{"success":true,"data":{"pressRelease":{"id":"171901","rtpr_id":"nACSPzg6Ta-20261016","ticker":"YHC","exchange":"NASDAQ","all_tickers":["YHC"],"title":"LQR House Inc. Announces CEO Transition","author":"ACCESSWIRE","published_at":"2026-10-16T22:34:20.563Z","article_body":"MIAMI BEACH, FL / ACCESS Newswire (https://www.accessnewswire.com/) / October\n16, 2026 / LQR House Inc. (the \"Company\", \"LQR House\" or \"LQR\") (NASDAQ:YHC)\ntoday announced that Sean Dollinger has stepped down as Chief Executive\nOfficer, effective October 16, 2026. Leo Chen will become Chief Executive\nOfficer, effective immediately.\n\nThis change follows LQR's strategic pivot toward its New Zealand-based\nacquisition, Fusion Five Continents Securities, alongside several other\ninitiatives, including a technology agreement with ByteDance. Mr. Dollinger\nbelieves the Company will be better served by a Chief Executive Officer with\nthe operational background for this new direction. In connection with Mr.\nDollinger's departure from LQR House, (https://pr.report/sg1f) the online\nspirits business will be transferred to a company owned by Kumar Abhishek, the\noutgoing CFO of LQR House.\n\nMr. Chen has over 10 years of executive management experience in large\nenterprises and diversified conglomerates. He is the former Chairman of\nShenzhen Jincheng Confidentiality Technology Co., Ltd., and served as the\nGeneral Manager of the Finance Department of Beijing Energy International\nHoldings Co., Ltd. He has a master's degree in Economics from the University\nof Sydney, as well as a bachelor's in Business Management, with a\nconcentration in Financial Management. As CEO, Mr. Chen will oversee\nday-to-day operations and the continued execution of LQR's strategy.\n\nAs founder and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Dollinger led LQR House from\ninception through its August 2023 initial public offering on NASDAQ and into a\nperiod of sustained capital formation and strategic expansion.\n\n\"I founded LQR House to build a spirits e-commerce and marketing company, and\ntaking it to NASDAQ with the LQR team is something I will always be proud of,\"\nsaid Mr. Dollinger. \"Together with the Board, we have charted a new direction\nfor the company, centered on Fusion Five Continents Securities in New Zealand\nand AI compute for quantitative research under an agreement with ByteDance.\nThat direction calls for a CEO whose experience is closely aligned with those\nareas. Stepping aside now is the right decision for me and for the company. I\nwill continue to work on the spirits e-commerce and marketing company outside\nthe public capital markets, while also turning my attention to new projects in\nArtificial Intelligence, and I will support Leo and the Board through the\ntransition.\"\n\n\"On behalf of the Board, I want to thank Sean for founding LQR House and\ntaking it public,\" said Mr. Lijun Chen (no relation to Leo Chen), Non\nExecutive Chairman and Director of LQR House. \"During his tenure, Sean led the\ncompany through significant capital raises and strategic transactions, and he\nmade this current decision with LQR's next phase in mind. We look forward to\nhis continued support during the transition.\"\n\nMr. Chen added, \"Leo's strong finance background and years of executive\nexperience will serve the company well as we develop Fusion Five Continents\nSecurities into a truly AI-enabled brokerage platform, integrating financial\nresearch, portfolio analytics, and investment execution. The Board is\nconfident in Leo's ability as CEO to drive LQR's next phase. I look forward to\nworking closely with him and the senior leadership team to execute on our\nstrategy.\"\n\nAbout LQR House Inc.\n\nLQR House has transitioned from the wine and spirits e-commerce sector to\noperating as a cross-border securities trading intermediary. Through its\nsubsidiary Fusion Five Continents Securities, LQR House provides clients with\naccess to U.S. and Hong Kong equity markets through an integrated operational\nframework that offers AI-driven research, quantitative analytics, and\nautomated portfolio optimization. Distinguishing it from most financial\nintermediaries targeting Asian investors, Fusion Five is able to accept USDT\ndeposits as a funding mechanism for securities trading, with settlement\nfacilitated by a licensed trust company, subject to applicable regulatory\nrequirements. Fusion Five has assembled an experienced technology team with\ncredentials from Oxford, Stockholm University, and Tsinghua University,\ncombining expertise in quantitative finance, AI, and behavioral data science.\nFusion Five is deploying AI-driven capabilities across its operations to drive\nefficiency and enhance the client experience, while advancing its vision of an\nAI-enabled brokerage platform integrating financial research, portfolio\nanalytics, and investment execution.\n\nForward-Looking Statements\n\nCertain statements in this announcement are forward-looking statements. These\nforward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties\nand are based on the Company's current expectations and projections about\nfuture events that the Company believes may affect its financial condition,\nresults of operations, business strategy and financial needs. Stockholders can\nidentify these forward-looking statements by words or phrases such as \"may,\"\n\"will,\" \"expect,\" \"anticipate,\" \"aim,\" \"estimate,\" \"intend,\" \"plan,\"\n\"believe,\" \"is/are likely to,\" \"potential,\" \"continue\" or other similar\nexpressions. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release are\nmade only as of the date of this press release. The Company undertakes no\nobligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements to\nreflect subsequent occurring events or circumstances, or changes in its\nexpectations that arise after the date hereof, except as may be required by\nlaw. These statements are subject to uncertainties and risks including, but\nnot limited to, the uncertainties related to market conditions, and other\nfactors discussed in the \"Risk Factors\" section of the Company's most recent\nAnnual Report on Form 10-K, and in other reports and documents that the\nCompany files from time to time with the United States Securities and Exchange\nCommission (the \"SEC\"). You are urged to carefully review and consider any\ncautionary statements and other disclosures, including the statements made\nunder the headings \"Risk Factors\". Although the Company believes that the\nexpectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it\ncannot assure you that such expectations will turn out to be correct, and the\nCompany cautions investors that actual results may differ materially from the\nanticipated results and encourages investors to review other factors that may\naffect its future results described in the Company's most recent Annual Report\non Form 10-K, and in other reports and documents that the Company files from\ntime to time with the SEC. Additional factors are discussed in the Company's\nfilings with the SEC, which are available for review at www.sec.gov.\nReferences and links to websites have been provided as a convenience, and the\ninformation contained on such websites has not been incorporated by reference\ninto this press release.\n\nInvestor and Media Contact:\ninfo@lqrhouse.com\n\nSOURCE: LQR House Inc.\nView the original press release\n(https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/food-and-beverage-products/lqr-house-inc.-announces-ceo-transition-1237983)\non ACCESS Newswire\n\n\nCopyright 2026 ACCESS Newswire. All Rights Reserved.","article_body_html":"","raw_payload":{"data":{"id":"nACSPzg6Ta-20261016","title":"LQR House Inc. Announces CEO Transition","author":"ACCESSWIRE","ticker":"YHC","created":"2026-10-16T22:34:20.563Z","tickers":["YHC"],"exchange":"NASDAQ","article_body":"MIAMI BEACH, FL / ACCESS Newswire (https://www.accessnewswire.com/) / October\n16, 2026 / LQR House Inc. (the \"Company\", \"LQR House\" or \"LQR\") (NASDAQ:YHC)\ntoday announced that Sean Dollinger has stepped down as Chief Executive\nOfficer, effective October 16, 2026. Leo Chen will become Chief Executive\nOfficer, effective immediately.\n\nThis change follows LQR's strategic pivot toward its New Zealand-based\nacquisition, Fusion Five Continents Securities, alongside several other\ninitiatives, including a technology agreement with ByteDance. Mr. Dollinger\nbelieves the Company will be better served by a Chief Executive Officer with\nthe operational background for this new direction. In connection with Mr.\nDollinger's departure from LQR House, (https://pr.report/sg1f) the online\nspirits business will be transferred to a company owned by Kumar Abhishek, the\noutgoing CFO of LQR House.\n\nMr. Chen has over 10 years of executive management experience in large\nenterprises and diversified conglomerates. He is the former Chairman of\nShenzhen Jincheng Confidentiality Technology Co., Ltd., and served as the\nGeneral Manager of the Finance Department of Beijing Energy International\nHoldings Co., Ltd. He has a master's degree in Economics from the University\nof Sydney, as well as a bachelor's in Business Management, with a\nconcentration in Financial Management. As CEO, Mr. Chen will oversee\nday-to-day operations and the continued execution of LQR's strategy.\n\nAs founder and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Dollinger led LQR House from\ninception through its August 2023 initial public offering on NASDAQ and into a\nperiod of sustained capital formation and strategic expansion.\n\n\"I founded LQR House to build a spirits e-commerce and marketing company, and\ntaking it to NASDAQ with the LQR team is something I will always be proud of,\"\nsaid Mr. Dollinger. \"Together with the Board, we have charted a new direction\nfor the company, centered on Fusion Five Continents Securities in New Zealand\nand AI compute for quantitative research under an agreement with ByteDance.\nThat direction calls for a CEO whose experience is closely aligned with those\nareas. Stepping aside now is the right decision for me and for the company. I\nwill continue to work on the spirits e-commerce and marketing company outside\nthe public capital markets, while also turning my attention to new projects in\nArtificial Intelligence, and I will support Leo and the Board through the\ntransition.\"\n\n\"On behalf of the Board, I want to thank Sean for founding LQR House and\ntaking it public,\" said Mr. Lijun Chen (no relation to Leo Chen), Non\nExecutive Chairman and Director of LQR House. \"During his tenure, Sean led the\ncompany through significant capital raises and strategic transactions, and he\nmade this current decision with LQR's next phase in mind. We look forward to\nhis continued support during the transition.\"\n\nMr. Chen added, \"Leo's strong finance background and years of executive\nexperience will serve the company well as we develop Fusion Five Continents\nSecurities into a truly AI-enabled brokerage platform, integrating financial\nresearch, portfolio analytics, and investment execution. The Board is\nconfident in Leo's ability as CEO to drive LQR's next phase. I look forward to\nworking closely with him and the senior leadership team to execute on our\nstrategy.\"\n\nAbout LQR House Inc.\n\nLQR House has transitioned from the wine and spirits e-commerce sector to\noperating as a cross-border securities trading intermediary. Through its\nsubsidiary Fusion Five Continents Securities, LQR House provides clients with\naccess to U.S. and Hong Kong equity markets through an integrated operational\nframework that offers AI-driven research, quantitative analytics, and\nautomated portfolio optimization. Distinguishing it from most financial\nintermediaries targeting Asian investors, Fusion Five is able to accept USDT\ndeposits as a funding mechanism for securities trading, with settlement\nfacilitated by a licensed trust company, subject to applicable regulatory\nrequirements. Fusion Five has assembled an experienced technology team with\ncredentials from Oxford, Stockholm University, and Tsinghua University,\ncombining expertise in quantitative finance, AI, and behavioral data science.\nFusion Five is deploying AI-driven capabilities across its operations to drive\nefficiency and enhance the client experience, while advancing its vision of an\nAI-enabled brokerage platform integrating financial research, portfolio\nanalytics, and investment execution.\n\nForward-Looking Statements\n\nCertain statements in this announcement are forward-looking statements. These\nforward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties\nand are based on the Company's current expectations and projections about\nfuture events that the Company believes may affect its financial condition,\nresults of operations, business strategy and financial needs. Stockholders can\nidentify these forward-looking statements by words or phrases such as \"may,\"\n\"will,\" \"expect,\" \"anticipate,\" \"aim,\" \"estimate,\" \"intend,\" \"plan,\"\n\"believe,\" \"is/are likely to,\" \"potential,\" \"continue\" or other similar\nexpressions. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release are\nmade only as of the date of this press release. The Company undertakes no\nobligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements to\nreflect subsequent occurring events or circumstances, or changes in its\nexpectations that arise after the date hereof, except as may be required by\nlaw. These statements are subject to uncertainties and risks including, but\nnot limited to, the uncertainties related to market conditions, and other\nfactors discussed in the \"Risk Factors\" section of the Company's most recent\nAnnual Report on Form 10-K, and in other reports and documents that the\nCompany files from time to time with the United States Securities and Exchange\nCommission (the \"SEC\"). You are urged to carefully review and consider any\ncautionary statements and other disclosures, including the statements made\nunder the headings \"Risk Factors\". Although the Company believes that the\nexpectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it\ncannot assure you that such expectations will turn out to be correct, and the\nCompany cautions investors that actual results may differ materially from the\nanticipated results and encourages investors to review other factors that may\naffect its future results described in the Company's most recent Annual Report\non Form 10-K, and in other reports and documents that the Company files from\ntime to time with the SEC. Additional factors are discussed in the Company's\nfilings with the SEC, which are available for review at www.sec.gov.\nReferences and links to websites have been provided as a convenience, and the\ninformation contained on such websites has not been incorporated by reference\ninto this press release.\n\nInvestor and Media Contact:\ninfo@lqrhouse.com\n\nSOURCE: LQR House Inc.\nView the original press release\n(https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/food-and-beverage-products/lqr-house-inc.-announces-ceo-transition-1237983)\non ACCESS Newswire\n\n\nCopyright 2026 ACCESS Newswire. All Rights Reserved."},"type":"article","timestamp":"2026-10-16T22:34:20.633426754Z","server_sent_at_ms":1792190060633},"received_at":"2026-10-16T22:34:20.684Z","source_url":"https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/food-and-beverage-products/lqr-house-inc.-announces-ceo-transition-1237983"},"analysis":{"id":"160050","press_release_id":"171901","analysis_json":{"industry":{"label":"Capital Markets","sector":"Financials"},"redFlags":["Founder-CEO departs with no transition period, effective immediately","Original core business transferred to a company owned by the outgoing CFO (related-party transaction)","Simultaneous loss of CEO and CFO during an unproven pivot","Pivot from e-commerce to brokerage accepting USDT crypto deposits raises regulatory and viability concerns"],"eventType":"executive_change","narrative":"LQR House founder and CEO Sean Dollinger has stepped down effective October 16, 2026, with Leo Chen, a former chairman of Shenzhen Jincheng Confidentiality Technology, taking over as CEO immediately.\n\nThe leadership change accompanies a strategic pivot away from spirits e-commerce toward Fusion Five Continents Securities, a New Zealand-based cross-border brokerage targeting U.S. and Hong Kong equities with an AI-driven platform.\n\nNotably, the online spirits business is being transferred to a company owned by Kumar Abhishek, LQR's outgoing CFO, meaning the company is losing both its founder-CEO and CFO while exiting its original business entirely.\n\nThe new brokerage direction includes accepting USDT crypto deposits as a funding mechanism and a technology agreement with ByteDance for AI compute.","sentiment":"bearish","agentHooks":{"shouldPost":true,"suggestedAngle":"Micro-cap LQR House loses founder-CEO and CFO at once as it exits its original business entirely and pivots to a USDT-funding brokerage -- high execution and regulatory risk."},"keyFigures":{},"quotedText":"I founded LQR House to build a spirits e-commerce and marketing company, and taking it to NASDAQ with the LQR team is something I will always be proud of","namedEntities":{"people":[{"name":"Sean Dollinger","role":"outgoing CEO and founder"},{"name":"Leo Chen","role":"incoming CEO"},{"name":"Kumar Abhishek","role":"outgoing CFO"},{"name":"Lijun Chen","role":"Non-Executive Chairman and Director"}],"products":["Fusion Five Continents Securities brokerage platform"],"companies":[{"name":"LQR House Inc.","ticker":"YHC"},{"name":"Fusion Five Continents Securities","relationship":"subsidiary"},{"name":"ByteDance","relationship":"technology partner"}],"dollarAmounts":[]},"materialImpact":{"score":5,"reasoning":"Founder and CEO Sean Dollinger departs effective immediately, alongside the outgoing CFO, while the original online spirits business is transferred to a company owned by the departing CFO amid an unproven pivot to a New Zealand brokerage with USDT deposit acceptance."},"tickerRelevance":{"others":[],"primary":"YHC"},"globalImportance":28,"audienceRelevance":35,"eventTypeSecondary":["restructuring"],"importanceComponents":{"tickerTier":"micro-cap","eventGravity":"ceo_departure_micro_cap","issuerAuthored":true,"retailFavoriteBoost":"moderate - small-cap with dramatic pivot narrative"}},"event_type":"executive_change","event_type_secondary":["restructuring"],"sentiment":"bearish","material_impact_score":5,"narrative":"LQR House founder and CEO Sean Dollinger has stepped down effective October 16, 2026, with Leo Chen, a former chairman of Shenzhen Jincheng Confidentiality Technology, taking over as CEO immediately.\n\nThe leadership change accompanies a strategic pivot away from spirits e-commerce toward Fusion Five Continents Securities, a New Zealand-based cross-border brokerage targeting U.S. and Hong Kong equities with an AI-driven platform.\n\nNotably, the online spirits business is being transferred to a company owned by Kumar Abhishek, LQR's outgoing CFO, meaning the company is losing both its founder-CEO and CFO while exiting its original business entirely.\n\nThe new brokerage direction includes accepting USDT crypto deposits as a funding mechanism and a technology agreement with ByteDance for AI compute.","key_figures":{},"named_entities":{"people":[{"name":"Sean Dollinger","role":"outgoing CEO and founder"},{"name":"Leo Chen","role":"incoming CEO"},{"name":"Kumar Abhishek","role":"outgoing CFO"},{"name":"Lijun Chen","role":"Non-Executive Chairman and Director"}],"products":["Fusion Five Continents Securities brokerage platform"],"companies":[{"name":"LQR House Inc.","ticker":"YHC"},{"name":"Fusion Five Continents Securities","relationship":"subsidiary"},{"name":"ByteDance","relationship":"technology partner"}],"dollarAmounts":[]},"model_name":"glm-5.3-flashx","prompt_hash":"sha256:5c812bd9e28b810d","schema_hash":"sha256:05005c02d9cffac9","created_at":"2026-10-16T22:34:26.877Z","global_importance":28,"audience_relevance":35,"importance_components":{"tickerTier":"micro-cap","eventGravity":"ceo_departure_micro_cap","issuerAuthored":true,"retailFavoriteBoost":"moderate - small-cap with dramatic pivot narrative"}},"durationMs":6181,"modelName":"glm-5.3-flashx"}}