At the same time, Block is expanding newer initiatives, including its Bitcoin ($BTC) mining division Proto and an artificial intelligence project known as Goose.
Block shares ended Friday up nearly 5%. Source: Google Finance
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Block expected to post $403 million Q4 profit
Block is scheduled to release quarterly earnings on Feb. 26, according to Bloomberg. Analysts expect adjusted profit of about $403 million, or 68 cents per share, on revenue of roughly $6.25 billion for the fourth quarter, per the report.
The company last reported third-quarter net income of $461.5 million on $6.11 billion in revenue. Gross profit rose 18% year over year, driven by 24% growth in Cash App and 9% growth in Square, though the stock fell after the release as some performance metrics missed Wall Street expectations.
For the third quarter, Bitcoin generated about $1.97 billion in revenue, down from $2.4 billion a year earlier but still the company’s second-largest revenue stream. Block held 8,780 $BTC worth over $1 billion by the end of September, recording a $59 million quarterly valuation loss.
Related: Jack Dorsey urges tax-free status for ‘everyday’ Bitcoin payments
Square launches Bitcoin payments for merchants
In November last year, Square, the payments platform owned by Block, rolled out a Bitcoin payment option, allowing merchants to accept $BTC directly at checkout through its point-of-sale terminals. Sellers can process transactions in multiple ways, including Bitcoin-to-Bitcoin and automatic conversion between Bitcoin and fiat currency.
The launch added on earlier tools that let merchants convert a portion of daily card sales into Bitcoin as part of Square’s broader payment and wallet ecosystem. More than four million sellers across eight countries use Square.
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