SEC Form S-8 filed by Aqua Metals Inc.

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 16, 2026

Registration No. ______

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

_______________________

FORM S-8

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

Aqua Metals, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

_______________________

2026 Employee Stock Purchase Plan

(Full title of the plan)
_______________________

Eric West

Chief Financial Officer

Aqua Metals, Inc.

5370 Kietzke Lane, Suite 201

Reno, Nevada 89511

(Name and address of agent for service)

(775) 446-4418

(Telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filter, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.:

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial or accounting standards pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ☐

PART I

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE SECTION 10(a) PROSPECTUS

Item 1.         Plan Information

Aqua Metals, Inc. (the “Company”) has adopted its 2026 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (“Plan”). The maximum number of shares of common stock of the Company that are available for issuance under the Plan is 300,000 shares. This Registration Statement on Form S-8 is filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“Commission”) for the purposes of registering the 300,000 shares of the Company’s common stock issuable under the Plan.

The document(s) containing the information specified in Part I of Form S-8 will be sent or given to participants in the Plan as specified by Rule 428(b)(1) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). Such documents are not being filed with the Commission, but constitute, along with the documents incorporated by reference into this Registration Statement, a prospectus that meets the requirements of Section 10(a) of the Securities Act.

Item 2.         Registrant Information and Employee Plan Annual Information

The Company will furnish without charge to each person to whom the prospectus is delivered, upon the written or oral request of such person, a copy of any and all of the documents incorporated by reference in Item 3 of Part II of this Registration Statement and incorporated by reference in the Section 10(a) prospectus, other than exhibits to such documents (unless such exhibits are specifically incorporated by reference to the information that is incorporated). Written requests should be made to Investor Relations of Aqua Metals, Inc. at 5370 Kietzke Lane, Suite 201, Reno, Nevada 89511 or to the email address at [email protected].

PART II

INFORMATION REQUIRED

IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

Item 3.         Incorporation of Certain Documents by Reference

The following documents filed by the Company with the Commission are incorporated by reference into this Registration Statement:

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

Section 145 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “DGCL”) permits a Delaware corporation to indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than an action by or in the right of the corporation) by reason of the fact that the person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by the person in connection with such action, suit or proceeding if the person acted in good faith and in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe the person’s conduct was unlawful.

In the case of an action by or in the right of the corporation, Section 145 of the DGCL permits a Delaware corporation to indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action or suit by reason of the fact that the person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by the person in connection with such action, suit or proceeding if the person acted in good faith and in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation and except that no indemnification shall be made in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged to be liable to the corporation unless and only to the extent that the Court of Chancery or the court in which such action or suit was brought shall determine upon application that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all the circumstances of the case, such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses that the Court of Chancery or such other court shall deem proper.

Section 145 of the DGCL also permits a Delaware corporation to purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any person who is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against any liability asserted against such person and incurred by such person in any such capacity, or arising out of such person’s status as such, whether or not the corporation would have the power to indemnify such person against such liability under Section 145 of the DGCL.

Article Sixth of the Company’s First Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation states that to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL the Company’s directors shall not be personally liable to the Company or to its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director. If the DGCL is amended after the date hereof to authorize corporate action further eliminating or limiting the personal liability of directors, then the liability of the Company’s directors shall be eliminated or limited to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL, as so amended.

Article Sixth of the Company’s First Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation provides that the Company may, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, to provide indemnification of (and advancement of expenses to) its directors and officers, and authorizes the Company, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, to provide indemnification of (and advancement of expenses to) to other employees and agents (and any other persons to which the DGCL permits the Company to provide indemnification) through bylaw provisions, agreements with such directors, officers, employees, agents or other persons, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors or otherwise, subject only to limits created by the DGCL with respect to actions for breach of duty to our corporation, our stockholders and others.

Article Sixth of the Company’s First Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation provides that the Company may maintain insurance, at its expense, to protect the Company and any of its directors, officers, employees or agents against any such expense, liability or loss, whether or not we have the power to indemnify such person.

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act, may be permitted to the Company’s directors, officers or persons controlling the Company pursuant to the provisions contained in the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, Bylaws, the DGCL or otherwise, the Company has been informed that, in the opinion of the SEC, such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable. If a claim for indemnification against such liabilities, other than the payment by the Company of expenses incurred or paid by one of its directors, officers or controlling persons in the successful defense of any action, suit, or proceeding, is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person, the Company will, unless in the opinion of our counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by the Company is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of this issue.

Not applicable.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements of filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the city of Reno, Nevada on January 16, 2026.

POWER OF ATTORNEY

Each person whose signature appears below hereby constitutes and appoints Stephen Cotton and Eric West, and each of them, as such person’s true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent, each with full powers of substitution and re-substitution, for such person and in such person’s name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any or all amendments (including post effective amendments) to this Registration Statement, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorney-in-fact and agent full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite or necessary to be done in and about the premises, as fully to all intents and purposes as such person might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorney-in-fact and agent or his or her substitute or substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue thereof.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement has been signed on January 16, 2026 by the following persons in the capacities indicated.