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Safe, Safer, Safest? Cannabis banking bill isn’t dead

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The U.S. Congress keeps threatening to do something to support the cannabis industry’s access to banking, but so far, nothing has reached the finish line. However, the Safer Banking Bill, which sputtered at the end of 2024 after starting the year with great promise, could once again be resurrected.

Cornbread Hemp Co-Founder Jim Higdon recently took a trip to Washington D.C. to speak with politicians and rally support for the 2025 Farm Bill. Not only did he get some insights into the Farm Bill and rescheduling efforts, but also banking legislation.

Safest Banking

During his recent trip, Higdon said he learned that Senate staff is actively working on a new banking bill dubbed “Safest Banking.” This time around, the legislators aren’t trying to use an acronym, settling instead for a follow to “SAFE” and “SAFER.”

The latest version of the bill is expected to contain many of the same provisions, but one section is being rewritten, Higdon heard.

While many people in cannabis blame Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer for stalling the banking legislation, Higdon said it was Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell that thwarted Safer banking.

And once again, it will be up to McConnell as chairman of the Senate Rules Committee to bring it to the floor for a vote. Higdon said some had speculated that McConnell opposed the previous bills because of his position as the Republican Leader, an banner he longer holds. However, there’s still doubt about whether he has changed his tune regarding the banking issue.

“At least as I understand it in the present day,” Higdon said, “for safest banking to get out of the Senate, it will have to navigate Sen. McConnell as chairman of the Senate Rules Committee, which will be a challenge.”

Farm Bill

The 2024 Farm Bill, which was already two years overdue, received an extension until March 2025 – but even that deadline might get kicked down the road. Why? It’s not a priority for the Trump administration.

“What we know is that we’re not in the a hundred-day priority list, not for the Trump administration, not for the Congress,” Higdon said.

Attempts were made at the end of the Biden Administration to pass a new version, but a very restrictive amendment from Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL) added at the last minute turned off many representatives and the bill floundered. Higdon doesn’t mince words when it comes to the amendment, saying it would put him out of business.

“It said that any product with any amount of THC would be criminalized, even though there’s a billion-dollar market. And consumers expect safe products in this regard. So just for clarity, the Mary Miller Amendment would have put Cornbread out of business and many of our fellow brands,” Higdon said.

This time around, he said he doesn’t think there’s an appetite for a similar amendment in this Congress. However, “What that means in terms of how the Farm Bill ends up taking shape relative to the definition of hemp remains to be seen,” he added.

Wyden bill

Industry insiders are also keeping an eye on Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), who has spoken about his plans for a Cannabinoid Safety and Regulation Act. He introduced a similar bill in 2024 that would have established hemp standards, but it went nowhere.

Despite talking about it, there isn’t a version of the bill for this Congress yet.

“I believe that Sen. Wyden is shopping for a Republican co-sponsor,” said Higdon. “Republican co-sponsorship would of course come with significant edits to the bill as drafted. So there’s an effort at play, but there’s not a bill yet introduced and it’s not been introduced because they’re trying to find some common ground with Republicans on it.”

Rescheduling

While rescheduling efforts seem mired in the cogs of government procedures, Higdon noted that he heard rumblings that alternative paths might be under consideration.

“There is some talk that the Trump Administration could reinvigorate the Schedule III process and have the attorney general sign off on the HHS recommendation without the administrative law judge process that the Biden Administration put it through – a process that might not be statutorily necessary,” Higdon said.

He added that it’s clear the DEA has no desire to change the scheduling of cannabis, because the department depends on it for its existence.

“To strip it from its core purpose would have to be done over their head and without their consent,” he said.

Beverages

Another area with high interest is the collision of cannabis beverages and alcohol. Cornbread plans to launch its own beverage line in a few months and is running up against an entrenched distribution model built for alcohol in the 1930s. He said they want to monopolize the industry, and hemp beverage companies are disrupting this. Whether the alcohol world will allow these beverages to take market share remains to be seen.

Higdon said he expects to ramp up his visits to Washington, D.C., to fight for his business and for the hemp industry.

“What I want to tell you is that the hemp industry is in this with the cannabis industry. We’re not working against the cannabis industry. We’re working in tandem toward the same goal. And our primary goal is to find a path forward on the regulated product front that will benefit both hemp and cannabis in the end,” Higdon added.



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Banking

Safe Harbor Financial, FundCanna team up to tackle cannabis banking headaches

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The new partnership wants to solve the typical cannabis cash crunch for businesses through a referral deal.

Safe Harbor Financial (Nasdaq: SHFS) and FundCanna are joining forces to help cannabis businesses break through persistent banking and money barriers, the companies announced Thursday.

The new referral deal between Safe Harbor and fellow lender FundCanna creates a one-stop solution for marijuana operators who’ve been largely shut out of traditional banking services.

The setup: Safe Harbor will send clients to FundCanna when they need loans or equipment financing, while FundCanna will direct its borrowers to Safe Harbor’s banking services. All loan money will flow through Safe Harbor-managed accounts, keeping everything above board, according to the news release.

“This partnership delivers a practical, scalable solution that puts the financial needs of cannabis operators first,” said Terry Mendez, Safe Harbor’s new CEO, who’s trying to breathe new life into the company after a rough financial stretch.

Safe Harbor recently posted mixed results for 2024 – its lending business is booming – up 123% for the year – but the company still recorded a hefty $48.3 million loss. Still, Mendez, who took over earlier this year after Sundie Seefried’s retirement, has big plans to overhaul the company.

In March, he told shareholders he wants to transform Safe Harbor from just a cannabis banking operation into a comprehensive business services hub – including expanded lending, which the FundCanna deal supports.

FundCanna’s founder Adam Stettner says the partnership “brings together two trusted platforms dedicated to solving persistent financial barriers in cannabis.” His team has pumped $20 billion into various underserved businesses over two decades.

The collaboration comes as cannabis companies continue to struggle with cash constraints while traditional banks keep them at arm’s length due to federal prohibition. For Safe Harbor, which has already processed $25 billion in cannabis transactions since its 2015 founding, it says, the deal represents a key piece of Mendez’s vision to serve not just cannabis but eventually other “debanked” industries like crypto and gaming.



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Safe Harbor Financial lending income soars in 2024, but company still lands in the red

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Safe Harbor Financial (NASDAQ: SHFS) reported mixed financial results for the fourth quarter and full year of 2024 that ended Dec. 31, with revenue declines offset by growth in its lending business.

The company noted that its loan interest income increased 82% to approximately $1.8 million in the fourth quarter and jumped 123% to $6.6 million for the full year versus 2023.

Despite the growth in the lending segment, overall revenue declined to $15.2 million for 2024, down from $17.6 million in 2023. The company attributed the decrease primarily to reduced deposit activity and client onboarding income related to its previous Abaca acquisition.

“Throughout 2024, the lending arm of Safe Harbor was a driving force for the company,” said Terry Mendez, who joined as CEO earlier this year following the retirement of Sundie Seefried. “We continue to be an innovator in this sector as we instituted a new small business line of credit program while also originating several debt and credit facilities at market-competitive terms for numerous clients across the U.S.”

The company posted a sizable net loss of $48.3 million for 2024, versus a $17.3 million loss in 2023. That included around $43.9 million in non-cash valuation allowance on deferred tax assets and $9.1 million in goodwill and intangible asset impairment expenses.

Safe Harbor also said it had fully written down its goodwill and intangible assets to zero on its balance sheet as of the end of December.

Operating expenses fell significantly to $22.3 million in 2024, versus $38.3 million in 2023 – a 42% reduction. The company noted that compensation and employee benefits expenses decreased 25% due to lower stock-based compensation and headcount reductions.

In addition, Safe Harbor and Partner Colorado Credit Union (PCCU) entered into an amended commercial alliance agreement at the end of December that eliminates Safe Harbor’s indemnification obligations for any loan losses. The company also reported successfully modifying its debt obligation with PCCU in March, which it claims will unlock $6.4 million in cash flow over the next two years.

“This modification greatly improves our financial stability as we are able to unlock over $6 million in cashflow over the next two years and push the term of the debt obligation out to October 2030,” Mendez said.

Adjusted EBITDA was $2.9 million for 2024, down from $3.6 million in 2023. Safe Harbor also reported that its adjusted working capital stood at $2 million at year-end.

Cash and cash equivalents declined to $2.3 million at the end of 2024, versus $4.9 million at the end of 2023.

Safe Harbor noted that in January it had processed more than $25 billion in cannabis-related funds through its network of partner banks since its founding, a milestone the company reached on its 10th anniversary.

“One of the major reasons I joined Safe Harbor is the tremendous opportunity I see to build upon our strong foundation, to evolve from a single compliance solution into a provider of a broad array of services focused on addressing the needs of our clients,” Mendez said.

The company filed a notification of late filing with the SEC on Monday, saying it would need additional time to complete its annual report on Form 10-K. Safe Harbor cited the need to evaluate subsequent events including its debt modifications and valuation of deferred tax assets among the reasons for the delay.



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Chicago Atlantic BDC posts fourth-quarter profit jump, triples assets

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Chicago Atlantic BDC (NASDAQ: LIEN), formerly known as Silver Spike Investment Corp., reported $8 million in fourth-quarter profit on its investment income, the cannabis lender’s first financial results since its October loan portfolio deal.

The business development company recorded total investment income of $12.6 million and maintained its recently increased dividend of $0.34 per share. Total net assets reached $301.2 million by year-end, up from $82.5 million before the acquisition.

“We have continued to create a scaled, diversified portfolio of senior secured investments, generate highly attractive yields, and leverage our industry leading expertise in cannabis and other underserved lending markets,” CEO Peter Sack said in a statement.

Chicago Atlantic BDC acquired a $219.6 million portfolio from affiliate Chicago Atlantic Loan Portfolio LLC in October in exchange for 16.6 million newly issued shares. The deal gave CALP roughly 73% ownership of the company’s outstanding shares.

The company’s total investment portfolio reached $275.2 million across 28 companies by the end of December. No loans were on nonaccrual status at year-end.

Net asset value per share dipped slightly to $13.20 from $13.28 the previous quarter and $13.77 a year earlier, which the company attributed to dividend payments and transaction expenses.

Chicago Atlantic BDC continues to deploy capital rapidly, funding $24.8 million in new investments in the fourth quarter and another $20.8 million in early 2025 – about $45.6 million in new loans in total. The company in February nabbed a new $100 million revolving credit facility.

“We are quite proud of our achievements to date, including declaring two quarterly dividends of $0.34 per share, a 36% increase from the $0.25 per share dividend for the quarter,” Sack noted.

In the full year 2024, Chicago Atlantic BDC reported profit of $9.5 million on total investment income of $21.7 million. When excluding the $5.3 million in expenses related to the portfolio acquisition, the adjusted net investment income for the year was $14.8 million.



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