to peer transactions direct deposits 19 20 a savings account a debit card investing in stocks and Bitcoin 21 22 a tax filing service 23 and personal loans 24 Block also owns Afterpay a buy now pay later service 25 TBD a decentralized platform targeting Bitcoin and decentralized finance 26 27 Bitkey a self custody Bitcoin hardware wallet 28 29 Tidal a subscription based music streaming service 30 and Weebly a web hosting provider Contents 1 History 2 Subsidiaries products services 2 1 Square 2 2 Cash App 2 3 Afterpay 2 4 Tidal 2 5 TBD 2 6 Bitkey 2 7 Weebly 3 Financials 4 Business 4 1 Operations 4 2 Financing and acquisitions 5 Controversies 5 1 Allegations of illegal activity 6 See also 7 References 8 External linksHistory editThe original inspiration for Square occurred to Jack Dorsey in 2009 when his friend Jim McKelvey was unable to complete a 2 000 sale of his glass faucets and fittings because he could not accept credit cards 31 Co founders Dorsey who also co founded Twitter and McKelvey began developing the company out of a small office in St Louis 32 The name Square derives from the company s square shaped card readers 33 34 In October 2020 Square put approximately 1 of their total assets 50 million in Bitcoin 4 709 bitcoins citing Bitcoin s potential to be a more ubiquitous currency in the future as their main reasoning 35 The company purchased approximately 3 318 bitcoins in February 2021 for a cost of around 170 million bringing Square s total holdings to around 8 027 bitcoins equivalent to around US 500 million in 2021 around US 190 million as of February 2023 36 On March 2 2021 Square reached an agreement to acquire majority ownership in Tidal Square paid 297 million in cash and stock for Tidal with Jay Z joining the company s board of directors Jay Z as well as other artists who currently own stock in Tidal will remain stakeholders 37 38 39 On December 1 2021 Square announced that it would change its company name to Block Inc on December 10 40 41 The change was announced shortly after Dorsey resigned as CEO of Twitter 42 On December 10 2021 the name change took effect and Square Inc became Block Inc 43 On December 16 less than a week into the rebrand H amp R Block sued the company for trademark infringement claiming that the name seeks to confuse customers by misappropriating the Block brand name which H amp R owns 44 The lawsuit was resolved in April 2023 when the two companies jointly agreed to dismiss the suit 45 On January 31 2022 Block completed its acquisition of Afterpay 46 Subsidiaries products services editSquare edit Main article Square payment system Square is a payments platform aimed at small and medium businesses that allows them to accept credit card payments and use smartphones or tablets or computers as payment registers for a point of sale system POS 13 47 The platform was founded in 2009 by Dorsey and McKelvey Square also offers additional features to manage various operations including staff payroll and shift schedules 17 customer bookings 14 inventory e Commerce 15 16 banking and business loans 18 In 2022 a Protocol survey showed that 35 of U S small business owners used Square a higher percentage than its competitors in the survey while also highlighting the POS market s continued fragmentation 48 In April 2023 Square was reported to have four million merchants as its customers 10 Cash App edit Main article Cash App Launched in October 2013 Cash App formerly Square Cash allows person to person money transfer via the app or website for debit card users 19 20 In March 2015 the firm introduced Square Cash for businesses which includes the ability for individuals organizations and business owners to use a unique username known as a cashtag to send and receive money 49 As of 2023 Cash App also offers a savings account and a debit card and services such as direct deposit and investing in stocks and Bitcoin 21 22 In March 2023 USA Today reported that Cash App offered a free tax filing service while cautioning that it didn t accommodate every tax situation and didn t offer live tax support 23 In October 2023 it was reported that Cash App also allowed users to borrow up to 200 from the app and that not everyone is an eligible user for this feature 24 In February 2023 Block reported 51 million monthly active users for Cash App 11 50 Afterpay edit Main article Afterpay Afterpay is an Australian digital payment platform in which a bought product can be paid off in four installments This idea made in 2008 by a then eighteen year old Nick Molnar was geared towards millennials and inspired by the aftermath of the 2008 Global Financial Crisis Molnar and Partner Co founder Anthony Eisen launched their platform in 2014 and in four years their product reached a market capitalization of around 3 3 billion In February 2020 Afterpay was reported to have 3 6 million active customers in the US 3 1 million in Australia and New Zealand and 600 000 in the UK In August 2021 Afterpay and Square announced that Afterpay would be acquired by Square 51 Block paid US 29 billion in stock for the acquisition and the process was finalized in January 2022 46 25 Although Afterpay is now owned by Block inc Molnar and Eisen still spearhead Afterpay s merchant and consumer businesses Tidal edit Main article Tidal service Tidal is a digital music streaming service that gives users access to over 80 million songs from genres and artists across the world 52 Tidal was founded on the basis of artists getting paid rightfully for their work meaning fully and directly instead of through traditional means Tidal was first launched in 2014 by a Norwegian company called Aspiro Aspiro was purchased by Jay Z in 2015 for 56 million 53 In early 2017 the Sprint Corporation purchased 33 of the company for 200 million and then in 2021 Square Inc paid 297 million for a majority ownership of the company 30 Tidal now operates in 61 countries worldwide 52 In June 2022 through the disclosure of the Annual Stockholder Meeting 2022 Block reported that the stake acquired in the Tidal music service was 86 8 54 TBD edit TBD is a Bitcoin focussed subsidiary of Block 26 TBD serves as a decentralized platform which allows developers to build decentralized finance DeFi applications to run on programmable blockchains 27 Bitkey edit Main article Bitkey In December 2023 Block launched Bitkey a self custody Bitcoin cryptocurrency hardware wallet in 95 countries The wallet allows investors to own manage and store their Bitcoin off exchanges Bitkey includes a mobile app hardware device and a set of recovery tools in case the customer loses the phone their hardware or both The wallet cannot access or move a customer s Bitcoin without them 28 29 Weebly edit Main article Weebly Weebly is a web hosting service Weebly was founded in 2006 by David Rusenko Dan Veltri and Chris Fanini after they all met as students at Pennsylvania State University 55 In 2007 Weebly raised 650 000 in initial capital from a group of angel investors In 2018 Square Inc Now Block Inc bought Weebly in exchange for 365 million in cash and stock 56 The company slowly grew and updated its capabilities over the course of a decade and now Weebly is a free online website creator that operates out of the web browser The site offers users access to drag and drop features to build their websites with unlimited storage options and custom URLs Financials editSquare received angel investments from Marissa Mayer Kevin Rose Biz Stone Dennis Crowley Shawn Fanning MC Hammer and Esther Dyson citation needed Since then it has raised several additional rounds of funding Series A funding from Khosla Ventures 57 Series B funding from Sequoia Capital 57 Series C funding from Kleiner Perkins 57 Series D funding from Citi Ventures Rizvi Traverse Management and Starbucks 58 Series E funding from Goldman Sachs Rizvi Traverse Management and GIC Private Limited 59 The company s valuation in October 2014 was 6 billion 60 On November 19 2015 Square had its IPO on the New York Stock Exchange with an initial valuation of 2 9 billion down by more than half from its last valuation in October 2014 at 6 billion The series E funding shares had different rights than the common shares sold at the IPO therefore the 6 billion valuation from October 2014 is wrong Although the firm was yet to make a profit as of 2015 and had lost 420 million since 2012 it had decreased its losses from 44 of revenues to 16 in the six months leading up to its IPO 61 For the fiscal year 2018 Square reported losses of US 38 million with an annual revenue of US 3 299 billion an increase of 49 0 over the previous fiscal cycle Year 62 Revenuein mil US Net incomein mil US Total assetsin mil US Employees2012 203 85 02013 552 104 3182014 850 154 542 1 2822015 1 267 212 895 1 4492016 1 709 172 1 211 1 8532017 2 214 63 2 187 2 3382018 3 299 38 3 281 3 3492019 4 714 375 4 551 3 8352020 9 498 213 9 870 5 4772021 17 661 166 13 925 8 5212022 17 532 541 31 364 12 428Business editOperations edit Block was co founded by Twitter creator Jack Dorsey under the name Square 63 Dorsey also serves as chief executive officer and Amrita Ahuja serves as chief financial officer 63 64 Block s office is in San Francisco 65 The firm has more than 5 000 employees 66 Block s payment platform Square has been available in the United States since 2010 and the company launched in Canada at the end of 2012 67 In March 2020 Square implemented remote work due to the COVID 19 pandemic In May 2020 Square announced that some of its workers would be allowed to be permanent remote workers 68 As of 2021 although Block s real estate footprint remains intact they no longer have a designated headquarters location 2 Financing and acquisitions edit In August 2014 Victory Park Capital an asset management firm invested in Square Capital 69 In May 2015 Square Capital raised additional funding with Victory Park Capital tripling its initial investment 70 As of 2016 Square had loaned 1 billion to companies through Square Capital since the program s inception 71 On November 19 2015 Square Inc became a public company via an initial public offering 72 73 On April 19 2018 Square announced that it had acquired Zesty a food delivery service that caters to corporate offices 74 75 On April 26 2018 Square announced that it would acquire Weebly a website building service for 365 million 76 In May 2019 Square announced that it had acquired Eloquent Labs an artificial intelligence startup helping improve the customer service experience 77 In February 2020 Square announced that it had acquired Dessa a Toronto based deep learning company 78 In November 2020 Square announced it was acquiring Credit Karma Tax a free do it yourself tax filing service from Credit Karma for 50 million and would make it a part of its Cash App unit 79 In March 2021 Square announced it was acquiring a significant majority in music streaming platform Tidal for 293 million in a deal of stock and cash 80 In the same month Square s Q1 sales surged 266 as transactions jumped amid economic recovery 81 In August 2021 Square announced its acquisition of Afterpay a company offering a buy now pay later service Square finalized the 29 billion stock deal on January 31 2022 82 46 Controversies editAllegations of illegal activity edit On March 23 2023 investment research firm Hindenburg Research disclosed a short position in Block leading to a 15 drop in the company s shares that day Hindenburg s accusations of Block included exaggerating user counts failing to curb fraud and illegal activity on Cash App and permitting impersonation of high profile individuals It also wrote in its report that Block embraced predatory offerings and compliance worst practices in order to fuel growth and profit from facilitation of fraud against consumers and the government 83 84 Block responded to the allegations in a press release saying We intend to work with the SEC and explore legal action against Hindenburg Research for the factually inaccurate and misleading report they shared about our Cash App business today 85 See also editPayPalReferences edit Clifford Catherine 2020 05 21 Twitter billionaire Jack Dorsey on giving away his money If someone is in pain I am in pain CNBC Retrieved 2020 06 03 a b c Square Inc Annual Form 10 K 2021 U S Securities and Exchange Commission February 26 2022 Retrieved March 9 2021 Square Inc Annual Form 10 K 2022 U S Securities and Exchange Commission February 23 2023 Square Inc Co Founder Tristan O Tierney Dies at 35 Bloomberg News March 2 2019 Retrieved March 5 2019 Wall Street Breakfast Square Match Group Ready For Market Debut Seeking Alpha 19 November 2015 Retrieved 19 November 2015 Inside Square s Massive New San Francisco Headquarters Mashable October 11 2013 Retrieved June 10 2015 Bloomberg Billionaires Index Jack Dorsey bloomberg com Archived from the original on 10 April 2022 Retrieved 24 July 2022 Dorsey owns about 10 of Block formerly known as Square according to a February 2022 regulatory filing Jacob Denny April 22 2022 Block CEO Jack Dorsey s Title Now Block Head and Chairperson The Wall Street Journal Retrieved 2022 10 29 Browning Kellen 1 December 2021 Square Jack Dorsey s payments company changes its name to Block The New York Times Retrieved 2 December 2021 a b Mullen Caitlin 2023 04 18 Square rolls out new features for merchants Retail Dive Retrieved 2023 11 15 a b Hollerith David 2023 02 23 Block reports revenue profits that top expectations amid bitcoin drag Yahoo Finance Retrieved 2023 11 15 Sureban Haripriya BL Bengaluru Bureau 2023 12 07 Block Inc launches self custody bitcoin wallet Bitkey in India Business Line Retrieved 2024 02 03 a b Morrison Sara 2022 10 07 Everyone wants a tip now Do you have to give them one Vox Retrieved 2023 10 30 a b Sherman Matt 2023 10 24 Square Appointments Review Merchant Maverick Retrieved 2023 10 30 a b Smith Amy Nichol 2022 02 22 Square Online Store Review 2023 Features Pros amp Cons Forbes Advisor www forbes com Retrieved 2023 11 03 a b Stevens Courtenay 2022 12 14 Everything You Need to Know about Square Inventory Management Business org Retrieved 2023 11 03 a b O Reilly Dennis 2023 05 25 Square Payroll Software Review and Prices U S News amp World Report Retrieved 2023 10 30 a b Irrera Anna 2021 07 20 Square launches small business banking Reuters Retrieved 2023 10 30 a b Hamburger Ellis 2013 10 15 Square Cash lets anyone with a debit card send money instantly over email The Verge Retrieved 2020 12 20 a b Freitas Taylor 2022 04 29 What is Cash App and how does it work ZDNET Retrieved 2023 10 30 a b Staples Ana 2023 08 22 What is Cash App and how does it work CNBC Retrieved 2023 10 30 a b Papandrea Dawn 2023 08 28 How to Use Cash App U S News amp World Report a b Jones Jenn 2023 09 11 Best tax software of November 2023 USA TODAY Blueprint Retrieved 2023 11 09 a b Moorhead Caitlyn 2023 10 16 Cash App Borrow How To Borrow Money on Cash App GOBankingRates Retrieved 2023 10 30 a b Gariffo Michael 2022 02 01 Block completes acquisition of buy now pay later specialist Afterpay ZDNET Retrieved 2023 10 30 a b Lowrey Annie 2023 06 17 Is Crypto Dead The Atlantic Retrieved 2023 12 12 a b Adams Michael 2023 12 01 6 Best Cryptocurrency Stocks Of December 2023 Forbes Advisor www forbes com Retrieved 2023 12 12 a b Sureban BL Bengaluru Bureau amp Haripriya 2023 12 07 Block Inc launches self custody bitcoin wallet Bitkey in India BusinessLine Retrieved 2024 02 05 a b Jack Dorsey s Block opens up preorders for Bitcoin hardware wallet Bitkey in more than 95 countries Fortune Crypto Retrieved 2024 02 05 a b Rosman Katherine 2021 03 04 Square Acquires Tidal in 297 Million Deal The New York Times Retrieved 2023 10 30 Square Brings Credit Card Swiping to the Mobile Masses Starting Today Fast Company May 11 2010 Retrieved September 19 2011 Why Square s New Office Is A Really Big Deal for St Louis St Louis Magazine 2015 09 15 Square s name and design were changed by a lunch at Apple thenextweb com 2011 05 26 Retrieved September 19 2011 Square Was Almost Named Squirrel Until Dorsey Talked To Apple pulse2 com May 26 2011 Retrieved September 19 2011 Oliver Effron 8 October 2020 Square just bought 50 million in bitcoin CNN Retrieved 2020 10 22 Bursztynsky Jessica 2021 02 23 Square buys 170 million worth of bitcoin CNBC Retrieved 2021 03 02 Square Inc to buy majority of Tidal and put Jay Z on board ABC News Associated Press Retrieved 4 March 2021 Murphy Kelly Samantha 4 March 2021 Square to acquire majority stake in music service Tidal for 297 million CNN Retrieved 4 March 2021 Singleton Micah Square Is Acquiring a Majority Stake in Tidal for 297M Billboard Retrieved 5 March 2021 Vigna Paul 2021 12 01 Square Changes Name to Block Days After CEO Jack Dorsey Leaves Twitter Wall Street Journal ISSN 0099 9660 Retrieved 2021 12 01 Square Inc Changes Name to Block Press release Block Inc 2021 12 01 Retrieved 2021 12 01 via Business Wire Wagner Kurt 1 December 2021 Square Changes Name to Block in Nod to New Businesses Bloomberg Retrieved 2 December 2021 Jack Dorsey s Square changes corporate name to Block CNBC Retrieved 10 December 2021 H amp R Block Is Suing Jack Dorsey s Block Over Name Change Bloomberg Retrieved December 16 2021 Brittain Blake 2023 04 24 H amp R Block settles trademark lawsuit against Block over name change Reuters Retrieved 2023 09 30 a b c Block Inc Completes Acquisition of Afterpay Press release Block Inc January 31 2022 Square POS Reviews amp Ratings 2023 www trustradius com 2023 09 11 Retrieved 2023 11 02 Geron Tomio 2022 01 05 Square Clover and Lightspeed are popular but no POS provider dominates Protocol www protocol com Retrieved 2023 11 16 Square Introduces Square Cash for Businesses With a Low 1 5 Percent Processing Fee Re code March 23 2015 PYMNTS 2023 05 05 Block s Cash App Hits 53 Million Monthly Active Users Direct Deposits up 69 www pymnts com Retrieved 2023 10 30 Afterpay to be acquired by Square in 39 billion deal SmartCompany 2021 08 01 Retrieved 2022 04 25 a b Pocket lint 2022 02 03 What is Tidal and how does it work www pocket lint com Retrieved 2022 04 25 Sisario Ben 2015 03 13 Jay Z Buys the Music Streaming Firm Aspiro The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved 2022 04 25 Page 188 from Block Inc Annual Stockholder Meeting 2022 PDF Levy Steven 2007 05 20 A Boot Camp for the Next Tech Billionaires Newsweek Retrieved 2022 04 25 Square is acquiring website builder Weebly for 365M TechCrunch 26 April 2018 Retrieved 2022 04 25 permanent dead link a b c Taylor Harriet 9 November 2015 On paper Khosla s firm could net a massive return on Square IPO CNBC Square Inc December 18 2014 Square A milestone We re now 1 000 employees strong Linkedin com Retrieved December 18 2014 Isaac Mike October 5 2014 Square Raises 150 Million at a 6 Billion Valuation The New York Times Rao Leena October 5 2014 Square Closes 150 Million Round At 6 Billion Valuation Fortune Square s IPO Swiped The Economist 21 November 2015 Retrieved 20 November 2015 Investor Relations Block Inc Retrieved 2022 01 18 a b About Square Square Inc Retrieved March 15 2011 Want Selina 3 January 2019 Square Names Activision Blizzard s Ahuja as Finance Chief Bloomberg Archived from the original on 2019 06 01 Retrieved 2019 01 28 Evangelista Benny October 14 2013 New offices give Square workers lots of options San Francisco Chronicle Retrieved January 6 2014 Block Inc Company Profile and News Bloomberg Markets Bloomberg Retrieved January 18 2022 Matt Hartley October 24 2012 Square launches in Canada Financial Post Retrieved October 24 2012 Petrin Kae M 19 May 2020 Square Adopts Permanent Work From Home Policy For Workers In St Louis Nationwide KWMU Retrieved 2020 06 03 Square works with Victory Park Capital to extend hundreds of millions of dollars to independent businesses Victory Park Capital August 19 2014 Archived from the original on July 13 2015 Retrieved July 13 2015 Square secures funding from new and existing investors to expand its popular small business financing program Press release Square Inc May 12 2015 Retrieved July 13 2015 Yeung Ken 1 November 2016 Square has provided more than 1 billion in loans to businesses VentureBeat Retrieved 3 November 2016 Square shakes off weak IPO with first day trading pop New York Post 2015 11 19 Retrieved 19 November 2015 Soper Alex Barinka alexbarinka Spencer Square Files for IPO as CEO Dorsey Juggles Twitter Revamp Bloomberg Retrieved 2015 10 16 Bary Emily Square acquires food delivery platform Zesty to boost office catering business MarketWatch Retrieved 2018 04 25 Carson Biz Square s Delivery Business Caviar Moves Into Corporate Catering With Acquisition Of Zesty Forbes Retrieved 2018 04 25 Balakrishnan Anita 2018 04 26 Square to buy Weebly for 365 million CNBC Retrieved 2018 04 27 Square acquires conversational AI startup Eloquent Labs TechCrunch 7 May 2019 Retrieved 2019 05 08 permanent dead link Square acquires deepfake research firm Dessa VentureBeat 2020 02 07 Retrieved 2020 05 21 Weil Dan 2020 11 25 Square to Buy Credit Karma Tax for 50 Million Expanding Reach TheStreet Archived from the original on 2020 12 06 Retrieved 2020 12 20 Rosman Katherine 2021 03 04 Square acquires majority of Tidal Jay Z s streaming service in 297 million deal The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved 2021 06 08 McCormick Emily May 6 2021 Square Q1 sales surge 266 as transactions jump amid economic recovery bitcoin revenue soars Yahoo Finance Archived from the original on 2021 06 08 Retrieved 2021 06 08 via MSN Peters Jay August 1 2021 Square to buy Afterpay which offers a buy now pay later service for 29 billion in stock The Verge Archived from the original on 2021 08 01 Retrieved 2021 08 02 Hindenburg takes aim at Dorsey s payments firm Block shares plunge Reuters March 23 2023 Retrieved May 12 2023 de la Merced Michael J March 23 2023 Short Seller Accuses Jack Dorsey s Block of Facilitating Fraud The New York Times Goswami Rohan Sigalos MacKenzie 2023 03 23 Block shares plunge 19 after short seller Hindenburg says Jack Dorsey s company facilitates fraud CNBC Retrieved 2023 03 23 External links editOfficial website Business data for Block Inc BloombergGoogleSEC filingsYahoo Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Block Inc amp oldid 1207399297, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.