Leading fintech in cannabis banking reports repeat customers driving growth, margins holding under heavy discounting, and edibles gaining share

Green Check (GC), the leading fintech platform powering compliant cannabis banking, payments and lending solutions, released new 4/20 transaction data insights for 2026 pointing to a cannabis retail market that is becoming more predictable, retention-driven, and operationally disciplined.

Across its network, Green Check reported a 120% increase in sales compared to an average same day of the week and a 19% year-over-year gain in sales per CRB. Growth was driven by transaction volume rather than basket size, with average and median order values declining, while total transactions increased compared to 2025.

“This is a market that’s starting to normalize,” said Mike Kennedy, Green Check’s chief strategy officer. “Repeat customers are driving performance, operators are holding margins despite aggressive discounting, and purchasing behavior is becoming more structured. Those are the signals of a category moving toward stability.”

Additional findings from the data include:

• 4/20 as a retention-led event: Returning customers outpaced new customers by 53%, a notable increase over 2025 metrics.
• Cash is still king: While cash remains the main method of payment on 4/20 (67% of transactions), YoY usage declined modestly by 1%. Debit payments followed at 21% of transactions.
• Revenue concentration remains high: The top 10% of cannabis dispensaries accounted for nearly 40% of total 4/20 sales across the GC ecosystem, reinforcing a widening gap among operators.
• Product mix is shifting: Compared to 2025, edibles revenue rose 54%, outpacing flower growth at 40% YoY, signaling increased demand for formats that support repeat purchasing and consistency.
• More promotions: 85% of transactions were discounted, up from 80% in 2025. Despite this, margins remained largely intact, declining just 0.8 percentage points.
• Improving compliance rates: Operational metrics continue to trend toward stability, with compliance rates up to 96.2% of transactions being fully verified, up from 94.6% last year.

“Taken together, our data points to a cannabis retail market that is becoming more measurable and repeatable, with clearer signals for operators and financial institutions evaluating long-term participation,” said Kennedy. “We’re committed to helping the industry continue to grow and operate compliantly, connecting CRBs with the right financial partners to make that a reality.”

To learn more about Green Check, visit greencheckverified.com.

About Green Check

Green Check (GC) is modernizing the way cannabis businesses and financial institutions work together. Founded in 2017 by a team of technology, banking, and regulatory experts, GC provides industry-leading technology, advisory services and data-driven insights to more than 185 financial institutions and 17,500 cannabis-related businesses. Green Check was included on the Forbes Cannabis 42.0 list for four consecutive years, recognized by CNBC as one of the World’s Top FinTech Companies, and named one of 50 game-changers in the cannabis industry in the 4th annual The Cannabis 50. It has been repeatedly recognized as Top Compliance Company and Top Compliance Leader at the PBC Awards, the premier cannabis industry honors. In addition, it has been recognized as the Top Financial Technology by the Green Market Report and was also named as one of the top Best Places to Work in Fintech for four consecutive years by American Banker. To learn more about Green Check, visit greencheckverified.com and follow GC on LinkedIn.

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