AFRM FQ4'24 Shareholder Letter
AFRM FQ4'24 Shareholder Letter
AFRM FQ4'24 Shareholder Letter
Just over two years ago, we set a public goal of achieving profitability on an adjusted
operating income basis exiting FY’23. As our FY’23 ended, we were proud to report that we Gross Merchandise
achieved this goal. Adjusted operating income in FQ4’23 was just $15 million, but it had a plus Volume (“GMV”)
sign in front of it!
One year later – now – our adjusted operating income is $381 million for the full FY’24,
$150 million of it earned in the fourth fiscal quarter – thanks to continued product
$7.2B
+31%
improvements, merchant growth, attentive risk management, and excellent capital execution.
It is therefore only appropriate that we set another public goal today: we intend and expect
to be profitable on a GAAP basis in our fourth fiscal quarter, and plan to operate the Revenue
business while maintaining GAAP profitability thereafter.
Fortunately, we see no shortage of demand for the honest financial products Affirm builds and
the transactions these products enable.
$309M
+70%
We grew GMV at a rate exceeding 30% and revenue at a rate exceeding 45% – in both the
quarter and the fiscal year. Transactions on the Affirm network grew 42% year over year to
24.7 million in FQ4’24, and 15% sequentially vs. FQ3’24. Transactions per active consumer Operating Income (Loss)
continued to increase, reaching 4.9 in FQ4’24. Consumers transacting quarterly or more often
accounted for approximately 40% of all Affirm transactions in FY’24 (vs approximately 10% in
FY’21).
($73M)
+$170M
Turning to merchants, year-over-year growth in active merchant count accelerated for the third
quarter in a row, exceeding 300,000 as of the end of FY’24, as we continued to make it easier
to onboard Affirm and launched new products that resonated with both consumers and Adjusted Operating Income1
merchants. Today, we partner with the top three brands and commerce platforms in the U.S.
by market share. By the end of this calendar year, we expect that Affirm will be natively
integrated into four of the top digital wallets in North America. $150M
Yet, with GMV barely over 2% of U.S. and Canadian e-commerce, we’ve only just scratched +$135M
the surface of our opportunity. We are committed to continuing to demonstrate operating
leverage (it’s addictive once you get it right), but the governing constraint we feel today is the
Net Income (Loss)
challenge of selecting which, of the many, growth opportunities to pursue now versus later.
Our growth efforts are broadly divided into increasing consumer engagement and expanding
network reach.
($45M)
+$161M
1
Information about Affirm's use of non-GAAP financial measures is provided under "Key Operating Metrics, Non-GAAP Financial Measures and
Supplemental Performance Indicators" and "Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures" below, and reconciliations of GAAP results to non-GAAP All comparisons on a year-over-year basis
results are provided in the tables at the end of this letter.
Building on our roots in considered purchases, we have increased frequency of use and total spend with Affirm by offering
merchant-subsidized 0% and low APR deals and expanding the network to support smaller-sized, more frequent transactions. Our
consumer-first approach, unique features of the Affirm app, and the near-ubiquitous acceptance of the Affirm Card add reasons for
consumers to use our services wherever and whenever they need us. We have plenty more to do, but the results so far speak for
themselves.
Repeat consumer defined as a consumer that has transacted with Affirm at least twice.
Chart calculated as repeat consumers within an acquisition cohort as of the
measurement date divided by total consumers within the acquisition cohort.
Trailing Twelve Month Transactions and GMV Per Repeat Consumer defined as transactions and GMV, respectively, from repeat consumers within the trailing twelve month period divided by the
TBD…
number of total repeat consumers as of FQ4’24. For the purposes of the calculations used in creating these graphs, repeat consumers remained constant for each quarterly cohort presented.
The success of our continued efforts is even more apparent in cohortized repeat consumer transactions and GMV, shown on a
trailing 12-month basis. Recent cohorts showcase the steady improvement in how quickly each cohort of repeat consumers
ramps up their usage of Affirm in terms of both transaction frequency and total spend.
Accelerating the first repeat and improving subsequent frequency remain our top goals. In FY’25, we expect to refine the Affirm Card
experience further and integrate it better with the Affirm Money Account, expand our universal prequalification program, which helps
consumers better budget their purchases, and continue to invest in our app user experience. Our personalized transactional
incentives platform is live in our app and website with encouraging results, and we expect it to drive further engagement as we roll it
out widely.
Ending FY’24, our network had over 300,000 integrated active Another network growth vector is the expansion beyond North
merchants. While our consumers can transact at nearly all America. As we complete the necessary product and
merchants in the U.S. and Canada with the Affirm Card, direct engineering work, we’ve been active in the market for the last
integrations help us deliver a truly differentiated user few quarters, and expect to officially launch in the UK before
experience with Adaptive Checkout, underwrite each this calendar year wraps up.
transaction more precisely, and maximize merchant sales with
While we are far from first to launch a pay-later product in
Affirm.
Europe, we are encouraged by the merchant response to the
The sheer scale of our consumer base – we’ve underwritten Affirm way of treating consumers (no late fees, no deferred
about 50 million Americans – has become a significant interest, no gotchas, no funny stuff!) and the unique products
reason for merchants to add Affirm to their checkout pages. we bring to the market (flexible terms with customizable
This drives more consumers to sign up (or repeat!) with Affirm, payment options).
which, in turn, motivates more merchants to join us.
GMV is shown by the fiscal year in which it was realized. Merchant cohorts are based on the fiscal year in which a merchant was acquired by Affirm, with the acquisition date defined as the
date that Affirm first captured a loan with a merchant. This chart excludes GMV from outside the U.S., as well as Returnly and direct to consumer products such as Affirm Card and one-time
virtual cards. Expansion multiple defined as GMV realized during FY'24 for a given merchant cohort divided by the first 365 days of GMV after a merchant launched within the same merchant
cohort.
Growing profitably
The best insurance policy a payments and (especially) credit We made great progress in FY’24. The opportunities ahead of
company can have against whatever macro headwinds come us are significant, and we are excited to take full advantage of
at us next is a strong, resilient margin structure. The last them. Scaling the Affirm Card, amplifying engagement with
couple years of elevated Fed funds rate have given us personalized incentives, rolling out new integrations, going live
a chance to demonstrate that Affirm’s most important in the UK, and doing it all while achieving GAAP profitability is
advantage is our ability to find ways to win in very different our plan for FY’25, and we are off to a fine start.
macroeconomic conditions. Indeed, the $381 million of
All of this can only be accomplished by a team of truly
adjusted operating income we earned in FY’24 represents
ambitious, insanely hard-working, deeply mission-driven
an adjusted operating margin increase from (5%) in FY’23 to
people that is Affirm. Thank you Affirmers, and congratulations
16% in FY’24.
on another fantastic year.
While credit didn’t get a lot of airplay in this letter, we are
keeping a watchful eye on performance, which remains in line Onward,
with our expectations. We are also pleased to report that the
U.S. consumer continues to shop and to buy, and is more
open-minded than ever to the idea of honest financial products
that put them in control of their financial destiny. Max
1
Information about Affirm's use of non-GAAP financial measures is provided under "Key Operating Metrics, Non-GAAP Financial Measures and Supplemental Performance Indicators" and "Use of
Non-GAAP Financial Measures" below, and reconciliations of GAAP results to non-GAAP results are provided in the tables at the end of this letter.
Revenue
Total revenue grew 48% year over year to $659 million. ● Gain on sales of loans grew 116% as we sold more loans
Revenue as a percentage of GMV increased to 9.1%, than in prior periods, with gain on sale benefitting in part
compared to 8.1% in FQ4’23. The following factors contributed from the 2024-X1 transaction. The increase in loans sold
to revenue growth: was driven by a combination of better funding market
conditions, higher average revenue per dollar of GMV due
● Network revenue grew 28% year over year, in line with
to our pricing initiatives, and consistent execution by our
overall GMV growth.
Capital team.
● Interest income grew 57% year over year, driven by our
● Servicing income was a small contributor to overall
pricing initiatives and growth in loans held for investment.
growth, again driven by an increase in loans sold, which
led to a year-over-year increase in average off-balance
sheet platform portfolio.
Year-over-Year Change in
Revenue as a % of GMV
Year-over-Year Change in
RLTC as a % of GMV
Cost of funds defined as annualized funding costs divided by the average of funding debt
and notes issued by securitization trusts during the period
Credit Quality
30+ day delinquencies excluding Pay in 4 and Peloton loans increased slightly both year over year and compared to FQ3’24. In line
with normal seasonal behavior, we expect delinquencies to increase over the coming months and decline thereafter due to loans
originated during the holiday shopping season.
We continue to see strong performance from our recent vintages of Pay in 4 loans, with ultimate loss rates for vintages originated in
fiscal year 2024 tracking towards less than 1% of GMV.
● Expenses associated with amortization of the A through C ● Our outlook includes the expected financial impact of our
tranches of warrants granted to an enterprise partner are Affirm Money Account, the business-to-business (B2B)
expected to decline to $5 million per quarter in FQ3’25 and product, and our UK expansion. None of these initiatives
FQ4’25 compared to $74 million in FQ3’24 and $72 million are expected to be material growth contributors during
in FQ4’24. FY’25.
● FY’25 expenses associated with the “performance tranche” ● A recently-announced wallet partnership is not expected
of warrants granted to the aforementioned enterprise to contribute materially to financial results in FY’25. This
partner are expected to be similar to FY’24. reflects the early stage of the partnership which is
currently pre-commercialization.
Funding
Seasonality
● Equity Capital Required (“ECR”) as a percentage of Total
● The quarterly seasonality of FY’25 GMV is expected to be
Platform Portfolio (“ECR Ratio”) is expected to remain
consistent with FY’24, with the second and fourth fiscal
stable compared to FY’24.
quarters showing elevated volumes.
● Based upon the current forward interest rate curve which is
embedded in our outlook, benchmark interest rates are
expected to decline in FY’25 which should be a tailwind to
RLTC as a percentage of GMV.
2
A reconciliation of adjusted operating margin to the comparable GAAP measure is not available on a forward-looking basis without unreasonable effort due to the uncertainty regarding, and the potential
variability of, expenses that may be incurred in the future.
) )+ ) ) ) )+ ) )
QV UQTTQ V M M 9 G IVL M MV LI I VI LQ ML
9 G QV JQTTQ V .%) ,%, )-%- ) %)
E IT E IV I Q V V ) %. (.% 0(%( - %,
E IT CM MV M VM -,0%) ,%/ ) ) % ( ,//%
E IT CM MV M I I N9 G 0%( /%( /%. .%0
E IV I Q V 5 V$933A 0%/ )- %. ( )/%, 0()%,
E IV I Q V 5 I I N9 G %/ %/ ,% %,
CM MV M M E IV I Q V 5 V$
933A 0% (/)%( 00 %, -.,%,
CM MV M M E IV I Q V 5 I I N
9 G V$933A % % %. %
M I QVO . %, ) %/ -(,%/ () %0
M I QVO I OQV ((%( , %. )-%, .,%-
3LR ML M I QVO ;V UM V$
933A ( 0%/ ( %. / %0 .)%
3LR ML M I QVO I OQV V$933A ))%. % (-% %-
M ,%( ) -% ,(.%/ 0/,%
WN $ ) )+ WN $) ) WN $ ) ))
VI LQ ML
3 Q M5 V UM QV UQTTQ V (/%. (-%, ( %
E IV I Q V M 3 Q M5 V UM %0 %0 %
3 Q M M PIV QV P IVL % ), %( ) %/
E IT ATI N U A N TQ V$933A QV JQTTQ V ((% /%. .%(
7Y Q a 5I Q IT CMY Q ML V$933A QV UQTTQ V ,0-% .)%- ) -%(
7Y Q a 5I Q IT CMY Q ML I I N E IT ATI N U A N TQ V$
933A ,% ,% )%0
3TT IV M N 5 MLQ M I I N IV :MTL N ;V M UMV ,%, %- -%)
Gross Merchandise Volume (“GMV”) - The Company defines GMV as the total dollar amount of all transactions on the
Affirm platform during the applicable period, net of refunds. GMV does not represent revenue earned by the Company.
However, the Company believes that GMV is a useful operating metric to both the Company and investors in assessing the
volume of transactions that take place on the Company's platform, which is an indicator of the success of the Company's
merchants and the strength of that platform.
Active Consumers - The Company defines an active consumer as a consumer who engages in at least one transaction
on its platform during the twelve months prior to the measurement date. The Company believes that active consumers is a
useful operating metric to both the Company and investors in assessing consumer adoption and engagement and
measuring the size of the Company's network.
Transactions per Active Consumer - Transactions per active consumer is defined as the average number of transactions
that an active consumer has conducted on its platform during the twelve months prior to the measurement date. The
Company believes that transactions per active consumer is a useful operating metric to both the Company and investors
in assessing consumer engagement and repeat usage, which is an indicator of the value of the Company's network.
Transaction Costs - The Company defines transaction costs as the sum of loss on loan purchase commitment, provision
for credit losses, funding costs, and processing and servicing expense. The Company believes that transaction costs is a
useful financial measure to both the Company and investors of those costs, which vary with the volume of transactions
processed on the Company's platform.
Transaction Costs as a Percentage of GMV - The Company defines transaction costs as a Percentage of GMV as
transaction costs, as defined above, as a percentage of GMV, as defined above. The Company believes that transaction
costs as a percentage of GMV is a useful financial measure to both the Company and investors as it approximates the
variable cost efficiency of transactions processed on the Company's platform.
Revenue Less Transaction Costs (“RLTC”) - The Company defines revenue less transaction costs as GAAP total revenue
less transaction costs, as defined above. The Company believes that revenue less transaction costs is a useful financial
measure to both the Company and investors of the economic value generated by transactions processed on the
Company's platform.
Revenue Less Transaction Costs as a Percentage of GMV - The Company defines revenue less transaction costs as a
percentage of GMV as revenue less transaction costs, as defined above, as a percentage of GMV, as defined above. The
Company believes that revenue less transaction costs as a percentage of GMV is a useful financial measure to both the
Company and investors of the unit economics of transactions processed on the Company's platform.
Adjusted Operating Income - The Company defines adjusted operating income as its GAAP operating loss, excluding: (a)
depreciation and amortization; (b) stock-based compensation included in GAAP operating loss; (c) the expense related to
warrants and share-based payments granted to enterprise partners; (d) restructuring costs included in GAAP operating
loss; and (e) certain other costs as set forth in the reconciliation of adjusted operating income (loss) to GAAP operating
loss included in the tables at the end of this letter. Adjusted operating income is presented because the Company believes
that it is a useful financial measure to both the Company and investors for evaluating its operating performance and that it
facilitates period to period comparisons of the Company's results of operations as the items excluded generally are not a
function of the Company's operating performance.
Total Platform Portfolio - The Company defines total platform portfolio as the unpaid principal balance outstanding of all
loans facilitated through its platform as of the balance sheet date, including loans held for investment, loans held for sale,
and loans owned by third-parties. The Company believes that total platform portfolio is a useful financial measure to both
the Company and investors in assessing the scale of funding requirements for the Company's network.
Equity Capital Required (“ECR”) - The Company defines equity capital required as the sum of the balance of loans held
for investment and loans held for sale, less the balance of funding debt and notes issued by securitization trusts as of the
balance sheet date. The Company believes that equity capital required is a useful financial measure to both the Company
and investors in assessing the amount of the Company's total platform portfolio that the Company funds with its own
equity capital.
Equity Capital Required as a Percentage of Total Platform Portfolio (“ECR Ratio”) - The Company
defines equity capital required as a percentage of total platform portfolio as equity capital required, as defined above, as a
percentage of total platform portfolio, as defined above. The Company believes that equity capital required as a
percentage of total platform portfolio is a useful financial measure to both the Company and investors in assessing the
proportion of outstanding loans on the Company's platform that are funded by the Company's own equity capital.
Non-GAAP Sales and Marketing Expense - The Company defines non-GAAP sales and marketing expense as GAAP
sales and marketing expense, excluding: (a) depreciation and amortization; (b) stock-based compensation included in
GAAP operating loss; (c) the expense related to warrants and share-based payments granted to enterprise partners; and
(d) certain other costs as set forth in the reconciliation of adjusted operating income (loss) to GAAP operating loss included
in the tables at the end of this letter. Non-GAAP sales and marketing expense is presented because the Company believes
that it is a useful financial measure to both the Company and investors of its sales and marketing activities and that it
facilitates period to period comparisons of the Company's sales and marketing as the items excluded generally are not a
function of the Company's operating performance.
Non-GAAP Technology and Data Analytics Expense - The Company defines non-GAAP technology and data analytics
expense as GAAP technology and data analytics expense, excluding: (a) depreciation and amortization; (b) stock-based
compensation included in GAAP operating loss; and (c) certain other costs as set forth in the reconciliation of adjusted
operating income (loss) to GAAP operating loss included in the tables at the end of this letter. Non-GAAP technology and
data analytics expense is presented because the Company believes that it is a useful financial measure to both the
Company and investors of its technology and data analytics activities and that it facilitates period to period comparisons
of the Company's technology and data analytics as the items excluded generally are not a function of the Company's
operating performance.
Non-GAAP General and Administrative Expense - The Company defines non-GAAP general and administrative expense
as GAAP general and administrative expense, excluding: (a) depreciation and amortization; (b) stock-based compensation
included in GAAP operating loss; and (c) certain other costs as set forth in the reconciliation of adjusted operating income
(loss) to GAAP operating loss included in the tables at the end of this letter. Non-GAAP general and administrative expense
is presented because the Company believes that it is a useful financial measure to both the Company and investors as it
facilitates period to period comparisons of the Company's general and administrative costs as the items excluded
generally are not a function of the Company's operating performance.
WN $ ) )+ WN $) )
2 N
5I P IVL I P MY Q ITMV ( ( ( - /0) ).
CM Q ML I P )/) )0 -. 0(.
DM Q QM I IQTIJTM N ITM I NIQ IT M ( ( ( -)/ ( (. -,
IV PMTL N ITM - .-
IV PMTL N QV M UMV , -. ,- ) 0-)
3TT IV M N MLQ T M 0 0. ) , (
IV PMTL N QV M UMV VM , - 0,0 (0/ (
3 V M MQ IJTM VM , )/ (00 /,
A M a MY Q UMV IVL N I M VM ). -/- )0 ( ,
9 L QTT , 0 , ) ,.(
;V IVOQJTM I M ( , )
5 UUM QIT IO MMUMV I M ( - ) (.. -.)
PM I M )00 )./ -(
E JU J N 0$,(0$-(0 $(,,$-(,
RJKRUR RN JWM LTQ UMN d N Rb
QIJQTQ QM 1
3 V IaIJTM ( (0 )/ - )
AIaIJTM PQ L$ I a T IV VM (,0 - , /,)
3 ML QV M M IaIJTM ) ). ( 0/
3 ML M MV M IVL PM TQIJQTQ QM ( . )0 (/ //
5 V M QJTM MVQ V M VM ( ( ( ( ) /
M Q ML Ja M Q QbI Q V ) - /. ) (-, ,..
8 VLQVO LMJ (/ -0 0 ( .- /()
E JU URJKRUR RN -$. .$- ,$-)($+ )
D SP TLM e MY Q a1
5TI c3 UU V S I IT M % ( M PI M1 PI M
I P QbML )-. , ,- PI M Q ML IVL IVLQVO I N VMc ) ) 2
PI M I P QbML ) . ) /( PI M Q ML IVL IVLQVO I
N VMc ) ) ) )
5TI c4 UU V S I IT M % ( M PI M1 ( PI M
I P QbML . . ,., PI M Q ML IVL IVLQVO I N VMc ) ) 2
( PI M I P QbML ,0 -(, / - PI M Q ML IVL IVLQVO I N
VMc ) ) ( (
3LLQ Q VIT IQL QV I Q IT , /-) ,,, ,( /,
3 U TI ML LMNQ Q ( 0 ) ,0( ) .
3 U TI ML PM U MPMV Q M T )( ,-, (, )
E IT SP TLM e MY Q a ) . ( 0/0 ), (/
E JU URJKRUR RN JWM LTQ UMN d N Rb 0$,(0$-(0 $(,,$-(,
WN $ ) )+ WN $) ) WN $ ) ))
QV P IVL
IV PMTL N QV M UMV , -. ,- ) 0-) ), ,-(
3LL1 IV PMTL N ITM - .- ) -.
M 1 8 VLQVO LMJ (/ -0 0 ( .- /() -.) ,..
M 1 M Q ML Ja M Q QbI Q V ) - /. ) (-, ,.. ( -). ,/
6 R b LJYR JU N R NM W%822A ,0-$ ( +.)$-+0 ) -$ .+
PM V Q NM MV M QV ML QV PM M Q L I QI ML Q P PM 5 U IVae I Y Q Q Q V QU IQ UMV PI OM IVL M Q IVL LQ IT
W QUb :W JUUVNW JW
EQ NN W Q 6WMRWP
DNY NVKN 5NLNVKN ( J LQ ( WN
5Jb 5NURW NWLRN
8H ) (/ %0 %/ )%0 )%-
8H ) (0 )%0 )%, )% (%0
8H ) ) )%, )%( (%0 (%(
8H ) )( %/ %/ %. %0
8H ) )) (%, (%- )%( )%(
8H ) ) )%. )% )% )%(
8H ) ) )% )% )% )%
- 5Jb 5NURW NWLRN
8H ) (/ )% )%) (%. (%
8H ) (0 (%- (% (%) (%(
8H ) ) (% (%) (%( %/
8H ) )( %, % % %,
8H ) )) %0 %0 (%) (%)
8H ) ) (%- (%, (% (%)
8H ) ) (% (% (% (%,
0 5Jb 5NURW NWLRN
8H ) (/ (% (% %/ %-
8H ) (0 %/ %. %, %,
8H ) ) %- %- %, %
8H ) )( %) %) %) %)
8H ) )) % % %, %,
8H ) ) %. %. %- %,
8H ) ) %. %. %- %-