Three-Year Vesting Ties Leadership Incentives to Long-Term Shareholder Value
TAMPA, Fla., Oct. 02, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — AtlasClear Holdings, Inc. (NYSE American: ATCH) (“AtlasClear” or the “Company”), a company building regulated financial infrastructure for smaller institutions, fintechs and advisors, today announced that its Compensation Committee and Board of Directors approved long-term stock option awards for members of the Company’s executive leadership team and Board of Directors.
The awards granted to the Company’s Board of Directors consist of stock options to purchase 626,881 shares of the Company’s common stock each, granted on October 1, 2026 under the AtlasClear Holdings, Inc. 2024 Equity Incentive Plan, as amended, which was previously approved by the Company’s shareholders, at an exercise price of $0.2010 per share, equal to the fair market value of the common stock based on its closing price on the NYSE American on October 1, 2026, the grant date. The options vest in equal annual installments over three years, subject to continued service. The grants also include options to purchase 150,451 shares awarded to directors for service on the board of the Company’s wholly owned subsidiary AtlasClearing, Inc. (155,451 for the Chairman of the AtlasClearing board).
“Scaling a correspondent clearing platform is work measured in years rather than quarters, and stock options help align the people doing that work with our shareholders’ long-term interests,” said Craig Ridenhour, President of AtlasClear Holdings. “The three-year vesting period is designed to retain key leaders, while the opportunity to benefit from future stock price appreciation provides an incentive to execute our strategy and build long-term shareholder value.”
The stock option awards were approved by the Compensation Committee of the Company’s Board of Directors. The Company views stock options as an important part of its strategy to attract, retain and motivate experienced executives and directors as AtlasClear continues to develop and expand its financial services platform. Because the options are priced at the market on the grant date, recipients benefit only if the stock price rises.
About AtlasClear Holdings, Inc.
AtlasClear Holdings, Inc. (NYSE American: ATCH) is building a technology-enabled financial services platform designed for trading, clearing, settlement, and banking for emerging financial institutions and fintechs. Through its wholly owned subsidiary AtlasClearing, Inc. (formerly Wilson-Davis & Co., Inc.), a full-service correspondent broker-dealer registered with the SEC and FINRA, and its planned acquisition of Commercial Bancorp of Wyoming, AtlasClear seeks to deliver a vertically integrated suite of brokerage, clearing, risk management, regulatory, and commercial banking solutions. For more information, follow us on LinkedIn or X and visit www.atlasclear.com.
To stay up to date on AtlasClear’s platform strategy and market perspective, subscribe to the Company’s YouTube channel and watch the Clearing the View by AtlasClear video series.
Forward-Looking Statements
This communication contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended, that reflect AtlasClear Holdings’ current views with respect to, among other things, its future operations and financial performance. Forward-looking statements in this communication may be identified by the use of words such as “anticipate,” “assume,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “future,” “intend,” “may,” “outlook,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “seek,” “should,” “target,” “will,” “would,” and similar expressions.
Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the expected retention, incentive and shareholder-alignment benefits of the stock option awards and expected future growth.
These statements are based on current expectations and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company’s control, and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Factors that could cause actual results to differ include, but are not limited to: the Company’s failure to enter into definitive agreements with the digital asset business or the Dawson James parties, or its failure to complete the proposed acquisitions on favorable terms or at all; failure to receive the required regulatory approvals for the proposed acquisitions, including the acquisition of Commercial Bancorp of Wyoming; the Company’s inability to integrate, and to realize the benefits of, the proposed acquisitions; delays in onboarding correspondent broker-dealers or the failure of correspondent relationships to generate the anticipated revenue; changes in general economic or political conditions; changes in the markets that AtlasClear targets; slowdowns in securities or digital asset trading or shifting demand for trading, clearing and settling financial products; and any change in laws applicable to AtlasClear or any regulatory or judicial interpretation thereof. For additional information regarding risks and uncertainties, please refer to the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2026. AtlasClear undertakes no obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements, except as required by law.
Company Contact:
AtlasClear Holdings, Inc.
Email: AtlasClearIR@atlasclear.com
Investor Relations Contact:
Jeff Ramson, CEO
PCG Advisory, Inc.
Email: jramson@pcgadvisory.com
