Gemini’s Q2 revenue rose 37% to $45.5 million, but when you look at the earnings report, exchange revenue actually fell 38%—they had to prop it up entirely with the credit card business. The market forecasts doubled, but that’s only an extra $0.5 million in revenue—barely enough to fill the gap.

In plain terms, these legacy exchanges are pivoting into consumer finance, making money from “slowly boiling a frog.” Next time there’s a bull market, don’t just brag about exchange trading volumes—see whether they have new lines of business that can actually generate cash flow.

Gossip aside, when choosing a platform, you still need to focus on the cash flow structure and not be fooled by the storefront branding.