UPDATE -- OBOOK Holdings Inc. (OWLS) issues Year-End CEO Letter to Shareholders

ARLINGTON, Va., Dec. 23, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --  OBOOK Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:OWLS) (the "Company" or "OwlTing") today issued Year-End Letter to Shareholders from its Founder and CEO, Darren Wang.

Dear Shareholders,

I have spent the past twelve years in the blockchain industry.

Over that time, I have witnessed multiple waves of technological change — and I have seen the same technology lead to very different outcomes. Some chose to chase market momentum and short-term gains. Others chose to invest their time and resources in work that was less visible, but built to endure.

During these twelve years, the question I have been asked most often is simple: "Why not move faster?"

It is a fair question, and one we have thought about deeply.

From the very beginning, I made a deliberate choice. I did not want to build increasingly complex, well-packaged financial products. I wanted to solve a real problem — one that exists in everyday life, yet has never been properly addressed.

A Problem Everyone Has Experienced

Consider a simple, familiar situation.

In 2025, sending a WhatsApp message to someone on the other side of the world takes one second and costs nothing. Yet sending money to that same place often takes days and comes with meaningful fees.

Why can information move instantly, while money cannot? Why can't money move as easily as a message?

This is not a technological limitation. The technology required for real-time value transfer has existed for years. The real constraint is responsibility.

Every movement of money carries obligations—anti-money-laundering requirements, source-of-funds verification, consumer protection, financial stability, and coordination across regulatory systems. For good reason, money must move within strict legal and licensing frameworks.

We do not view these frameworks as unreasonable barriers. On the contrary, they are what make financial systems trustworthy over the long term.

The true challenge is not bypassing regulation, but operating within it while meaningfully improving speed, cost, and reliability.

That challenge is precisely why OwlTing exists.

Long-Term Value as Our North Star

We believe the ultimate measure of our success is whether we create long-term value for our shareholders—much like Amazon, whose focus has always remained on durable, long-term outcomes.

That value comes from raising competitive barriers, entering markets early, and building positions that can be sustained over time. A strong global footprint enables higher-quality revenue, more stable cash flows, and more efficient capital deployment.

Because we take a long-term view, many of our decisions—and the way we evaluate trade-offs—differ from those of other companies. We believe it is important to share this philosophy clearly with our shareholders:

1. We remain uncompromising in our compliance-first, technology-driven approach, and we open these standards and capabilities to companies across industries to help them grow responsibly.
2. Our investment decisions are guided by long-term market leadership, not short-term profitability or market reactions.
3. We operate with disciplined cost management while preserving a builder's culture, recognizing that financial resilience depends on operational rigor.
4. We prioritize hiring exceptional talent and emphasize equity ownership over cash compensation, because great people ultimately determine long-term shareholder value.

These principles have guided our development for more than a decade, and they continue to define how we operate today.

Looking Back: Slow, but Built to Last

Over the past five years, we deliberately chose a slower—but structurally sound—path. Nearly every major decision came down to one question: Will this still make sense five or ten years from now?

Rather than chasing visibility or momentum, we focused on fundamentals: building systems correctly, completing licensing frameworks, and laying infrastructure designed for long-term use.

Over the past year in particular, we intentionally slowed down further to deepen our foundation. Most of our time and resources were dedicated to two areas that may not attract attention—but ultimately define long-term potential.

1.   Building the Rails for Money Movement

We chose to work with the most established and reliable partners in the financial ecosystem, rather than taking shortcuts.

Through our integration with Visa Direct, we expanded the role of card networks. Historically, cards were primarily tools for spending. Today, they can also be used to receive and move funds — allowing individuals and businesses to participate in cross-border money movement through existing card infrastructure.

At the same time, we integrated Stellar and the Circle Payments Network (CPN) and partnered with Cross River Bank, enabling USDC to move compliantly, in real time, and 24/7 between blockchain networks and the traditional banking system.

These integrations are not flashy. But they make stablecoins usable in real financial workflows — where repeat usage by banks and enterprises truly matters.

2.   Completing the Compliance "Passport"

If technology is the rail, compliance is the passport. Without it, even the fastest system cannot enter the mainstream financial system.

We have invested more than four years—and significant resources—building this foundation:

In the United States, we maintain money transmitter licenses (MTLs) in 39 states, covering the vast majority of major U.S. markets, and continue to expand and update our regulatory footprint as requirements evolve.

In Japan, we currently hold one API-based funds transfer license, with two additional payment and remittance licenses under active review.

In Europe, we hold a VASP license and are progressing with regulatory upgrades and consolidation.

These licenses are among OwlTing's quietest assets — but also its most critical. They determine not only what we are permitted to do, but whether institutions can trust us and adopt our infrastructure over time.

Our Focus for 2026: Lowering the Barrier to Stablecoin Access

As the foundation comes into place, our next priority is not adding complexity — but removing friction.

We want businesses and consumers to benefit from the speed and cost efficiency of stablecoins through familiar tools, whether debit cards or credit cards, without needing to understand the underlying infrastructure.

The user experience does not need to change. What changes is the settlement speed, cost structure, and reliability behind the scenes.

OwlTing is building financial infrastructure.

Like subways or highways, much of the work remains invisible until enough people rely on it. That is when the value becomes clear.

We cannot promise that every step will generate headlines. But we can promise that our decisions are made with the next decade in mind — and that they are built to withstand scrutiny over time.

If you are willing to take a longer-term view of this journey, we are deeply grateful for your trust.

The real challenge is not getting started. It is becoming something others can depend on.

2025 was a meaningful year for OwlTing. We completed a major transition in our business model and clarified the long-term path we are building toward. We are sincerely thankful to our users and shareholders—our progress this year and in the years ahead would not be possible without your support.

This is still Day 1.

Darren Wang

Founder & Chief Executive Officer

OwlTing Group (OBOOK Holdings Inc.)

About OBOOK Holdings Inc. (OwlTing Group)

OBOOK Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:OWLS) is a blockchain technology company operating as the OwlTing Group. The Company was founded and is headquartered in Taiwan, with subsidiaries in the United States, Japan, Poland, Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, and Malaysia. The Company operates a diversified ecosystem across payments, hospitality, and e-commerce. In 2025, according to CB Insights' Stablecoin Market Map, OwlTing was ranked among the top 2 global players in the "Enterprise & B2B" category. The Company's mission is to use blockchain technology to provide businesses with more reliable and transparent data management, to reinvent global flow of funds for businesses and consumers and to lead the digital transformation of business operations. To this end, the Company introduced OwlPay, a Web2 and Web3 hybrid payment solution, to empower global businesses to operate confidently in the expanding stablecoin economy. For more information, visit https://www.owlting.com/portal/?lang=en.

Safe Harbor Statement

Certain statements in this announcement are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are based on the Company's current expectations and projections about future events that the Company believes may affect its financial condition, results of operations, business strategy, and financial needs. Investors can identify these forward-looking statements by words or phrases such as "may," "could," "will," "should," "would," "expect," "plan," "aim," "intend," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "predict," "likely," "potential," "project," or "continue," or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances, except as required by law. Although the Company believes that the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot guarantee that such expectations will prove correct. The Company cautions investors that actual results may differ materially from those anticipated and encourages investors to review other factors that may affect its future results in the Company's registration statement filed with and declared effective by the SEC and other filings with the SEC, available at www.sec.gov.

OBOOK Holdings Inc. Media Relations

Michael Hsu, Public Relations Director

[email protected]