** Shares of Exodus Movement EXOD.A up 5.8% at $16.06 premarket
** EXOD agreed to acquire W3C Corp, including its subsidiaries Baanx and Monavate for $175 million in cash
** Benchmark calls deal its most transformational move to date, positioning EXOD as first self‑custody crypto wallet with full end‑to‑end payments stack
** Deal is expected to close in first quarter of 2026
** EXOD's announcement follows its acquisition in early November of Grateful, merchant-focused Latin American stablecoin payments platform
** "We believe one of the transaction's most strategically important aspects for EXOD is how significantly it improves the predictability, durability, and diversification of its revenue streams," Benchmark says
** All eight brokerages rate stock "buy" or higher; their median PT is $41 - data compiled by LSEG
** As of last close, stock down ~50.52% YTD
(Reporting by Anuj T in Bengaluru)
((anuj.t@thomsonreuters.com))