Block (SQ) Q2 Profit Jumps 176%

Key Points

• Gross profit (GAAP) rose 14.0% to $2.54 billion, outpacing management's internal targets for the period in Q2 2025.

• Revenue (GAAP) came in at $6.05 billion, missing analyst estimates by 1.6% (non-GAAP) and declining from the prior year in Q2 2025.

• Net income (GAAP) was $538 million, reflecting substantial operating leverage and cost control in Q2 2025.

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Block (NYSE:SQ), the fintech company best known for its Square point-of-sale and Cash App digital finance products, reported earnings for Q2 2025 on August 7, 2025. Results delivered strong growth in profitability, with net income (GAAP) and gross profit (GAAP) both increasing year-over-year. However, Block missed consensus revenue and adjusted earnings (non-GAAP) expectations. Adjusted earnings per share (non-GAAP) were $0.62 versus the analyst estimate of $0.63. and GAAP revenue was $6.05 billion compared with an analyst estimate of $6.30 billion. Altogether, the quarter highlighted Block's ability to grow profit even as user growth in its main Cash App business plateaued.

Source: Analyst estimates provided by FactSet. Management expectations based on management's guidance, as provided in Q1 2025 earnings report.

Block’s Business and Evolving Focus

Block operates a diverse digital financial ecosystem. Its main products are Square (a suite of commerce tools and payments services for businesses) and Cash App (a mobile app offering banking, payments, and more for consumers). The company also develops buy-now-pay-later solutions via Afterpay and bitcoin-focused payments and hardware tools.

Recently, Block has emphasized connecting its business and consumer ecosystems—a strategy that aims to boost cross-selling, product usage, and customer stickiness. Success depends on growing its network of engaged users and sellers, expanding features that encourage more transactions, and maintaining compliance in a tightly regulated sector. Block has focused heavily on rolling out new features to both Square and Cash App, with new offerings like lending ("Cash App Borrow" loans), group payments ("Pools"), and expanded buy-now-pay-later. Integrating Square with Cash App and targeting younger users are also central to its current approach.

Quarter in Detail: Earnings, Segment Moves, and Notable Developments

Operating results showed strong profit momentum, even as revenue (GAAP) missed analyst estimates in Q2 2025. Gross profit climbed to $2.54 billion, a 14% increase in Q2 2025, as the company grew both its subscription and transaction-based fee streams. Net income (GAAP) surpassed half a billion dollars, more than doubling from the prior year in Q2 2025.

Looking at product lines, Square (Block’s seller commerce platform) saw gross profit grow 11% year over year to $1.03 billion (GAAP) in Q2 2025. Growth was particularly strong outside the U.S, with international gross payment volume (the value of transactions processed) up 25% and now representing 19% of all Square payments in Q2 2025. This performance was driven by the launch of products like Square Handheld—a compact point-of-sale device—and advancements in artificial intelligence ("Square AI") that help sellers analyze their businesses faster and more easily. Square also debuted the ability for sellers to accept bitcoin payments using in-store hardware, with rollout expected to begin in the second half of 2025.

The Cash App business produced gross profit of $1.50 billion, up 16% year over year. However, user growth stalled, holding at 57 million monthly actives for four consecutive quarters through Q2 2025. While Cash App inflows per transacting active grew 8% year over year to $1,338. Monetization—the share of inflows that Block retains as revenue—increased only 9 basis points, reaching 1.62% in Q2 2025. Key new product rollouts included Cash App Borrow short-term loans (annualized originations of $18 billion, up 95%) and the Pools group payment feature in Q2 2025. Notably, almost 80% of sponsored teen accounts now have a Cash App Card as of June 2025, and card usage rose 8% among the broader user base.

Profitability measures improved across the board. Adjusted operating income rose nearly 38% to $550 million (non-GAAP), yielding a 22% adjusted operating income margin on gross profit. Operating leverage came partly from software and cloud cost reductions in Q2 2025, while sales and marketing expense rose to back new products and expansion—especially for field sales teams targeting bigger Square sellers and forging new international partnerships. Block also repurchased $692 million in shares during Q2 2025, with $1.5 billion of buyback authorization remaining as of June 30, 2025.

Revenue (GAAP), which also includes volatile, low-margin bitcoin activity, declined 1.6% year-over-year, owing partly to lower bitcoin-related revenue and flat user growth in the consumer segment in Q2 2025. Management noted a 53% rise in losses from lending and consumer loans on a GAAP basis, reflecting rapid expansion of Cash App Borrow in Q2 2025 but said loan loss rates remain within expected ranges. Adjusted free cash flow (non-GAAP) was negative $193 million, influenced by investments in working capital and lending capacity in Q2 2025.

SQ does not currently pay a dividend.

Looking Ahead: Guidance, Priorities, and Considerations

For the rest of fiscal 2025, management raised full-year guidance. Block now expects gross profit of $10.17 billion for FY2025, representing growth of over 14%, and adjusted operating income (non-GAAP) of $2.03 billion, or a 20% margin. For Q3 2025, Block forecasts gross profit of $2.60 billion and adjusted operating income of $460 million (18% margin) (non-GAAP).

Growth levers Block identified include expansion of Cash App's lending (Borrow), deeper integration of buy-now-pay-later, international growth for Square, increased focus on teen and family account segments, and the launch of Proto, its bitcoin mining hardware platform. However, competitive pressures—especially in payments and peer-to-peer money transfer—remain high, with pricing and fee compression affecting the sector generally. Management continues to base its forecasts on cautious macroeconomic assumptions, as reflected in its guidance.

Revenue and net income presented using U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) unless otherwise noted.

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JesterAI is a Foolish AI, based on a variety of Large Language Models (LLMs) and proprietary Motley Fool systems. All articles published by JesterAI are reviewed by our editorial team, and The Motley Fool takes ultimate responsibility for the content of this article. JesterAI cannot own stocks and so it has no positions in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Block. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.