Fair Value Measurements

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2023

4. Fair Value Measurements

The fair value of financial instruments is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability (i.e., “the exit price”) in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. ASC 820,

Fair Value Measurement

, establishes a hierarchy for inputs used in measuring fair value that maximizes the use of observable inputs and minimizes the use of unobservable inputs by requiring that the most observable inputs be used when available. Observable inputs are inputs that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability developed based on market data obtained from independent sources. Unobservable inputs reflect assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability developed based on the best information available in the circumstances. The hierarchy is broken down into three levels based on the transparency of inputs as follows:

Level 1 – Quoted prices for identical instruments in active markets.

Level 2 – Quoted prices for similar instruments in active markets; quoted prices for identical or similar instruments in markets that are not active; and model-derived valuations whose inputs are observable or whose significant value drivers are observable.

Level 3 – Instruments whose significant drivers are unobservable.

The availability of observable inputs can vary from product to product and is affected by a wide variety of factors, including, for example, the type of product, whether the product is new and not yet established in the marketplace, and other characteristics particular to the transaction. To the extent that valuation is based on models or inputs that are less observable or unobservable in the market, the determination of fair value requires more judgment. Accordingly, the degree of judgment exercised by management in determining fair value is greatest for instruments categorized in Level 3. In certain cases, the inputs used to measure fair value may fall into different levels of the fair value hierarchy. In such cases, for disclosure purposes, the level in the fair value hierarchy within which the fair value measurement in its entirety falls is determined based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement in its entirety.

The tables below summarize the categorization of the Company’s assets and liabilities measured at fair value. During the three and six months ended June 30, 2023 and 2022, there were no transfers between Levels 2 and 3.


	June 30, 2023
	Total		Level 1		Level 2		Level 3
Assets:
Recurring fair value measurements:
Cash equivalents	$	195	$	195	$	—	$	—
Financial instruments owned, at fair value:
ETFs		26,509		26,509		—		—
Pass-through GSEs		26,107		—		26,107		—
Other assets—seed capital (WisdomTree Digital Funds):
U.S. treasuries		4,794		4,794		—		—
Equities		5,514		5,514		—		—
Fixed income		1,908		—		1,908		—
Other		660		—		660		—
Investments in Convertible Notes (Note 7):
Securrency, Inc.—convertible note		13,836		—		—		13,836
Securrency, Inc.—secured convertible note		8,887		—		—		8,887
Fnality International Limited—convertible note		7,879		—		—		7,879

Total	$	96,289	$	37,012	$	28,675	$	30,602


	June 30, 2023
	Total		Level 1		Level 2		Level 3
Non-recurring fair value measurements:
Securrency, Inc.—Series A convertible preferred stock (1)	$	3,588	$	—	$	—	$	3,588

(1)	Fair value determined on March 31, 2023.


	December 31, 2022
	Total		Level 1		Level 2		Level 3
Assets:
Recurring fair value measurements:

Cash equivalents	$	930	$	930	$	—	$	—
Financial instruments owned, at fair value
ETFs		23,772		23,772		—		—
U.S. treasuries		2,980		2,980		—		—
Pass-through GSEs		96,837		23,290		73,547		—
Corporate bonds		885		—		885		—
Other assets—seed capital (WisdomTree Digital Funds)		1,765		—		1,765		—
Investments in Convertible Notes (Note 7)
Securrency, Inc.—convertible note		14,500		—		—		14,500
Fnality International Limited—convertible note		6,921		—		—		6,921

Total	$	148,590	$	50,972	$	76,197	$	21,421

Non-recurring fair value measurements:
Other investments (1)	$	312	$	—	$	—	$	312

Liabilities:
Recurring fair value measurements:
Deferred consideration—gold payments (Note 9)	$	200,290	$	—	$	—	$	200,290

(1)	Fair value determined on May 10, 2022.

Recurring Fair Value Measurements – Methodology

Cash Equivalents (Note 3)

– These financial assets represent cash invested in highly liquid investments with original maturities of less than 90 days. These investments are valued at par, which approximates fair value, and are classified as Level 1 in the fair value hierarchy.

Financial instruments owned (Note 5)

– Financial instruments owned are investments in ETFs, U.S. treasuries, pass-through GSEs, equities, fixed income and other assets. ETFs, U.S. treasuries and equities are generally traded in active, quoted and highly liquid markets and are therefore classified as Level 1 in the fair value hierarchy. Pricing of pass-through GSEs, corporate bonds and fixed income include consideration given to collateral characteristics and market assumptions related to yields, credit risk and timing of prepayments and are therefore generally classified as Level 2. Pass-through GSE positions invested in through a fund structure with a quoted market price on an exchange are generally classified as Level 1.

Fair Value Measurements classified as Level

– The following table presents a reconciliation of beginning and ending balances of recurring fair value measurements classified as Level 3:


	Three Months Ended June 30,				Six Months Ended June 30,
	2023		2022		2023		2022
Investments in Convertible Notes (Note 7)
Beginning balance	$	17,502	$	6,700	$	21,421	$	—
Purchases		10,000		5,000		10,000		11,863
Net unrealized gains/(losses) ( 1)		3,100		12		(819)		(151)

Ending balance	$	30,602	$	11,712	$	30,602	$	11,712

Deferred Consideration (Note 9)
Beginning balance	$	179,831	$	245,177	$	200,290	$	228,062
Net realized losses (2)		1,583		4,446		6,069		8,896
Net unrealized (gains)/losses (3)		(41,361)		(2,311)		(61,953)		14,707
Settlements		(140,053)		(4,545)		(144,406)		(8,898)

Ending balance	$	—	$	242,767	$	—	$	242,767

(1)	Recorded in other gains and losses, net in the Consolidated Statements of Operations.

(2)	Recorded as contractual gold payments expense in the Consolidated Statements of Operations.

(3)

Recorded as gain/(loss) on revaluation/termination of deferred consideration—gold payments in the Consolidated Statements of Operati