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DDC Chairwoman's Letter: Record FY2025, 2,383 BTC, and an AI Operating System Built for Bitcoin Treasuries

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DDC Chairwoman's Letter: Record FY2025, 2,383 BTC, and an AI Operating System Built for Bitcoin Treasuries
Business

Business

DDC Chairwoman's Letter: Record FY2025, 2,383 BTC, and an AI Operating System Built for Bitcoin Treasuries

2026-04-21 20:40 Last Updated At:21:01

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 21, 2026--

DDC Enterprise Limited (NYSEAM: DDC) (“DDC,” or the “Company”), a leading multi-brand Asian consumer food company with a growing strategic bitcoin treasury, today issued a corporate update in a Letter to Shareholders from Founder, Chairwoman, and CEO Norma Chu.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260421110775/en/

Dear Valued Shareholders,

Two years ago, DDC was a food company navigating a difficult post-pandemic landscape. Today, we have advanced into something different and something more. DDC is a global Asian food platform with a world-class Bitcoin treasury and, as of this week, an AI infrastructure to manage it at institutional scale. That is not a pivot. It is an evolution — deliberate, disciplined, and still just beginning.

2025 was the year we built the foundation for all of it. Today, I want to tell you what we built, why it matters, and where we are going.

2025: What We Built

The headline numbers tell a story of real operational improvement:

Revenue: $39.2M (up 4.6% YoY, record)
Gross Margin: 31.4% (increased 303 bps YoY, record)
Adjusted EBITDA: Positive (first time in company history, full year)
Bitcoin Holdings: 2,383 BTC (~$182M value as of April 21, 2026)
BTC Yield: 1,493% (since first purchase, as of April 21, 2026)

Revenue in our core market, grew 9.8% year-over-year, driven by deeper penetration into lower-tier cities and a deliberate expansion of our offline distribution network. Gross margins reached 31.4% for the full year, up 303 basis points, reflecting supply chain optimization, better procurement discipline, and favorable raw material costs. And for the first time in our company's history, we delivered positive Adjusted EBITDA for the full year.

We also took decisive action to simplify the business. We exited our U.S. food operations. Our capital and attention belong in markets where our competitive edge is sharpest. Asia is that market. Our brands are performing, and our operational infrastructure in China is stronger than it has ever been.

We are building a company that compounds value on two dimensions simultaneously — the income statement and the balance sheet.

On the reported financials: net loss for the year was $(48.3) million, versus $(21.5) million in 2024. I want to address this directly. The increase was driven by $31.2 million in non-cash share-based compensation — costs tied to building the Bitcoin treasury team, aligning our compensation structure with treasury-strategy peers, and supporting our capital markets program. As a result, our shareholder's equity increased by around 600% to $78.9 million compared to a year ago as we build out the Bitcoin treasury strategy. Equally positive, excluding the non-cash compensation, the underlying food business improved noticeably. Core sales and marketing expenses decreased by 61.7%. General and administrative expenses fell by 15.9%. The consumer business is more efficient than it was a year ago.

This context matters. The net loss does not signal operational deterioration. We have made significant investment in people that delivered an outstanding set of result for shareholders. We are reporting the cost of building something new. And what we are building is worth the investment.

Bitcoin Treasury: From Strategy to Scale

As of the end of 2025, we held 1,181 BTC. As of April 21, 2026, we hold 2,383 BTC, representing approximately $182 million in value at current prices. We have more than doubled our holdings in three months. And with a BTC Yield of 1,493% since our first purchase, the accumulation strategy is performing as designed.

This positions DDC among the top 30 publicly traded corporate holders of Bitcoin globally. We achieved this in less than a year, and we did it with discipline. We built a capital structure designed for the long term: $528 million in strategic financing capacity, of which the vast majority remains undrawn and available. We have a $500 million F3 registration statement on shelf. This means we can act when conditions are favorable with maximum flexibility.

We believe in Bitcoin as a treasury reserve asset because fiat currency depreciates. Bitcoin has a fixed supply. Over time, scarce assets tend to preserve value in ways that sovereign currencies cannot guarantee. Bitcoin is increasingly part of that conversation, not as speculation, but as an institutional asset class in formation.

The world's largest financial institutions are no longer debating Bitcoin; they are building infrastructure around it. Regulatory clarity is improving. Corporate adoption is accelerating. And the companies that built their treasury frameworks before the majority arrived will have a permanent structural advantage. We intend to be one of those companies. Through our consistency in bitcoin purchases during the recent drawdown in 1Q26, our average cost per bitcoin is now at $79,969, one of the lowest cost basis amongst our US listed peers.

The DDC Treasury AI OS: Building an Intelligent Platform for Treasury Management

Holding Bitcoin is one thing. Managing it with institutional-grade discipline, transparency, and consistency is another. Most companies that have adopted Bitcoin treasury strategies have done so without dedicated infrastructure for the latter. They hold an asset but lack a system for how they will accumulate, allocate, and risk-manage it over time.

That gap is what the DDC Treasury Intelligence Platform is designed to address — and why I believe it is the most strategically significant development we are announcing today.

Most companies buy Bitcoin. DDC is building the AI operating system for how corporations and treasury teams can manage it.

At the core of the platform is the DDC Treasury Graph — a governed internal knowledge framework that integrates our Bitcoin positions, transaction flows, market signals, and historical allocation decisions into a single, unified dataset. Every decision we have made, every market condition we navigated, every trade-off we evaluated becomes structured data that can inform the next decision.

The platform is built on four principles: Intelligence (aggregating and prioritizing relevant internal and external data); Decision Quality (structuring how capital allocation decisions are evaluated and documented); Governance (embedding Board-approved parameters with full auditability); and Compounding Edge (capturing each decision and market outcome to continuously refine future analysis). Together, these principles describe something that, to our knowledge, no other corporate Bitcoin treasury has built: a system that gets smarter over time.

The platform does not automate decisions. Management judgment remains the primary driver of every allocation. What the platform does is raise the quality and consistency of that judgment — ensuring that when we deploy capital, we do so with a structured view of the trade-offs, not intuition alone.

In its current phase, the platform is focused on DDC's internal treasury operations. That is where it needs to prove itself first, and where we will refine it. But the underlying architecture — an AI-enabled, governed knowledge graph for Bitcoin treasury decisions, has broader applicability as corporate Bitcoin adoption continues to scale. The question of how to manage a Bitcoin treasury at institutional scale is one that hundreds of public companies will need to answer in the coming years. We believe we are building infrastructure that will matter beyond our own balance sheet, and which could ultimately evolve into a broader solution and IP that other organizations rely on.

We are among the first to make this investment. And in technology infrastructure, as in Bitcoin accumulation, the advantage belongs to those who build early.

Looking Ahead: 2026 and Beyond

Our priorities for 2026 are clear.

On the food business: We will continue to grow in higher-margin markets, deepen our offline distribution channels in China, and drive further improvement in our cost structure. The consumer business is our operational anchor. It generates revenue stability, supports our team, and gives us the foundation to pursue our treasury ambitions from a position of strength, not desperation.

On Bitcoin accumulation: We will continue to execute in a measured, disciplined manner. Our capital structure gives us the flexibility to act opportunistically without overextending. We will not chase Bitcoin at any price. We will accumulate with conviction with a long-term mindset.

On yield: We will begin to explore selective, risk-managed opportunities to generate yield on our Bitcoin holdings. This will be guided by clearly defined risk parameters, high-quality counterparties, and an overriding priority on capital preservation. Yield is a complement to our accumulation strategy.

On the Treasury AI Platform: We will continue to expand its capabilities, deepen its dataset, and develop its models as our treasury operations grow. And as the platform matures internally, we will evaluate how its architecture can serve a wider universe of corporate treasury operators, as well as its application beyond treasury management.

Gratitude to the DDC Team and Our Shareholders

DDC is a company in transformation. That transition carries real costs in complexity and in the patience, it requires of our shareholders.

I do not take that patience for granted. I take it seriously. And the best way I know to honor it is to be direct with you: the reported numbers in 2025 show the full picture of a profitable and growing consumer food platform, a Bitcoin treasury among the top 30 in the world, and now a proprietary AI system for managing it — all inside a single listed company, built in less than twelve months.

We measure success not by quarters, but by decades. Bitcoin accumulation and strategic investments in AI are our core focus. I am very excited to the year ahead in 2026 for DDC.

Thank you for your trust, your partnership, and your belief in what we are building.

Sincerely,
Norma Chu
Founder, Chairwoman & Chief Executive Officer

About DDC Enterprise Limited

DDC Enterprise Limited (NYSEAMERICAN: DDC) is participating proactively in the corporate Bitcoin treasury evolution while maintaining its foundation as a leading global Asian food platform. The Company has strategically positioned Bitcoin as a core reserve asset while continuing to expand its portfolio of culinary brands. DDC is at the forefront of public companies integrating Bitcoin into their financial architecture. For more information, visit www.ddc.xyz.

Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this announcement are forward-looking statements. Investors can identify these forward-looking statements by words or phrases such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “aim,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “is/are likely to,” “potential,” “continue” or other similar expressions. Examples of forward-looking statements include those related to business prospects, accumulation of Bitcoin, and the Company’s goals and future activity under the financing transactions described above, including the statements on the closings of the offerings and the satisfaction of closing conditions and use of proceeds in the offerings. These statements are subject to uncertainties and risks including, but not limited to, the risk factors discussed in the Risk Factors and in Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations sections of our Forms 20-F, 6-K and other reports, including a Form 6-K which with copies of the definitive documents related to the above transactions, to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and available at www.sec.gov. Although the Company believes that the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot assure you that such expectations will turn out to be correct, and the Company cautions investors that actual results may differ materially from the anticipated results and encourages investors to review other factors that may affect its future results in the Company’s filings with the SEC. Additional factors are discussed in the Company’s filings with the SEC, which are available for review at www.sec.gov. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent occurring events or circumstances, or changes in its expectations that arise after the date hereof, except as may be required by law.

DDC FY2025 Shareholder Letter

DDC FY2025 Shareholder Letter

The prospect of a second round of talks was uncertain Tuesday after Iran’s chief negotiator said Iran would not negotiate in the face of threats while U.S. President Donald Trump offered mixed messages about the path ahead for the U.S. war against Iran, declaring that he was in no rush to end the conflict.

Mohammed Bagher Qalibaf, Iran’s chief negotiator and parliament speaker, wrote in a post on X early Tuesday that “We do not accept negotiations under the shadow of threats,” and the Islamic Republic has been preparing “to reveal new cards on the battlefield.”

Trump indicated that he still expects to dispatch his negotiating team, led by U.S. Vice President JD Vance, to Pakistan’s capital of Islamabad for talks, even as Iran insisted it would not take part until the U.S. leader dialed back his demands. Trump said he’s “highly unlikely” to renew the ceasefire before it expires Wednesday.

Since the war started, fighting has killed at least 3,375 people in Iran and more than 2,290 in Lebanon. Additionally, 23 people have died in Israel and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states. Fifteen Israeli soldiers in Lebanon and 13 U.S. service members throughout the region have been killed.

Here is the latest:

Iran said Tuesday it hanged a man convicted over allegedly setting fire to a mosque in northern Tehran during nationwide protests in January.

The judiciary’s Mizan news agency identified the man as Amir Ali Mir Jafari.

There was no immediate information about Jafari among activists who follow Iran.

Iran has been accused of repeatedly holding closed-door trials against suspects who can’t challenge the evidence placed against them.

Iran already has hanged people from the January protests, something that U.S. President Donald Trump had described as a red line before the recent war.

Shares are mixed in Asia and oil prices have slipped following the latest rise of U.S.-Iran tensions.

The lackluster start to trading Tuesday followed a modest retreat on Wall Street.

On Monday, the S&P 500 slipped 0.2% from its all-time high and the Dow industrials edged less than 0.1% lower. The Nasdaq composite fell 0.3%.

The price for a barrel of Brent crude oil remains above $95.

Trump attacked critics after a second round of talks with Iran was thrown into doubt by the U.S. Navy’s seizure of an Iranian-flagged cargo ship.

Financial markets have had vicious swings, both up and down, since the war began because of uncertainty about how long it may last.

The fear is that a long-term disruption could keep so much oil and natural gas off global markets that it creates a punishing wave of inflation for the global economy.

FILE - U.S. Vice President JD Vance, center, walks up a flight of stairs to meet with Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Saturday, April 11, 2026, in Islamabad, for talks about Iran. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, pool, File)

FILE - U.S. Vice President JD Vance, center, walks up a flight of stairs to meet with Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Saturday, April 11, 2026, in Islamabad, for talks about Iran. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, pool, File)

Hezbollah supporters hang portraits of Hezbollah fighters killed in Israeli airstrikes during their funeral procession in the southern village of Kfar Sir, Lebanon, Tuesday, April 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Hezbollah supporters hang portraits of Hezbollah fighters killed in Israeli airstrikes during their funeral procession in the southern village of Kfar Sir, Lebanon, Tuesday, April 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

FILE - Donald Trump is sworn in as the 47th president of the United States by Chief Justice John Roberts as Melania Trump holds the Bible during the 60th Presidential Inauguration in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Morry Gash, Pool, File)

FILE - Donald Trump is sworn in as the 47th president of the United States by Chief Justice John Roberts as Melania Trump holds the Bible during the 60th Presidential Inauguration in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Morry Gash, Pool, File)

A police officer walks past billboards near the Serena Hotel ahead of the second round of negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Tuesday, April 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

A police officer walks past billboards near the Serena Hotel ahead of the second round of negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Tuesday, April 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

A man on a scooter flashes a victory sign as he drives past a giant portrait depicting the war in the Middle East triggered by the U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran on Feb. 28, in the southern village of Kfar Sir, Lebanon, on Tuesday, April 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

A man on a scooter flashes a victory sign as he drives past a giant portrait depicting the war in the Middle East triggered by the U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran on Feb. 28, in the southern village of Kfar Sir, Lebanon, on Tuesday, April 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Police officers stand guard at a checkpoint on a barricaded ahead of the second round of negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Tuesday, April 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

Police officers stand guard at a checkpoint on a barricaded ahead of the second round of negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Tuesday, April 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House, Saturday, April 18, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House, Saturday, April 18, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Women share a moment as they look at a smartphone at the main gate of the Tehran University as a banner shows portraits of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, right, and the late revolutionary founder Ayatollah Khomeini in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, April 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Women share a moment as they look at a smartphone at the main gate of the Tehran University as a banner shows portraits of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, right, and the late revolutionary founder Ayatollah Khomeini in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, April 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A woman talks on her cellphone as she walks past a billboard showing Rais Ali Delvari, a national hero in an early 1900 uprising against British forces in southern Iran in the Persian Gulf, right, and the late Revolutionary Guard's navy chief Alireza Tangsiri, who was killed in the U.S.-Israeli strike in late March 2026, commanding the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, on a building at a square in downtown Tehran, Iran, Monday, April 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A woman talks on her cellphone as she walks past a billboard showing Rais Ali Delvari, a national hero in an early 1900 uprising against British forces in southern Iran in the Persian Gulf, right, and the late Revolutionary Guard's navy chief Alireza Tangsiri, who was killed in the U.S.-Israeli strike in late March 2026, commanding the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, on a building at a square in downtown Tehran, Iran, Monday, April 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A man mourns over the coffin of a Hezbollah fighter who was killed in the war between Hezbollah and Israel during a mass funeral in Bazouriyeh village, south Lebanon, Monday, April 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)

A man mourns over the coffin of a Hezbollah fighter who was killed in the war between Hezbollah and Israel during a mass funeral in Bazouriyeh village, south Lebanon, Monday, April 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)

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