iTonic Holdings risk analysis
iTonic Holdings (ITOC) Risk Analysis
Risk Overview Q4, 2025
Source: the company's latest filing for the period ended Dec 31, 2025, filed Mar 30, 2026
Risk Change Over Time
Risk Highlights Q4, 2025
Risk Word Cloud
Risk Factors Full Breakdown - Total Risks 71
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 1Dividends payable to our foreign investors and gains on the sale of our shares by our foreign investors may become subject to PRC tax.
Under the EIT Law and its implementation regulations issued by the State Council, a 10% PRC withholding tax is applicable to dividends payable to investors that are non-resident enterprises, including those registered in the Cayman Islands, which do not have an establishment or place of business in China or which have such establishment or place of business but the dividends are not effectively connected with such establishment or place of business, to the extent such dividends are derived from sources within China. Similarly, any gain realized on the transfer of our Class A Ordinary Shares by such investors is also subject to PRC tax at a current rate of 10%, subject to any reduction or exemption set forth in applicable tax treaties or under applicable tax arrangements between jurisdictions, if such gain is regarded as income derived from sources within China. If we are deemed a PRC resident enterprise, dividends paid on our Class A Ordinary Shares, and any gain realized from the transfer of our Class A Ordinary Shares, would be treated as income derived from sources within China and would as a result be subject to PRC taxation. Furthermore, if we are deemed a PRC resident enterprise, dividends payable to individual investors who are non-PRC residents and any gain realized on the transfer of our Class A Ordinary Shares by such investors may be subject to PRC tax at a current rate of 20%, subject to any reduction or exemption set forth in applicable tax treaties or under applicable tax arrangements between jurisdictions. If we, Pheton BVI, or Pheton HK are considered to be PRC resident enterprises, it is unclear whether holders of our Class A Ordinary Shares would be able to claim the benefit of income tax treaties or agreements entered into between China and other countries or areas. If dividends payable to our non-PRC investors, or gains from the transfer of our Class A Ordinary Shares by such investors, are deemed as income derived from sources within China and thus are subject to PRC tax, the value of your investment in our Class A Ordinary Shares may decline significantly.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 2If the U.S. Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, or the PCAOB, is unable to inspect our auditors as required under the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, the SEC will prohibit the trading of our Class A Ordinary Shares. A trading prohibition for our Class A Ordinary Shares, or the threat of a trading prohibition, may materially and adversely affect the value of your investment. Additionally, the inability of the PCAOB to conduct inspections of our auditors would deprive our investors of the benefits of such inspections.
On April 21, 2020, SEC Chairman Jay Clayton and PCAOB Chairman William D. Duhnke III, along with other senior SEC staff, released a joint statement highlighting the risks associated with investing in companies based in or have substantial operations in emerging markets including China. The joint statement emphasized the risks associated with lack of access for the PCAOB to inspect auditors and audit work papers in China and higher risks of fraud in emerging markets. On May 18, 2020, Nasdaq filed three proposals with the SEC to (i) apply a minimum offering size requirement for companies primarily operating in a "Restrictive Market," (ii) adopt a new requirement relating to the qualification of management or the board of directors for Restrictive Market companies, and (iii) apply additional and more stringent criteria to an applicant or listed company based on the qualifications of the company's auditor. On October 4, 2021, the SEC approved Nasdaq's revised proposal for the rule changes. On May 20, 2020, the U.S. Senate passed the HFCA Act requiring a foreign company to certify it is not owned or controlled by a foreign government if the PCAOB is unable to audit specified reports because the company uses a foreign auditor not subject to PCAOB inspection. Pursuant to the HFCA Act, if the PCAOB is unable to inspect an issuer's auditors for three consecutive years, the issuer's securities are prohibited to trade on a U.S. stock exchange. The PCAOB issued a Determination Report on December 16, 2021 (the "Determination Report") which found that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms headquartered in: (1) mainland China of the People's Republic of China because of a position taken by one or more authorities in mainland China; and (2) Hong Kong, a Special Administrative Region and dependency of the PRC, because of a position taken by one or more authorities in Hong Kong. Furthermore, the Determination Report identified the specific registered public accounting firms as "PCAOB Identified Firms" which are subject to these determinations. On March 24, 2021, the SEC announced the adoption of interim final amendments to implement the submission and disclosure requirements of the HFCA Act. In the announcement, the SEC clarifies that before any issuer will have to comply with the interim final amendments, the SEC must implement a process for identifying covered issuers. The announcement also states that the SEC staff is actively assessing how best to implement the other requirements of the HFCA Act, including the identification process and the trading prohibition requirements. 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 of directors of a company 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 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 completely because of a position taken by an authority in foreign jurisdictions. On December 16, 2021, the PCAOB issued a report on its determinations that it is 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 and Hong Kong authorities in those jurisdictions. The lack of access to the PCAOB inspection in China prevents the PCAOB from fully evaluating audits and quality control procedures of the auditors based in China. As a result, investors may be deprived of the benefits of such PCAOB inspections. The inability of the PCAOB to conduct inspections of auditors in China makes it more difficult to evaluate the effectiveness of these accounting firm's audit procedures or quality control procedures as compared to auditors outside of China that are subject to the PCAOB inspections, which could cause investors and potential investors in our Class A Ordinary Shares to lose confidence in our audit procedures and reported financial information and the quality of our financial statements. On August 26, 2022, the PCAOB announced that it had signed the Protocol with the CSRC and the MOF of the People's Republic of China, governing inspections and investigations of audit firms based in mainland China and Hong Kong. Pursuant to the Protocol, the PCAOB conducted inspections on select registered public accounting firms subject to the Determination Report in Hong Kong between September and November 2022. On December 15, 2022, the PCAOB board announced that it has completed the inspections, determined that it had complete access to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong, and voted to vacate the Determination Report. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company's ability to retain an auditor subject to the PCAOB inspection and investigation, including but not limited to inspection of the audit working papers related to us, may depend on the relevant positions of U.S. and Chinese regulators. Our auditor prior to November 28, 2025, Marcum Asia CPAs LLP ("Marcum Asia"), had been inspected by the PCAOB on a regular basis in the audit period, and our new auditor, Fortune CPA ("Fortune"), as an auditor of companies that are traded publicly in the United States and a firm registered with the PCAOB, is subject to laws in the United States pursuant to which the PCAOB conducts regular inspections to assess its compliance with the applicable professional standards. Fortune is headquartered in Garden Grove, California, and is inspected by the PCAOB on a regular basis. Neither of Marcum Asia or Fortune is subject to the determinations issued by the PCAOB on December 16, 2021. However, the recent developments would add uncertainties to our offerings and we cannot assure you whether the national securities exchange or regulatory authorities would apply additional and more stringent criteria to us after considering the effectiveness of our auditor's audit procedures and quality control procedures, adequacy of personnel and training, or sufficiency of resources, geographic reach, or experience as it relates to our audit. In addition, the HFCA Act, which requires that the PCAOB be permitted to inspect an issuer's public accounting firm within three years, may result in the delisting of our Company or prohibition of trading in our Class A Ordinary Shares in the future if the PCAOB is unable to inspect our accounting firm at such future time. On June 22, 2021, the U.S. Senate passed the Accelerating Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, and on December 29, 2022, the Consolidated Appropriations Act was signed into law by President Biden, which contained, among other things, an identical provision to the Accelerating Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act and amended the HFCA Act by 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 period for triggering the prohibition on trading. As a result, the risks mentioned above have been heightened. If our Class A Ordinary Shares are subject to a trading prohibition under the HFCA Act or the Accelerating Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, the price of our Class A Ordinary Shares may be adversely affected, and the threat of such a trading prohibition would also adversely affect their price. If we are unable to be listed on another securities exchange that provides sufficient liquidity, such a trading prohibition may substantially impair your ability to sell or purchase our Class A Ordinary Shares when you wish to do so. The HFCA Act also imposes additional certification and disclosure requirements for companies that are identified by the SEC as having a substantial connection to a foreign jurisdiction that has limitations on U.S. regulatory oversight (the "Commission Identified Issuers"), and these requirements apply to issuers in the year following their listing as Commission Identified Issuers. The additional requirements include a certification that the issuer is not owned or controlled by a governmental entity in the Relevant Jurisdiction, and the additional requirements for annual reports include disclosure that the issuer's financials were audited by a firm not subject to PCAOB inspection, disclosure on governmental entities in the Relevant Jurisdiction's ownership in and controlling financial interest in the issuer, the names of Chinese Communist Party, or CCP, members on the board of the issuer or its operating entities, and whether the issuer's articles include a charter of the CCP, including the text of such charter.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 3Investors in our Class A Ordinary Shares are not purchasing equity securities of our subsidiaries that have substantive business operations in China but instead are purchasing equity securities of a Cayman Islands holding company.
Investors in our Class A Ordinary Shares are not purchasing equity securities of our subsidiaries that have substantive business operations in China but instead are purchasing equity securities of a Cayman Islands holding company. iTonic Holdings Ltd is a holding company with no material operations of its own. We conduct our operations primarily through our subsidiaries in China. Such structure involves unique risks to investors in our Class A Ordinary Shares. Investors may never directly hold equity interests in our subsidiaries with substantive operations. We also cannot assure you that the Chinese regulatory authorities will not disallow such a structure. If the Chinese regulatory authorities disallow the structure, it would likely result in a material change in our operations and cause the value of our Class A Ordinary Shares to significantly decline or become worthless.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 4Because of the significant ownership of our Class B Ordinary Shares and combined voting powers, our Chief Executive Officer has substantial control over our business, and his interests may differ from our interests or those of other shareholders.
As of the date of this annual report, our Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Jianfei Zhang, controls approximately 94.24% of the combined voting power of our equity interests through the Class B Ordinary Shares held by ZJW (BVI) LTD and BANYAN (BVI) LTD. Mr. Jianfei Zhang will, for the foreseeable future, have significant influence over corporate management and affairs, and will be able to control virtually all matters requiring shareholder approval so long as Mr. Jianfei Zhang owns a majority of the combined voting power of our outstanding equity interests. Mr. Jianfei Zhang is able to, subject to applicable law, elect a majority of the members of our board of directors and control actions to be taken by us and our board of directors, including amendments to our articles of incorporation and approval of significant corporate transactions, including, among other matters, mergers and sales of substantially all of our assets, as well as incurrence of indebtedness by us. The directors so elected will have the authority, subject to the terms of our indebtedness and applicable rules and regulations, to issue additional shares, implement share repurchase programs, declare dividends and make other decisions. It is possible that the interests of Mr. Jianfei Zhang may in some circumstances conflict with our interests and the interests of our other shareholders, including you. For additional information about our relationships with Mr. Jianfei Zhang, you should read the information under the headings "Item 6. Directors, Senior Management and Employees-E. Share Ownership" and "Item 7. Related Party Transactions - Material Transactions with Related Parties."
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 5Since we are a "controlled company" within the meaning of the Nasdaq listing standards and, as a result, qualify for, and may rely on, exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements in the future. You would not have the same protections afforded to shareholders of companies that are subject to such requirements.
As of the date of this annual report, Mr. Jianfei Zhang, through ZJW (BVI) LTD and BANYAN (BVI) LTD, controls over 50% of the combined voting power of our equity interests through the ownership of Class B Ordinary Shares. Because of the voting power of Mr. Jianfei Zhang, we are considered a "controlled company" for the purposes of the Nasdaq Capital Market. As such, we are exempt from certain corporate governance requirements of Nasdaq, including (i) the requirement that a majority of the board of directors consist of independent directors, (ii) the requirement that we have a Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee that is composed entirely of independent directors and (iii) the requirement that we have a Compensation Committee that is composed entirely of independent directors. Although we do not intend to rely on the controlled company exemptions under the Nasdaq listing standards, we could elect to rely on some or all of these exemptions in the future, so long as we are considered a "controlled company" under Nasdaq requirements. If so, we may not have a majority of independent directors, we may not have a Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, and our Compensation Committee may not consist entirely of independent directors. Accordingly, you will not have the same protections afforded to shareholders of companies that are subject to all of the corporate governance requirements of Nasdaq.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 6The interests of Mr. Jianfei Zhang may conflict with ours or yours in the future.
Various conflicts of interest between Mr. Jianfei Zhang and us could arise. Ownership interests of Mr. Jianfei Zhang in our Class B Ordinary Shares could create or appear to create potential conflicts of interest when Mr. Jianfei Zhang is faced with decisions that could have different implications for himself and us. These decisions could, for example, relate to: - disagreement over corporate opportunities;- management stock ownership;- employee retention or recruiting;- our dividend policy; and - the services and arrangements from which we benefit as a result of our relationship with Mr. Jianfei Zhang. Potential conflicts of interest could also arise if we enter into any new commercial arrangements with Mr. Jianfei Zhang in the future.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 7We may experience extreme share price volatility unrelated to our actual or expected operating performance, financial condition or prospects, making it difficult for prospective investors to assess the rapidly changing value of our Class A Ordinary Shares.
Recently, there have been instances of extreme stock price run-ups followed by rapid price declines and strong stock price volatility with a number of recent initial public offerings, especially among companies with relatively smaller public floats. As a relatively small-capitalization company with relatively small public float, we may experience greater share price volatility, extreme price run-ups, lower trading volume and less liquidity than large-capitalization companies. In particular, our Class A Ordinary Shares may be subject to rapid and substantial price volatility, low volumes of trades and large spreads in bid and ask prices. Such volatility, including any stock-run up, may be unrelated to our actual or expected operating performance, financial condition or prospects, making it difficult for prospective investors to assess the rapidly changing value of our Class A Ordinary Shares. In addition, if the trading volumes of our Class A Ordinary Shares are low, persons buying or selling in relatively small quantities may easily influence prices of our Class A Ordinary Shares. This low volume of trades could also cause the price of our Class A Ordinary Shares to fluctuate greatly, with large percentage changes in price occurring in any trading day session. Holders of our Class A Ordinary Shares may also not be able to readily liquidate their investment or may be forced to sell at depressed prices due to low volume trading. Broad market fluctuations and general economic and political conditions may also adversely affect the market price of our Class A Ordinary Shares. As a result of this volatility, investors may experience losses on their investment in our Class A Ordinary Shares. A decline in the market price of our Class A Ordinary Shares also could adversely affect our ability to issue additional Class A Ordinary Shares or other securities and our ability to obtain additional financing in the future. No assurance can be given that an active market in our Class A Ordinary Shares will develop or be sustained. If an active market does not develop, holders of our Class A Ordinary Shares may be unable to readily sell the shares they hold or may not be able to sell their shares at all.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 8Certain 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 the United States. All of our current operations are conducted in China. In addition, except for Mr. Edward C Ye, all of our current directors and officers are nationals and residents of countries other than the United States. A substantial portion of the assets of these persons are located outside the United States. As a result, it may be difficult or impossible for you to bring an action against us or against these individuals in the United States in the event that you believe that your rights have been infringed under the U.S. federal securities laws or otherwise. Even if you are successful in bringing an action of this kind, the laws of the Cayman Islands and of China may render you unable to enforce a judgment against our assets or the assets of our directors and officers.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 9You may face difficulties in protecting your interests, and your ability to protect your rights through U.S. 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 of the Cayman Islands, as amended and the common law of the Cayman Islands. The rights of shareholders or investors in our Class A Ordinary Shares to act against our directors, actions by our minority shareholders and the fiduciary duties of our directors to us under the 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. In particular, the Cayman Islands have a less developed body of securities laws than the United States. In addition, Cayman Islands companies may not have 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 inspect corporate records (other than the memorandum and articles of association, our register of mortgages and charges and special resolutions of our shareholders) or to obtain copies of lists of shareholders of these companies. Our directors have discretion under our articles of association to determine whether or not, and under what conditions, our corporate records may be inspected by our shareholders, but are not obligated to make them available to our shareholders. This may make it more difficult for you to obtain the information needed to establish any facts necessary for a shareholder motion 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, differ significantly from requirements for companies incorporated in other jurisdictions such as the United States. We have relied on and plan to rely on home country practice with respect to our corporate governance. Specifically, we have elected to be exempt from the requirements under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635 to obtain shareholder approval for (i) the issuance 20% or more of our outstanding Ordinary Shares or voting power in a private offering, (ii) the issuance of securities pursuant to a stock option or purchase plan to be established or materially amended or other equity compensation arrangement made or materially amended, (iii) the issuance of securities when the issuance or potential issuance will result in a change of control of our Company, and (iv) certain acquisitions in connection with the acquisition of the stock or assets of another company. As a result of the above, our public shareholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests in the face of actions taken by management, members of the board of directors or controlling shareholders than they would as public shareholders of a company incorporated in the United States.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 10We are a foreign private issuer within the meaning of the rules under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and as such we are exempt from certain provisions applicable to U.S. domestic public companies.
Because we qualify as a foreign private issuer under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (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 with the SEC of quarterly reports on Form 10-Q or current reports on Form 8-K;- 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; and - the selective disclosure rules by issuers of material nonpublic information under Regulation FD. We are required to file an annual report on Form 20-F within four months of the end of each fiscal year. 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 were you investing in a U.S. domestic issuer.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 11Our dual class share structure with different voting rights may adversely affect the value and liquidity of the Class A Ordinary Shares.
We cannot predict whether our dual class share structure with different voting rights will result in a lower or more volatile market price of the Class A Ordinary Shares, in adverse publicity, or other adverse consequences. Certain index providers have announced restrictions on including companies with multiple class share structures in certain of their indices. Because of our dual class structure, we will likely be excluded from these indices and other stock indices that take similar actions. Given the sustained flow of investment funds into passive strategies that seek to track certain indices, exclusion from certain stock indices would likely preclude investment by many of these funds and could make the Class A Ordinary Shares less attractive to investors. In addition, several shareholder advisory firms have announced their opposition to the use of multiple class structure and our dual class structure may cause shareholder advisory firms to publish negative commentary about our corporate governance, in which case the market price and liquidity of the Class A Ordinary Shares could be adversely affected.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 12Our dual class share structure with different voting rights 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 may view as beneficial.
We have adopted a dual class share structure such that our ordinary shares consist of Class A Ordinary Shares and Class B Ordinary Shares. In respect of matters requiring the votes of shareholders, each Class A Ordinary Share is entitled to one (1) vote and each Class B Ordinary Share is entitled to twenty (20) votes. Each of our Class B Ordinary Share is convertible into one Class A Ordinary Share at any time by the holder thereof. Our Class A Ordinary Shares are not convertible into our Class B Ordinary Shares under any circumstances. As of the date of this annual report, only our Class A Ordinary Shares are tradable on the market. This voting structure may discourage investors from pursuing any change of control transactions that holders of our Class A Ordinary Shares may view as beneficial.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 13If we cannot continue to satisfy the listing requirements and other rules of the Nasdaq Capital Market, our securities may be delisted, which could negatively impact the price of our securities and your ability to sell them.
Our Class A Ordinary Shares are listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market. In order to maintain our listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market, we are required to comply with certain rules of the Nasdaq Capital Market, including those regarding minimum stockholders' equity, minimum share price, minimum market value of publicly held shares, and various additional requirements. Even if we initially meet the listing requirements and other applicable rules of the Nasdaq Capital Market, we may not be able to continue to satisfy these requirements and applicable rules. If we are unable to satisfy the Nasdaq Capital Market criteria for maintaining our listing, our securities could be subject to delisting. If the Nasdaq Capital Market subsequently delists our securities from trading, we could face significant consequences, including: - a limited availability for market quotations for our securities;- reduced liquidity with respect to our securities;- a determination that our Class A Ordinary Share is a "penny stock," which will require brokers trading in our Class A Ordinary Share to adhere to more stringent rules and possibly result in a reduced level of trading activity in the secondary trading market for our Class A Ordinary Share;- limited amount of news and analyst coverage; and - a decreased ability to issue additional securities or obtain additional financing in the future.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 14An active trading market for our Class A Ordinary Shares may not develop or sustain, and the trading price for our Class A Ordinary Shares may fluctuate significantly.
No assurance can be given that an active market in our Class A Ordinary Shares will develop or be sustained. If an active market does not develop, the market price and liquidity of our Class A Ordinary Shares may be materially and adversely affected, and holders of our Class A Ordinary Shares may be unable to readily sell the shares they hold or may not be able to sell their shares at all. There can be no guarantee that we will continue to satisfy the continued listing standards of Nasdaq. If we fail to satisfy the continued listing standards, we could be de-listed, which would have a negative effect on the price of our Class A Ordinary Shares and impair your ability to sell your shares. As a result, investors in our securities may experience a significant decrease in the value of their Class A Ordinary Shares.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 15The price of our Class A Ordinary Shares could be subject to rapid and substantial volatility, and such volatility may make it difficult for prospective investors to assess the rapidly changing value of our Class A Ordinary Shares.
There have been instances of extreme stock price run-ups followed by rapid price declines and strong stock price volatility with recent initial public offerings, especially among those with relatively smaller public floats. As a relatively small-capitalization company with relatively small public float, we may experience greater stock price volatility, extreme price run-ups, lower trading volume and less liquidity than large-capitalization companies. In particular, our Class A Ordinary Shares may be subject to rapid and substantial price volatility, low volumes of trades and large spreads in bid and ask prices. Such 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 Class A Ordinary Shares. In addition, if the trading volumes of our Class A Ordinary Shares are low, persons buying or selling in relatively small quantities may easily influence prices of our Class A Ordinary Shares. This low volume of trades could also cause the price of our Class A Ordinary Shares to fluctuate greatly, with large percentage changes in price occurring in any trading day session. Holders of our Class A Ordinary Shares may also not be able to readily liquidate their investment or may be forced to sell at depressed prices due to low volume trading. Broad market fluctuations and general economic and political conditions may also adversely affect the market price of our Class A Ordinary Shares. As a result of this volatility, investors may experience losses on their investment in our Class A Ordinary Shares. A decline in the market price of our Class A Ordinary Shares also could adversely affect our ability to issue additional Class A Ordinary Shares and our ability to obtain additional financing in the future. No assurance can be given that an active market in our Class A Ordinary Shares will develop or be sustained. If an active market does not develop, holders of our Class A Ordinary Shares may be unable to readily sell the shares they hold or may not be able to sell their shares at all.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 16The sale or availability for sale, or perceived sale or availability for sale, of substantial amounts of our Class A Ordinary Shares could adversely affect their market price.
Sales of substantial amounts of our shares in the public market, or the perception that these sales could occur, could adversely affect the market price of our shares and could materially impair our ability to raise capital through equity offerings in the future. Our Class A Ordinary Shares sold in the initial public offering are freely tradable without restriction or further registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, and 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 the applicable lock-up agreements. We cannot predict what effect, if any, market sales of securities held by our significant shareholders or any other shareholder or the availability of these securities for future sale will have on the market price of our Class A Ordinary Shares.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 17If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, the market price for our Class A Ordinary Shares and trading volume could decline.
The trading market for our Class A Ordinary Shares will depend in part on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us or our business. We do not currently have and may never obtain research coverage by securities and industry analysts. If no securities or industry analysts commence coverage of our Company, the market price for our Class A Ordinary Shares would be negatively impacted. If we obtain securities or industry analyst coverage and if one or more of the analysts who cover us downgrades our Class A Ordinary Shares or publishes inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, the market price for our Class A Ordinary Shares would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts ceases coverage of us or fails to publish reports on us regularly, demand for our Class A Ordinary Shares could decrease, which could cause the market price for our Class A Ordinary Shares and trading volume to decline.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 18Techniques employed by short sellers may drive down the market price of our Class A Ordinary Shares.
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 best interests for the price of the stock 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 stock short. These short attacks have, in the past, led to selling of shares in the market. Public companies 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 it 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 its business operations and shareholders' equity, and any investment in our Class A Ordinary Shares could be greatly reduced or rendered worthless.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 19If we are classified as a passive foreign investment company, United States taxpayers who own our Class A Ordinary Shares may have adverse United States federal income tax consequences.
A non-U.S. corporation such as ourselves will be classified as a passive foreign investment company, which is known as a PFIC, for any taxable year if, for such year, either At least 75% of our gross income for the year is passive income; or The average percentage of our assets (determined at the end of each quarter) during the taxable year which produce passive income or which are held for the production of passive income is at least 50%. Passive income generally includes dividends, interest, rents and royalties (other than rents or royalties derived from the active conduct of a trade or business), and gains from the disposition of passive assets. If we are determined to be a PFIC for any taxable year (or portion thereof) that is included in the holding period of a U.S. taxpayer who holds our Class A Ordinary Shares, the U.S. taxpayer may be subject to increased U.S. federal income tax liability and may be subject to additional reporting requirements. Based on our operations and the composition of our assets we do not expect to be treated as a PFIC under the current PFIC rules. It was determined we are not a PFIC for the current year. However, we must make a separate determination each year as to whether we are a PFIC, and there can be no assurance with respect to our status as a PFIC for any future taxable year. Depending on the amount of assets held for the production of passive income, it is possible that, for any subsequent taxable year, more than 50% of our assets may be assets held for the production of passive income. We will make this determination following the end of any particular tax year. In addition, because the value of our assets for purposes of the asset test will generally be determined based on the market price of our Class A Ordinary Shares, our PFIC status will depend in large part on the market price of our Class A Ordinary Shares. Accordingly, fluctuations in the market price of our Class A Ordinary Shares may cause us to become a PFIC. In addition, the application of the PFIC rules is subject to uncertainty in several respects and the composition of our income and assets will be affected by how, and how quickly, we spend our liquid assets. We are under no obligation to take steps to reduce the risk of our being classified as a PFIC, and as stated above, the determination of the value of our assets will depend upon material facts (including the market price of our Class A Ordinary Shares from time to time) that may not be within our control. If we are a PFIC for any year during which you hold Class A Ordinary Shares, we will continue to be treated as a PFIC for all succeeding years during which you hold Class A Ordinary Shares. If we cease to be a PFIC and you did not previously make a timely "mark-to-market" election as described below, you still may avoid some of the adverse effects of the PFIC regime by making a "purging election" (as described below) with respect to the Class A Ordinary Shares. For a more detailed discussion of the application of the PFIC rules to us and the consequences to U.S. taxpayers if we were or are determined to be a PFIC, see "Item 10. Additional Information-E. Taxation-Material United States Federal Income Tax Considerations-Passive Foreign Investment Company ("PFIC") Consequences."
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 20Our Class A Ordinary Shares are equity and are subordinate to our existing and future indebtedness and any preferred stock we may issue in the future.
Our Class A Ordinary Shares are our equity interests and do not constitute indebtedness. As such, our Class A Ordinary Shares will rank junior to all indebtedness and other non-equity claims on us with respect to assets available to satisfy claims on us, including in a liquidation of us. Additionally, holders of our shares may be subject to prior dividend and liquidation rights of any holders of our preferred shares representing such preferred shares then outstanding. Our board of directors is authorized to issue additional classes or series of preferred shares without any action on the part of the shareholders. The board of directors also has the power, without shareholder approval, to set the terms of any such classes or series of preferred shares that may be issued, including voting rights, dividend rights, and preferences over our Class A Ordinary Shares with respect to dividends or upon our dissolution, winding-up and liquidation and other terms. If we issue preferred shares in the future that has a preference over our Class A Ordinary Shares with respect to the payment of dividends or upon our liquidation, dissolution, or winding up, or if we issue preferred shares with voting rights that dilute the voting power of our Class A Ordinary Shares, the rights of holders of our Class A Ordinary Shares or the market price of our Class A Ordinary Shares could be adversely affected.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 21Because we are an "emerging growth company" within the meaning of the Securities Act, we may take advantage of certain exemptions from disclosure requirements available to emerging growth companies, and this will make it more difficult to compare our performance with other public companies.
We are an "emerging growth company" within the meaning of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act. As such, we are eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions provided to emerging growth companies, including the extended transition period for complying with new or revised financial accounting standards under Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act. Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such an election to opt out is irrevocable. We have elected not to opt out of such extended transition period, which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, we, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This will make comparison of our financial statements with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 22We 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 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 of 2002 for so long as we remain 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. We intend to avail ourselves of the extended transition period.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 23The sale of our Class A ordinary shares in the recent private placement was at a price significantly below the recent market price, which could cause the market price of our shares to decline and will result in substantial dilution to existing shareholders.
On March 23, 2026, we entered into a subscription agreement with certain investors for the March 2026 Private Placement to sell 100,000,000 of our Class A ordinary shares at a purchase price of $0.2 per share. This purchase price represents a significant discount to the recent market price of our Class A ordinary shares. For example, the closing price of our Class A ordinary shares on the Nasdaq Capital Market on March 25, 2026, was $0.4141, making the private placement price a discount of approximately 51.7%. The Class A ordinary shares issued in the March 2026 Private Placement are subject to a six-month lock-up period. Upon the expiration of this period, these investors may have an incentive to sell their shares. Because these shares were acquired at a substantial discount, these investors may be able to realize a profit even if they sell at prices below the then-prevailing market price. The sale of a large number of these shares, or the perception that such sales could occur, could create significant downward pressure on the market price of our Class A ordinary shares. Furthermore, the issuance of 100,000,000 Class A ordinary shares in the March 2026 Private Placement will result in immediate and substantial dilution to the ownership interest and voting power of our existing shareholders. The issuance will also decrease our earnings per share in future periods, which could also negatively affect the market price of our shares. As a result of these factors, the market price of our Class A ordinary shares could decline significantly following the closing of the private placement, and you could lose a substantial portion of your investment.
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