Bitfarms Announces Request for Extension to File First Quarter Interim Financial Statements and Management’s Discussion and Analysis

Bitfarms Ltd. (“Bitfarms” or the “Company”) (TSXV:BITF), a blockchain infrastructure company that operates one of the largest cryptocurrency mining operations in North America, wishes to provide an update on the status of filing its interim consolidated financial statements, accompanying management’s discussion and analysis, and related CEO and CFO certifications for the first quarter ended March 31, 2020.

The Ontario Securities Commission (“OSC”) has acknowledged that the COVID-19 pandemic may present challenges for market participants in the meeting of certain obligations under Ontario securities law. On March 23, 2020, the OSC enacted Ontario Instrument 51-502 Temporary Exemption from Certain Corporate Finance Requirements providing a 45-day extension for certain periodic filings required to be made on or prior to June 1, 2020 as a result of COVID-19. Bitfarms will be relying on this extension period due to delays experienced as result of COVID-19.

Bitfarms will be relying on the OSC Temporary Exemption in respect of the following provisions:

  • the requirement to file interim consolidated financial statements for the three months ended March 31, 2020 within 60 days of Bitfarms’ financial quarter end as required by section 4.4 of National Instrument 51-102;
  • the requirement to file management’s discussion and analysis for the period covered by the interim consolidated financial statements within 60 days of Bitfarms’ financial quarter end as required by section 5.1(2) of National Instrument 51-102; and
  • the requirement to file certifications of the interim financial statements pursuant to section 5.1 of National Instrument 52-109.

The Company is working expeditiously and expects to file its first quarter financial statements and accompanying management’s discussion and analysis by June 25, 2020. In the interim, management and other insiders of Bitfarms are subject to a trading black-out policy as described, in principle, in section 9 of National Policy 11-207 Failure-to-File Cease Trade Orders and Revocations in Multiple Jurisdictions.

As required by the OSC Temporary Exemption, the Company announces that since the filing of its annual consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019, on April 29, 2020, the only material business development has been the Bitcoin Halving which occurred on May 11, 2020. As described in the notes to the Company’s annual consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2019, and the accompanying management’s discussion and analysis, the Bitcoin Halving reduced the block reward of Bitcoin blocks from 12.5 Bitcoin to 6.25 Bitcoin. The Bitcoin Halving takes place every 210,000 blocks have been mined (i.e. approximately every four years based on a 10 minute average block time). This event was well known in advance and fully expected.

Based on the initial readjustment of network Difficulty immediately after the Halving, Management is confident that the Company is well positioned to adapt to market changes brought about by the Halving and wishes to note that the OSC Temporary Exemption is not related to circumstances related to the Halving.

Given that profitability is required for self-acting agents to perform Mining to continue to support the validation of transactions, Management expects that the impact of the Bitcoin Halving is that market variables of Bitcoin price and Difficulty will adjust over time to ensure that Mining remains profitable. However, the period of market normalization after the Bitcoin Halving to incentivizing profitability levels is unknown. As a result, if Bitcoin price and Difficulty do not adjust over time to pre-Bitcoin Halving profitability levels or the period of market normalization after the Bitcoin Halving to pre-Bitcoin Halving profitability levels is prolonged, there is a risk that the Bitcoin Halving may render the Company unprofitable for a sustained time period such that it could be unable to continue as a going concern.

As required by the OSC Temporary Exemption, the Company will issue further press releases at 30 day intervals providing updates on material business developments, if any, including updates on the interim consolidated financial statements and accompanying management’s discussion and analysis for the quarter ended March 31, 2020.

About Bitfarms Ltd.

The Company owns and operates computing centres that power the global decentralized financial economy. Bitfarms provides computing power to cryptocurrency networks such as Bitcoin, earning fees from each network for securing and processing transactions. Powered by clean and competitively priced hydroelectricity, Bitfarms operates 5 computing centres in Québec, Canada. Bitfarms’ experienced management team includes industrial scale data centre operators and capital markets professionals, focused on building infrastructure for the future by developing and hosting the ecosystem growing around blockchain-based technologies.