The Albany Gazette - AI Financial Corporation Completes Acquisition of Block Street

LAS VEGAS, NV / ACCESS Newswire / April 30, 2026 / AI Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:AIFC)(FRA:5AR1) ("AiFi" or the "Company"), a fintech company providing blockchain-powered payment, trading, and settlement infrastructure for digital assets, today announced the completion of its acquisition of Block Street Corp. ("Block Street"), a platform designed to support token issuances aligned with applicable regulatory frameworks and real-world asset tokenization.

The acquisition represents a strategic step toward expanding the Company's platform into tokenized capital formation with the objective of increasing transaction volume, settlement activity, and overall platform utilization over time. The transaction was completed following the satisfaction of customary closing conditions.

Industry Transition
Financial markets are experiencing increasing interest in on-chain infrastructure as activity expands beyond traditional off-chain systems, driven by the growth of Web3 technologies, tokenization of real-world assets, and the increasing adoption of stablecoins for settlement.

These developments are beginning to extend beyond digital-native assets into broader financial markets, including equities, commodities, and other instruments, where blockchain-based systems may enable more efficient, transparent, and programmable financial transactions.

Recent industry estimates, including data from RWA.xyz, suggest that the value of tokenized assets on public blockchains has grown to tens of billions of dollars, with continued expansion expected as institutional participation increases.

The Company believes this evolution will drive growing demand for infrastructure across payments, settlement, and tokenization. The addition of Block Street's capabilities positions the Company to participate in this shift, supporting the continued buildout of on-chain financial infrastructure, while also potentially accelerating the growth of its other product lines.

Platform Expansion
Block Street has developed infrastructure that is designed to bring elements of traditional capital formation on-chain, enabling companies to pursue tokenized offerings aligned with applicable regulatory considerations.

The platform has undergone third-party security audits, including reviews and assessments, conducted by Halborn and Hashlock.

The Block Street team brings experience across digital asset markets, including prior involvement in tokenized asset initiatives, blockchain-based financial infrastructure, and digital capital formation projects across both digital-native and institutional market segments. While the Company has not yet deployed these capabilities commercially, management intends to evaluate integration in a well-organized manner, with consideration of applicable regulatory requirements.

Strategic Fit
The acquisition reflects the Company's broader approach to expanding its platform in a measured and disciplined manner as financial systems continue to evolve.

Block Street is designed to extend the Company's existing infrastructure into adjacent areas of financial activity, where elements of capital formation, payments, and settlement are expected to intersect over time.

This includes evaluating how traditional financial workflows and emerging on-chain systems can be supported within a unified infrastructure framework.

As part of this approach, the Company believes the acquisition may, over time, support:

• Expansion of payment processing into tokenized financial assets

• Increased transaction flow and settlement volume

• Additional use cases aligned with digital capital formation

• Broader utilization of existing payment and settlement infrastructure

These efforts remain subject to further development, capital availability, and regulatory considerations, and there can be no assurance regarding the timing or scope of any such potential outcomes.

The Company's core platforms, ALT5 Pay, ALT5 Prime, and Stradacarte, will continue to serve as the primary commercial foundation of the business.

Management Commentary
Tony Isaac, President and Chief Executive Officer, stated:

"The acquisition of Block Street reflects our strategy to extend AiFi's existing payments, trading, and settlement infrastructure into emerging areas of financial activity. Financial markets are increasingly moving toward on-chain systems, with stablecoins and tokenized assets driving new forms of transaction flow. Our approach is to expand our payment processing platform into these emerging areas in a disciplined and compliant manner, while positioning the Company to participate in the long-term development of digital financial infrastructure."

Matt Morgan, Chief Executive Officer of Block Street, added:

"The global financial system is steadily transitioning on-chain, as both digital-native assets and traditional financial instruments move toward more transparent and programmable infrastructure. We believe AiFi's existing payment infrastructure and market reach provide a strong operational foundation to bring high-quality tokenized projects to market in a manner aligned with applicable regulatory considerations. Together, we are well positioned to support the next wave of on-chain financial innovation."

Matt Morgan and Derek Peterson of Block Street will be instrumental in supporting AiFi's strategic initiatives and enhancing its long-term vision, including platform integration, commercialization efforts, and broader market positioning. Both are repeat founders with experience navigating regulated financial environments across digital asset markets and traditional finance. Their combined experience and leadership will support AiFi's continued platform evolution as the Company works to expand its financial infrastructure.

About AI Financial Corporation
AI Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:AIFC)(FRA:5AR1) is a fintech company providing global payments, trading, and settlement infrastructure for digital assets, including solutions that support crypto-to-fiat and fiat-to-crypto transactions. Built on infrastructure that has processed more than $8 billion in cumulative transaction volume since inception, AiFi serves institutional and enterprise clients across the evolving digital financial ecosystem. The Company is focused on expanding its platform capabilities to support emerging forms of financial activity, including tokenization, software-driven financial systems, and AI-enabled applications and autonomous transaction infrastructure.

About Block Street Corp.
Block Street Corp. is a platform focused on supporting on-chain capital formation, with infrastructure designed to facilitate tokenized offerings aligned with applicable regulatory considerations. The platform is designed to enable companies to explore alternative approaches to capital access by leveraging blockchain-based systems for issuances, settlement, and investor participation.

Its development has been centered on bridging elements of traditional capital markets with emerging digital asset infrastructure, reflecting the broader convergence between off-chain financial systems and on-chain technologies. This includes evaluating how blockchain-based frameworks may support more transparent, programmable, and efficient capital formation processes over time.

Block Street's approach has been informed by evolving regulatory discussions in the United States and globally, including legislative and policy developments related to digital assets and market structure. These developments are contributing to increased focus on how tokenized assets and blockchain-based financial systems may operate within established regulatory frameworks.

The platform has been developed by a team with experience across digital asset markets and traditional financial services, including involvement in blockchain-based initiatives and capital markets activities. This combined perspective has informed Block Street's focus on aligning emerging technologies with established financial processes and market expectations.

Block Street's capabilities have not yet been deployed within the Company's commercial platform and will be evaluated for potential integration over time, subject to technical development, regulatory considerations, and capital availability.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements generally relate to future events or the Company's future financial or operating performance and may include statements regarding the expected benefits of the acquisition, the Company's strategic direction, and potential future initiatives.

In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "may," "will," "could," "should," "expect," "plan," "anticipate," "intend," "believe," "estimate," "potential," "continue," or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. These statements are based on management's current expectations, assumptions, and beliefs, and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements.

These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: the Company's ability to successfully integrate Block Street's operations and technology; the timing and extent of any commercial deployment of acquired capabilities; the Company's ability to realize anticipated benefits from the acquisition; the availability of capital to support future development; the Company's ability to develop, acquire, or integrate new technologies; the Company's ability to execute on its strategy under its new corporate identity and ticker symbol; changes in market conditions; regulatory developments affecting the Company's business; and other risks and uncertainties described in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent filings.

Forward-looking statements relating to potential future platform capabilities, including those associated with tokenized assets and on-chain financial infrastructure, are subject to ongoing evaluation. The Company does not currently offer certain of these capabilities within its commercial platform, and there can be no assurance that such capabilities will be successfully developed or implemented.

Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by law.

Investor Relations
Gateway Group, Inc.
Phone: +1 (949) 574-3860
Email: [email protected]

SOURCE: AI Financial Corporation

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