UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d)

OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): January 27, 2026

DEFI DEVELOPMENT CORP.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware		001-41748		83-2676794
(State or other jurisdiction of Incorporation)		(Commission File Number)		(IRS Employer Identification Number)

6401 Congress Avenue, Suite 250 Boca Raton, Florida		33487
(Address of registrant’s principal executive office)		(Zip code)

(561) 559-4111

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Not Applicable

(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):

☐	Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

☐	Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

☐	Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

☐	Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of each class	Trading symbol(s)	Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Stock, par value $0.00001 per share	DFDV	The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC
Warrants, each warrant exerciseable for one share of Common Stock	DFDVW	The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).

Emerging growth company ☒

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Item 5.02 Departure of Directors or Principal Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Principal Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.

On January 27, 2026, the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of DeFi Development Corp. (the “Company”) elected Hadley Stern as a director of the Company, to fill the newly created directorship resulting from an increase in the size of the Board to six directors. Mr. Stern was appointed to serve on each of the Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee and the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee of the Board. Mr. Stern does not have a material interest in any transaction disclosable under Regulation S-K Item 404(a). The Board approved a grant of 16,500 restricted stock units to Mr. Stern, which will vest quarterly over the next year. He will also be entitled to receive a quarterly cash retainer of $7,000 for service as a director.

Item 8.01. Other Events.

On January 29, 2026, the Company issued a press release announcing Mr. Stern’s appointment to the Board. A copy of the press release is filed as Exhibit 99.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K and is incorporated herein by reference.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.

This Form 8-K and the exhibits attached hereto contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based on the Company’s current assumptions, expectations and beliefs and are subject to substantial risks, uncertainties, assumptions and changes in circumstances that may cause Company’s actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied in any forward-looking statement. These risks include, but are not limited to market risks, trends and conditions, and are more fully in the section captioned “Risk Factors” in the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other reports we file with the SEC. Please refer to the cautionary notes in the press release regarding these forward-looking statements.

Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(d) Exhibits.

Exhibit No.		Description
99.1		Press Release, dated January 29, 2026
104		Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document)

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

Date: January 29, 2026	DEFI DEVELOPMENT CORP.

	By:	/s/ Joseph Onorati
	Name:	Joseph Onorati
	Title:	Chairman & CEO

DeFi Development Corp. 8-K