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Weibo (2WBA) Risk Analysis

Public companies are required to disclose risks that can affect the business and impact the stock. These disclosures are known as “Risk Factors”. Companies disclose these risks in their yearly (Form 10-K), quarterly earnings (Form 10-Q), or “foreign private issuer” reports (Form 20-F). Risk factors show the challenges a company faces. Investors can consider the worst-case scenarios before making an investment. TipRanks’ Risk Analysis categorizes risks based on proprietary classification algorithms and machine learning. Weibo disclosed 113 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. Weibo reported the most risks in the “Finance & Corporate” category.

Risk Overview Q4, 2021

Source: the company's latest filing for the period ended Dec 31, 2021, filed Mar 10, 2022

Risk Distribution
113Risks
Sector Avg.Finance & CorporateTech & InnovationLegal & RegulatoryProductionAbility to SellMacro & Political
Finance & Corporate - Financial and accounting risks. Risks related to the execution of corporate activity and strategy

Risk Change Over Time

No filing history is available.

Risks removedRisks addedRisks changedWeibo Risk Factors
Risk Changed (18)
  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 1
    We adopt different practices as to certain matters as compared with many other companies listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

    We completed our global offering in Hong Kong in December 2021 and the trading of our Class A ordinary shares on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange commenced on December 8, 2021 under the stock code "9898." As a company listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange pursuant to Chapter 19C of the Hong Kong Listing Rules, we are subject to certain provisions of the Hong Kong Listing Rules pursuant to Rule 19C.11, including, among others, rules on notifiable transactions, connected transactions, share option schemes, content of financial statements as well as certain other continuing obligations. In addition, in connection with the Listing, we have applied for a number of waivers and/or exemptions from strict compliance with the Hong Kong Listing Rules, the Companies (Winding Up and Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance, the Takeovers Codes and the SFO. As a result, we will adopt different practices as to those matters as compared with other companies listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange that do not enjoy those exemptions or waivers. Furthermore, if 55% or more of the total worldwide trading volume, by dollar value, of our Class A ordinary shares and ADSs over our most recent fiscal year takes place on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, the Hong Kong Stock Exchange will regard us as having a dual primary listing in Hong Kong and we will no longer enjoy certain exemptions or waivers from strict compliance with the requirements under the Hong Kong Listing Rules, the Companies (Winding Up and Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance, the Takeovers Codes and the SFO, which could result in us having to amend our corporate structure and our memorandum and articles of association and we may incur of incremental compliance costs.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 2
    The trading prices for our listed securities have been and are likely to continue be, volatile, regardless of our operating performance, which could result in substantial losses to our investors.

    The trading prices of our listed securities have been and are likely to continue to be volatile and could fluctuate widely in response to in response to a variety of factors, many of which are beyond our control. For example, in 2021, the trading price of our ADSs ranged from US$27.30 to US$64.70 per ADS and the trading price of our Class A ordinary shares has ranged from HK$218.00 to HK$257.80 per share. The trading prices of our listed securities are likely to remain volatile and could fluctuate widely due to factors beyond our control. This may happen because of broad market and industry factors, like the performance and fluctuation of the trading prices of other companies with business operations located mainly in China that have listed their securities in Hong Kong and/or the United States. A number of Chinese companies have listed or are in the process of listing their securities on stock markets in Hong Kong and/or the United States. The securities of some of these companies have experienced significant volatility, including price declines in connection with their public offerings. The trading performances of these Chinese companies' securities after their offerings may affect the attitudes of investors toward Chinese companies listed in Hong Kong and/or the United States in general and consequently may impact the trading performance of our Class A ordinary shares and/or ADSs, regardless of our actual operating performance. In addition to market and industry factors, the price and trading volume for our Class A ordinary shares and/or ADSs may be highly volatile for factors specific to our own operations, including (but not limited to) the following: - variations in our revenues, earnings, cash flow and data related to our active user base or user engagement;- announcements of new investments, acquisitions, strategic partnerships or joint ventures;- announcements of new services and expansions by us or our competitors;- changes in financial estimates by securities analysts;- detrimental adverse publicity about us or SINA;- additions or departures of key personnel;- release of lock-up or other transfer restrictions on our outstanding equity securities or sales of additional equity securities; and - potential litigation or regulatory investigations.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 3
    Substantial future sales or perceived potential sales of our Class A ordinary shares, ADSs, or other equity or equity-linked securities in the public market could cause the price of our Class A ordinary shares and/or ADSs to decline significantly.

    Sales of our Class A ordinary shares, ADSs, or other equity or equity-linked securities in the public market, or the perception that these sales could occur, could cause the trading price of our Class A ordinary shares and/or ADSs to decline significantly. All of our Class A ordinary shares represented by ADSs were freely transferable by persons other than our affiliates without restriction or additional registration under the U.S. Securities Act. The Class A ordinary shares held by our affiliates are also available for sale, subject to volume and other restrictions as applicable under Rule 144 of the U.S. Securities Act any applicable lock-up agreement, under trading plans adopted pursuant to Rule 10b5-1 or otherwise. Our controlling shareholders are not subject to the lock up requirements under the Hong Kong Listing Rules and SINA has entered into a lock-up undertaking pursuant to the Hong Kong underwriting agreement for 90 days which is shorter than the lock-up period under Rule 10.07 of the Hong Kong Listing Rules. Furthermore, our controlling shareholders may sell additional shares of us after the expiry of lock-up undertaking. We cannot predict what effect, if any, market sales of securities held by our controlling shareholders or any other shareholder or the availability of these securities for future sale will have on the trading price of our Shares and ADSs. Divestiture in the future of our Class A ordinary shares and/or ADSs by shareholders, the announcement of any plan to divest our Class A ordinary shares and/or ADS, or hedging activity by third-party financial institutions in connection with similar derivative or other financing arrangements entered into by shareholders, could cause the price of our Class A ordinary shares and/or ADSs to decline.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 4
    Holders of our ADSs may have fewer rights than holders of our Class A ordinary shares and must act through the depositary to exercise those rights.

    Holders of our ADSs do not have the same rights as our shareholders and may only exercise the voting rights with respect to the underlying Class A ordinary shares represented by the ADSs in accordance with the provisions of the deposit agreement. Holders of ADSs may not attend general meetings of our shareholders or cast any votes directly at such meetings. Under the deposit agreement, ADS holders must vote by giving voting instructions to the depositary, as the holder of the underlying Class A ordinary shares which are represented by your ADSs. Upon receipt of your voting instructions, the depositary will endeavor to vote the underlying ordinary shares in accordance with your instructions. You will not be able to directly exercise any right to vote with respect to the underlying Class A ordinary shares at any general meeting of our shareholders unless you withdraw such shares and become the registered holder of such shares prior to the record date for the general meeting. Under our third amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, the minimum notice period required to be given by our company to our registered shareholders for convening a general meeting is 14 days. When a general meeting is convened, ADS holders may not receive sufficient advance notice to enable them to withdraw the Class A ordinary shares underlying their ADSs and become the registered holder of such shares prior to the record date for the general meeting to allow you to attend the general meeting and to vote directly with respect to any specific matter or resolution which is to be considered and voted upon at the general meeting. In addition, under our third amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, for the purposes of determining those shareholders who are entitled to attend and vote at any general meeting, our directors may close our register of members and/or fix in advance a record date for such meeting, and such closure of our register of members or the setting of such a record date may prevent ADS holders from withdrawing the shares underlying their ADSs and becoming the registered holder of such shares prior to the record date, so that ADS holders would not be able to attend the general meeting or to vote directly. Where any matter is to be put to a vote at a general meeting, the depositary will endeavor to notify ADS holders of the upcoming vote and will arrange to deliver our voting materials to them. We cannot assure that ADS holders will receive the voting materials in time to ensure that they can instruct the depositary to vote the shares underlying their ADSs. In addition, the depositary and its agents will not be responsible for any failure to carry out any instructions to vote, for the manner in which any vote is cast or for the effect of any such vote. As a result, holders of ADSs may not be able to exercise their right to vote and may lack recourse if the underlying Class A ordinary shares represented by their ADSs are not voted as they requested.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 5
    Exchange between our Class A ordinary shares and our ADSs may adversely affect the liquidity and/or trading price of each other.

    Our ADSs are currently traded on Nasdaq. Subject to compliance with U.S. securities law and the terms of the deposit agreement, holders of our Class A ordinary shares may deposit Class A ordinary shares with the depositary in exchange for the issuance of our ADSs. Any holder of ADSs may also withdraw the underlying Class A ordinary shares represented by the ADSs pursuant to the terms of the deposit agreement for trading on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. In the event that a substantial number of Class A ordinary shares are deposited with the depositary in exchange for ADSs or vice versa, the liquidity and trading price of our Class A ordinary shares on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and our ADSs on the Nasdaq may be adversely affected.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 6
    The time required for the exchange between our Class A ordinary shares and ADSs might be longer than expected and investors might not be able to settle or effect any sale of their securities during this period, and the exchange of Class A ordinary shares into ADSs involves costs.

    There is no direct trading or settlement between the Nasdaq and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on which our ADSs and our Class A ordinary shares are respectively traded. In addition, the time differences between Hong Kong and New York, unforeseen market circumstances or other factors may delay the deposit of Class A ordinary shares in exchange for ADSs or the withdrawal of Class A ordinary shares underlying the ADSs. Investors will be prevented from settling or effecting the sale of their securities during such periods of delay. In addition, there is no assurance that any exchange for Class A ordinary shares into ADSs (and vice versa) will be completed in accordance with the timelines that investors may anticipate. Furthermore, the depositary for the ADSs is entitled to charge holders fees for various services including for the issuance of ADSs upon deposit of Class A ordinary shares, cancelation of ADSs, distributions of cash dividends or other cash distributions, distributions of ADSs pursuant to share dividends or other free share distributions, distributions of securities other than ADSs and annual service fees. As a result, shareholders who exchange Class A ordinary shares into ADSs, and vice versa, may not achieve the level of economic return the shareholders may anticipate.

  • Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 7
    Our operating history may not be the indicator of our future prospects.

    The market for social media is still evolving and may not develop as expected. People who are not our users, customers or platform partners may not understand the value of our products and services and new users, customers or platform partners may initially find our products and services confusing. There may be a perception that our products and services are only useful to users who post, or to influential users with large audiences. Convincing potential new users, customers and platform partners of the value of our products and services is critical to increasing the number of our users, customers and platform partners and to the success of our business. Although we have experienced continued user growth as shown by the increase of our MAUs and DAUs for the past few years, some of our peers may have experienced a decline in user base. If microblogging, social media, online media or social product, in general, declines in popularity among Chinese internet users, we may be unable to grow our user base or maintain or increase user engagement. We launched Weibo in August 2009 and began to generate revenues in 2012. Given the rapidly evolving markets in which we compete, our historical operating results may not be useful to you in predicting our future operating results. You should consider our business and prospects in light of the risks and challenges we encounter or may encounter in this developing and rapidly evolving market. These risks and challenges include our ability to, among other things: - increase the number of our users and the level of user engagement;- develop a reliable, scalable, secure, high-performance technology infrastructure that can efficiently handle increased usage;- convince customers of the benefits and effectiveness of our advertising and marketing services;- refine our interest-based recommendation engine to enable more relevant content recommendation and effective audience targeting;- increase demand for value-added services, such as VIP membership, live streaming, and game-related services;- develop and deploy new features, products and services for our users, customers and platform partners, including video functionalities and interest-based information feeds;- successfully compete with other companies, some of which have substantially greater resources and market power than us, that are currently in, or may in the future enter, our industry, or duplicate the features of our products and services;- attract, retain and motivate talented employees;- process, store, protect and use personal data in compliance with governmental regulations, contractual obligations and other obligations related to privacy and security; and - defend ourselves against litigation, regulatory, intellectual property, privacy or other claims. If we fail to educate potential users, customers and platform partners about the value of our products and services, if the market for our platform does not develop as we expect or if we fail to address the needs of this market, our business will be harmed. Failure to adequately address these or other risks and challenges could harm our business and cause our operating results to suffer.

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Risk Highlights Q4, 2021

Main Risk Category
Finance & Corporate
With 43 Risks
Number of Disclosed Risks
113
+10
From last report
S&P 500 Average: 32
Recent Changes
17Risks added
7Risks removed
18Risks changed
Since Dec 2021
Number of Risk Changed
18
+9
From last report
S&P 500 Average: 1

Risk Word Cloud

many of our products and services contain open source software, and we license some of our software through open source projects, which may pose particular risks to our proprietary software, products, and services in a manner that could have a negative effect on our business.risks to our proprietary softwarewe and/or our hong kong subsidiary may be classified as a "prc resident enterprise" for prc enterprise income tax purposes. such classification would likely result in unfavorable tax consequences to us and our non-prc shareholders and have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and the value of your investment.prc enterprise income tax purposesthe potential enactment of the accelerating holding foreign companies accountable act would decrease the number of non-inspection years from three years to two, thus reducing the time period before our adss may be prohibited from over-the-counter trading or delisted. if this bill were enacted, our ads could be delisted from the exchange and prohibited from over-the-counter trading in the u.s. in 2023.number of non-inspection yearsprc regulations of loans to prc entities and direct investment in prc entities by offshore holding companies may delay or prevent us from using offshore funds to make loans or additional capital contributions to our prc subsidiaries.offshore funds to make loanswe rely on our partnership program with channel partners, which mainly include application pre-install partners, programmatic buying partners and application marketplaces, to drive traffic to our platform, and if our partnership program becomes less effective or if the smartphone market and shipment in china slow down compared to the prior years, traffic to our platform could decline and our business and operating results could be adversely affected.include application pre-install partnersdiscontinuation of preferential tax treatment or imposition of any additional taxes could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.discontinuation of preferential tax treatmentit may be difficult for overseas regulators to conduct investigation or collect evidence within china.overseas regulators to conduct investigationconversion of our convertible notes may dilute the ownership interest of existing shareholders.conversion of our convertible noteswe may have to register our encryption software with chinese regulatory authorities. if they request that we change our encryption software, our business operations could be disrupted as we develop or license replacement software.to register our encryption softwarewe generate a substantial majority of our revenues from online advertising and marketing services. if we fail to generate sustainable revenue and profit through our advertising and marketing services, our result of operations could be materially and adversely affected.fail to generate sustainable revenue

Risk Factors Full Breakdown - Total Risks 113

Share Price & Shareholder Rights23 | 20.4%
  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 1Added
    We adopt different practices as to certain matters as compared with many other companies listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

    We completed our global offering in Hong Kong in December 2021 and the trading of our Class A ordinary shares on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange commenced on December 8, 2021 under the stock code "9898." As a company listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange pursuant to Chapter 19C of the Hong Kong Listing Rules, we are subject to certain provisions of the Hong Kong Listing Rules pursuant to Rule 19C.11, including, among others, rules on notifiable transactions, connected transactions, share option schemes, content of financial statements as well as certain other continuing obligations. In addition, in connection with the Listing, we have applied for a number of waivers and/or exemptions from strict compliance with the Hong Kong Listing Rules, the Companies (Winding Up and Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance, the Takeovers Codes and the SFO. As a result, we will adopt different practices as to those matters as compared with other companies listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange that do not enjoy those exemptions or waivers. Furthermore, if 55% or more of the total worldwide trading volume, by dollar value, of our Class A ordinary shares and ADSs over our most recent fiscal year takes place on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, the Hong Kong Stock Exchange will regard us as having a dual primary listing in Hong Kong and we will no longer enjoy certain exemptions or waivers from strict compliance with the requirements under the Hong Kong Listing Rules, the Companies (Winding Up and Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance, the Takeovers Codes and the SFO, which could result in us having to amend our corporate structure and our memorandum and articles of association and we may incur of incremental compliance costs.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 2Added
    The trading prices for our listed securities have been and are likely to continue be, volatile, regardless of our operating performance, which could result in substantial losses to our investors.

    The trading prices of our listed securities have been and are likely to continue to be volatile and could fluctuate widely in response to in response to a variety of factors, many of which are beyond our control. For example, in 2021, the trading price of our ADSs ranged from US$27.30 to US$64.70 per ADS and the trading price of our Class A ordinary shares has ranged from HK$218.00 to HK$257.80 per share. The trading prices of our listed securities are likely to remain volatile and could fluctuate widely due to factors beyond our control. This may happen because of broad market and industry factors, like the performance and fluctuation of the trading prices of other companies with business operations located mainly in China that have listed their securities in Hong Kong and/or the United States. A number of Chinese companies have listed or are in the process of listing their securities on stock markets in Hong Kong and/or the United States. The securities of some of these companies have experienced significant volatility, including price declines in connection with their public offerings. The trading performances of these Chinese companies' securities after their offerings may affect the attitudes of investors toward Chinese companies listed in Hong Kong and/or the United States in general and consequently may impact the trading performance of our Class A ordinary shares and/or ADSs, regardless of our actual operating performance. In addition to market and industry factors, the price and trading volume for our Class A ordinary shares and/or ADSs may be highly volatile for factors specific to our own operations, including (but not limited to) the following: - variations in our revenues, earnings, cash flow and data related to our active user base or user engagement;- announcements of new investments, acquisitions, strategic partnerships or joint ventures;- announcements of new services and expansions by us or our competitors;- changes in financial estimates by securities analysts;- detrimental adverse publicity about us or SINA;- additions or departures of key personnel;- release of lock-up or other transfer restrictions on our outstanding equity securities or sales of additional equity securities; and - potential litigation or regulatory investigations.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 3Added
    Substantial future sales or perceived potential sales of our Class A ordinary shares, ADSs, or other equity or equity-linked securities in the public market could cause the price of our Class A ordinary shares and/or ADSs to decline significantly.

    Sales of our Class A ordinary shares, ADSs, or other equity or equity-linked securities in the public market, or the perception that these sales could occur, could cause the trading price of our Class A ordinary shares and/or ADSs to decline significantly. All of our Class A ordinary shares represented by ADSs were freely transferable by persons other than our affiliates without restriction or additional registration under the U.S. Securities Act. The Class A ordinary shares held by our affiliates are also available for sale, subject to volume and other restrictions as applicable under Rule 144 of the U.S. Securities Act any applicable lock-up agreement, under trading plans adopted pursuant to Rule 10b5-1 or otherwise. Our controlling shareholders are not subject to the lock up requirements under the Hong Kong Listing Rules and SINA has entered into a lock-up undertaking pursuant to the Hong Kong underwriting agreement for 90 days which is shorter than the lock-up period under Rule 10.07 of the Hong Kong Listing Rules. Furthermore, our controlling shareholders may sell additional shares of us after the expiry of lock-up undertaking. We cannot predict what effect, if any, market sales of securities held by our controlling shareholders or any other shareholder or the availability of these securities for future sale will have on the trading price of our Shares and ADSs. Divestiture in the future of our Class A ordinary shares and/or ADSs by shareholders, the announcement of any plan to divest our Class A ordinary shares and/or ADS, or hedging activity by third-party financial institutions in connection with similar derivative or other financing arrangements entered into by shareholders, could cause the price of our Class A ordinary shares and/or ADSs to decline.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 4Added
    Holders of our ADSs may have fewer rights than holders of our Class A ordinary shares and must act through the depositary to exercise those rights.

    Holders of our ADSs do not have the same rights as our shareholders and may only exercise the voting rights with respect to the underlying Class A ordinary shares represented by the ADSs in accordance with the provisions of the deposit agreement. Holders of ADSs may not attend general meetings of our shareholders or cast any votes directly at such meetings. Under the deposit agreement, ADS holders must vote by giving voting instructions to the depositary, as the holder of the underlying Class A ordinary shares which are represented by your ADSs. Upon receipt of your voting instructions, the depositary will endeavor to vote the underlying ordinary shares in accordance with your instructions. You will not be able to directly exercise any right to vote with respect to the underlying Class A ordinary shares at any general meeting of our shareholders unless you withdraw such shares and become the registered holder of such shares prior to the record date for the general meeting. Under our third amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, the minimum notice period required to be given by our company to our registered shareholders for convening a general meeting is 14 days. When a general meeting is convened, ADS holders may not receive sufficient advance notice to enable them to withdraw the Class A ordinary shares underlying their ADSs and become the registered holder of such shares prior to the record date for the general meeting to allow you to attend the general meeting and to vote directly with respect to any specific matter or resolution which is to be considered and voted upon at the general meeting. In addition, under our third amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, for the purposes of determining those shareholders who are entitled to attend and vote at any general meeting, our directors may close our register of members and/or fix in advance a record date for such meeting, and such closure of our register of members or the setting of such a record date may prevent ADS holders from withdrawing the shares underlying their ADSs and becoming the registered holder of such shares prior to the record date, so that ADS holders would not be able to attend the general meeting or to vote directly. Where any matter is to be put to a vote at a general meeting, the depositary will endeavor to notify ADS holders of the upcoming vote and will arrange to deliver our voting materials to them. We cannot assure that ADS holders will receive the voting materials in time to ensure that they can instruct the depositary to vote the shares underlying their ADSs. In addition, the depositary and its agents will not be responsible for any failure to carry out any instructions to vote, for the manner in which any vote is cast or for the effect of any such vote. As a result, holders of ADSs may not be able to exercise their right to vote and may lack recourse if the underlying Class A ordinary shares represented by their ADSs are not voted as they requested.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 5Added
    Exchange between our Class A ordinary shares and our ADSs may adversely affect the liquidity and/or trading price of each other.

    Our ADSs are currently traded on Nasdaq. Subject to compliance with U.S. securities law and the terms of the deposit agreement, holders of our Class A ordinary shares may deposit Class A ordinary shares with the depositary in exchange for the issuance of our ADSs. Any holder of ADSs may also withdraw the underlying Class A ordinary shares represented by the ADSs pursuant to the terms of the deposit agreement for trading on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. In the event that a substantial number of Class A ordinary shares are deposited with the depositary in exchange for ADSs or vice versa, the liquidity and trading price of our Class A ordinary shares on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and our ADSs on the Nasdaq may be adversely affected.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 6Added
    The time required for the exchange between our Class A ordinary shares and ADSs might be longer than expected and investors might not be able to settle or effect any sale of their securities during this period, and the exchange of Class A ordinary shares into ADSs involves costs.

    There is no direct trading or settlement between the Nasdaq and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on which our ADSs and our Class A ordinary shares are respectively traded. In addition, the time differences between Hong Kong and New York, unforeseen market circumstances or other factors may delay the deposit of Class A ordinary shares in exchange for ADSs or the withdrawal of Class A ordinary shares underlying the ADSs. Investors will be prevented from settling or effecting the sale of their securities during such periods of delay. In addition, there is no assurance that any exchange for Class A ordinary shares into ADSs (and vice versa) will be completed in accordance with the timelines that investors may anticipate. Furthermore, the depositary for the ADSs is entitled to charge holders fees for various services including for the issuance of ADSs upon deposit of Class A ordinary shares, cancelation of ADSs, distributions of cash dividends or other cash distributions, distributions of ADSs pursuant to share dividends or other free share distributions, distributions of securities other than ADSs and annual service fees. As a result, shareholders who exchange Class A ordinary shares into ADSs, and vice versa, may not achieve the level of economic return the shareholders may anticipate.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 7Changed
    Proceedings instituted by the SEC against certain PRC-based accounting firms, including our independent registered public accounting firm, could result in our financial statements being determined to not be in compliance with the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act.

    In December 2012, the SEC instituted administrative proceedings against the Big Four PRC-based accounting firms, including our independent registered public accounting firm, alleging that these firms had violated U.S. securities laws and the SEC's rules and regulations thereunder by failing to provide to the SEC the firms' audit work papers with respect to certain PRC-based companies that are publicly traded in the United States. On January 22, 2014, the administrative law judge presiding over the matter rendered an initial decision that each of the firms had violated the SEC's rules of practice by failing to produce audit papers and other documents to the SEC. The initial decision censured each of the firms and barred them from practicing before the SEC for a period of six months. On February 6, 2015, the four China-based accounting firms each agreed to a censure and to pay a fine to the SEC to settle the dispute and avoid suspension of their ability to practice before the SEC and audit U.S.-listed companies. The settlement required the firms to follow detailed procedures and to seek to provide the SEC with access to Chinese firms' audit documents via the CSRC. Under the terms of the settlement, the underlying proceeding against the four China-based accounting firms was deemed dismissed with prejudice four years after entry of the settlement. The four-year mark occurred on February 6, 2019. While we cannot predict if the SEC will further challenge the four China-based accounting firms' compliance with U.S. law in connection with U.S. regulatory requests for audit work papers or if the results of such a challenge would result in the SEC imposing penalties such as suspensions, if the accounting firms are subject to additional remedial measures, our ability to file our financial statements in compliance with SEC requirements could be impacted. A determination that we have not timely filed financial statements in compliance with SEC requirements could ultimately lead to the delisting of our ADSs from Nasdaq or the termination of the registration of our ADSs under the Exchange Act, or both, which would substantially reduce or effectively terminate the trading of our ADSs in the United States.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 8Changed
    You may face difficulties in protecting your interests, and your ability to protect your rights through U.S. or Hong Kong courts may be limited, because we are incorporated under Cayman Islands law.

    We are an exempted company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands. Our corporate affairs are governed by our memorandum and articles of association, the Companies Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands and the common law of the Cayman Islands. The rights of our shareholders to take action against our directors, actions by our minority shareholders and the fiduciary duties of our directors to our company under Cayman Islands law are to a large extent governed by the common law of the Cayman Islands. The common law of the Cayman Islands is derived in part from comparatively limited judicial precedent in the Cayman Islands as well as from the common law of England, the decisions of whose courts are of persuasive authority, but are not binding, on a court in the Cayman Islands. The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary duties of our directors under Cayman Islands law are not as clearly established as they would be under statutes or judicial precedent in some jurisdictions in the United States or Hong Kong. In particular, the Cayman Islands has a less developed body of securities laws than the United States. Some U.S. states, such as Delaware, have more fully developed and judicially interpreted bodies of corporate law than the Cayman Islands. In addition, Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to initiate a shareholder derivative action in a federal court of the United States or a court in Hong Kong. The Cayman Islands courts are also unlikely: - to recognize or enforce against us judgments of courts of the United States based on certain civil liability provisions of U.S. securities laws; and - to impose liabilities against us, in original actions brought in the Cayman Islands, based on certain civil liability provisions of U.S. securities laws that are penal in nature. In those circumstances, although there is no statutory enforcement in the Cayman Islands of judgments obtained in the U.S., the courts of the Cayman Islands will recognize and enforce a foreign money judgment of a foreign court of competent jurisdiction without retrial on the merits based on the principle that a judgment of a competent foreign court imposes upon the judgment debtor an obligation to pay the sum for which judgment has been given provided certain conditions are met. For such a foreign judgment to be enforced in the Cayman Islands, such judgment must be final and conclusive and for a liquidated sum, and must not be in respect of taxes or a fine or penalty, inconsistent with a Cayman Islands judgment in respect of the same matter, impeachable on the grounds of fraud or obtained in a manner, and or be of a kind the enforcement of which is, contrary to natural justice or the public policy of the Cayman Islands (awards of punitive or multiple damages may well be held to be contrary to public policy). A Cayman Islands court may stay enforcement proceedings if concurrent proceedings are being brought elsewhere. Certain corporate governance practices in the Cayman Islands, which is our home country, differ significantly from requirements for companies incorporated in other jurisdictions such as the United States and Hong Kong. To the extent we choose to follow home country practice with respect to corporate governance matters, our shareholders may be afforded less protection than they otherwise would under rules and regulations applicable to U.S. domestic issuers or companies incorporated in Hong Kong. As a result of all of the above, our public shareholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests in the face of actions taken by our management, members of our board of directors or our controlling shareholders than they would as public shareholders of a company incorporated in the United States.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 9Changed
    If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or reports about our business, or if they adversely change their recommendations regarding our Class A ordinary shares and/or ADSs, the trading price for our Class A ordinary shares and/or ADSs and trading volume could decline.

    The trading market for our Class A ordinary shares and/or ADSs will be influenced by research or reports that industry or securities analysts publish about our business. If one or more analysts who cover us downgrade our Class A ordinary shares and/or ADSs, the trading price for our Class A ordinary shares and/or ADSs would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease to cover us or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which in turn could cause the trading price or trading volume for our Class A ordinary shares and/or ADSs to decline.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 10Changed
    If holders of ADSs do not give instructions to the depositary as to how to vote at shareholders' meetings, except in limited circumstances, the depositary for our ADSs will give us a discretionary proxy to vote the Class A ordinary shares underlying their ADSs, which could adversely affect their interests.

    Under the deposit agreement for the ADSs, if holders of ADSs do not timely and properly give voting instructions to the depositary as to how to vote the shares underlying their ADSs at any particular shareholders' meeting, the depositary will give us (or our nominee) a discretionary proxy to vote the Class A ordinary shares underlying their ADSs at the shareholders' meeting unless: - we have failed to timely provide the depositary with notice of meeting and related voting materials;- we have instructed the depositary that we do not wish a discretionary proxy to be given;- we have informed the depositary that there is substantial opposition as to a matter to be voted on at the meeting;- a matter to be voted on at the meeting would have a material adverse impact on shareholders; or - the voting at the meeting is to be made on a show of hands. The effect of this discretionary proxy is that if holders of ADSs do not timely and properly give voting instructions to the depositary as to how to vote the Class A shares underlying their ADSs at any particular shareholders' meeting, they cannot prevent the Class A ordinary shares underlying their ADSs from being voted, except under the circumstances described above. This may make it more difficult for holders of ADSs to influence the management of our company. Holders of our ordinary shares are not subject to this discretionary proxy.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 11Changed
    Our ADSs may be delisted and our ADSs and shares prohibited from trading in the over-the-counter market under the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, or the HFCAA, if the PCAOB is unable to inspect or fully investigate auditors located in China. On December 16, 2021, PCAOB issued the HFCAA Determination Report, according to which our auditor is subject to the determinations that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely. Under the current law, delisting and prohibition from over-the-counter trading in the U.S. could take place in 2024. If this happens there is no certainty that we will be able to list our ADS or shares on a non-U.S. exchange or that a market for our shares will develop outside of the U.S. The delisting of our ADSs, or the threat of their being delisted, may materially and adversely affect the value of your investment.

    As part of a continued regulatory focus in the United States on access to audit and other information currently protected by national law, in particular China's, the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, or the HFCAA, has been signed into law on December 18, 2020. The HFCAA states if the SEC determines that we have filed audit reports issued by a registered public accounting firm that has not been subject to inspection for the PCAOB for three consecutive years beginning in 2021, the SEC shall prohibit our shares or ADS from being traded on a national securities exchange or in the over-the-counter trading market in the U.S. Accordingly, under the current law this could happen in 2024. On December 2, 2021, the SEC adopted final amendments to its rules implementing the HFCAA (the "Final Amendments"). The Final Amendments include requirements to disclose information, including the auditor name and location, the percentage of shares of the issuer owned by governmental entities, whether governmental entities in the applicable foreign jurisdiction with respect to the auditor has a controlling financial interest with respect to the issuer, the name of each official of the Chinese Communist Party who is a member of the board of the issuer, and whether the articles of incorporation of the issuer contains any charter of the Chinese Communist Party. The Final Amendments also establish procedures the SEC will follow in identifying issuers and prohibiting trading by certain issuers under the HFCAA. On December 16, 2021, PCAOB issued the HFCAA Determination Report, according to which our auditor is subject to the determinations that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely. The HFCAA or other efforts to increase U.S. regulatory access to audit information could cause investor uncertainty for affected issuers, including us, and the market price of the ADSs could be adversely affected. Additionally, whether the PCAOB will be able to conduct inspections of our auditor before the issuance of our financial statements on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2023 which is due by April 30, 2024, or at all, is subject to substantial uncertainty and depends on a number of factors out of our control. If we are unable to meet the PCAOB inspection requirement in time, we could be delisted from Nasdaq and our ADSs will not be permitted for trading "over-the-counter" either. Such a delisting would substantially impair your ability to sell or purchase our ADSs when you wish to do so, and the risk and uncertainty associated with delisting would have a negative impact on the price of our listed securities. Also, such a delisting would significantly affect our ability to raise capital on terms acceptable to us, or at all, which would have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and prospects.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 12Changed
    Our ADS holders may be subject to limitations on transfer of their ADSs.

    In certain cases, our ADSs are transferable on the books of the depositary. However, the depositary may close its books at any time or from time to time when it deems expedient in connection with the performance of its duties. The depositary may close its books from time to time for a number of reasons, including in connection with corporate events such as a rights offering, during which time the depositary needs to maintain an exact number of ADS holders on its books for a specified period. The depositary may also close its books in emergencies, and on weekends and public holidays. The depositary may refuse to deliver, transfer or register transfers of our ADSs generally when our share register or the books of the depositary are closed, or at any time if we or the depositary thinks it is advisable to do so because of any requirement of law or of any government or governmental body, or under any provision of the deposit agreement, or for any other reason.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 13Changed
    Techniques employed by short sellers may drive down the trading price of our Class A ordinary shares and/or ADSs.

    Short selling is the practice of selling securities that the seller does not own but rather has borrowed from a third-party with the intention of buying identical securities back at a later date to return to the lender. The short seller hopes to profit from a decline in the value of the securities between the sale of the borrowed securities and the purchase of the replacement shares, as the short seller expects to pay less in that purchase than it received in the sale. As it is in the short seller's interest for the price of the security to decline, many short sellers publish, or arrange for the publication of, negative opinions regarding the relevant issuer and its business prospects in order to create negative market momentum and generate profits for themselves after selling a security short. These short attacks have, in the past, led to selling of shares in the market. Public companies listed in the United States that have substantially all of their operations in China have been the subject of short selling. Much of the scrutiny and negative publicity has centered on allegations of a lack of effective internal control over financial reporting resulting in financial and accounting irregularities and mistakes, inadequate corporate governance policies or a lack of adherence thereto and, in many cases, allegations of fraud. As a result, many of these companies are now conducting internal and external investigations into the allegations and, in the interim, are subject to shareholder lawsuits and/or SEC enforcement actions. It is not clear what effect such negative publicity could have on us. If we were to become the subject of any unfavorable allegations, whether such allegations are proven to be true or untrue, we could have to expend a significant amount of resources to investigate such allegations and/or defend ourselves. While we would strongly defend against any such short seller attacks, we may be constrained in the manner in which we can proceed against the relevant short seller by principles of freedom of speech, applicable state law or issues of commercial confidentiality. Such a situation could be costly and time-consuming and could distract our management from growing our business. Even if such allegations are ultimately proven to be groundless, allegations against us could severely impact our business operations and stockholder's equity, and any investment in our Class A ordinary shares and/or ADSs could be greatly reduced or rendered worthless.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 14
    We have incurred and expect to continue to incur substantial stock-based compensation expenses.

    We have adopted share incentive plans in August 2010 and March 2014. See "Item 6. Directors, Senior Management and Employees-B. Compensation-Share Incentive Plans" for a detailed discussion. For the years ended December 31, 2019, 2020 and, 2021, we recorded US$61.3 million, US$67.1 million and US$88.0 million, respectively, in stock-based compensation expenses. We will continue to grant stock-based compensation in the future in order to attract and retain key personnel and employees. Consequently, our stock-based compensation expenses may be recurring and even significantly increase in absolute amount, which may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 15
    SINA will control the outcome of shareholder actions in our company.

    SINA held 40.7% of our total issued and outstanding ordinary shares, representing 67.3% of our total voting power as of December 31, 2021. SINA has advised us that it does not anticipate disposing of its voting control in us in the near future. SINA's voting power gives it the power to control actions that require shareholder approval under Cayman Islands law, our memorandum and articles of association and Nasdaq requirements, including the election and removal of a majority of our board of directors, approval of significant mergers and acquisitions and other business combinations, changes to our memorandum and articles of association, the number of shares available for issuance under share incentive plans, and the issuance of significant amounts of our ordinary shares in private placements. SINA's voting control may cause transactions to occur that might not be beneficial to holders of Class A ordinary shares and/or ADSs and may prevent transactions that would be beneficial to you. For example, SINA's voting control may prevent a transaction involving a change of control of us, including transactions in which you as a holder of our Class A ordinary shares and/or ADSs might otherwise receive a premium for your securities over the then current trading price. In addition, SINA is not prohibited from selling a controlling interest in us to a third party and may do so without the approval of the Class A ordinary shares and/or ADS holders and without providing for a purchase of the Class A ordinary shares held by investors and/or ADSs held by the ADS holders. If SINA is acquired or otherwise undergoes a change of control, any acquirer or successor will be entitled to exercise the voting control and contractual rights of SINA, and may do so in a manner that could vary significantly from that of SINA.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 16
    We are a "controlled company" within the meaning of the Nasdaq Stock Market Rules and, as a result, may rely on exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements that provide protection to shareholders of other companies.

    We are a "controlled company" as defined under the Nasdaq Stock Market Rules because SINA holds more than 50% of our voting power. For so long as we remain a controlled company under that definition, we are permitted to elect to rely, and will rely, on certain exemptions from corporate governance rules, including: - an exemption from the rule that our director nominees must be selected or recommended solely by independent directors; and - an exemption from having a corporate governance and nominating committee that is composed entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committee's purpose and responsibilities. As a result, the ADS holders do not have the same protection afforded to shareholders of companies that are subject to these corporate governance requirements.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 17
    We may have conflicts of interest with SINA and, because of SINA's controlling ownership interest in our company, we may not be able to resolve such conflicts on favorable terms for us.

    Conflicts of interest may arise between SINA and us in a number of areas relating to our past and ongoing relationships. Potential conflicts of interest that we have identified include the following: - Indemnification arrangements with SINA. We have agreed to indemnify SINA with respect to lawsuits and other matters relating to our social media business, including operations of that business when it was a private company and a subsidiary of SINA. These indemnification arrangements could result in our having interests that are adverse to those of SINA, for example, with respect to settlement arrangements in litigation. In addition, under these arrangements, we have agreed to reimburse SINA for liabilities incurred (including legal defense costs) in connection with any litigation, while SINA will be the party prosecuting or defending the litigation. - Non-competition arrangements with SINA. We and SINA have entered into a non-competition agreement under which we agree not to compete with each other's core business. SINA agrees not to compete with us in a business that is of the same nature as the microblogging and social networking business operated by us as of the date of the agreement. We agree not to compete with SINA in the business currently conducted by SINA, as described in its periodic filings with the SEC, other than the microblogging and social networking business operated by us as of the date of the agreement. - Employee recruiting and retention. Because both SINA and we are engaged internet-related businesses in China, we may compete with SINA in the hiring of new employees, in particular with respect to media and advertising-related matters. We have a non-solicitation arrangement with SINA that restricts us and SINA from hiring any of each other's employees. - Our board members or executive officers may have conflicts of interest. Two directors of our company are also executive officers of SINA. In addition, we may continue to grant incentive share compensation to SINA's employees and consultants from time to time. These relationships could create, or appear to create, conflicts of interest when these persons are faced with decisions with potentially different implications for SINA and us. - Sale of shares in our company. SINA may decide to sell all or a portion of our shares that it holds to a third party, including to one of our competitors, thereby giving that third party substantial influence over our business and our affairs. Such a sale could be contrary to the interests of our employees or our other shareholders. - Allocation of business opportunities. Business opportunities may arise that both we and SINA find attractive, and which would complement our respective businesses. SINA may decide to take the opportunities itself, which would prevent us from taking advantage of those opportunities. - Developing business relationships with SINA's competitors. So long as SINA remains as our controlling shareholder, we may be limited in our ability to do business with its competitors, such as other online media companies in China. This may limit our ability to market our services for the best interests of our company and our other shareholders. Although our company has become a stand-alone public company, we expect to operate, for as long as SINA is our controlling shareholder, as an affiliate of SINA. SINA may from time to time make strategic decisions that it believes are in the best interests of its business as a whole, including our company. These decisions may be different from the decisions that we would have made on our own. SINA's decisions with respect to us or our business may be resolved in ways that favor SINA and therefore SINA's own shareholders, which may not coincide with the interests of our other shareholders. We may not be able to resolve any potential conflicts, and even if we do so, the resolution may be less favorable to us than if we were dealing with a non-controlling shareholder. Even if both parties seek to transact business on terms intended to approximate those that could have been achieved among unaffiliated parties, this may not succeed in practice.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 18
    Shareholders of our VIEs may have potential conflicts of interest with us, which may affect the performance of the contractual arrangements with our VIEs and their respective shareholders, which may in turn materially and adversely affect our business and financial condition.

    Other than the third-party minority stake holder that holds 1% of Weimeng's equity interests, our VIEs' shareholders (the "Individual Shareholders") are PRC employees of our company or SINA. Although each of these Individual Shareholders has authorized Weibo Technology to exercise all of his/her voting powers in Weimeng or Weimeng Chuangke, and we may replace any of these Individual Shareholders at any time pursuant to the share transfer agreements, we cannot assure you that these Individual Shareholders will act in the best interest of our company should any conflict arise. If they were to act in bad faith towards us, we may have to take legal actions to enforce their contractual obligations, which may be expensive, time-consuming and disruptive to our operations. As there remain significant uncertainties regarding the ultimate outcome of a legal action due to the limited number of precedents and lack of official guidance as to how contractual arrangements in the context of a variable interest entity should be interpreted or enforced under PRC law, we cannot assure you that conflicts will be resolved in our favor. If we are unable to resolve any such conflicts, or if we suffer significant delays or other obstacles as a result of such conflicts, our business and operations could be severely disrupted, which could materially and adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 19
    Our dual-class voting structure will limit your ability to influence corporate matters and could discourage others from pursuing any change of control transactions that holders of our Class A ordinary shares and ADSs may view as beneficial.

    Our ordinary shares are divided into Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares. Holders of Class A ordinary shares are entitled to one vote per share, while holders of Class B ordinary shares are entitled to three votes per share. All of the outstanding ordinary shares held by SINA as of the date of this annual report are Class B ordinary shares. All other ordinary shares that are outstanding as of the date of this annual report are Class A ordinary shares. We intend to maintain the dual-class voting structure in the future. Each Class B ordinary share is convertible into one Class A ordinary share at any time by the holder thereof. Class A ordinary shares are not convertible into Class B ordinary shares under any circumstances. Upon (a) any sale, transfer, assignment or disposition of Class B ordinary shares by a holder thereof to any person or entity which is not the Founder (as defined under our memorandum and articles of association) or a Founder's Affiliate (as defined under our memorandum and articles of association); or (B) a change of control of any direct or indirect holder of any Class B ordinary shares, including, but not limited to, any person other than the Founder or a Founder's affiliate gaining "Control" over any of the "SINA Parent Companies" (e.g. by entering into an agreement with the Founder to jointly control the SINA Parent Companies), and even if the Founder or a Founder's Affiliate remains to have joint "Control" of the SINA Parent Companies Class B ordinary share shall automatically and immediately be converted into one Class A ordinary share if at any time SINA and its affiliates (as defined in our memorandum and articles of association) in the aggregate hold less than five percent (5%) of the issued Class B ordinary shares in our company, and no Class B ordinary shares shall be issued by our company thereafter. "Control" shall mean having (A) the power to control the management or elect a majority of members to the board of directors or equivalent decision-making body of, or (B) the power to exercise or control the exercise of 50% or more of the voting power (through power of attorney, voting proxies, shareholders' agreements or otherwise) at the general meetings or other equivalent decision-making body of, such corporation, partnership or other entity. "SINA Parent Companies" shall mean the holding companies of Weibo Corporation, including New Wave MMXV Limited, Sina Group Holding Company Limited, SINA Corporation and any other intermediate holding company(ies) of Sina Corporation that may be established in the future. Due to the disparate voting powers attached to these two classes of ordinary shares, SINA owned approximately 40.7% of our total issued and outstanding ordinary shares and 67.3% of the voting power of our outstanding shares as of December 31, 2021. Therefore, SINA will have decisive influence over matters requiring shareholders' approval, including election of directors and significant corporate transactions, such as a merger or sale of our company. This concentrated control will limit your ability to influence corporate matters and could discourage others from pursuing any potential merger, takeover or other change of control transactions that holders of Class A ordinary shares and ADSs may view as beneficial.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 20
    Our memorandum and articles of association contain anti-takeover provisions that could have a material adverse effect on the rights of holders of our ordinary shares and ADSs.

    Our memorandum and articles of association contain provisions to limit the ability of others to acquire control of our company or cause us to engage in change-of-control transactions. These provisions could have the effect of depriving our shareholders of an opportunity to sell their shares at a premium over prevailing trading prices by discouraging third parties from seeking to obtain control of our company in a tender offer or similar transaction. For example, our board of directors has the authority, without further action by our shareholders, to issue preferred shares in one or more series and to fix their designations, powers, preferences, privileges, and relative participating, optional or special rights and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions, including dividend rights, conversion rights, voting rights, terms of redemption and liquidation preferences, any or all of which may be greater than the rights associated with our ordinary shares, in the form of ADS or otherwise. Preferred shares could be issued quickly with terms calculated to delay or prevent a change in control of our company or make removal of management more difficult. If our board of directors decides to issue preferred shares, the price of our Class A ordinary shares and/or ADSs may fall and the voting and other rights of the holders of our ordinary shares and ADSs may be materially and adversely affected.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 21
    Certain judgments obtained against us by our shareholders may not be enforceable.

    We are a Cayman Islands exempted company and all of our assets are located outside of the United States. Substantially all of our current operations are conducted in China. In addition, a majority of our current directors and executive officers reside outside the United States or Hong Kong. Substantially all of the assets of these persons are located outside the United States. As a result, it may be difficult or impossible for our shareholders to bring an action against us or against these individuals in the United States or Hong Kong in the event that such shareholders believe that their rights have been infringed under the U.S. federal securities laws, Hong Kong laws, or otherwise. Even if such shareholders are successful in bringing an action of this kind, the laws of the Cayman Islands and of China may render such shareholders unable to enforce a judgment against our assets or the assets of our directors and officers.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 22
    We are a foreign private issuer within the meaning of the rules under the Exchange Act, and as such we are exempt from certain provisions applicable to United States domestic public companies.

    Because we are a foreign private issuer under the Exchange Act, we are exempt from certain provisions of the securities rules and regulations in the United States that are applicable to U.S. domestic issuers, including: - the rules under the Exchange Act requiring the filing of quarterly reports on Form 10-Q or current reports on Form 8-K with the SEC;- the sections of the Exchange Act regulating the solicitation of proxies, consents, or authorizations in respect of a security registered under the Exchange Act;- the sections of the Exchange Act requiring insiders to file public reports of their stock ownership and trading activities and liability for insiders who profit from trades made in a short period of time;- the selective disclosure rules by issuers of material nonpublic information under Regulation FD; and - certain audit committee independence requirements in Rule 10A-3 of the Exchange Act. We are required to file an annual report on Form 20-F within four months of the end of each fiscal year. In addition, we intend to publish our results on a quarterly basis through press releases, distributed pursuant to the rules and regulations of Nasdaq. Press releases relating to financial results and material events will also be furnished to the SEC on Form 6-K. However, the information we are required to file with or furnish to the SEC will be less extensive and less timely compared to that required to be filed with the SEC by U.S. domestic issuers. In addition, we are permitted by Nasdaq Stock Market Rules to elect to rely, and have elected to rely, on certain exemptions from corporate governance requirements: - that the board of directors be comprised of a majority of independent directors under Nasdaq Rule 5605(b)(1); and - the requirement that an audit committee be comprised of at least three members under Nasdaq Rule 5605(c)(2)(A). As a result, you may not be afforded the same protections or information, which would be made available to you, were you investing in a U.S. domestic issuer.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 23
    Conversion of our convertible notes may dilute the ownership interest of existing shareholders.

    We issued US$900 million principal amount of convertible senior notes due 2022 in October 2017. The conversion of some or all of these notes may dilute the ownership interests of existing shareholders. Any sales in the public market of the Class A ordinary shares or ADSs issuable upon such conversion could adversely affect prevailing trading prices of our ADSs and Class A ordinary shares. In addition, the existence of the notes may encourage short selling by market participants because the conversion of the notes could depress the trading prices of our Class A ordinary shares and ADSs. The prices of our Class A ordinary shares and ADSs could be affected by possible sales of our Class A ordinary shares and ADSs by investors who view the convertible senior notes as a more attractive means of equity participation in us and by hedging or arbitrage trading activity, which we expect to occur involving our Class A ordinary shares and ADSs.

See a full breakdown of risk according to category and subcategory. The list starts with the category with the most risk. Click on subcategories to read relevant extracts from the most recent report.

FAQ

What are “Risk Factors”?
Risk factors are any situations or occurrences that could make investing in a company risky. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requires that publicly traded companies disclose their most significant risk factors. This is so that potential investors can consider any risks before they make an investment. They also offer companies protection, as a company can use risk factors as liability protection. This could happen if a company underperforms and investors take legal action as a result. It is worth noting that smaller companies, that is those with a public float of under $75 million on the last business day, do not have to include risk factors in their 10-K and 10-Q forms, although some may choose to do so.
How do companies disclose their risk factors?
Publicly traded companies initially disclose their risk factors to the SEC through their S-1 filings as part of the IPO process. Additionally, companies must provide a complete list of risk factors in their Annual Reports (Form 10-K) or (Form 20-F) for “foreign private issuers”. Quarterly Reports also include a section on risk factors (Form 10-Q) where companies are only required to update any changes since the previous report. According to the SEC, risk factors should be reported concisely, logically and in “plain English” so investors can understand them.
How can I use TipRanks risk factors in my stock research?
Use the Risk Factors tab to get data about the risk factors of any company in which you are considering investing. You can easily see the most significant risks a company is facing. Additionally, you can find out which risk factors a company has added, removed or adjusted since its previous disclosure. You can also see how a company’s risk factors compare to others in its sector. Without reading company reports or participating in conference calls, you would most likely not have access to this sort of information, which is usually not included in press releases or other public announcements. A simplified analysis of risk factors is unique to TipRanks.
What are all the risk factor categories?
TipRanks has identified 6 major categories of risk factors and a number of subcategories for each. You can see how these categories are broken down in the list below. 1. Financial & Corporate Accounting & Financial Operations - risks related to accounting loss, value of intangible assets, financial statements, value of intangible assets, financial reporting, estimates, guidance, company profitability, dividends, fluctuating results. Share Price & Shareholder Rights – risks related to things that impact share prices and the rights of shareholders, including analyst ratings, major shareholder activity, trade volatility, liquidity of shares, anti-takeover provisions, international listing, dual listing. Debt & Financing – risks related to debt, funding, financing and interest rates, financial investments. Corporate Activity and Growth – risks related to restructuring, M&As, joint ventures, execution of corporate strategy, strategic alliances. 2. Legal & Regulatory Litigation and Legal Liabilities – risks related to litigation/ lawsuits against the company. Regulation – risks related to compliance, GDPR, and new legislation. Environmental / Social – risks related to environmental regulation and to data privacy. Taxation & Government Incentives – risks related to taxation and changes in government incentives. 3. Production Costs – risks related to costs of production including commodity prices, future contracts, inventory. Supply Chain – risks related to the company’s suppliers. Manufacturing – risks related to the company’s manufacturing process including product quality and product recalls. Human Capital – risks related to recruitment, training and retention of key employees, employee relationships & unions labor disputes, pension, and post retirement benefits, medical, health and welfare benefits, employee misconduct, employee litigation. 4. Technology & Innovation Innovation / R&D – risks related to innovation and new product development. Technology – risks related to the company’s reliance on technology. Cyber Security – risks related to securing the company’s digital assets and from cyber attacks. Trade Secrets & Patents – risks related to the company’s ability to protect its intellectual property and to infringement claims against the company as well as piracy and unlicensed copying. 5. Ability to Sell Demand – risks related to the demand of the company’s goods and services including seasonality, reliance on key customers. Competition – risks related to the company’s competition including substitutes. Sales & Marketing – risks related to sales, marketing, and distribution channels, pricing, and market penetration. Brand & Reputation – risks related to the company’s brand and reputation. 6. Macro & Political Economy & Political Environment – risks related to changes in economic and political conditions. Natural and Human Disruptions – risks related to catastrophes, floods, storms, terror, earthquakes, coronavirus pandemic/COVID-19. International Operations – risks related to the global nature of the company. Capital Markets – risks related to exchange rates and trade, cryptocurrency.