Usio, Inc. [USIO] Filings

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE: Items 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14 of Part III will be incorporated by reference information from the registrant’s proxy statement to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission in connection with the solicitation of proxies for the registrant’s 2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held on June 18, 2024

PART I

ITEM 1. BUSINESS.

General

As a cloud-based, Fintech payment processor, we serve multiple industry verticals with technology that facilitates payment acceptance and funds disbursement in a single, full-stack ecosystem. We provide payment acceptance through multiple payment methods including: payment facilitation, prepaid card and electronic billing products and services to businesses, merchants  and consumers. We seek to grow our business both organically through the continued development and enhancement of our products and services and through acquisitions of new products and services. We will continue to look for opportunities (both internally and externally) to enhance our offerings to meet customer demands as they arise.

Since 1998, Usio has entered a number of market verticals within the payments industry in order to satisfy the growing payment needs of consumers and merchants across the United States. Beginning with our Electronic Bill Presentment and Payment, or EBPP, product that launched the Company, we entered into the electronic funds transfer space through the ACH network, developing ancillary and complementary products such as PINless debit in 2016, and Remotely Created Checks, or RCC, account validation, and account inquiry in 2019. These supplementary product options offer customers access to faster and more convenient payment options and tools to improve operating efficiencies. Further, our credit card payment offering was expanded in 2017 with the development of Payment Facilitation, or PayFac, that utilizes our unique technology that allows for instant enrollment of merchants and combined our suite of payment options into an integrated platform for merchants and customers to utilize.

Through our innovative Prepaid Debit Card platform, we offer a variety of prepaid card products such as reloadable, incentive, promotional and corporate card programs. Combined with our printing and mailing services, through the acquisition of IMS in December of 2020, we can satisfy the diverse requirements of customer needs with physical and virtual document creation and distribution, including traditional paper checks. Our Consumer Choice product developed and debuted in 2022 that provides flexible ways to initiate a variety of payment distributions through a multitude of payment methods including physical prepaid and virtual cards, ACH, paper checks, real-time PINless debit and others. This offering allows us a superior opportunity to increase our cross-selling efforts through all of our payment methods. 

With the growing need for faster payment methods, we continue to invest in technology that can help us further expand our suite of payment technology. With the rise of Real Time Payments, or RTP, we began expansion into this market vertical in 2023, which serves as an alternative to ACH payments. As well, we continue to enhance our existing product offerings, with improvements in reporting, data management, fraud and risk monitoring, ease of access, and accelerations in client onboarding and implementation times. With our transition to a cloud-based platform, our speed, security, and scalability in payment processing is further expanded, allowing us to seamlessly grow as the market demands.

Payment Acceptance. We provide integrated electronic payment processing services to merchants and businesses, including credit, and debit card-based processing services and electronic funds transfer via the ACH network. The ACH network is a nationwide electronic funds transfer system that is regulated by the Federal Reserve and the National Automatic Clearing House Association, or NACHA, the electronic payments association, and provides for the clearing of electronic payments between participating financial institutions. Our ACH processing services enable merchants or businesses to both disburse and collect funds electronically using e-checks instead of traditional paper checks. An e-check is an electronic debit to a bank checking account that is initiated at the point-of-sale, on the Internet, over the telephone, or via a bill payment sent through the mail via a physical check. E-checks are processed using the ACH network. We are one of nine companies that hold the prestigious NACHA certification for Third-Party Senders and were the second company to receive the certification and are the most tenured to hold the certification.

Our payment acceptance services are delivered in a variety of forms and situations. For example, our capabilities allow merchants to convert a paper check to an e-check or receive card authorization at the point-of-sale, allow our merchants’ respective customer service representatives to take e-check or card payments from their consumers by telephone, and enable their consumers to make e-check or card payments directly through the use of a website or by calling an interactive voice response telephone system.

Similarly, our PINless debit product allows merchants to debit and credit accounts in real-time.

Card-Based Services. Our card-based processing services enable merchants to process both traditional card-present, tap-and-pay, or "swipe" transactions, as well as card-not-present transactions. A traditional card-present transaction occurs whenever a card holder physically presents a credit or debit card to a merchant at the point-of-sale. A card-not-present transaction occurs whenever the customer does not physically present a payment card at the point-of-sale and may occur over the Internet, mail, or telephone. A tap-and-pay transaction occurs whenever a consumer taps their phone on a physical terminal utilizing third party wallet services like Apple Pay®, Samsung Pay™ and Google Pay™.

Payment Facilitation. Following the completion of the Singular Payments acquisition in 2017, we launched our payment facilitation, or PayFac, platform called "PayFac-in-a-Box" in late 2018 targeting partnership opportunities with app and software developers in bill-centric verticals, such as legal, healthcare, property management, utilities and insurance. The PayFac-in-a-Box platform 'integration layer' offers a simple integration experience for technology companies who are looking to monetize payments within an existing base of downstream clients. The added value of offering our integration partners access to real-time merchant enrollment, credit card, debit card, ACH and prepaid card issuance capabilities through a single vendor partner relationship in face-to-face, mobile and virtual payment acceptance environments provides a true single channel commerce experience through an application programming interface, or API.

Prepaid and Incentive Card Services. Through our December 2014 acquisition of the assets of Akimbo Financial, Inc., we added a highly talented technical staff of industry subject matter experts and an innovative cardholder service platform including cardholder web and mobile applications and launched what is now our UsioCard business. As a result of this acquisition, through our subsidiary, FiCentive, Inc., we offer customizable prepaid cards which companies use for expense management, incentives, refunds, claims and disbursements, as well as unique forms of compensation such as per diem payments, government disbursements, and similar payments. This comprehensive money disbursement platform allows businesses to pay their contractors, employees, or other recipients by choosing among a prepaid debit Mastercard, real-time deposit to a checking account, traditional ACH, direct deposit or paper check. These cardholder web and mobile applications have been fully integrated into FiCentive’s prepaid card core processor, and now support all program types and brands offered by FiCentive and its clients.

As part of our Prepaid card-based processing services, we develop and manage a variety of Mastercard-branded prepaid card program types, including consumer reloadable, consumer gift, incentive, promotional, general and government disbursement and corporate expense cards. We also offer prepaid cards to consumers for use as a tool to stay on budget, manage allowances and share money with family and friends. Our UsioCard platform supports Apple Pay®, Samsung Pay™ and Google Pay™.

In our over 20+year history, we have created a loyal customer base that relies on us for our convenient, secure, innovative and adaptive services and technology, and we have built long-standing and valuable relationships with premier banking institutions such as Fifth Third Bank, Sunrise Bank, TransPecos and others.

Electronic Billing.  On December 15, 2020, we entered into the business of electronic bill presentment, document composition, document decomposition and printing and mailing services serving hundreds of customers representing a wide range of industry verticals, including utilities and financial institutions through the acquisition of IMS. This product offering provides an outsourced solution for document design, print, and electronic delivery to potential customers and entities looking to reduce postage costs and increase efficiencies. This acquisition increased our ability to grow new revenue streams and allowed us to reenter the electronic bill presentment and payment revenue stream. The success of this new business line depends on our ability to realize the anticipated growth opportunities; we cannot provide any assurance that we will be able to realize these opportunities.

Industry Background and Trends

In the United States, the use of non-paper-based forms of payment, such as credit and debit cards, has risen steadily over the past several years. According to the triennial 2022 Federal Reserve Payments Study, or FRPS, as updated through July 27, 2023, the estimated number of non-cash payments continue to increase at accelerated rates. The FRPS reflects the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic which resulted in an increase of non-paper payments by 24% from 2019 through the end of 2020. The growth of electronic commerce has made the acceptance of card-based and other electronic forms of payment a necessity for businesses, both large and small, in order to remain competitive.

Figure 1 (below) illustrates the overall growth in key non-cash metrics since the Federal Reserve Payments Study was first reported for the year 2000 and reflects the acceleration of growth in recent years.

Figure 2 (below) illustrates the overall growth in key cash metrics since the Federal Reserve Payments Study was first reported for the year 2000 and reflects the acceleration of growth in recent years.

Note: All estimates are on a triennial basis, except that card payments were also estimated for 2016, 2017, 2019, and 2020. Credit card payments include general-purpose and private-label versions. Prepaid debit card payments include general-purpose, private-label, and electronic benefits transfer, or EBT, versions. Estimates for prepaid debit card payments are not available for 2000 or 2003. The points mark years for which data were collected and estimates were produced. Lines connecting the points are linear interpolations.

Source: 2022 Federal Reserve Payments Study

We believe that the electronic payment processing industry will continue to benefit from the following trends:

Favorable Demographics

As consumers age, we expect that they will continue to use the payment technology to which they have grown accustomed. More consumers are beginning to use card-based and other electronic payment methods for purchases at an earlier age. These consumers have witnessed the wide adoption of card products, technology innovations such as mobile phone payment applications, widespread adoption of the internet and a significant increase in card not present transactions and on-line shopping during COVID-19. As younger consumers comprise an increasing percentage of the population and as they enter the work force, we expect purchases using electronic payment methods will become a larger percentage of total consumer spending. We believe the increasing usage of smart phones as an instrument of payment will also create further opportunities for us in the future. We also believe that contact-less payments like Apple Pay®, Samsung Pay™ and Google Pay™ will increase payment processing opportunities for us.

Increased Electronic Payment Acceptance by Small Businesses

Small businesses are a vital component of the U.S. economy and are expected to contribute to the increased use of electronic payment methods. The lower costs associated with electronic payment methods are making these services more affordable to a larger segment of the small business market. In addition, we believe these businesses are experiencing increased pressure to accept electronic payment methods in order to remain competitive and to meet consumer expectations. As a result, many of these small businesses are seeking to provide customers with the ability to pay for merchandise and services using electronic payment methods, including those in industries that have historically accepted cash and checks as the only forms of payment for their merchandise and services.

Growth in Online Transactions

Market researchers expect continued growth in card-not-present transactions due to the steady growth of the internet and electronic commerce. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, estimated retail e-commerce sales for 2023 were estimated at $1,118.7 billion, an increase of approximately 7.6% from 2022.

Products and Services

Our suite of payment solutions is driven by a sophisticated infrastructure that merges our own technology with strategic alliances, offering secure, scalable, and resilient payment processing services. Leveraging the latest in cloud computing and cybersecurity, including Microsoft Azure's robust security features, we ensure the protection of data transmissions and transactions. Our adoption of Azure's hub-spoke architecture and other cutting-edge technologies supports enhanced performance and security, facilitating seamless integrations with third-party processors and offering tailored payment services to meet the specific requirements of our clients.

The platform supports secure data exchanges using state-of-the-art encryption standards and secure communication protocols, using the latest technology in best-practices encryption to safeguard electronic transactions across the internet. With comprehensive data warehousing, we offer efficient storage, retrieval, and data analysis, ensuring all sensitive information is encrypted and securely managed.

Payment Acceptance. Our service offerings encompass a broad spectrum of ACH transaction processing, including innovative solutions like Represented Check and Check Conversion for electronic payment facilitation. Clients have the flexibility to initiate transactions via our online portal or leverage our expertise for transaction processing on their behalf via a robust API set.

We extend merchant services across major card networks (VISA, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, JCB), supported by online and physical terminal access. Our proprietary platform merges ACH and card processing capabilities, enabling businesses to handle both e-checks and card payments efficiently.

The expansion of our platform and the transition to cloud-based infrastructure underscore our commitment to speed, security, and scalability in payment processing. Our direct Fed ACH system integration, facilitated by NACHA certification, exemplifies our efforts to optimize processing efficiency, reduce costs, and enhance merchant services.

Prepaid and Incentive Card Services. Our Prepaid and Incentive Card Issuance Services are anchored by our sophisticated processing platform, which supports an array of card program types in partnership with prominent banks and offers highly customizable digital solutions. A key feature of our innovative service offerings is the integration of an external authorization engine that provides real-time transaction authorization through a unique dual-funding mechanism, enhancing transactional flexibility and user experience by allowing for the application of real-time value loads by the program managers. This engine, coupled with our comprehensive support for popular mobile wallets via Mastercard’s Digital Enablement Services, underscores our commitment to leveraging cutting-edge technology to deliver seamless and enriched payment experiences. Our platform's rapid custom solution deployment capability further cements our position as a leader in the market, demonstrating our dedication to innovation and operational agility in meeting the advanced payment solution needs of our clients.

Electronic Billing. Following the acquisition of Information Management Solutions, LLC, or IMS, we've enhanced and expanded our services to include electronic bill presentment and comprehensive document management solutions, catering to a wide array of industries. Our state-of-the-art digital printing capabilities, combined with our status as a seamless mailer with USPS, enable us to meet high-volume demands efficiently, ensuring we remain at the forefront of printing and mailing services. Output Solutions provides printing and mailing services to utilities, healthcare providers, credit unions, banks, governmental agencies, and manufacturing and other customers that have high volume billing and printing needs.

Relationships with Sponsors and Processors

We have agreements with several processors that provide us, on a non-exclusive basis,with transaction processing and transmittal, transaction authorization and data capture, and access to various reporting tools. In order to provide payment processing services for ACH transactions, we must maintain a relationship with an Originating Depository Financial Institution, or ODFI, in the ACH network because we are not a bank and therefore, we are not eligible to be an ODFI. For the ODFI portion of our ACH business, we have entered into agreements with the North American Banking Company, or NABC, Metropolitan Commercial Bank and TransPecos Banks. We are financially liable for all fees, fines, chargebacks, and losses related to our ACH processing merchant customers. We may also require cash deposits and other types of collateral from certain merchants to mitigate any such risk. Similarly, in order to provide payment-processing services for Visa, Mastercard and Discover transactions, we must be sponsored by a financial institution that is a principal member of the respective Visa, Mastercard and Discover card associations. Central Bank of St. Louis and Fifth Third Bank have, respectively, sponsored us under the designations Third Party Processor, or TPP, and Independent Sales Organization, or ISO, with the Visa card association, and under the designations Third Party Servicer, or TPS, and Merchant Service Provider, or MSP, with the Mastercard card association. We have an agreement with TriSource Solutions, LLC and an agreement with Global Payments, Inc. through which their member banks, Central Bank of St. Louis and Fifth Third Bank, sponsor us for membership in the Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover card associations and settle card transactions for our merchants. These agreements may be terminated by the processor if we materially breach the agreements and we do not cure the breach within 30 days, or if we enter bankruptcy or file for bankruptcy. We also maintain a bank sponsorship agreement with Sunrise Banks, N.A. for our prepaid card programs. We are liable for any card-associated losses for cards that we issue that might incur a negative balance and we are liable for card association fines, fees and chargebacks.

Under our processing agreement with TriSource Solutions and Vantiv, we are financially liable for all fees, fines, chargebacks and losses related to our card processing merchant customers. Under our processing agreement with Global Payments, Inc., we are not financially liable for all fees, chargebacks and losses related to our card processing merchant customers, but we are liable for potential card association fines. If, due to insolvency or bankruptcy of our merchant customers, or for another reason, we are unable to collect from our merchant customers amounts that have been refunded to the cardholders because the cardholders properly initiated a charge-back transaction to reverse the credit card charges, we must bear the credit risk for the full amount of the card holder transaction. We utilize a number of systems and procedures to evaluate and manage merchant risk, such as obtaining approval of prospective merchants from our processor and sponsor bank, setting transaction limits and monitoring account activity. We may also require cash deposits and other types of collateral from certain merchants to mitigate any such risk. We maintain a reserve for losses resulting from card processing and related chargebacks. We estimate our potential loss for chargebacks by performing a historical analysis of our charge-back loss experience with similar merchants and considering other factors that could affect that experience in the future, such as the types of card transactions processed and nature of the merchant relationship with their consumers.

We are currently sponsored by Evolve Bank & Trust, TransPecos Bank and CBW Bank in order to access certain regional debit networks. Through these sponsorships, we created a new service in late 2016 to provide both the issuance of real time credits and debits to a debit card holder via a regional network without using a PIN. Regional networks are not affiliated with major credit card associations and operate independently. Through our sponsorships with Evolve Bank & Trust, TransPecos Bank and CBW Bank, we are financially liable for all fees, fines, chargebacks and losses related to our PINless debit card processing for our merchant customers. We may also require cash deposits and other types of collateral from certain merchants to mitigate any such risk. The banking sponsor and each of the regional debit networks have the ability to terminate our access or anyone of our merchant’s access to process payments without notice. If either case occurs, our revenue could be negatively affected. In January 2018, our previous sponsor, Pueblo Bank and Trust, terminated their relationship with our gateway provider and as a result we stopped processing PINless debit transactions for a short period of time. We secured a relationship with Evolve Bank & Trust and resumed processing PINless debit transactions and subsequently secured a sponsoring relationship with CBW Bank in 2021 and TransPecos bank in 2023.

We maintain an allowance for estimated losses resulting from the inability or failure of our merchant customers to make required payments for fees charged by us. Amounts due from customers may be deemed uncollectible because of merchant disputes, fraud, insolvency or bankruptcy. We determine the allowance based on an account-by-account review, taking into consideration such factors as the age of the outstanding receivable, historical pattern of collections and financial condition of the customer. We closely monitor extensions of credit and if the financial condition of our customers were to deteriorate, resulting in an impairment of their ability to make contractual payments, additional allowances may be required.

Sales and Marketing

We sell and market our ACH products and services primarily through non-exclusive resellers that act as an external sales force, with minimal direct investment in sales infrastructure and management, as well as direct contact by our sales personnel. Our direct sales efforts are coordinated by two sales executives and supported by other employees who function in sales capacities. Our primary market focus is on companies generating high volumes of electronic payment transactions. We tailor our sales efforts to reach this market by pre-qualifying prospective sales leads through direct contact or market research. Our sales personnel typically initiate contact with prospective customers that we identify as meeting our targeted customer profile.

We also market and sell our prepaid card program directly to government entities, corporations and to consumers through the Internet. A major initiative will be the packaging and cross selling of our platform of payment options across our portfolio of merchants. As a part of this major initiative, we will continue to analyze our sales and marketing efforts to optimize productivity, increase sales force effectiveness, broaden our reach through reseller initiatives and advantageous alliances and effectively optimize sales and marketing expenses while meeting our revenue and profit objectives.

We also offer additional services relating to electronic bill presentment, document composition, document decomposition and printing and mailing services serving hundreds of customers representing a wide range of industry verticals, including utilities and financial institutions. This service, which we began with the acquisition of IMS in December 2020, allows us to cross-sell existing service offerings to our customers.

Customers

Our customers are consumers, merchants, and businesses that use our Automated Clearing House and/or card-based processing services in order to provide their consumers with the ability to pay for goods and services without having to use cash or a paper check. These merchant customers operate in a variety of predominately retail industries and are under contract with us to exclusively use the services that we provide to them. Recent areas of customer focus have included system integrators, law firms, churches, charitable organizations, medical and dental clinics, doctor's offices, property management and homeowner associations, hospitality firms and municipalities. Most of our merchant customers have signed long-term contracts, generally with three-year terms, that provide for volume-based transaction fees. Our merchant accounts increased 12% to 6,281 customers at December 31, 2023 from 5,601 customers at December 31, 2022. Our customers are geographically dispersed throughout the United States.

No customer accounted for more than 10% of revenues in 2023 or 2022.

Competition

The payment processing industry is highly competitive. Many small and large companies compete with us in providing payment processing services and related services to a wide range of merchants. There are a number of large transaction processors, including Fiserv, Inc., Elavon Inc., WorldPay, Stripe and Square that serve a broad market spectrum from large to small merchants and provide banking, automatic teller machine, and other payment-related services and systems in addition to card-based payment processing. There are also a large number of smaller transaction processors that provide various services to small and medium- sized merchants. Many of our competitors have substantially greater capital resources than us and operate as subsidiaries of financial or bank holding companies, which may allow them on a consolidated basis to own and conduct depository and other banking activities that we do not have the regulatory authority to own or conduct. We believe that the principal competitive factors in our market include:

We believe that our specific focus on providing integrated payment processing solutions to merchants, in addition to our keen understanding of the needs and risks associated with providing payment processing services electronically, gives us a competitive advantage over other competitors, which have a narrower market perspective, and over competitors of a similar or smaller size that may lack our experience and expertise in the electronic payments industry. We believe this allows us to satisfy the market demands for risk management, and service reliability. Furthermore, we believe we present a competitive distinction through our internal technology to provide a single integrated payment warehouse that consolidates, processes, tracks and reports all payments regardless of payment source or channel. This integrated payments approach helps offer superior quality in service, alongside industry leading implementation times, and platform reliability. We also believe our customized technology solutions and high level of service provide a competitive advantage, particularly for smaller businesses that do not have large internal technology capabilities or the ability to comply with payment security regulations, saving our customers time and money, while offering a broad range of diverse payment options.

Due to our proprietary systems and our ability to create and establish corporate-branded card programs in shorter time frames than our competitors, our prepaid card offerings are competitive with those of much larger companies. We also believe that our ten plus years of prepaid industry experience in processing and managing prepaid card programs is a competitive advantage over many of our competitors. We believe our connectivity and the ability to process via the contact-less networks of Apple Pay®, Samsung Pay™ and Google Pay™ are also competitive advantages. We also believe that the Akimbo mobile application technology and advanced card holder websites provide a competitive advantage in securing both consumers and business clients that have a need for a card program for their customer base. Finally, we believe we hold a significant competitive advantage over potential entrants into the prepaid industry as a result of the significant barrier in obtaining bank sponsorships for prepaid card program management and an even higher barrier for performing prepaid card processing.

Trademarks and Domain Names

We own federally registered trademarks on the marks “Usio,” “Payment Data Systems, Inc.,” “Akimbo,” “FiCentive Innovations in Prepaid Card Solutions,” “Don’t change your bank, just your card” and “ZBILL” and their respective designs.

Some of our material websites are www.usio.com, www.payfacinabox.com, www.ficentive.com, www.akimbocard.com, and www.usiooutput.com. The inclusion of these website addresses in this Annual Report do not include or incorporate by reference the information on or accessible through these websites, and the information contained on or accessible through these websites should not be considered as part of this annual report on Form 10-K.

We rely on a combination of copyright, trademark and trade secret laws, employee and third-party nondisclosure agreements, and other intellectual property protection methods to protect our services and related products.

Government Regulation

Our industry is highly regulated. Any new, or changes made to, U.S. federal, state and local laws, regulations, card network rules or other industry standards affecting our business may require significant development efforts or have an unfavorable impact to our financial results. Failure to comply with these laws and regulations may result in the suspension or revocation of licenses or registrations, the limitation, suspension or termination of services and/or the imposition of civil and criminal penalties, including fines. Certain of our services are also subject to rules set by various payment networks, such as Visa and Mastercard.

The Dodd-Frank Act

President Obama signed the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, or the Dodd-Frank Act, into law on July 21, 2010. The Dodd-Frank Act caused significant structural reforms to the financial services industry. The Dodd-Frank Act regulates the fees charged or received by issuers for processing debit transactions and the transaction routing options available to merchants. The Dodd-Frank Act also established the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau or CFPB to regulate consumer financial services, including many services offered to our customers. These rules clarify the prepaid regulatory landscape for consumer access to disclosures, fees and statements, error resolution, limited liability and overdrafts. Additionally, the Durbin Amendment to the Dodd-Frank Act provided that interchange fees that a card issuer or payment network receives or charges for debit transactions will now be regulated by the Federal Reserve and must be “reasonable and proportional” to the cost incurred by the card issuer in authorizing, clearing and settling the transaction. In addition, the Durbin Amendment contains prohibitions on network exclusivity and merchant routing restrictions.

The Dodd-Frank Act caused interchange fees to be lowered on large bank-issued debit cards. The lowered interchange fees had a mild negative impact on our revenues and increased our earnings due to the fact that we were able to keep our prices constant with our merchants. If our competitors start to pass the extra margin into savings to their merchants, we may be forced to follow their actions and become exposed to lower earnings on the debit card transactions for large banks.

CARD Act

As an agent of, and third-party service provider to, our issuing banks, we are subject to indirect regulation and direct audit and examination by the Office of Thrift Supervision, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, or FRB, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

On March 23, 2010, the FRB issued a final rule implementing Title IV of the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility, and Disclosure Act of 2009, or CARD Act, which imposes requirements relating to disclosures, fees and expiration dates that are generally applicable to gift certificates, store gift cards and general-use prepaid cards. We believe that our general purpose re-loadable prepaid cards, and the maintenance fees charged on our general purpose re-loadable cards, are exempt from the requirements under this rule, as they fall within an express exclusion for cards which are re-loadable and not marketed or labeled as a gift card or gift certificate. However, this exclusion is not available if the issuer, the retailer selling the card to a consumer or the program manager, promotes, even if occasionally, the use of the card as a gift card or gift certificate. As a result, we provide retailers with instructions and policies regarding the display and promotion of our general purpose re-loadable cards. However, it is possible that despite our instructions and policies to the contrary, a retailer engaged in offering our general purpose re-loadable cards to consumers could take an action with respect to one or more of the cards that would cause each similar card to be viewed as being marketed or labeled as a gift card, such as by placing our general purpose re-loadable cards on a display which prominently features the availability of gift cards and does not separate or otherwise distinguish our general purpose re-loadable cards from the gift cards. In such event, it is possible that such general purpose re-loadable cards would lose their eligibility for such exclusion to the CARD Act and its requirements, and therefore we could be deemed to be in violation of the CARD Act and the rule, which could result in the imposition of fines, the suspension of our ability to offer our general purpose re-loadable cards, civil liability, criminal liability, and the inability of our issuing banks to apply certain fees to our general purpose re-loadable cards, each of which would likely have a material adverse impact on our revenues.

In 2014, we resumed issuing gift cards. Any gift cards we issue will be governed by the CARD Act and other various regulations. Any violations with our gift card issuance could result in the imposition of fines, the suspension of our ability to offer our gift cards, civil liability, criminal liability, and the inability of our issuing banks to apply certain fees to our gift cards, each of which would likely have a material adverse impact on our revenues.

Anti-Money Laundering and Counter Terrorist Regulation

Our business is subject to U.S. federal anti-money laundering laws and regulations, including the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA), as amended by the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001, or collectively, the BSA. The BSA, among other things, requires money services businesses to develop and implement risk-based anti-money laundering programs, report large cash transactions and suspicious activity and maintain transaction records. On September 29, 2017, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, or FinCEN, amended the Customer Due Diligence Rule, or CDD Rule, requiring the collection and verification of beneficial owners holding equal to or greater than 25% equity interest. The CDD Rule states that sole proprietorships-individual or spousal-and unincorporated associations are not legal entity customers as defined by the Rule, even though such businesses may file with the Secretary of State in order to register a trade name or establish a tax account. This is because neither a sole proprietorship nor an unincorporated association is a separate legal entity from the associated individual(s), and therefore beneficial ownership is not inherently obscured. The CDD Rule does not rely on the tax-exempt status of an entity as described in the Internal Revenue Code “IRC”. All nonprofit entities-whether or not tax-exempt-that are established as a nonprofit, or non-stock corporation, or similar entity that has been validly organized with the proper State authority are excluded from the ownership/equity prong of the requirement because nonprofit entities generally do not have ownership interests. As of May 2018, we are required to collect and verify beneficial owners holding equal to or greater than 25% equity interest based on rules promulgated by FinCEN.

We are also subject to certain economic and trade sanctions programs that are administered by the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, or OFAC, that prohibit or restrict transactions to or from or dealings with specified countries, their governments and, in certain circumstances, their nationals, narcotics traffickers, and terrorists or terrorist organizations.

Similar anti-money laundering, counter terrorist financing and proceeds of crime laws apply to movements of currency and payments through electronic transactions and to dealings with persons specified on lists maintained by organizations similar to OFAC in several other countries and which may impose specific data retention obligations or prohibitions on intermediaries in the payment process.

Prepaid Services

Prepaid card programs managed by us are subject to various federal and state laws and regulations, which may include laws and regulations related to consumer and data protection, licensing, consumer disclosures, escheat, anti-money laundering, banking, trade practices and competition and wage and employment. As regulations evolve, or change, we may be required to obtain state licenses to expand our distribution network for prepaid cards, which licenses we may not be able to obtain. Furthermore, the CARD Act and the Federal Reserve’s Regulation E impose requirements on general-use prepaid cards, store gift cards and electronic gift certificates. These laws and regulations are evolving, unclear and sometimes inconsistent and subject to judicial and regulatory challenge and interpretation, and therefore the extent to which these laws and rules have application to, and their impact on, us, financial institutions, merchants or others is in flux. At this time, we are unable to determine the impact that the clarification of these laws and their future interpretations, as well as new laws, may have on us, financial institutions, merchants or others in a number of jurisdictions. Prepaid services may also be subject to the rules and regulations of Visa®, Mastercard® and other payment networks with which we and the card issuers do business. The programs in place to process these products generally may be modified by the payment networks at their discretion and such modifications could also impact us, financial institutions, merchants and others.

Environmental Laws

We are subject to a variety of federal, state, local and foreign environmental, health and safety laws and regulations governing, among other things, the generation, storage, handling, use and transportation of hazardous materials; the emission and discharge of hazardous materials into the environment; and the health and safety of our employees. We have incurred and expect to continue to incur costs to maintain or achieve compliance with environmental, health and safety laws and regulations.  To date, these costs have not been material to the Company.

Human Capital Resources

As of December 31, 2023, we had 126 full-time employees. We are not a party to any collective bargaining agreements. We believe that our relations with our employees are good.

Growth and Development. Our strategy to develop and retain the best talent includes an emphasis on employee training and development. We promote our core values of ownership, innovation, camaraderie, service, authenticity and trust as an organization and offer awards to colleagues who exemplify these qualities. We require a mandatory online training curriculum for our employees that includes annual anti-harassment and anti-discrimination training.

Inclusion and Diversity. Our inclusion and diversity program focuses on our employees, workplace and community. We believe that our business is strengthened by a diverse workforce that reflects the communities in which we operate. We believe all of our employees should be treated with respect and equality, regardless of gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, religious beliefs or other characteristics. Inclusion and diversity remain a common thread in all of our human resource practices so that we can attract, develop and retain the best talent for our workforce.

Available Information

Usio was founded under the name Billserv.com, Inc. in July 1998 and incorporated in the State of Nevada. On June 26, 2019, we changed our corporate name from Payment Data Systems, Inc. to Usio, Inc. Our principal offices are located at 3611 Paesanos Parkway, Suite 300, San Antonio, TX 78231. Our telephone number is (210) 249-4100.

Our corporate website is located at www.usio.com. We make available on this website, free of charge, copies of our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports, as applicable and as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file or furnish such materials to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Interested persons can view such materials without charge under the "Investor Relations" section and then by clicking "Financials" on the Company's website, www.usio.com.

The inclusion of website addresses in this Annual Report does not include or incorporate by reference the information on or accessible through these websites, and the information contained on or accessible through these websites should not be considered as part of this annual report on Form 10-K.

You may also read and copy any materials we file with or furnish to the SEC. The SEC maintains an Internet site that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC at https://www.sec.gov.

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS.

An investment in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the following risk factors and other information included in this annual report on Form 10-K. If any of the following risks actually occur, our business, financial condition or results of operations could be materially and adversely affected, and you may lose some or all of your investment.

RISKS RELATED TO OUR BUSINESS

Loss of key resellers could reduce our revenue growth.

We rely on our reseller sales channel, which purchases and resells our end-to-end services to its own portfolio of merchant customers. This channel is a strong contributor to our revenue growth. If a reseller switches to another transaction processor, shuts down, becomes insolvent, or enters the processing business themselves, we may no longer receive new merchant referrals from the reseller, and we risk losing existing merchants that were originally enrolled by the reseller, all of which could negatively affect our revenues and earnings.

If our security applications are breached by cyberattacks or are not adequate to address changing market conditions and customer concerns, we may incur significant losses and be unable to sell our services.

Unauthorized parties have attempted, and we expect that they will continue to attempt, to gain access to our systems or facilities through various means, including, but not limited to, hacking into our systems or facilities or those of our customers, partners, or vendors, and attempting to fraudulently induce users of our systems, including employees and customers, into disclosing user names, passwords, payment information, or other sensitive information used to gain access to such systems or facilities. This information may in turn be used to access our customers’ personal or proprietary information and payment data that are stored on or accessible through our information technology systems and those of third parties with whom we partner. Numerous and evolving cybersecurity threats, including advanced and persisting cyberattacks, cyberextortion, distributed denial-of-service attacks, ransomware, spear phishing and social engineering schemes, the introduction of computer viruses or other malware, and the physical destruction of all or portions of our information technology and infrastructure and those of third parties with whom we partner could compromise the confidentiality, availability, and integrity of the data in our systems. We may experience in the future, breaches of our security measures due to human error, malfeasance, insider threats, system errors or vulnerabilities, or other irregularities.

Any cyberattacks or data security breaches affecting our information technology or infrastructure or of our customers, partners, or vendors could have negative effects. For example, on December 25, 2021, we detected a ransomware attack that accessed and encrypted a small portion of our information technology systems. The unauthorized access included the download of non-payment processing related data files from our externally hosted Office 365 environment which is separate from our payment processing environment. Throughout the incident, we remained operational. Promptly upon the detection of the event, we launched an investigation, notified law enforcement and our insurance carrier, and engaged legal counsel, computer forensic firms and other incident response professionals. We also implemented a series of containment and remediation measures to address this situation and reinforce the security of our information technology systems. Our systems were not only fully restored and capable of resuming normal operations to the extent they were impaired, but enhanced following our immediate and long term response. Further preventative and proactive security measures were integrated, including incremental network and cloud defenses, implementation of third party cyber defense applications, structured incident response and disaster recovery plans, along with advanced employee cyber security training. We actively pursue any potential actions that will improve our existing systems. This cyber event had no material impact on the business, and no cardholder, or payments related data was compromised. Our direct losses associated with the cyber incident and its response were largely covered by our cybersecurity insurance, except for a deductible. 

Our use of applications designed for premium data security and integrity to process electronic transactions may not be sufficient to address changing market conditions or the security and privacy concerns of existing and potential customers. If our security applications are breached and sensitive data is lost or stolen, we could incur significant costs to not only assess and repair any damage to our systems, but also to reimburse customers for losses that occur from the fraudulent use of the data. We may also be subject to fines and penalties from the credit card associations or regulatory agencies in the event of the loss of confidential account information. Our insurance policies may not be adequate to compensate us for the potential costs and other losses arising from cybersecurity-related disruptions, failures, attacks or breaches. In addition, such insurance may not be available to us in the future on economically reasonable terms, or at all. Further, adverse publicity raising concerns about the safety or privacy of electronic transactions, or widely reported breaches of our or another provider's security, have the potential to undermine consumer confidence in the technology and could have a materially adverse effect on our business.

Our efforts to expand our product portfolio and market reach, including through acquisitions, may not succeed and may reduce our revenue growth and we may not achieve or maintain profitability.

Since 2014, we have completed a total of four acquisitions which have allowed us to expand our product offerings. For example, we acquired the assets of IMS, a business of electronic bill presentment, document composition, document decomposition and printing and mailing services serving hundreds of customers representing a wide range of industry verticals, including utilities and financial institutions on December 15, 2020. We also continue to invest in our established business lines and new markets, such as our payment facilitation, and prepaid card business. While we have grown the proportion of revenue from these newer products and services and we intend to continue to broaden the scope of products and services we offer, we may not be successful in maintaining or growing our current revenue streams or deriving any significant new revenue streams from these products and services. Failure to successfully broaden the scope of products and services that are attractive may inhibit our growth and harm our business. Furthermore, we expect to continue to expand our markets in the future, and we may have limited or no experience in such newer markets. We cannot assure you that any of our products or services will be widely accepted in any market or that they will continue to grow in revenue. Our offerings may present new and difficult technological, operational, regulatory, risks, and other challenges, and if we experience service disruptions, failures, or other issues, our business may be materially and adversely affected. Our expansion into newer markets may not lead to growth and may require significant management time and attention, and we may not be able to recoup our investments in a timely manner or at all. If any of this were to occur, it could damage our reputation, limit our growth, and materially and adversely affect our business.

We may need additional financing in the future. We may be unable to obtain additional financing or if we obtain financing it may not be on terms favorable to us. You may lose your entire investment.

Based on our current plans, we believe our existing cash and cash equivalents and cash flow from operations will be sufficient to fund our operating expense and capital requirements for at least 12 months, although we may need funds in the future. At December 31, 2023 we had $7.2 million of cash and cash equivalents, and for the year ended December 31, 2023, operating activities provided $14.9 million. After adjusting for the impact of operating lease right-of-use assets, operating lease liabilities, prepaid card load obligations and merchant reserves included in the statement of cash flows, net cash provided by adjusted operating activities, was $2.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. Adjusted operating cash flow is viewed by the company as a superior indicator of the Company's operating performance and ability to fund acquisitions, capital expenditures and other investments and, in the absence of refinancing options, to repay debt obligations. Refer to Item 7, under the subsection "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations - Key Business Metrics - Non-GAAP Financial Measures" for our reconciliation of operating cash flows to adjusted operating cash flows. If our capital resources are insufficient to meet future capital requirements, we will have to raise additional funds by selling assets, borrowing money from a third party, or by selling debt or equity securities. If we are unable to obtain additional funds on terms favorable to us, we may be required to cease or reduce our operating activities. If we must cease or reduce our operating activities, you may lose your entire investment.

Unauthorized disclosure of cardholder data, whether through breach of our computer systems or otherwise, could expose us to liability and protracted and costly litigation.

We collect and store personal identifiable information about our cardholders, including names, addresses, social security numbers, driver’s license numbers and account numbers, and maintain a database of cardholder data relating to specific transactions, including account numbers, in order to process transactions and prevent fraud. As a result, we are required to comply with the privacy provisions of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, various other federal and state privacy statutes and regulations, and the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, each of which is subject to change at any time. Compliance with these requirements is often difficult and costly, and our failure, or our distributors’ failure, to comply may result in significant fines or civil penalties, regulatory enforcement action, liability to our issuing banks and termination of our agreements with one or more of our issuing banks, each of which could have a material adverse effect on our financial position and/or operations. In addition, a significant breach could result in our Company being prohibited from processing transactions for any of the relevant card associations or network organizations, including Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover or regional debit networks, which would also have a significant material adverse impact on our financial position and/or operations.

Furthermore, if our computer systems are breached by unauthorized users, we may be subject to liability, including claims for unauthorized purchases with misappropriated bank card information, impersonation or similar fraud claims. We could also be subject to liability for claims relating to misuse of personal information, such as unauthorized marketing purposes, or failure to comply with laws governing notification of such breaches. These claims also could result in protracted and costly litigation. In addition, we could be subject to penalties or sanctions from the relevant card associations or network organizations.

If our efforts to protect the security of information about our customers, cardholders and vendors are unsuccessful, we may face additional costly government enforcement actions and private litigation, and our sales and reputation could suffer.

An important component of our business involves the receipt and storage of information about our cardholders and banking information. We have multiple programs and processes in place to detect and respond to data security incidents; however, because the techniques used to obtain unauthorized access, disable or degrade service, or sabotage systems change frequently and may be difficult to detect for long periods of time, we may be unable to anticipate these techniques or implement adequate preventive measures. In addition, hardware, software, or applications we develop or procure from third parties may contain defects in design or manufacture or other problems that could unexpectedly compromise information security. Unauthorized parties may also attempt to gain access to our systems or facilities, or those of third parties with whom we do business, through fraud, trickery, or other forms of deceiving our vendors, contractors, and employees. If we, our customers, or our vendors experience significant data security breaches or fail to detect and appropriately respond to significant data security breaches, we could be exposed to government enforcement actions and private litigation. In addition, our cardholders and customers could lose confidence in our ability to protect their information, which could cause them to discontinue using our services.

If we do not adapt to rapid technological change, including as a result of artificial intelligence, our business may fail.

Our success depends on our ability to develop new and enhanced services and related products that meet ever changing customer needs and industry standards. However, the market for our services is characterized by rapidly changing technology, evolving industry standards, emerging competition and frequent new and enhanced software, service and related product introductions. In addition, the software market is subject to rapid and substantial technological change. To remain successful, we must respond to new developments in hardware and semiconductor technology, operating systems, programming technology and computer capabilities. In many instances, new and enhanced services, products and technologies are in the emerging stages of development and marketing and are subject to the risks inherent in the development and marketing of new software, services and products. We may not successfully identify new service opportunities and develop and introduce new and enhanced services and related products to market in a timely manner. Even if we do bring such services, products or technologies to market, they may not become commercially successful. Additionally, services, products or technologies developed by others may render our services and related products noncompetitive or obsolete. If we are unable, for technological or other reasons, to develop and introduce new services and products in a timely manner in response to changing market conditions or customer requirements, our business may fail.

Business interruptions or systems failures may impair the availability of our websites, applications, products or services, or otherwise harm our business.

Our systems and operations and those of our service providers and partners have experienced from time to time, and may experience in the future, business interruptions or degradation because of distributed denial-of-service and other cyberattacks, insider threats, hardware and software defects or malfunctions, human error, earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, fires, and other natural disasters, public health crises (including pandemics), power losses, disruptions in telecommunications services, fraud, military or political conflicts, terrorist attacks, computer viruses or other malware, or other events. A catastrophic event that results in a disruption or failure of our systems or operations could result in significant losses and require substantial recovery time and significant expenditures to resume or maintain operations, which could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. Additionally, some of our systems, including those of companies we have acquired, are not fully redundant, and our disaster recovery planning may not be sufficient for all possible outcomes or events. As a provider of payment solutions, we are subject to heightened scrutiny by regulators that may require specific business continuity, resiliency and disaster recovery plans, and rigorous testing of such plans, which may be costly and time-consuming to implement, and may divert our resources from other business priorities.

We have experienced, and expect to continue to experience, system failures, cyberattacks, unplanned outages, and other events or conditions from time to time that have and may interrupt the availability, or reduce or adversely affect the speed or functionality, of our products and services. These events could result in future losses of revenue. A prolonged interruption in the availability or reduction in the availability, speed, or functionality of our products and services could materially harm our business. Frequent or persistent interruptions in our services could permanently harm our relationship with our customers and partners and our reputation. Moreover, if any system failure or similar event results in damage to our customers or their business partners, they could seek significant compensation or contractual penalties from us for their losses, and those claims, even if unsuccessful, would likely be time-consuming and costly for us to address, and could have other consequences described in this “Risk Factors” section under the caption “If our security applications are breached by cyberattacks or are not adequate to address changing market conditions and customer concerns, we may incur significant losses and be unable to sell our services.”

We have undertaken and continue to undertake certain system upgrades and re-platforming efforts designed to improve the availability, reliability, resiliency, and speed of our platform. These efforts are costly and time-consuming, involve significant technical risk, and may divert our resources from new features and products, and there can be no guarantee that these efforts will be effective. Frequent or persistent site interruptions could lead to regulatory scrutiny, significant fines and penalties, and mandatory and costly changes to our business practices, and ultimately could cause us to lose existing licenses that we need to operate or prevent or delay us from obtaining additional licenses that may be required for our business.

We also rely on facilities, components, applications, and services supplied by third parties, including data center facilities and cloud data storage and processing services. From time to time, we have experienced interruptions in the provision of such facilities and services provided by these third parties. If these third parties experience operational interference or disruptions (including a cybersecurity incident), breach their agreements with us, or fail to perform their obligations and meet our expectations, our operations could be disrupted or otherwise negatively affected, which could result in customer dissatisfaction, regulatory scrutiny, and damage to our reputation and brands, and materially and adversely affect our business. While we maintain insurance policies intended to offset the financial impact we may experience from these risks, our coverage may be insufficient to compensate us for all losses caused by interruptions in our service as a result of systems failures and similar events.

In addition, any failure to successfully implement new information systems and technologies, or improvements or upgrades to existing information systems and technologies in a timely manner could have an adverse impact on our business, internal controls (including internal controls over financial reporting), results of operations, and financial condition.

Fraud by merchants or others could have an adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition.

We have potential liability for fraudulent bankcard, ACH and prepaid card transactions or credits initiated by merchants or others. Examples of merchant fraud include when a merchant knowingly uses a stolen or counterfeit bankcard, card number or bank account to record a false sales transaction, processes an invalid bankcard, or intentionally fails to deliver the merchandise or services sold in an otherwise valid transaction. Criminals are using increasingly sophisticated methods to engage in illegal activities such as counterfeit and fraud. While we have systems and procedures designed to detect and reduce the impact of fraud, we cannot assure the effectiveness of these measures. It is possible that incidents of fraud could increase in the future. Failure to effectively manage risk and prevent fraud would increase our chargebacks liability or cause us to incur other liabilities, including regulatory and association fines, penalties and harm to our reputation. Increases in chargebacks or other liabilities could have an adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition.

We rely on our relationship with the Automated Clearing House network, and if the Federal Reserve rules were to change, our business could be adversely affected.

We have contractual relationships with North American Banking Company, or NABC, Metropolitan Commercial Bank, and TransPecos Bank, which are Originating Depository Financial Institutions, or ODFI, in the ACH network. The ACH network is a nationwide batch-oriented electronic funds transfer system that provides for the interbank clearing of electronic payments for participating financial institutions. An ODFI is a participating financial institution that must abide by the provisions of the ACH Operating Rules and Guidelines. Through our relationships with Metropolitan Commercial Bank, TransPecos Bank, and NABC, we process payment transactions on behalf of our customers and their consumers by submitting payment instructions in a prescribed ACH format. We pay volume-based fees to TransPecos Bank, and NABC for debit and credit transactions processed each month, and pay fees for other transactions such as returns and notices of change to bank accounts. These fees are part of our agreed-upon cost structures with the banks. If the Federal Reserve rules were to introduce restrictions or modify access to the Automated Clearing House, our business could be materially adversely affected. Further, if one or all of Metropolitan Commercial Bank, TransPecos Bank, or NABC were to cancel our respective contract with the bank, our business could be materially affected. At this time, we believe we could find and enter into additional agreements with other bank sponsors on similar contractual terms, but no assurances can be made.

If we lose key personnel or we are unable to attract, recruit, retain and develop qualified employees, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected.

In order for us to successfully compete and grow, we must attract, recruit, retain and develop the necessary personnel who can provide the needed expertise and skills across the spectrum of our intellectual capital needs. The market for qualified personnel is highly competitive and we may not be successful in recruiting qualified personnel for needed skill sets or replacing current personnel who leave us. Failure to retain or attract key personnel and skill sets could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

If our third-party card processing providers or our bank sponsors fail to comply with the applicable requirements of Visa, Mastercard and Discover credit card associations or if our current processors cancel or fail to renew our contracts, we may have to find a new third-party processing provider, which could increase our costs.

Substantially all of the card-based transactions we process involve the use of Visa, Mastercard or Discover credit cards. In order to provide payment-processing services for Visa, Mastercard and Discover transactions, we must be sponsored by a financial institution that is a principal member of the respective Visa, Mastercard and Discover card associations. Both Central Bank of St. Louis and Wells Fargo Bank have sponsored us under the designations Third Party Processor, or TPP, and Independent Sales Organization, or ISO, with the Visa card association, and under the designations Third Party Servicer, or TPS, and Merchant Service Provider, or MSP, with the Mastercard card association. We have agreements with TriSource Solutions, LLC, Card Connect / First Data Merchant Services Corp. and Global Payments Inc. through which their member banks, Central Bank of St. Louis and Wells Fargo Bank, sponsor us for membership in the Visa and Mastercard card associations, and settle card transactions for our merchants. If our third-party processing provider, TriSource Solutions, Card Connect or Global Payments, or our bank sponsors, Central Bank of St. Louis, Wells Fargo Bank, TransPecos Bank, CBW Bank or Evolve Bank & Trust fail to comply with the applicable requirements of the Visa, Mastercard, and Discover card associations, Visa, Mastercard or Discover could suspend or terminate the registration of our third-party processing provider. Also, our contracts with both of these third parties are subject to cancellation upon limited notice by either party. The cancellation of either contract, termination of their registration or any changes in the Visa, Mastercard or Discover rules that would impair the registration of our third-party processing provider could require us to stop providing such payment processing services if we are unable to enter into a similar agreement with another provider or sponsor at similar costs and upon similar contractual terms. Additionally, changing our bank sponsor could adversely affect our relationship with our merchants if the new sponsor provides inferior service or charges higher costs.

We may not be able to obtain and maintain sufficient insurance coverage.

We insure against a majority of business risks, including liability for cyber incidents, and for director and officer liability. D&O and cyber insurance especially are becoming increasingly challenging to purchase and maintain due to market factors. Premiums and deductibles have been increasing, sometimes dramatically, and some insurers are cutting back on the number of companies they insure, causing the supply of insurance to lag behind demand. As a result of these factors, we may not be able to maintain such insurance on acceptable terms or be able to secure coverage and the coverage of our existing insurance may not be sufficient to offset existing or future claims. A successful claim against us with respect to uninsured liabilities or in excess of insurance coverage could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

We have incurred substantial losses in the past and may incur additional losses in the future.

We reported a net loss of $0.5 million and $5.5 million for the years ended December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively. Including these results, we have an accumulated deficit of $71.3 million at December 31, 2023. Our future operating results are not certain and we may incur future operating losses.

We may need to raise additional capital to pursue product development initiatives and to penetrate additional markets for the sale of our products in the future. We believe that we have access to capital resources through possible public or private equity offerings, debt financings, corporate collaborations or other means but we cannot assure you that we will be able to complete such a financing on terms acceptable to us or at all. If we are unable to secure additional capital, we may be required to curtail our research and development initiatives and take additional measures to reduce costs in order to conserve our cash in amounts sufficient to sustain operations and meet our obligations. These measures could cause significant delays in our efforts to expand our product offerings and customer base in the United States, which are critical to the realization of our business plan and to future operations.

We have recorded significant deferred tax assets, and we might never realize their full value, which would result in a charge against our earnings.

As of December 31, 2023, we had deferred tax assets of $1.5 million. Realization of our deferred tax assets is dependent upon our generating sufficient taxable income in future years to realize the tax benefit from those assets. Deferred tax assets are reviewed at least annually for realizability. A charge against our earnings would result if, based on the available evidence, it is more likely than not that some portion of the deferred tax asset will not be realized beyond our existing valuation allowance. This could be caused by, among other things, deterioration in performance, adverse market conditions, adverse changes in applicable laws or regulations, including changes that restrict the activities of or affect the solutions sold by our business and a variety of other factors. 

If a deferred tax asset net of our valuation allowance was determined to be not realizable in a future period, the charge to earnings would be recognized as an expense in our results of operations in the period the determination is made. Additionally, if we are unable to utilize our deferred tax assets, our cash flow available to fund operations could be adversely affected.

Depending on future circumstances, it is possible that we might never realize the full value of our deferred tax assets. Any future impairment charges related to a significant portion of our deferred tax assets would have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Our prepaid card revenues from the sale of services to merchants that accept Mastercard cards are dependent upon our continued Mastercard registration and financial institution sponsorship and, in some cases, continued participation in certain payment networks.

In order to provide processing services for our Mastercard prepaid card program, we must be either a member of a payment network or be registered as a prepaid processor of Mastercard. Sunrise Banks, N.A. has sponsored us under the designations Third Party Servicer, or TPS, and Merchant Service Provider, or MSP, with the Mastercard card association. Registration as a prepaid processor is dependent upon our being sponsored by member clearing banks. If our sponsor bank should stop providing sponsorship for us, we would need to find another financial institution to provide those services or we would need to be a member, either of which could prove to be difficult and/or more expensive. If we are unable to find a replacement financial institution to provide sponsorship or become a member of the association, we may no longer be able to provide prepaid processing services to our Mastercard customers, which would negatively impact our revenues and earnings.

If we fail to comply with the applicable requirements of the respective card networks, they could seek to fine us, suspend us or terminate our registrations.

In order to provide our transaction processing services, we are registered with Visa, Mastercard and Discover as service providers and transaction processors for member institutions and with other networks. As such, we are subject to card association and network rules that could subject us to a variety of fines or penalties that may be levied by the card networks for certain acts or omissions. The rules of the card networks are set by their boards, which may be influenced by banks that own their stock and, in the case of Discover by the card’s issuers, and some of those banks and issuers are our competitors with respect to these processing services. The termination of our registrations or our status as a service provider or transaction processor, or any changes in card association or other network rules or standards, including interpretation and implementation of the rules or standards, that increase the cost of doing business or limit our ability to provide transaction processing services to our customers, could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition. If a merchant or one of our resellers fails to comply with the applicable requirements of the card associations and networks, it could be subject to a variety of fines or penalties that may be levied by the card associations or networks. If we cannot collect such amounts from the applicable merchant or one of our resellers, we could end up bearing such fines or penalties, resulting in lower earnings for us.

If we fail to comply with complex and expanding consumer protection regulations, our business could be adversely affected.

The establishment of the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, or CFPB, will likely expose us to increased regulatory oversight and possibly more burdensome regulation that could have an adverse impact on our revenue and profits. For example, on October 5, 2016, the CFPB issued a final rule to regulate certain prepaid accounts, or the Prepaid Account Rule. The Prepaid Account Rule mandates, among other things, extensive pre-purchase and post-purchase disclosures, expanded electronic billing statements, adherence to certain overdraft regulations for prepaid accounts that permit negative balances, and public posting of account agreements and submission to the CFPB which will then publish them on its website. The Prepaid Account Rule took effect on April 1, 2019, subject to certain exceptions. On January 25, 2018, the CFPB announced certain changes to the Prepaid Account Rule, including allowing the error resolution and liability limitations protections to apply prospectively, after a consumer’s identity has been verified, and providing more flexibility to credit cards linked to digital wallets. On February 27, 2019, the CFPB also announced a streamline electronic submission system, or Collect, for prepaid account issuers to submit their prepaid account agreements, including fee information, to the CFPB. All prepaid account agreements offered as of April 1, 2019 must be uploaded to Collect by May 1, 2019. Thereafter, prepaid account issuers must make a submission to the CFPB within 30 days after a new agreement is offered, a previously submitted agreement is amended, or a previously submitted agreement is no longer offered. Compliance with existing and new obligations as result of further expanding consumer protections regulations, could result in increased compliance costs for us, our issuing banks and our distributors, and may therefore have a negative impact on the profitability of our business.

We are subject to extensive and complex federal and state regulation and new regulations and/or changes to existing regulations could adversely affect our business.

As an agent of, and third-party service provider to, our issuing banks, we are subject to indirect regulation and direct audit and examination by the Office of Thrift Supervision, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, or the FRB, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

On March 23, 2010, the FRB issued a final rule implementing Title IV of the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility, and Disclosure Act of 2009, or CARD Act, which imposes requirements relating to disclosures, fees and expiration dates that are generally applicable to gift certificates, store gift cards and general-use prepaid cards. We believe that our general-purpose re-loadable prepaid cards, and the maintenance fees charged on our general-purpose re-loadable cards, are exempt from the requirements under this rule, as they fall within an express exclusion for cards which are re-loadable and not marketed or labeled as a gift card or gift certificate. However, this exclusion is not available if the issuer, the retailer selling the card to a consumer or the program manager, promotes, even if occasionally, the use of the card as a gift card or gift certificate. As a result, we provide retailers with specific instructions and policies regarding the display and promotion of our general-purpose re-loadable cards. However, it is possible that despite our instructions and policies to the contrary, a retailer engaged in offering our general-purpose re-loadable cards to consumers could take an action with respect to one or more of the cards that would cause each similar card to be viewed as being marketed or labeled as a gift card, such as by placing our general-purpose re-loadable cards on a display which prominently features the availability of gift cards and does not separate or otherwise distinguish our general purpose re-loadable cards from the gift cards. In such event, it is possible that such general-purpose re-loadable cards would lose their eligibility for such exclusion to the CARD Act and its requirements, and therefore could be deemed to be in violation of the CARD Act and the rule, which could result in the imposition of fines, the suspension of our ability to offer our general-purpose re-loadable cards, civil liability, criminal liability, and the inability of our issuing banks to apply certain fees to our general-purpose re-loadable cards, each of which would likely have a material adverse impact on our revenues.

In 2014, we resumed issuing gift cards. Any gift cards we issue will be governed by the CARD act and other various regulations. Any violations with our gift card issuance could result in the imposition of fines, the suspension of our ability to offer our gift cards, civil liability, criminal liability, and the inability of our issuing banks to apply certain fees to our gift cards, each of which would likely have a material adverse impact on our revenues.

As the laws applicable to our business, and those of our distributors and issuing banks, change frequently, are often unclear and may differ or conflict between jurisdictions, ensuring compliance has become more difficult and costly. Any failure, or perceived failure, by us, our issuing banks or our distributors to comply with all applicable statutes and regulations could result in fines, penalties, regulatory enforcement actions, civil liability, criminal liability, and/or limitations on our ability to operate our business, each of which could significantly harm our reputation and have a material adverse impact on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

State and federal legislatures and regulatory authorities have become increasingly focused upon the regulation of the financial services industry and continue to adopt new legislation which could result in significant changes in the regulatory landscape for financial institutions, which could include our bank sponsors, and other financial services companies, such as our Company.

If our software fails, and we need to repair or replace it, or we become subject to warranty claims, our costs could increase.

Our software products could contain errors or “bugs” that could adversely affect the performance of services or damage a user’s data. We attempt to limit our potential liability for warranty claims through technical audits and limitation-of-liability provisions in our customer agreements; however, these measures may not be effective in limiting our exposure to warranty claims. We have not experienced a significant increase in software errors or warranty claims. Despite the existence of various security precautions, our computer infrastructure may also be vulnerable to viruses or similar disruptive problems caused by our customers or third parties gaining access to our processing system.

We depend on the efficient and uninterrupted operation of our computer network systems, software, data center and telecommunications networks, as well as the systems and services of third parties. Our systems and operations or those of our third-party providers could be exposed to damage or interruption from, among other things, fire, natural disaster, power loss, telecommunications failure, terrorist acts, war, unauthorized entry, human error, and computer viruses or other defects. Defects in our systems or those of third parties, errors or delays in the processing of payment transactions, telecommunications failures or other difficulties could result in loss of revenue, loss of merchants, loss of merchant and cardholder data, harm to our business or reputation, exposure to fraud losses or other liabilities, negative publicity, additional operating and development costs, and/or diversion of technical and other resources. We perform the majority of our disaster recovery operations ourselves, though we utilize select third parties for some aspects of recovery. To the extent we outsource our disaster recovery, we are at risk of the vendor’s unresponsiveness in the event of breakdowns in our systems.

Our card programs are subject to strict regulation under federal law regarding anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist financing. Failure to comply with such laws, or abuse of our card programs for purposes of money laundering or terrorist financing, could have a material adverse impact on our business.

Provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act, the Bank Secrecy Act and other federal law impose substantial regulation of financial institutions designed to prevent use of financial services for purposes of money laundering or terrorist financing. Increasing regulatory scrutiny of our industry with respect to money laundering and terrorist financing matters could result in more aggressive enforcement of such laws or more onerous regulation, which could have a material adverse impact on our business. In addition, abuse of our prepaid card programs for purposes of money laundering or terrorist financing, notwithstanding our efforts to prevent such abuse through our regulatory compliance and risk management programs, could cause reputational risk or other harm that would have a material adverse impact on our business.

Effective September 27, 2011, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, or FinCEN, issued a final rule regarding the applicability of the Bank Secrecy Act’s anti-money laundering provisions to prepaid products and other matters related to the regulation of money services businesses. This rule created additional obligations for entities, including our distributors, engaged in the provision and sale of certain prepaid products, including our prepaid debit cards, such as the obligation for sellers of prepaid debit cards to obtain identification information from the purchaser at the point-of-sale. Compliance with these obligations may result in increased compliance costs for us, our issuing banks and our distributors, and may therefore have a negative impact on the profitability of our business.

We will be liable for separation payments in case of change in control, termination without cause, non-renewal of the agreement, death, or disability under the employment agreement with our Chairman, President, Chief Executive Officer, and Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Hoch, which could have an adverse effect on our cash position and on our financial results.

Pursuant to our employment agreement, as amended, with Louis Hoch, Chairman, President, Chief Executive Officer, and Chief Operating Officer, in the event of change in control, termination without cause, termination by employee, or non-renewal of the employment agreement, we will be liable for separation payments, equaling an amount of (a) 2.95 times the respective base salary and bonus payments, plus (b) a pro rata portion of the respective annual bonus based on the number of days elapsed in the year prior, plus (c) 2.0 times the respective base salary for non-competition, and (d) continuing other benefits. We estimate the cash disbursements over time to be $4.0 million for the agreement with  Mr. Hoch.

In the case of termination of the agreement due to death of the executive, we will be liable for separation payments, equaling an amount of 2.95 times the respective base salary. The deferred compensation does not include amounts paid or accrued to executive for bonuses or bonus compensation, benefits or equity awards. Unpaid and unearned bonus compensation or bonus deferred compensation is forfeited. No deferred compensation will be due as long as we and/or an insurance company continues to pay executive’s base salary, minus any monthly base salary already paid to the executive prior to his death pursuant to the executive’s disability, to the executive’s estate for a period of up to 36 months. If these continuing payments cease before 36 months, we will have to pay the executive’s estate the deferred compensation minus any base salary payments within 30 days of the cessation. We estimate the cash disbursements over time to be approximately $2.4 million for the agreement with Mr. Hoch. Further, all stock options issued to the executive and all restricted stock granted to executive shall continue on their established vesting schedule.

In the case of termination of the agreement due to disability without death, we will be liable for separation payments, equaling an amount of disability benefits constituting base salary for three years. We estimate the cash disbursement over time to be $2.4 million for the agreement with Mr. Hoch. Unpaid and unearned bonus compensation or bonus deferred compensation is forfeited. Further, all stock options issued to the executive and all restricted stock granted to executive shall continue on their established vesting schedule. No further compensation will be due for compliance with the agreements’ non-compete, non-solicitation and disparagement clauses.

Depending on when such an event might occur, it could have a substantial adverse effect on our operating capital and cash on hand. If our cash position is not sufficient, we may need to raise additional cash which could involve selling equity securities which would dilute our shareholders. In addition, the loss of our Chairman or Chief Executive Officer may adversely affect our business and results of operations.

We are subject to the privacy requirements of the California Consumer Privacy Act.

The California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018, or CCPA, went into effect on January 1, 2020. The CCPA imposes expansive data privacy and data protection requirements for the data of California residents, and provides for significant penalties for non-compliance. The CCPA underwent multiple amendments prior to coming into effect and while enforcement actions may not be brought by the California attorney general until July 1, 2020 it remains unclear how various provisions of the CCPA will be interpreted and enforced. Further, on November 3, 2020, the California voters passed the California Privacy Rights and Enforcement Act, or CPRA, which replaces the CCPA effective January 1, 2023.  The CPRA alters the scope of covered businesses, adds a new category of sensitive personal information and grants certain consumer rights, such as a right to opt out and a right to delete. The effects of this legislation potentially are far-reaching, however, and may require us to modify our data processing practices and policies and to incur substantial costs and expenses in an effort to achieve compliance. The CCPA and the CPRA impose obligations that are new and burdensome, and we may face challenges in addressing their requirements and making necessary changes to our policies and practices and may incur significant expenses in an effort to do so. Any failure, real or perceived, by us to comply with evolving regulatory requirements, interpretations, or orders, other local, state, federal, or international privacy, data protection, information security, or consumer protection-related laws and regulations, could cause our customers unease and materially and adversely affect our business.

We depend on Louis A. Hoch, our Chairman, President, Chief Executive and Chief Operating Officer, and if he ceased to be active in our management, our business may not be successful.

Our success depends to a significant degree upon the continued contributions of our key management, marketing, service and related product development and operational personnel, including our President and Chief Executive and Chief Operating Officer, Louis A. Hoch. We entered into an employment agreement with Mr. Hoch in February 2007 and update his agreement as changes are required. The terms of the agreement prohibit the executive from competing with us for a period of two years from the executive’s date of termination. Our business may not be successful if, for any reason, Mr. Hoch ceases to be active in our management.

Risks associated with reduced levels of consumer spending could adversely affect our revenues and earnings.

Significant portions of our revenue and earnings are derived from fees from processing consumer ACH, prepaid, credit, and debit card transactions. We are exposed to general economic conditions that affect consumer confidence, consumer spending, consumer discretionary income or changes in consumer purchasing habits. A general reduction in consumer spending in the United States or in any other country where we do business could adversely affect our revenues and earnings. Please also refer to "General Risk Factors" in this Item 1A in this Annual Report on Form 10-K

We are subject to risks and write-offs resulting from fraudulent activities and losses from overdrawn cardholder accounts that could adversely impact our financial performance and results of operations.

Our prepaid cards expose us to threats involving the misuse of such cards, collusion, fraud, identity theft and systemic attacks on our systems. Although a large portion of fraudulent activity is addressed through the charge-back systems and procedures maintained by the card association networks, we are often responsible for other losses due to merchant and cardholder fraud. No system or procedures established to detect and reduce the impact of fraud are entirely effective. We recorded fraud losses of $573,281 and $299,162, respectively, in 2023 and 2022. We experienced an increase in fraudulent accounts in 2023 as a result of growth in our prepaid card business of 105%. Although we actively devote efforts to effectively manage risk and prevent fraud, we could nevertheless experience future increases in fraud losses over our historical experience.

Our prepaid cardholders can in some circumstances incur charges in excess of the funds available in their accounts and are liable for the resulting overdrawn account balance. Although we generally decline authorization attempts for amounts that exceed the available balance in a prepaid cardholders account, the application of the card association networks’ rules and regulations, the timing of the settlement of transactions and the assessment of subscription, maintenance or other fees can, among other things, result in overdrawn card accounts.

Although we maintain reserves for fraud and other losses, our exposure to these types of risks may exceed our reserve levels for a variety of reasons, including our failure to predict the actual recovery rate, failure to effectively manage risk and failure to prevent fraud. Accordingly, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected to the extent that we incur losses resulting from overdrawn cardholder accounts and fraudulent activity that exceed our designated reserves or if we determine that it is necessary to increase our reserves substantially in order to address any increased recovery risk.

Our business strategy includes identifying businesses and assets to acquire, and if we cannot integrate acquisitions into our company successfully, we may have limited growth.

Our success partially depends upon our ability to identify and acquire undervalued businesses and merchant portfolios within our industry. Although we believe that there are companies and portfolios available for potential acquisition that might offer attractive business opportunities, we may not be able to make any acquisitions, and if we do make acquisitions, they may not be profitable. As a result, our business may not grow and regain profitability.

Acquisitions may involve significant cash expenditures, debt issuances, equity issuances, operating losses and expenses.  Acquisitions involve numerous other risks, including:

If we do not manage our credit risks related to our merchant accounts, we may incur significant losses.

We rely on the Federal Reserve’s Automated Clearing House system for electronic fund transfers and the Visa, Mastercard and Discover associations for settlement of payments by credit or debit card on behalf of our merchant customers. In our use of these established payment clearance systems, we generally bear the credit risks arising from returned transactions caused by insufficient funds, stop payment orders, closed accounts, frozen accounts, unauthorized use, disputes, customer chargebacks, theft or fraud. Consequently, we assume the credit risk of merchant disputes, fraud, insolvency or bankruptcy in the event we attempt to recover funds related to such transactions from our customers. We have not experienced a significant increase in the rate of returned transactions or incurred any losses with respect to such transactions. We utilize a number of systems and procedures to manage and limit credit risks, but if these actions are not successful in managing such risks, we may incur significant losses.

We have adopted certain measures that may make it more difficult for a third party to acquire control of our Company.

Our Board of Director members are classified into three classes of directors serving staggered three-year terms. Such classification of the Board of Directors expands the time required to change the composition of the majority of directors and may discourage a proxy contest or other takeover bid for our company.

RISKS RELATED TO OUR INDUSTRY

The electronic commerce market is evolving and if it does not grow, we may not be able to sell sufficient services to make our business viable.

The electronic commerce market is a service industry that continues to grow significantly. If the electronic commerce market fails to grow or grows slower than anticipated, or if we, despite an investment of significant resources, are unable to adapt to meet changing customer requirements or technological changes in this emerging market, or if our services and related products do not maintain a proportionate degree of acceptance in this growing market, our business may not grow and could even fail. Additionally, the security and privacy concerns of existing and potential customers may inhibit the growth of the electronic commerce market in general, and our customer base and revenues, in particular. Similar to the emergence of the credit card and automatic teller machine industries, we and other organizations serving the electronic commerce market must educate users that electronic transactions use encryption technology and other electronic security measures that make electronic transactions more secure than paper-based transactions.

Changes in regulation of electronic commerce and related financial services industries could increase our costs and limit our business opportunities.

We believe that we are not required to be licensed by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Federal Reserve Board, or other federal or state agencies that regulate or monitor banks or other types of providers of electronic commerce services. It is possible that a federal or state agency will attempt to regulate providers of electronic commerce services, which could impede our ability to do business in the regulator's jurisdiction. Our business has also been affected by anti-terrorism legislation, such as the USA PATRIOT Act. Banking-related provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act have been implemented as additions to the banking rules regarding monetary instrument sales record keeping requirements and tracking of cash movements. In our capacity as an agent for Sunrise Banks, N.A., the issuing bank for our prepaid card programs and in our capacity as an agent for Metropolitan Commercial Bank, NABC and TransPecos Bank, the sponsoring banks for our ACH services, we are required to comply with these rules. We are also required to implement a Customer Identification Program and establish an Anti-Money Laundering program and to report any suspected money laundering to the appropriate agencies. Our compliance with such regulations increases our responsibilities and costs associated with the administration of our debit card programs. We are also subject to various laws and regulations relating to commercial transactions, such as the Uniform Commercial Code, and may be subject to the electronic funds transfer rules embodied in Regulation E, promulgated by the Federal Reserve Board. Given the expansion of the electronic commerce market, the Federal Reserve Board might revise Regulation E or adopt new rules for electronic funds transfer affecting users other than consumers. Because of growth in the electronic commerce market, Congress has held hearings on whether to regulate providers of services and transactions in the electronic commerce market. It is possible that Congress or individual states could enact laws regulating the electronic commerce market. If enacted, such laws, rules and regulations could be imposed on our business and industry and could increase our costs or limit our business opportunities.

If we cannot compete successfully in our industry, we could lose market share and our costs could increase.

Portions of the electronic commerce market are becoming increasingly competitive. We expect to face growing competition in all areas of the electronic payment processing market. New companies could emerge and compete for merchants of all sizes. We expect competition to increase from both established and emerging companies and that such increased competition could lower our market share and increase our costs. Moreover, our current and potential competitors, many of whom have greater financial, technical, marketing and other resources than us, may respond more quickly than us to new or emerging technologies or could expand to compete directly against us in any or all of our target markets. Accordingly, it is possible that current or potential competitors could rapidly acquire market share. We may not be able to compete against current or future competitors successfully. Additionally, competitive pressures may increase our costs, which could lower our earnings, if any.

RISKS RELATED TO OUR COMMON STOCK

Our stock price is volatile, and you may not be able to sell your shares at a price higher than what you paid.

The market for our common stock is highly volatile. In 2023, our stock price fluctuated between $1.45 and $2.36. The trading price of our common stock could be subject to wide fluctuations in response to, among other things, quarterly variations in operating and financial results, announcements of technological innovations or new products by our competitors or us, changes in prices of our products and services or our competitors' products and services, changes in product mix, or changes in our revenue and revenue growth rates.

If security or industry analysts publish reports that are interpreted negatively by the investment community, publish negative research reports about our business, cease coverage of our company or fail to regularly publish reports or us, our share price could decline.

The trading for our common stock depends, to some extent, on the research and reports that security or industry analyst publish about us, our business, our market and our competitors. We do not have any control over these analysts or the information contained in their reports. If one or more analysts publish reports that are interpreted negatively by the investment community or have a negative tone about our business, financial or operating performance or industry, our share price could decline. In addition, if a majority of our analysts cease coverage of our company or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which could cause our share price to decline.

Additional stock issuances could result in significant dilution to our stockholders.

We may issue additional equity securities to raise capital, make acquisitions or for a variety of other purposes. Any such stock issuances will result in dilution to existing holders of our stock. We rely on equity-based compensation as an important tool in recruiting and retaining employees. The amount of dilution due to future equity-based compensation issued to our employees and other additional issuances could be substantial.

Pursuant to our 2015 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2015 Plan”), our management is authorized to grant stock options to our employees, directors and consultants. There are 5,000,000 shares of Common Stock reserved for issuance under the 2015 Plan. Additionally, the number of shares of our Common Stock reserved for issuance under our 2015 Plan automatically increases on January 1 of each year, beginning on January 1, 2022, and continuing through and including January 1, 2031, by 5% of the total number of shares of our capital stock outstanding on December 31 of the preceding calendar year (determined on an as-converted to voting common stock basis, without regard to any limitations on the conversion of the non-voting common stock), or a lesser number of shares determined by our board of directors. As of December 31, 2023, we had granted awards under the 2015 Plan for 7,889,455 shares of Common Stock and have 5,510,845 shares still reserved.

In addition, pursuant to our 2023 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (“ESPP”), we have reserved 2,500,000 shares of Common Stock.  The number of shares of our Common Stock reserved for issuance automatically increases on January 1 of each calendar year, beginning on January 1, 2024 through December 31, 2033, by the lesser of (i) 1% of the total number of shares of our Common Stock outstanding on the last day of the fiscal year before the date of the automatic increase (determined on an as-converted to voting common stock basis); and (ii) such number of shares of Common Stock that would cause the aggregate number of shares of Common Stock then reserved for issuance under the ESPP to not exceed 2,500,000 shares. As of December 31, 2023, no shares of our Common Stock had been purchased pursuant to the ESPP.

Unless our board of directors elects not to increase the number of shares available for future grant pursuant to our 2015 Plan and ESPP each year, our stockholders may experience additional dilution, which could cause our stock price to fall.

We may issue additional equity securities, or engage in other transactions that could dilute our book value or affect the priority of our Common Stock, which may adversely affect the market price of our Common Stock.

Our articles of incorporation allow our Board to issue up to 200,000,000 shares of Common Stock. Our Board may determine from time to time that we need to raise additional capital by issuing Common Stock or other equity securities. Except as otherwise described in this Annual Report, we are not restricted from issuing additional securities, including securities that are convertible into or exchangeable for, or that represent the right to receive, shares of our Common Stock. Because our decision to issue securities in any future offering will depend on market conditions and other factors beyond our control, we cannot predict or estimate the amount, timing, or nature of any future offerings, or the prices at which such offerings may be affected. Additional equity offerings may dilute the holdings of our existing stockholders or reduce the market price of our Common Stock, or both. Holders of our Common Stock are not entitled to pre-emptive rights or other protections against dilution. New investors also may have rights, preferences and privileges that are senior to, and that adversely affect, the then-current holders of our Common Stock. Additionally, if we raise additional capital by making offerings of debt or shares of preferred stock, upon our liquidation, holders of our debt securities and shares of preferred stock, and lenders with respect to other borrowings, may receive distributions of our available assets before the holders of our Common Stock.

We may issue shares of preferred stock with greater rights than our Common Stock.

Subject to the rules of The Nasdaq Stock Market, our articles of incorporation authorize our board of directors to issue one or more series of preferred stock and set the terms of the preferred stock without seeking any further approval from holders of our Common Stock. Any preferred stock that is issued may rank ahead of our Common Stock in terms of dividends, priority and liquidation premiums and may have greater voting rights than our Common Stock.

We have not paid any cash dividends in the past and have no plans to issue cash dividends in the future, which could cause our Common Stock to have a lower value than that of similar companies which do pay cash dividends.

We have not paid any cash dividends on our Common Stock to date and do not anticipate any cash dividends being paid to holders of our Common Stock in the foreseeable future. Any determination to pay dividends in the future will be at the discretion of our Board.

While our dividend policy will be based on the operating results and capital needs of the business, it is anticipated that any earnings will be retained to finance our future expansion. As we have no plans to issue cash dividends in the future, our Common Stock could be less desirable to other investors and as a result, the value of our Common Stock may decline, or fail to reach the valuations of other similarly situated companies that pay cash dividends.

Shares eligible for future sale may depress our stock price.

As of March 22, 2024, we had 26,342,459 shares of Common Stock outstanding of which 4,992,659 shares were held by affiliates. All of the shares of Common Stock held by affiliates are restricted or control securities under Rule 144 promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). Sales of shares of Common Stock under Rule 144 or another exemption under the Securities Act or pursuant to a registration statement could have a material adverse effect on the price of our Common Stock and could impair our ability to raise additional capital through the sale of equity securities. Furthermore, all Common Stock beneficially owned by persons who are not our affiliates and have beneficially owned such shares for at least one year may be sold at any time by these existing stockholders in accordance with Rule 144 of the Securities Act. However, there can be no assurance that any of these existing stockholders will sell any or all of their Common Stock and there may be a lack of supply of, or demand for, our Common Stock on The Nasdaq Stock Market. In the case of a lack of supply of our Common Stock offered in the market, the trading price of our Common Stock may rise to an unsustainable level, particularly in instances where institutional investors may be discouraged from purchasing our Common Stock because they are unable to purchase a block of our Common Stock in the open market due to a potential unwillingness of our existing stockholders to sell the amount of Common Stock at the price offered by such investors and the greater influence individual investors have in setting the trading price. In the case of a lack of market demand for our Common Stock, the trading price of our Common Stock could decline significantly and rapidly after our listing.

Our directors and officers have substantial control over us.

Our directors and executive officers, together with their affiliates and related persons, beneficially owned, in the aggregate, approximately 19% of our outstanding Common Stock as of March 22, 2024. These stockholders have the ability to substantially control our operations and direct our policies including the outcome of matters submitted to our stockholders for approval, such as the election of directors and any acquisition or merger, consolidation or sale of all or substantially all of our assets.

GENERAL RISK FACTORS

Market conditions could negatively impact our business, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition.

The market in which we operate is affected by a number of factors that are largely beyond our control but can nonetheless have a potentially significant, negative impact on us. These factors include, among other things:

Changes in these factors are difficult to predict, and a change in one factor could affect other factors, which could result in adverse effects to our business, results of operations, financial condition, and cash flows.

The broader implications of the macroeconomic environment, including uncertainty around recent international conflicts including the Russia and Ukraine conflict, supply chain shortages, a recession globally or in markets in which we operate, higher inflation rates, higher interest rates, and other related global economic conditions, remain unknown. A deterioration in macroeconomic conditions could continue to increase the risk of lower consumer spending, merchant and consumer bankruptcy, insolvency, business failure, higher credit losses, or other business interruption, which may adversely impact our business. If these conditions continue or worsen, they could adversely impact our future financial and operating results.

ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS.

Not Applicable.

ITEM 1C. CYBERSECURITY.

We recognize the importance of assessing, identifying, and managing material risks associated with cybersecurity threats, as such term is defined in Item 106(a) of Regulation S-K. These risks include, among other things: operational risks, intellectual property theft, fraud, extortion, harm to employees or customers and violation of data privacy or security laws.

Identifying and assessing cybersecurity risk is integrated into our overall risk management systems and processes. Cybersecurity risks related to our business, technical operations, privacy and compliance issues are identified and addressed through a multi-faceted approach including third party assessments, internal IT Audit, IT security, governance, risk and compliance reviews. To defend, detect and respond to cybersecurity incidents, we, among other things: conduct proactive privacy and cybersecurity reviews of systems and applications, audit applicable data policies, perform penetration testing using external third-party tools and techniques to test security controls, conduct employee training, monitor emerging laws and regulations related to data protection and information security (including our consumer products) and implement appropriate changes.

We have implemented incident response and breach management processes which have four overarching and interconnected stages: 1) preparation for a cybersecurity incident, 2) detection and analysis of a security incident, 3) containment, eradication and recovery, and 4) post-incident analysis. Such incident responses are overseen by leaders from our Information Security, Network Administration, Compliance and Legal teams regarding matters of cybersecurity.

Security events and data incidents are evaluated, ranked by severity and prioritized for response and remediation. Incidents are evaluated to determine materiality as well as operational and business impact, and reviewed for privacy impact.

We also conduct tabletop exercises to simulate responses to cybersecurity incidents. Our team of cybersecurity professionals then collaborate with technical and business stakeholders across our business units to further analyze the risk to the company, and form detection, mitigation and remediation strategies.

As part of the above processes, we regularly engage external auditors and consultants to assess our internal cybersecurity programs and compliance with applicable practices and standards. As of 2023, our Information Security Management System has been certified to conform to SOC 2 Type 2 and PCI, and are working to conform to ISO 27001.

Our risk management program also assesses third party risks, and we perform third-party risk management to identify and mitigate risks from third parties such as vendors, suppliers, and other business partners associated with our use of third-party service providers. Cybersecurity risks are evaluated when determining the selection and oversight of applicable third-party service providers and potential fourth-party risks when handling and/or processing our employee, business or customer data. In addition to new vendor onboarding, we perform risk management during third-party cybersecurity compromise incidents to identify and mitigate risks to us from third-party incidents.

We describe whether and how risks from identified cybersecurity threats, including as a result of any previous cybersecurity incidents, have materially affected or are reasonably likely to materially affect us, including our business strategy, results of operations, or financial condition, under the heading “If our security applications are breached by cyberattacks or are not adequate to address changing market conditions and customer concerns, we may incur significant losses and be unable to sell our services” included as part of our risk factor disclosures at Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

The Board of Directors is responsible for overseeing the Company’s enterprise risk, and has established its Risk and Cybersecurity Committee with specific responsibility for overseeing cybersecurity threats, among other things. The Company’s cybersecurity organization is led by the CTO, who is responsible for assessing and managing material risks from cybersecurity threats and reports to Usio’s CEO, CAO, and Legal team, as well as to the Risk and Cybersecurity Committee. The CTO has served in this role for 16 years, and more than 20 years with the Company developing, maintaining, and securing our corporate network and information technology systems. The CTO holds a bachelor's degree in Information Technology from the University of Texas at San Antonio with over 11 years of previous software and hardware systems engineering experience.

The CTO and the Cybersecurity Management Board monitor the prevention, mitigation, detection and remediation of cybersecurity incidents through their management of, and participation in, the cybersecurity risk management and strategy processes described above, including through the operation of the Company’s incident response plans, which include escalation to the CTO and the Cybersecurity Management Board, as appropriate. As discussed above, the CTO reports out to the Risk and Cybersecurity Committee about cybersecurity threat risks, among other cybersecurity related matters, at least quarterly.

ITEM 2. PROPERTIES.

We entered into a lease in San Antonio, Texas commencing on May 1, 2018 for our headquarters and operations. The lease is for a period of 75 months and expires on July 31, 2024. The space leased ranges from 6,000 square feet to 10,535 square feet. Annual rents during the lease term will range from $117,000 to $232,000. Rental expense under the lease was $157,682 and $150,129 for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.

We also entered into a lease in Nashville, Tennessee commencing on March 1, 2018 for our Nashville based sales organization. The lease is for a period of 62 months and expiring on April 30, 2023. The space leased is 3,794 square feet. Annual rents during the lease term range from $117,000 to $122,000. Rental expense for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 were $36,995 and $102,976, respectively. We did not enter into a lease extension, or new lease agreement in Nashville, Tennessee upon the expiration of this current lease agreement.

On December 15, 2020, we assumed a lease in San Antonio, Texas as a part of the Information Management Solutions, LLC acquisition for our employees and warehouse operations.  The lease has a remaining life of 45 months and expires on September 30, 2024. The space leased is 22,400 square feet. Annual rents during the lease term range from $123,554 to $133,703. Rental expense for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 was $117,836 and $112,504 respectively.

On January 1, 2021, we entered into a lease in Austin, Texas commencing on January 1, 2021 for our Austin technology organization. On January 26, 2023, the Company entered into a lease amendment commencing on February 1, 2023, extending the term of the existing lease for a period of 23 months and expiring on January 31, 2025. The space leased is 1,890 square feet. Rental expense for the year ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 was $79,467 and $83,610 respectively.

On March 15, 2021, we entered into a lease amendment to our existing lease in San Antonio, Texas commencing April 1, 2021 and expiring on September 30, 2024 running concurrently with the existing lease. The incremental space leased is 2,734 square feet.   The incremental annual rent during the lease term ranges from $56,047 to $60,148. Rental expense for the year ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 was $48,113 and $46,658 respectively.

On October 19, 2021, the Company entered into a lease amendment to the existing lease in San Antonio, Texas commencing on April 1, 2022 and expiring on September 24, 2024 running concurrently with the existing lease.  The incremental space lease is 6,628 square feet.   The incremental annual rent during the lease term ranges from $135,874 to $145,816. Rental expense for the year ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 was $104,375 and $75,269 respectively.

We believe that our existing and new properties will be adequate to meet our needs through December 31, 2024.

ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS.

BEN KAUDER, NINA PIOLETTI, & TRIPLE PAY PLAY, INC.

In 2017, USIO acquired Singular Payments, Inc. (“Singular”), another payment processing company with offices in Nashville, Tennessee and St. Augustine, Florida.

Ben Kauder and Nina Pioletti were executives of Singular; after the acquisition, USIO hired them as executive-level employees.  USIO hired Kauder to serve as Senior Vice President of Integrated Payments, and Pioletti was hired to serve as Director of Sales. As a condition of employment, Kauder and Pioletti agreed to be bound by certain USIO policies, including as it relates to preserving the confidentiality of USIO’s proprietary information. As USIO executives, Kauder and Pioletti were afforded access to and contributed to the development of USIO’s trade secrets and other proprietary information not generally known by the public at large, including but not limited to financial information, marketing plans, cost and operational/strategic plans, and sales presentations.

In May 2021, Kauder resigned from USIO followed by Pioletti in July of 2022. Thereafter, Kauder and Pioletti formed Triple Pay Play, another payment processing company which competes with the same services as USIO. Upon information and belief, Kauder and Pioletti were working to form Triple Pay Play while employed by USIO, during USIO business hours, and while using USIO resources and USIO property.

On or about June 21, 2023, USIO filed suit against Ben Kauder, Nina Pioletti and Triple Pay Play for breach of contract and misappropriation of trade secrets and unfair business competition.

On July 6, 2023, Ben Kauder, Nina Pioletti and Triple Pay Play filed a Motion to Dismiss for Lack of Jurisdiction. The motion was granted. Subsequently, in February of 2024, USIO refiled its case in Tennessee, where Kauder, Nina, and Triple Pay Play reside.

Currently, this case is in the early-stage discovery.

GREENWICH BUSINESS CAPITAL, LLC

On or about September 25, 2019, Usio, Inc., (USIO) and Greenwich Business Capital LLC (“GBC”), entered into an Agreement for payment processing services (the “Agreement”). Pursuant to the terms of the Agreement, USIO effectively terminated the Agreement with GBC on October 31, 2023, by providing Greenwich with a 30-days written notice as required by the Agreement.

On November 13, 2023, GBC filed lawsuit against USIO, alleging violations of the NACHA rules. In early March of 2024, USIO filed a Motion to Dismiss for improper venue and failure to state a claim. The motion is set to be heard in May of 2024.

KDHM, LLC

On September 1, 2021, KDHM, LLC, an entity owned by the former owners of IMS, sued PDS Acquisition Corp, now known as Usio Output Solutions, Inc., in the 73rd District Court of Bexar County, Texas claiming a breach of the asset purchase agreement executed by the parties on December 14, 2020. The lawsuit alleges that due to a mistake, accident, or inadvertence, certain customer deposits in the amount of $317,000 were improperly transferred to us.

We believe that plaintiff's claims in the lawsuit have no merit and contradict the express terms of the asset purchase agreement. As a result of this post-sale dispute, we discovered that KDHM, LLC and its principals made certain misrepresentations and breached the terms of the asset purchase agreement. 

On September 28, 2021, we filed an answer generally denying the plaintiff’s allegations. On October 5, 2021, we filed a counterclaim and third-party petition. Therein, we allege that neither KDHM nor its principals disclosed that KDHM was not accounting for the customer deposits in accordance with GAAP. KDHM and third-party defendants, its principals Henry Minten and Thomas Dowe, affirmatively represented and warranted in section 3.1(e) of the asset purchase agreement that “[t]he Annual Financial Statements and the Interim Financial Statements have been prepared from the books and records of Seller in accordance with GAAP applied on a consistent basis.” 

We also discovered that KDHM by and through its principals failed to disclose that $305,000 in additional customer deposits existed and that these deposits were not conveyed to us as required by the asset purchase agreement. KDHM, Minten and Dowe provided us with fraudulent and misleading profit and loss statements that did not disclose these additional customer deposits. KDHM and the defendants do not dispute that these additional customer deposits existed and that they were purchased by Usio. However, despite a written representation that these funds would be returned, KDHM and its principals have held these funds hostage. Section 2.1(b)(x) of the asset purchase agreement provides that the purchased assets include “All of Seller’s deposits from its customer, including without limitation, those customer deposits listed on Schedule 2.1(b)(xi) of the Disclosure Schedules.” Finally, we discovered that KDHM did not provide us with all customer lists, which are identified as purchased assets under the agreement.

In our counterclaims and third-party petition, we assert causes of action for fraud, breach of contract and conversion. 

On August 18, 2023, the judge granted a summary motion entitling KDHM to deposits for customer accounts that were printed and mailed prior to the acquisition, and Usio Output Solutions, Inc. was entitled to deposits for accounts that were not yet printed and printed but not yet mailed prior to the acquisition. Usio has requested a reconsideration of the motion, as it does not consider that deposits are only owed to KDHM if they were earned and offset against accounts receivable.

On March 4, 2024, the court held a hearing on KDHM’s Supplemental Rule 166(G) Motion; the court granted the motion in favor of KDHM. However, USIO believes the court erred in granting the motion and ultimately filed a motion for reconsideration on March 19, 2024.

Usio’s Motion for Reconsideration of Order Granting Plaintiff’s Supplemental Rule 166(g) Motion is set to be heard on March 28, 2024.

OTHER PROCEEDINGS

Aside from these proceedings, the Company may be involved in legal matters arising in the ordinary course of business from time to time. While we believe that such matters are currently not material, there can be no assurance that matters arising in the ordinary course of business for which we are or could become involved in litigation will not have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, or results of operations.

ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES.

Not applicable.

PART II

ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES.

Market Information

On June 15, 2021, our common stock was uplisted and is now listed on the Nasdaq Global Market® Exchange under the ticker symbol "USIO". Prior to that change our common stock had been listed on the Nasdaq Capital Markets Exchange under the ticker symbol “PYDS” since August 11, 2015, and "USIO" since June 26, 2019. 

Holders

On March 22, 2024, 26,342,459 shares of our common stock were issued and outstanding. As of March 22, 2024, there were 3,377 stockholders of record of our common stock.

Dividends

We have never declared or paid cash or stock dividends, and we have no plans to pay any such dividends in the foreseeable future. Instead, we intend to reinvest our earnings, if any.

Securities Authorized for Issuance under Equity Compensation Plans

The information required to be disclosed by Item 201(d) of Regulation S-K, “Securities Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans,” is incorporated herein by reference. Refer to Item 12 of Part III of this annual report on Form 10-K for additional information.

Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer and Affiliated Purchasers

On November 2, 2016, we announced that our Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to $1 million of our common stock from time to time on the open market, in block transactions, or in privately negotiated transactions. On January 9, 2018, the Board of Directors added an additional $2 million to the buyback plan. The program began on November 16, 2016 and ended on September 29, 2019. At September 29, 2019 when the program ended, $1,419,701 was available under the repurchase plan. The program was used for purchases of stock from employees and directors; and for open-market purchases through a broker. On November 7, 2019, the Board of Directors approved the renewal of the share buyback program. The Board approved a limit of $1,420,000 which was rolled over from the prior buyback program with a three-year duration. On May 13, 2022, the Board of Directors authorized a renewal of the buy-back program, with a limit up to $4 million of the Company's common stock with a three year duration. The new buyback program terminates on the earliest of May 15, 2025, the date the funds are exhausted, or the date the Board of Directors, at its sole discretion, terminates or suspends the program. The program is used for the purchase of stock from employees and directors, and for open-market purchases through a broker. The following table shows our fourth quarter of 2023 stock purchases under the buyback plan as of December 31, 2023:

ITEM 6. [RESERVED]

ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS DISCLAIMER

This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. If used in this report, the words "will," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "intend," and other words or phrases of similar import are intended to identify forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements for many reasons, including the risks described in this annual report on Form 10-K and other reports we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Although we believe the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, they relate only to events as of the date on which the statements are made. We do not intend to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this report to conform these statements to actual results or to changes in our expectations, except as required by law.

This discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto included in this report.

Overview

Usio, Inc. was founded under the name Billserv Com, Inc. in July 1998 and incorporated in the State of Nevada. On June 26, 2019, we changed our corporate name from Payment Data Systems, Inc. to Usio, Inc. Our principal offices are located at 3611 Paesanos Parkway, Suite 300, San Antonio, TX 78231. Our telephone number is (210) 249-4100. 

We serve multiple industry verticals with technology that facilitates payment acceptance and funds disbursement in a single, full-stack ecosystem. We provide payment acceptance, card-based processing, prepaid card, payment facilitation and electronic billing products and services  to businesses, merchants  and consumers.

In addition, we offer customizable prepaid cards which companies use for expense management, incentives, refunds, claims and disbursements, as well as unique forms of compensation such as per diem payments, government disbursements, and similar payments. We also offer prepaid cards to consumers for use as a tool to stay on budget, manage allowances and share money with family and friends. Our UsioCard platform supports Apple Pay®, Samsung Pay™ and Google Pay™. Our PINless debit product allows merchants to debit and credit accounts in real-time. In our over 25-year history, we have created a loyal customer base that relies on us for our convenient, secure, innovative and adaptive services and technology, and we have built long-standing and valuable relationships with premier banking institutions such as Fifth-Third Bank, Sunrise Bank, and Wells Fargo Bank.

We also offer payment facilitation, or PayFac services through a leveraged, one to many, distribution model. Following the completion of the Singular Payments acquisition, we launched our payment facilitation, PayFac, platform called "PayFac-in-a-Box" in late 2018 targeting partnership opportunities with app and software developers in bill-centric verticals, such as legal, healthcare, property management, utilities and insurance. The PayFac-in-a-Box platform 'integration layer' offers a simple integration experience for technology companies who are looking to monetize payments within an existing base of downstream clients. The added value of offering our integration partners access to credit card, debit card, ACH and prepaid card issuance capabilities through a single vendor partner relationship in face-to-face, mobile and virtual payment acceptance environments provides a true single channel commerce experience through an application programming interface, API.

As a result of the acquisition of the assets of Information Management Solutions, LLC, or IMS, in December 2020, we also offer additional services relating to electronic bill presentment, document composition, document decomposition and printing and mailing services serving hundreds of customers representing a wide range of industry verticals, including utilities and financial institutions through our wholly-owned subsidiary, Usio Output Solutions, Inc., or Output Solutions.  This product offering provides an outsourced solution for document design, print and electronic delivery to potential customers and entities looking to reduce postage costs and increase efficiencies.

Summary of Results

We believe that our success will continue to depend in large part on our ability to (a) grow revenues, (b) manage our operating expenses, (c) add quality customers to our client base, (d) meet evolving customer requirements, (e) adapt to technological changes in an emerging market, and (f) assimilate current and future acquisitions of companies and customer portfolios. We will continue to invest in our sales force and technology platforms to drive revenue growth, and assess the needs of the market to both enhance and maintain our existing product set, alongside the incorporation of new features and payment processing products. In particular, we are focused on growing our ACH merchants, adding new software integrators, growing our electronic bill presentment, document composition, document decomposition, printing and mailing services business while also providing incremental services to existing merchants. In addition to our near-term growth opportunities, we are focused on leveraging and optimizing the infrastructure of the organization allowing expansion of our payment processing and mail and printing capabilities without significantly increasing our operating costs.

We reported a net loss of $0.5 million and $5.5 million for the years ended December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively. We had an accumulated deficit of $71.3 million at December 31, 2023.

In 2023, we processed $5.3 billion for all payment types, which was down 26% from the prior year volume of $7.2 billion total dollars processed due to our exit from the crypto space and attrition in legacy credit card processing portfolios driven by challenges competing in the Independent Sales Organization, or ISO, market while we focus on our PayFac distributed sales force and Independent Software Vendor, or ISV, market. We believe this strategy will drive superior results over time. Total transactions processed were down 9% to 37.2 million. ACH or electronic check transactions processed for 2023 decreased by 20% compared to 2022. Returned check transactions decreased by 15% in 2023 compared to 2022. Credit card dollars processed in 2023 increased by 6% compared to 2022 and credit card transactions processed for 2023 increased by 9% compared to 2022. Both the credit card dollars and transactions processed represent all-time records for the Company. Prepaid card load volume increased by 76% and transaction volume increased by 52%.

Material Trends and Uncertainties

On August 16, 2022, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act, or IRA, which implemented a 1% excise tax on certain corporate stock repurchases, when repurchases of stock on an established securities market exceed $1 million in a tax year. On May 13 2022, the Board of Directors authorized a renewal of the buy-back program, with a limit up to $4 million of the Company's common stock with a three year duration. In the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company had repurchased $0.5 million of stock as part of its buyback program. Should the Company opt to continue the repurchase of its securities on the open market, and the IRA remain in effect, we may qualify for this tax in 2024, and future years.

The broader implications of the macroeconomic environment, including uncertainty around recent international conflicts including the Russia and Ukraine conflict, supply chain shortages, a recession globally or in markets in which we operate, higher inflation rates, higher interest rates, and other related global economic conditions, remain unknown. A deterioration in macroeconomic conditions could continue to increase the risk of lower consumer spending, merchant and consumer bankruptcy, insolvency, business failure, higher credit losses, or other business interruption, which may adversely impact our business. If these conditions continue or worsen, they could adversely impact our future financial and operating results.

Changes in these factors are difficult to predict, and a change in one factor could affect other factors, which could result in adverse effects to our business, results of operations, financial condition, and cash flows.

Due to the higher interest rates set by the Federal Reserve, the Company was able to increase interest income in 2023. As interest rates fluctuate depending on the Federal Reserve's target rates to combat inflation and unemployment, we may not be able to recognize similar levels of interest income in the future. 

The Company continues to invest in growth initiatives to drive increased revenues, and profitability metrics. However, sustaining growth at existing rates may not occur. While we recognized high levels of growth in 2023, a significant portion of this growth was due to the Prepaid card business benefitting from outsized growth in 2022 and 2023 as a result of large incentive programs brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic. Those programs have begun winding down, requiring new card programs and clients being brought on to replace prior revenues. While we expect growth to continue, it is possible that we may not see similar rates of expansion moving forward. 

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

General

Our management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations is based upon our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue and expenses, and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates, including those related to the reported amounts of revenues and expenses, credit losses, investments, intangible assets, income taxes, contingencies and litigation. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results could differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions. We consider these accounting policies to be critical because the nature of the estimates or assumptions is material due to the levels of subjectivity and judgment necessary to account for highly uncertain matters or the susceptibility of such matters to change or because the impact of the estimates and assumptions on financial condition or operating performance is material.

For a summary of critical accounting policies, please refer to the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, Note 1. Description of Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies.

Reserve for Processing Losses

We establish allowances for negative customer balances and estimated transaction losses arising from processing customer transactions, such as chargebacks for unauthorized credit card use and merchant-related chargebacks due to non-delivery or unsatisfactory delivery of purchased items, account takeovers, Automated Clearing House returns, and insolvency. Additions to the allowance are reflected in our cost of services on our consolidated statements of income (loss). The allowances are based on known facts and circumstances, internal factors including experience with similar cases, historical trends involving collection and write-off patterns, and the mix of transaction and loss types, as well as current and projected factors such as the types of transactions processed and nature of the merchant relationship with its consumers and the Company with its prepaid card holders.

Determining appropriate current expected transactional losses is an inherently uncertain process, and final losses may vary from our current estimates. We regularly review and update our allowance estimates as new facts become known, and event occur that may impact the settlement or recovery of losses. The allowances are maintained at a level we deem appropriate to adequately provide for current expected losses at the balance sheet date.

Reserve for Expected Credit Losses

We establish an allowance for accounts receivable, which represents our estimate of current expected allowances for credit losses. This evaluation process is subject to numerous estimates and judgements. This allowance is primarily based on expectations of unrecoverable receivables based on historical losses, as well as forecasted trends in customer instability, and general market conditions. The Company reviews this allowance quarterly on an account-by-account basis. Projected loss rates, inclusive of historical loss data and macroeconomic factors, are applied to the principal amount of our merchant and consumer receivables.

Determining appropriate current expected losses on our accounts receivable is an inherently uncertain process, and final losses may vary from our current estimates. We regularly review and update our allowance estimates as new facts become known, and events occur that may impact the settlement or recovery of losses. The allowances are maintained at a level we deem appropriate to adequately provide for current expected losses at the balance sheet date.

Accounting for Income Taxes

Our annual tax rate is based on our income, statutory tax rates, and tax planning opportunities available to us. Tax laws are complex and subject to different interpretations by the taxpayer and respective government taxing authority. Significant judgement is required in determining our tax expense and in evaluating our tax positions, including evaluating uncertainties. We review our tax positions yearly and adjust the balances as new information becomes available. 

Deferred tax assets represent amounts available to reduce income taxes payable on taxable income in future years. Such assets arise because of temporary differences between the financial reporting and tax bases of assets and liabilities, as well as from net operating loss and tax credit carryforwards. We evaluate the recoverability of these future tax deductions and credits by assessing the adequacy of future expected taxable income from all sources, including reversal of taxable temporary differences, forecasted operating earnings, and available tax planning strategies. These rely heavily on estimates that are based on a number of factors, including historical data, and business forecasts. To the extent deferred tax assets are not expected to be realized, we record a valuation allowance.

We recognize and measure uncertain tax positions in accordance with U.S. GAAP, pursuant to which we only recognize the tax benefit from an uncertain tax position if it is more likely than not that the tax position will be sustained on examination by the taxing authorities.

As with all businesses, the Company’s tax returns are subject to periodic examination. The Company’s federal returns for the past four years remain open to examination. The Company is subject to the Texas margin tax and Tennessee franchise tax. Management is not aware of any tax positions that would have a significant impact on its financial position.

Revenue Recognition

Application of the accounting principles in U.S. GAAP related to the measurement and recognition of revenue requires us to make judgments and estimates. Complex arrangements with nonstandard terms and conditions may require significant contract interpretation to determine the appropriate accounting. Specifically, the determination of whether we are a principal to a transaction (gross revenue) or an agent (net revenue) can require considerable judgment. Further, we provide incentive payments to consumers and merchants. Evaluating whether these incentives are a payment to a customer, or consideration payable on behalf of a customer, requires judgment. Incentives determined to be made to a customer, or payable on behalf of a customer, are recorded as a reduction to gross revenue. Changes in judgments with respect to these assumptions and estimates could impact the amount of revenue recognized.

Key Business Metrics - Non-GAAP Financial Measures

This filing includes non-GAAP financial measures, EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA margins and adjusted operating cash flows, as defined in Regulation G of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The Company reports its financial results in compliance with GAAP, but believes that also discussing non-GAAP financial measures provides investors with financial measures it uses in the management of its business. The Company defines EBITDA as operating income (loss), before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization of intangibles. The Company defines adjusted EBITDA as EBITDA, as defined above, plus non-cash stock option costs and certain non-recurring items, such as costs related to acquisitions. The Company defines adjusted operating cash flow as net cash provided (used) by operating activities, less changes in prepaid card load obligations, customer deposits, merchant reserves and net operating lease assets and obligations. These measures may not be comparable to similarly titled measures reported by other companies. Management uses EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA, and adjusted operating cash flows as indicators of the Company's operating performance and ability to fund acquisitions, capital expenditures and other investments and, in the absence of refinancing options, to repay debt obligations. 

Management believes EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA margins and adjusted operating cash flows are helpful to investors in evaluating the Company's operating performance because non-cash costs and other items that management believes are not indicative of its results of operations are excluded. 

We reported an adjusted EBITDA of  $0.3 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2023, as compared to an adjusted EBITDA of $1.0 million for the same period in the prior year. The decrease in adjusted EBITDA in the 2023 quarter was attributable to increases in SG&A combined with reduced profit margins.

We reported an adjusted EBITDA of  $2.4 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2023, as compared to an adjusted EBITDA loss of $0.4 million for the same period in the prior year. The increase in adjusted EBITDA in 2023 was attributable to strong revenue growth contributing to increased gross profit versus the prior year, that outpaced our growth in SG&A.

The following table is a reconciliation of Net Loss to EBITDA for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2023 and 2022.

We reported cash provided by adjusted operating cash flows of $2.8 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2023 (after adjusting for the impact of operating lease right-of-use assets, operating lease liabilities, prepaid card load obligations, customer deposits, and merchant reserves), as compared to $0.7 million provided during the twelve months ended December 31, 2022.  Operating lease right-of-use assets, operating lease liabilities, prepaid card load obligations, customer deposits and merchant reserves are deducted from operating cash flow, as we believe that these metrics do not serve in providing a clear picture of the true operational cash used or provided in a given time period. These adjustments to net cash provided (used) by operating activities are not inclusive of any recurring expense items which are included in the calculation of operating income (loss), and only include changes in our assets and liabilities accounts on the balance sheet. The Company believes Non-GAAP adjusted operating cash flow to be a more accurate indicator of cash contributions that can be used to sustain current and future business operations. The increase in adjusted operating cash flows in the current year compared to the year prior was attributable to a decrease in the Company's net loss, due to revenue growth driving gross profit increases, at a rate that exceeded our SG&A increase versus the prior year.

The following table is a reconciliation from operating cash flow (used) to adjusted operating cash flow (used) for the twelve months ended December 31, 2023.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA margins and adjusted operating cash flow should be considered in addition to, not as a substitute for, or superior to, financial measures calculated in accordance with GAAP.  They are not measurements of our financial performance under GAAP and should not be considered as alternatives to revenue, net income, or cash provided (used) by operating activities, as applicable, or any other performance measures derived in accordance with GAAP and may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of other businesses. EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA margins and adjusted operating cash flow have limitations as analytical tools and you should not consider these Non-GAAP measures in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of our operating results as reported under GAAP.

Results of Operations

Revenues

Our revenues are principally derived from providing integrated electronic payment services to merchants and businesses, including credit and debit card-based processing services and transaction processing via the Automated Clearing House, or ACH, network, the program management and processing of prepaid debit cards, and we also now offer additional output solution services relating to electronic bill presentment, document composition, document decomposition and printing and mailing services serving hundreds of customers representing a wide range of industry verticals, including utilities and financial institutions.

Total revenues for 2023 increased by 19% to $82.6 million from $69.4 million in 2022. Key drivers of the revenue growth include growth in our Prepaid business line as a result of sustained and growing relationships with major cities in the U.S. by facilitating disbursements to individuals and families in need of financial assistance. This growth was bolstered by gains in our Output solutions business line, thanks to our ability to capitalize on strong cross-selling efforts and execution on our well-developed pipeline of new business opportunities, along with growth in credit card revenues due to our PayFac business line's continued traction with independent software vendors, or ISVs. Our ACH and complementary services revenues were up slightly on the year, after recovering from our exit from crypto following the loss of one of our largest customers, thanks to net new customer relationships and growth in our ancillary ACH services, such as RCC.

Cost of Services

Cost of services includes the cost of personnel dedicated to the creation and maintenance of connections to third-party payment processors and the fees paid to such third-party providers for electronic payment processing services. Through our contractual relationships with our payment processors and sponsoring banks, we process ACH and debit, credit or prepaid card transactions on behalf of our customers and their consumers. We pay volume-based fees for debit, credit, ACH and prepaid transactions initiated through these processors or sponsoring banks, and pay fees for other transactions such as returns, notices of change to bank accounts and file transmission. Cost of services expense was $64.0 million and $54.8 million for 2023 and 2022, respectively. Cost of services expenses increased by $9.2 million, or 17%, in 2023 as compared to 2022 primarily due to increased transaction costs associated with our revenue growth.

Gross Profit

Gross profit is the net profit after deducting the cost of services. Gross profit was $18.6 million and $14.6 million for 2023 and 2022, respectively. Gross profit increased by $4.0 million, or 27%, in 2023 as compared to 2022. The key drivers of the increased gross profit were attributable to strong revenue growth, and improved gross margin percentages due to improved profitability across our business lines with increased scale.

Stock-based Compensation

Stock-based compensation expense increased marginally to $2.2 million in 2023 from $2.1 million in 2022. Our stock-based compensation expenses for 2023 and 2022 represented the amortization of deferred compensation expenses related to incentive stock grants to employees, officers and directors. The increase in stock-based compensation is primarily attributable to our February 8, 2023 employee stock grant. Please refer to Note 8 to our Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere in this annual report for incremental information regarding these stock grants.

Other Selling, General and Administrative Expenses

Other selling, general and administrative expenses, or SG&A, increased to $16.2 million in 2023 from $15.0 million in 2022. The increase of $1.2 million, or 8%, represented continued investments in the Company's security and IT infrastructure to strengthen the Company's defense from cybersecurity risks. Further investments were made to increase our customer success, implementations of merchant onboarding processes, and partner and client integrations strategy to sustain existing operations and future growth, as well as staffing and employee retention.

Depreciation and Amortization

Depreciation and amortization expense consist of the reduction in value of our tangible and intangible assets over their useful life. These assets include property, plant, and equipment, along with intangible assets acquired through acquisition, or developed as internal use software.

Depreciation and amortization expense decreased to $2.1 million in 2023 as compared to $2.7 million in 2022. The decrease of $0.6 million, or 24%, was primarily attributable to the completed depreciation of customer list assets from our 2017 acquisition of Singular Payments.

Other Income

Interest income increased to $1.7 million in 2023 from $15,237 in 2022 due to higher interest-bearing cash balances. Other income (expense) was $44,798 for 2023, as compared to expense of $4,051 for 2022. 

Income Taxes

Income tax expense was $292,524 in 2023 and $280,000 in 2022. The income tax expense represents amounts incurred under the Texas margin tax and Tennessee franchise tax.

Net income tax expense reported was $292,524 in 2023, and $280,000 in 2022.

Net Income (Loss)

We reported a net loss of $0.5 million and $5.5 million for the years ended December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively. The decrease in net loss was primarily related to our strong revenue growth driving increased gross profits versus the prior year, at a rate that outpaced our increased in SG&A alongside significant improvements in interest income.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Our primary sources of liquidity are available cash and cash equivalents and cash flows provided by operations and, if an appropriate opportunity presents itself, the sale of debt or equity securities, although we may not be able to complete any financing on terms acceptable to us, if at all. At December 31, 2023, we had $7.2 million of cash and cash equivalents, as compared to $5.7 million of cash and cash equivalents at December 31, 2022.  The increase was primarily a result of the decrease in net loss, combined with reduced stock repurchases in 2023 versus 2022. For the year ended December 31, 2023 net cash provided by operating activities was $14.9 million and for the year ended December 31, 2022, cash used by operations was $17.0 million. We expect available cash and cash equivalents and internally generated funds to be sufficient to support working capital needs, capital expenditures (including acquisitions), and our debt service obligations. We believe we have sufficient liquidity to operate for at least the next 12 months from the date of filing this report. Cash from operating activities is dependent on our net income (loss), less depreciation, amortization, credit losses, deferred federal income tax, non-cash stock-based compensation, the amortization of warrant costs, and net of the changes in our operating assets and liabilities. These assets and liabilities include our accounts receivable, prepaid expenses, operating lease right-of-use assets, inventory, other assets, accounts payable and accrued expenses, operating lease liabilities, prepaid card load obligations, merchant reserves, customer deposits, and deferred revenues. To the extent we require other sources of capital, we may seek a commercial line of credit or sell debt or equity securities, although we may not be able to complete any financing on terms acceptable to us, if at all.

We reported a net loss of $0.5 million and  $5.5 million for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.  Additionally, we reported working capital of $8.0 million and $5.8 million at December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.

We have in the past, and may in the future, utilize equipment loans in order to finance the cost of particular pieces of equipment. On March 20, 2021, we entered into a debt arrangement to finance $165,996 for the purchase of an Output Solutions sorter. The loan is for a period of 36 months with a maturity date of March 20, 2024. The repayment amount is for 36 months at $4,902 per month. Annual payments are $58,821. The financing is at an interest rate of 3.95%.  Payments in 2023  on this equipment loan were $54,634.

On October 1, 2023, the Company entered into a debt arrangement to finance $811,819 for the purchase of an Output Solutions folder and inserter. The loan is for a period of 66 months with a maturity date of April 5, 2029 and annual interest of 6.75%. Monthly principal and interest payments are required in the amount of $16,017. Payments on this equipment loan were $9,894. We cannot assure you that such financing may be available to us on terms acceptable to us, or at all, in the future.

From time to time we have sold shares of our common stock in order to provide us liquidity. For example, on November 19, 2021, Voyager Digital purchased 142,857 unregistered shares of common stock at an offering price of $7.00 per share in a private offering. The gross proceeds to us from the private offering were $1,000,000. We have also sold securities in public offerings from time to time. For example, in September 2020, we sold 4,705,883 shares of our common stock and received net proceeds of approximately $8 million. We cannot assure you that we will be able to sell shares of our equity securities on terms acceptable to us or at all.

Cash Flows

Net cash provided by operating activities totaled $14.9 million for 2023 as compared to net cash used by operating activities of $17.0 million in 2022. After adjusting for the impact of operating lease right-of-use assets, operating lease liabilities, prepaid card load obligations and merchant reserves included in the statement of cash flows, net cash provided by adjusted operating activities was $2.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 and net cash provided by adjusted operating activities was $0.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2022. Operating lease right-of-use assets, operating lease liabilities, prepaid card load obligations, customer deposits and merchant reserves are deducted from operating cash flow, as we believe these metrics do not serve in providing a clear picture of the true operational cash used or provided in a given time period. The Company believes Non-GAAP adjusted operating cash flow to be a more accurate indicator of cash contributions that can be used to sustain current and future business operations. The increase in net cash generated by adjusted operating activities in 2023 (after adjusting for the impact of operating lease right-of-use assets, operating lease liabilities, prepaid card load obligations and merchant reserves) was primarily attributable to decreases in our net loss related to increased interest income, revenue, and gross profit growth.

Net cash used by investing activities was $0.8 million for 2023 and $0.8 million in 2022. The decrease in investing activities was due to reduced expenditures on the purchase of property and equipment.

Net cash used by financing activities for 2023 was $0.5 million compared to net cash used by financing activities of $1.4 million for 2022. The decrease in cash used by financing activities was primarily attributable to a reduction in stock repurchases in 2023, a decrease of approximately $0.9 million over 2022.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

We have no off-balance sheet arrangements that have or are reasonably likely to have a current or future material effect on our financial condition, changes in financial condition, revenues or expenses, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures or capital resources.

ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK.

As a smaller reporting company as defined by Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act and in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K, we are electing scaled disclosure reporting obligations and therefore are not required to provide the information requested by this Item.

ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA.

INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

USIO, INC.

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

USIO, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

USIO, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

USIO, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

December 31, 2023 and 2022