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Fenbo Holdings Limited (FEBO) 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. Fenbo Holdings Limited disclosed 57 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. Fenbo Holdings Limited reported the most risks in the “Finance & Corporate” category.

Risk Overview Q4, 2023

Risk Distribution
57Risks
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

Fenbo Holdings Limited disclosed risks per quarterNo. of Risks57Q4Showing: Q4, 2023
Risks removedRisks addedRisks changedFenbo Holdings Limited Risk Factors
No changes from previous report

Risk Highlights Q4, 2023

Main Risk Category
Finance & Corporate
With 22 Risks
Number of Disclosed Risks
57
S&P 500 Average: 32
Recent Changes
0Risks added
0Risks removed
0Risks changed
Since Dec 2023
Number of Risk Changed
0
S&P 500 Average: 1

Risk Word Cloud

we may be classified as a prc resident enterprise for prc enterprise income tax purposes and be subject to prc taxation on our worldwide income, which could result in unfavorable tax consequences to us and our shareholders.unfavorable tax consequences to usour business depends on our ability to collect, use, maintain and otherwise process data, including personal data, relating to the production of our products, the engineering and design of new products and product lines, and sales and marketing efforts. any limitation imposed on our collection, use, maintenance or other processing of this data could significantly diminish the value of our company and cause us to lose revenue. compliance with hong kong's personal data (privacy) ordinance and any other regulations, legislation or self-regulations relating to data protection, data privacy, cybersecurity, e-commerce and advertising may entail significant expenses. uncertainties regarding the application or interpretation of existing or newly adopted laws and regulations could also threaten our ability to collect, use, maintain and otherwise process this data which, in turn, could materially harm our business and subject us to significant costs and legal liability for non-compliance.threaten our ability to collectthe enactment of the law of the prc on safeguarding national security in the hong kong special administrative region (the "hong kong national security law") could impact our hong kong subsidiaries, including two of our operating subsidiaries.hong kong special administrative regionif we fail to implement and maintain an effective system of internal controls, we may be unable to accurately or timely report our results of operations or prevent fraud, and investor confidence and the market price of our ordinary shares may be materially and adversely affected.effective system of internal controlsour business depends on our ability to collect, use, maintain and otherwise process data, including personal data, relating to the production of our products, the engineering and design of new products and product lines, and sales and marketing efforts. any limitation imposed on our collection, use, maintenance or other processing of this data could significantly diminish the value of our company and cause us to lose revenue. compliance with hong kong's personal data (privacy) ordinance and any other regulations, legislation or self-regulations relating to data protection, data privacy, cybersecurity, e-commerce and advertising may entail significant expenses. uncertainties regarding the application or interpretation of existing or newly adopted laws and regulations could also threaten our ability to collect, use, maintain and otherwise process this data which, in turn, could materially harm our business and subject us to significant costs and legal liability for non-compliance.self-regulations relating to data protectionas an exempted company incorporated in the cayman islands, we are permitted to adopt certain home country practices in relation to corporate governance matters that differ significantly from nasdaq capital market corporate governance listing standards. these practices may afford less protection to shareholders than they would enjoy if we complied fully with nasdaq capital market corporate governance listing standards.relation to corporate governance mattersan economic downturn may adversely affect consumer discretionary spending and demand for our products and services.adversely affect consumer discretionary spendingwe may become subject to a variety of prc laws and other regulations regarding data security or securities offerings that are conducted overseas and/or other foreign investment in china-based issuers, and any failure to comply with applicable laws and regulations could have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations and may hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer our ordinary shares to investors and cause the value of our ordinary shares to significantly decline or be worthless.hinder our ability to offerwe may be classified as a prc resident enterprise for prc enterprise income tax purposes and be subject to prc taxation on our worldwide income, which could result in unfavorable tax consequences to us and our shareholders.prc enterprise income tax purposesour one key customer may take actions that adversely affect our gross profit and operating results.adversely affect our gross profit

Risk Factors Full Breakdown - Total Risks 57

Share Price & Shareholder Rights15 | 26.3%
  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 1
    Short selling may drive down the market price of our Ordinary Shares.

    Short selling is the practice of selling shares that the seller does not own but rather has borrowed from a third party with the intention of buying identical shares back at a later date to return to the lender. The short seller hopes to profit from a decline in the value of the shares between the sale of the borrowed shares 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 shares to decline, many short sellers publish, or arrange for the publication of, negative opinions and allegations regarding the relevant issuer and its business prospects in order to create negative market momentum and generate profits for themselves after selling the shares short. These short attacks have, in the past, led to the selling of shares in the market. If we were to become the subject of any unfavorable publicity, 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.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 2
    The sale or availability for sale of substantial amounts of our Ordinary Shares could adversely affect their market price.

    Sales of substantial amounts of our Ordinary Shares in the public market or the perception that these sales could occur, could adversely affect the market price of our Ordinary Shares, and could materially impair our ability to raise capital through equity offerings in the future. Prior to the sale of our Ordinary Shares in our Initial Public Offering, we had 10,000,000 Ordinary Shares issued and outstanding. The Ordinary Shares sold in our IPO are freely tradable without restriction or further registration under the Securities Act, and Ordinary Shares held by our existing shareholders may also be sold in the public market in the future, subject to the restrictions in Rule 144 and Rule 701 under the Securities Act and applicable lock-up agreements. There are 11,000,000 Ordinary Shares outstanding immediately after our Initial Public Offering. In connection with our Initial Public Offering, our directors and officers named in the section "Management" and certain shareholders have agreed not to sell any Ordinary Shares until 180 days after November 21, 2023 without the prior written consent of the representative of the underwriters. These restrictions on sales are subject to certain exceptions, including with respect to the Ordinary Shares being sold by the Selling Shareholder named in the registration statement. However, the representative of the underwriters may release these securities from these restrictions at any time. We cannot predict what effect, if any, market sales of securities held by our controlling shareholder or any other shareholder or the availability of these securities for future sale will have on the market price of our Ordinary Shares.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 3
    If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or reports about our business and the business of our Operating Subsidiaries, or if they adversely change their recommendations regarding our Ordinary Shares, the market price for our Ordinary Shares and trading volume could decline.

    The trading market for our Ordinary Shares will be influenced by research or reports that industry or securities analysts publish about our business and the business of our Operating Subsidiaries. If one or more analysts downgrade our Ordinary Shares, the market price for our Ordinary Shares 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 market price or trading volume for our Ordinary Shares to decline.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 4
    Our Executive Director has substantial influence over the Company. His interests may not be aligned with the interests of our other shareholders, and it could present or cause a change of control or other transactions.

    Mr. Li Kin Shing, our Executive Director, beneficially owns 72.32%, of our issued and outstanding Ordinary Shares. Accordingly, as our controlling shareholder he could control the outcome of any corporate transaction or other matter submitted to the shareholders for approval, including mergers, consolidations, the election of directors and other significant corporate actions, including the power to prevent or cause a change in control. The interests of our largest shareholder may differ from the interests of our other shareholders. Without the consent of our controlling shareholder, we may be prevented from entering into transactions that could be beneficial to us or our other shareholders. The concentration in the ownership of our shares may cause a material decline in the value of our shares. For more information regarding our principal shareholders and their affiliated entities, see "Principal Shareholder".

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 5
    We are an emerging growth company within the meaning of the Securities Act and may take advantage of certain reduced reporting requirements.

    We are an "emerging growth company," as defined in the JOBS Act, and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various requirements applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, most significantly, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act for so long as we are an emerging growth company. As a result, if we elect not to comply with such auditor attestation requirements, our investors may not have access to certain information they may deem important. The JOBS Act also provides that an emerging growth company does not need to comply with any new or revised financial accounting standards until such date that a private company is otherwise required to comply with such new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an "emerging growth company" can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We have elected to take advantage of the extended transition period, although we have early adopted certain new and revised accounting standards based on transition guidance permitted under such standards. As a result of this election, our future financial statements may not be comparable to other public companies that comply with the public company effective dates for these new or revised accounting standards.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 6
    Our Ordinary Shares may be subject to rapid and substantial price volatility unrelated to our performance, which could result in substantial losses to investors.

    Our Ordinary Shares may be subject to rapid and substantial price volatility and their trading price could fluctuate widely due to factors beyond our control. We have a relatively small public float due to the relatively small size of our IPO and the concentrated ownership of our Ordinary Shares among our executive officers and directors. As a result of our small public float, our Ordinary Shares may be less liquid and have greater stock price volatility than the shares of companies with broader public ownership. This may also happen because of the broad market and industry factors, like the performance and fluctuation of the market prices of other companies with business operations located mainly in the PRC or Hong Kong that may have listed their securities in the United States. In addition to market and industry factors, the price and trading volume for our Ordinary Shares may be highly volatile for factors specific to our Operating Subsidiaries' operations, including the following: - fluctuations in our Operating Subsidiaries' revenues, earnings, and cash flow;     - changes in financial estimates by securities analysts;     - 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. Any of these factors may result in significant and sudden changes in the volume and price at which our shares will trade. In addition, the stock price of a number of companies involved in initial public offerings, particularly among companies with relatively smaller public floats, has experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have often been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of these companies. Such rapid and substantial price volatility, including any stock run-up, may be unrelated to our actual or expected operating performance and financial condition or prospects, making it difficult for prospective investors to assess the rapidly changing value of our stock. This volatility may prevent an investor from being able to sell their securities at or above the price paid for the securities Furthermore, in the past, shareholders of public companies have often brought securities class action suits against those companies following periods of instability in the market price of their securities. If we were involved in a class action suit, it could divert a significant amount of our management's attention and other resources from our business and operations and require us to incur significant expenses to defend the suit, which could harm our results of operations. Any such class action suit, whether or not successful, could harm our reputation and restrict our ability to raise capital in the future. In addition, if a claim is successfully made against us, we may be required to pay significant damages, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 7
    Certain judgments obtained against us by our shareholders may not be enforceable.

    We are a Cayman Islands exempted company and substantially all of our assets are located outside of the United States. In addition, all of our current directors and officers are nationals and residents of countries other than the United States and substantially all of the assets of these persons are located outside the United States. As a result, it may be difficult for a shareholder to effect service of process within the United States upon these persons or to enforce against us or them judgments obtained in United States courts, including judgments predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the United States or any state in the United States. Even if you are successful in bringing an action of this kind, the laws of the Cayman Islands may render you unable to enforce a judgment against our assets or the assets of our directors and officers. As a result of all of the above, our shareholders may have more difficulties in protecting their interests through actions against us or our officers, directors or major shareholders than would shareholders of a corporation incorporated in a jurisdiction in the United States.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 8
    You may have more difficulties protecting your interests than you would as a shareholder of a U.S. corporation.

    We are an exempted company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands with limited liability. Our corporate affairs are governed by our Articles of Association, the Companies Act and the common law of the Cayman Islands. The rights of shareholders to take action against our directors and us, actions by minority shareholders and the fiduciary duties of our directors to us 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 English common law, 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. 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 the standing to initiate a shareholder derivative action in a federal court of the United States. Shareholders of Cayman Islands exempted companies like us have no general rights under Cayman Islands law to obtain copies of the register of members or corporate records of the company. They will, however, have such rights as may be set out in the company's articles of association. A Cayman Islands exempted company may maintain its principal register of members and any branch registers in any country or territory, whether within or outside the Cayman Islands, as the company may determine from time to time. There is no requirement for an exempted company to make any returns of members to the Registrar of Companies in the Cayman Islands. The names and addresses of the members are, accordingly, not a matter of public record and are not available for public inspection. However, an exempted company shall make available at its registered office, in electronic form or any other medium, such register of members, including any branch register of member, as may be required of it upon service of an order or notice by the Tax Information Authority pursuant to the Tax Information Authority Act (2013 Revision) of the Cayman Islands. This may make it more difficult for you to obtain the information needed to establish any facts necessary for a shareholder resolution or to solicit proxies from other shareholders in connection with a proxy contest. Certain corporate governance practices in the Cayman Islands, which is our home country, may differ significantly from requirements for companies incorporated in other jurisdictions such as U.S. states. Currently, we plan to rely on home country practice with respect to any corporate governance matter. Accordingly, our shareholders may be afforded less protection than they otherwise would under rules and regulations applicable to U.S. domestic issuers. As a result of all of the above, shareholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests in the face of actions taken by our management, members of the Board of Directors or controlling shareholders than they would as shareholders of a company incorporated in a U.S. state.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 9
    We will incur significantly increased costs and devote substantial management time as a result of the listing of our Ordinary Shares on the Nasdaq Capital Market.

    We incur additional legal, accounting, and other expenses as a public reporting company, particularly after we cease to qualify as an emerging growth company. For example, we are required to comply with the additional requirements of the rules and regulations of the SEC and Nasdaq rules, including applicable corporate governance practices. Compliance with these requirements increases our legal and financial compliance costs and makes some activities more time-consuming and costly. In addition, our management and other personnel will need to divert attention from operational and other business matters to devote substantial time to these public company requirements. We cannot predict or estimate the number of additional costs incur as a result of becoming a public company or the timing of such costs. In addition, changing laws, regulations and standards relating to corporate governance and public disclosure are creating uncertainty for public companies, increasing legal and financial compliance costs, and making some activities more time-consuming. These laws, regulations and standards are subject to varying interpretations, in many cases due to their lack of specificity, and, as a result, their application in practice may evolve over time as new guidelines are provided by regulatory and governing bodies. This could result in continuing uncertainty regarding compliance matters and higher costs necessitated by ongoing revisions to disclosure and governance practices. We intend to invest resources to comply with evolving laws, regulations and standards, and this investment may result in increased general and administrative expenses and a diversion of management's time and attention from revenue-generating activities to compliance activities. If our efforts to comply with new laws, regulations and standards differ from the activities intended by regulatory or governing bodies due to ambiguities related to their application and practice, regulatory authorities may also initiate legal proceedings against us, and our business may be adversely affected.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 10
    As an exempted company incorporated in the Cayman Islands, we are permitted to adopt certain home country practices in relation to corporate governance matters that differ significantly from Nasdaq Capital Market corporate governance listing standards. These practices may afford less protection to shareholders than they would enjoy if we complied fully with Nasdaq Capital Market corporate governance listing standards.

    As a foreign private issuer whose Ordinary Shares are currently listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market, we rely on a provision in the Nasdaq Capital Market corporate governance listing standards that allows us to follow Cayman Islands law with regard to certain aspects of corporate governance. This allows us to follow certain corporate governance practices that differ in significant respects from the corporate governance requirements applicable to U.S. companies listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market. For example, we are exempt from Nasdaq Capital Market regulations that require a listed U.S. company to: - have a majority of the board of directors consist of independent directors;     - require non-management directors to meet on a regular basis without management present;     - have an independent compensation committee;     - have an independent nominating committee; and     - seek shareholder approval for the implementation of certain equity compensation plans and dilutive issuances of Ordinary Shares, such as transactions, other than a public offering, involving the sale of 20% or more of our Ordinary Shares for less than the greater of the book or market value of the shares. As a foreign private issuer, we are permitted to follow home country practice in lieu of the above requirements. Our audit committee is required to comply with the provisions of Rule 10A-3 of the Exchange Act, which is applicable to U.S. companies listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market. Therefore, we have a fully independent audit committee in accordance with Rule 10A-3 of the Exchange Act. However, because we are a foreign private issuer, our audit committee is not subject to additional Nasdaq Capital Market corporate governance requirements applicable to listed U.S. companies, including the requirements to have a minimum of three members and to affirmatively determine that all members are "independent," using more stringent criteria than those applicable to us as a foreign private issuer. Further, 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 share ownership and trading activities and liability for insiders who profit from trades made in a short period of time; and     - the selective disclosure rules by issuers of material non-public information under Regulation FD. We are required to file this Annual Report and future annual reports on Form 20-F within four months of the end of each fiscal year. In addition, we intend to publish our financial results on a semi-annual basis through press releases distributed pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Nasdaq Capital Market. 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. As a result, you may not be afforded the same protections or information that would be made available to you if you were investing in a U.S. domestic issuer.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 11
    If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or publish unfavorable or inaccurate research about our business, the market price and trading volume of our Ordinary Shares could decline.

    The market price and trading volume of our Ordinary Shares will be heavily influenced by the way analysts interpret our financial information and other disclosures. We do not have control over these analysts. If few securities analysts commence coverage of us, or if industry analysts cease coverage of us, our Ordinary Share price could be negatively affected. If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or reports about our business, downgrade our Ordinary Shares, or publish negative reports about our business, our Ordinary Share price would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of us or fail to publish reports on us regularly, demand for our Ordinary Shares could decrease, which might cause our Ordinary Share price to decline and could decrease the trading volume of our Ordinary Shares.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 12
    Certain recent initial public offerings of companies with smaller public floats have experienced extreme stock price and volume fluctuations seemingly unrelated to company performance. Such volatility, if it should occur to us, may make it difficult for prospective investors to assess the rapidly changing value of our Ordinary Shares.

    Certain recent instances of extreme stock price and volume fluctuations have been seemingly unrelated to company performance following a number of recent initial public offerings, particularly among companies with relatively smaller public floats, and we expect that such instances may continue and/or increase in the future. The trading price of our Ordinary Shares is likely to be volatile, and our Ordinary Shares may be subject to rapid and substantial price volatility. Such volatility, including any stock run-ups, may be unrelated or disproportionate to our actual or expected operating performance and financial condition or prospects and may distort the market perception of our Ordinary Shares, price and our Company's financial performance and public image, negatively affect the long-term liquidity of our Ordinary Shares, regardless of our actual or expected operating performance. If we encounter such volatility, it will likely make it difficult and confusing for prospective investors to assess the rapidly changing value of our Ordinary Shares and understand the value thereof. We also anticipate that our Ordinary Shares are likely to be more sporadically and thinly traded than that of larger, more established companies with larger public floats. As a consequence of this lack of liquidity, the trade of relatively small quantities of Ordinary Shares by our stockholders may disproportionately influence the price of those shares in either direction. The price of our Ordinary Shares could, for example, decline precipitously in the event that a large number of our Ordinary Shares are sold on the market without commensurate demand as compared to a larger, more established issuer that could better absorb those sales without adverse impact on its stock price.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 13
    Our stock price may be volatile, and the value of our Ordinary Shares may decline.

    We cannot predict the prices at which our Ordinary Shares trade. The IPO price of our Ordinary Shares was determined by negotiations between us and the underwriters and may not bear any relationship to any other established criteria of the value of our business and prospects. The market price of our Ordinary Shares may fluctuate substantially in response to various factors, some of which are beyond our control. These fluctuations could cause an investor to lose all or part of their investment in our Ordinary Shares as they may be unable to sell their Ordinary Shares. Moreover, the stock market has recently experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations. Broad market and industry fluctuations, as well as general economic, political, regulatory and market conditions, may also negatively impact the market price of our Ordinary Shares. Price volatility may be greater if the public float and trading volume of shares of our Ordinary Shares is low. Furthermore, in the past, companies that have experienced volatility in the market price of their securities have been subject to securities class-action litigation following periods of volatility in the market price of their securities. We may be the target of this type of litigation in the future, which could result in substantial costs, divert management's attention and resources, and harm our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 14
    We may not maintain the listing of our Ordinary Shares on the Nasdaq Capital Market, which could limit investors' ability to make transactions in our Ordinary Shares and subject us to additional trading restrictions.

    Our Ordinary Shares are listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market. In order to continue listing our shares on the Nasdaq Capital Market, we must maintain certain financial and share price levels and we may be unable to meet these requirements in the future. We cannot assure you that our Ordinary Shares will continue to be listed on Nasdaq in the future. If Nasdaq delists our Ordinary Shares and we are unable to list our shares on another national securities exchange, we expect that our shares could be quoted on an over-the-counter market in the United States. If this were to occur, we could face significant material adverse consequences, including: - a limited availability of market quotations for our Ordinary Shares;     - reduced liquidity for our Ordinary Shares;     - a determination that our Ordinary Shares are "penny stock," which will require brokers trading in our shares to adhere to more stringent rules and possibly result in a reduced level of trading activity in the secondary trading market for our Ordinary Shares;     - a limited amount of news and analyst coverage; and     - a decreased ability to issue additional securities or obtain additional financing in the future. As long as our Ordinary Shares are listed on Nasdaq, U.S. federal law prevents or preempts states from regulating their sale. However, the law does allow states to investigate companies if there is a suspicion of fraud, and, if there is a finding of fraudulent activity, then states can regulate or bar their sale. Further, if we were no longer listed on Nasdaq, we would be subject to regulations in each state in which we offer our shares.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 15
    Although the audit report included in this Annual Report is prepared by U.S. auditors who are currently inspected by the PCAOB, there is no guarantee that future audit reports will be prepared by auditors inspected by the PCAOB and, as such, in the future, investors may be deprived of the benefits of such inspection. Furthermore, trading in our securities may be prohibited under the HFCA Act if the SEC subsequently determines our audit work is performed by auditors that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely, and as a result, U.S. national securities exchanges, such as the Nasdaq Capital Market, may determine to delist our securities. Furthermore, on June 22, 2021, the U.S. Senate passed the Accelerating Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, which was enacted on December 29, 2022, amending the HFCA Act and requiring the SEC to prohibit an issuer's securities from trading on any U.S. stock exchanges if its auditor is not subject to PCAOB inspections for two consecutive years instead of three, thus reducing the time before the securities may be prohibited from trading or delisted.

    As an auditor of companies that are registered with the SEC and publicly traded in the United States and a firm registered with the PCAOB, our auditor is required under the laws of the United States to undergo regular inspections by the PCAOB to assess their compliance with the laws of the United States and professional standards. The PCAOB is currently unable to conduct inspections without the approval of the Chinese government authorities. Currently, our U.S. auditor is inspected by the PCAOB, and we have a manufacturing subsidiary operating in mainland China. If there is significant change to current political arrangements between mainland China and Hong Kong, companies operating in Hong Kong like us may face similar regulatory risks as those operated in PRC and we cannot assure you that our auditor's work will continue to be able to be inspected by the PCAOB. Inspections of other auditors conducted by the PCAOB outside mainland China have at times identified deficiencies in those auditors' audit procedures and quality control procedures, which may be addressed as part of the inspection process to improve future audit quality. The lack of PCAOB inspections of audit work undertaken in mainland China prevents the PCAOB from regularly evaluating auditors' audits and their quality control procedures. As a result, if there is any component of our auditor's work papers become located in mainland China in the future, such work papers will not be subject to inspection by the PCAOB. As a result, investors would be deprived of such PCAOB inspections, which could result in limitations or restrictions to our access of the U.S. capital markets. 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 mainland China's, in June 2019, a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced bills in both houses of the U.S. Congress which, if passed, would require the SEC to maintain a list of issuers for which PCAOB is not able to inspect or investigate the audit work performed by a foreign public accounting firm completely. The proposed Ensuring Quality Information and Transparency for Abroad-Based Listings on our Exchanges ("EQUITABLE") Act prescribes increased disclosure requirements for these issuers and, beginning in 2025, the delisting from U.S. national securities exchanges, such as the Nasdaq Capital Market, of issuers included on the SEC's list for three consecutive years. It is unclear if this proposed legislation will be enacted. Furthermore, there have been recent deliberations within the U.S. government regarding potentially limiting or restricting China-based companies from accessing U.S. capital markets. On May 20, 2020, the U.S. Senate passed the HFCA Act, which includes requirements for the SEC to identify issuers whose audit work is performed by auditors that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely because of a restriction imposed by a non-U.S. authority in the auditor's local jurisdiction. The U.S. House of Representatives passed the HFCA Act on December 2, 2020, and the HFCA Act was signed into law on December 18, 2020. Additionally, in July 2020, the U.S. President's Working Group on Financial Markets issued recommendations for actions that can be taken by the executive branch, the SEC, the PCAOB or other federal agencies and department with respect to Chinese companies listed on U.S. stock exchanges and their audit firms, in an effort to protect investors in the United States. In response, on November 23, 2020, the SEC issued guidance highlighting certain risks (and their implications to U.S. investors) associated with investments in China-based issuers and summarizing enhanced disclosures the SEC recommends China-based issuers make regarding such risks. On March 24, 2021, the SEC adopted interim final rules relating to the implementation of certain disclosure and documentation requirements in the HFCA Act. On December 2, 2021, the SEC adopted amendments to finalize rules implementing the submission and disclosure requirements in the HFCA Act. The rules apply to registrants that the SEC identifies as having filed an annual report with an audit report issued by a registered public accounting firm that is located in a foreign jurisdiction and that PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate. We will be required to comply with these rules if the SEC identifies us as having a "non-inspection" year under a process to be subsequently established by the SEC. The final amendments require any identified registrant to submit documentation to the SEC establishing that the registrant is not owned or controlled by a government entity in the public accounting firm's foreign jurisdiction, and also require, among other things, disclosure in the registrant's annual report regarding the audit arrangements of, and government influence on, such registrants. Under the HFCA Act, our securities may be prohibited from trading on Nasdaq or other U.S. stock exchanges if our auditor is not inspected by the PCAOB for three consecutive years, and this ultimately could result in our Ordinary Shares being delisted. On June 22, 2021, the U.S. Senate passed the Accelerating Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, which was enacted on December 29, 2022, amending the HFCA Act and requiring the SEC to prohibit an issuer's securities from trading on any U.S. stock exchanges if its auditor is not subject to PCAOB inspections for two consecutive years instead of three, thus reducing the time before our Ordinary Shares may be prohibited from trading or delisted. On September 22, 2021, the PCAOB adopted a final rule implementing the HFCA Act, which provides a framework for the PCAOB to use when determining, as contemplated under the HFCA Act, whether the Board is unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms located in a foreign jurisdiction because of a position taken by one or more authorities in that jurisdiction. On November 5, 2021, the SEC approved the PCAOB's Rule 6100, Board Determinations Under the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act. Rule 6100 provides a framework for the PCAOB to use when determining, as contemplated under the HFCA Act, whether it is unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms located in a foreign jurisdiction because of a position taken by one or more authorities in that jurisdiction. On December 2, 2021, the SEC issued amendments to finalize rules implementing the submission and disclosure requirements in the HFCA Act. The rules apply to registrants that the SEC identifies as having filed an annual report with an audit report issued by a registered public accounting firm that is located in a foreign jurisdiction and that PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely because of a position taken by an authority in foreign jurisdictions ("Commission-Identified Issuers"). The final amendments require Commission-Identified Issuers to submit documentation to the SEC establishing that, if true, it is not owned or controlled by a governmental entity in the public accounting firm's foreign jurisdiction. The amendments also require that a Commission-Identified Issuer that is a "foreign issuer," as defined in Exchange Act Rule 3b-4, provide certain additional disclosures in its annual report for itself and any of its consolidated foreign operating entities. Further, the release provides notice regarding the procedures the SEC has established to identify issuers and to impose trading prohibitions on the securities of certain Commission-Identified Issuers, as required by the HFCA Act. The SEC will identify Commission-Identified Issuers for fiscal years beginning after December 18, 2020. A Commission-Identified Issuer will be required to comply with the submission and disclosure requirements in the annual report for each year in which it was identified. If a registrant is identified as a Commission-Identified Issuer based on its annual report for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, the registrant will be required to comply with the submission or disclosure requirements in its annual report filing covering the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022. The final amendments became effective on January 10, 2022. On December 16, 2021, the PCAOB issued a report on its determinations that it was unable to inspect or investigate completely PCAOB-registered public accounting firms headquartered in Mainland China and in Hong Kong, because of positions taken by PRC authorities in those jurisdictions. The PCAOB made its determinations pursuant to PCAOB Rule 6100, which provides a framework for how the PCAOB fulfills its responsibilities under the HFCA Act. The report further listed in its Appendix A and Appendix B, Registered Public Accounting Firms Subject to the Mainland China Determination and Registered Public Accounting Firms Subject to the Hong Kong Determination, respectively. Our auditor, Centurion ZD is headquartered in Hong Kong, and appears as part of the report as Appendix B: Registered Public Accounting Firms Subject to the Hong Kong Determination. On August 26, 2022, the China Securities Regulatory Commission (the "CSRC"), the Ministry of Finance of the PRC (the "MOF"), and the PCAOB signed a Statement of Protocol (the "Protocol") to allow the PCAOB to inspect and investigate completely registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong, consistent with the HFCA Act, and the PCAOB will be required to reassess its determinations by the end of 2022. Pursuant to the fact sheet with respect to the Protocol disclosed by the SEC, the PCAOB shall have independent discretion to select any issuer audits for inspection or investigation and has the unfettered ability to transfer information to the SEC. On December 15, 2022, the PCAOB Board determined that the PCAOB was able to secure complete access to inspect and investigate registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong and voted to vacate its previous determinations to the contrary. However, should PRC authorities obstruct or otherwise fail to facilitate the PCAOB's access in the future, the PCAOB Board will consider the need to issue a new determination. On December 29, 2022, the Accelerating Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act was enacted, which amended the HFCA Act by decreasing the number of non-inspection years from three years to two, thus reducing the time period before our common stock may be prohibited from trading or delisted. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event it is later determined that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely our auditor, then such lack of inspection could cause our securities to be delisted from the stock exchange. The SEC is assessing how to implement other requirements of the HFCA Act, including the listing and trading prohibition requirements described above. Future developments in respect of increasing U.S. regulatory access to audit information are uncertain, as the legislative developments are subject to the legislative process and the regulatory developments are subject to the rule-making process and other administrative procedures. While the CSRC, the SEC and the PCAOB have entered into the SOP Agreements regarding the inspection of PCAOB-registered accounting firms in mainland China and Hong Kong, there can be no assurance that we will be able to comply with requirements imposed by U.S. regulators if there is significant change to current political arrangements between mainland China and Hong Kong. Delisting of our Ordinary Shares would force holders of our Ordinary Shares to sell their Ordinary Shares. The market price of our Ordinary Shares could be adversely affected as a result of anticipated negative impacts of these executive or legislative actions upon, regardless of whether these executive or legislative actions are implemented and regardless of our actual operating performance.

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.