Leader Capital Holdings (LCHD) Risk Analysis
Risk Overview Q3, 2022
Source: the company's latest filing for the period ended Aug 31, 2022, filed Dec 14, 2022
Risk Change Over Time
- Regulation - Risk 1PRC regulation of loans and direct investment by offshore holding companies in PRC entities may delay or prevent us from using the proceeds of a securities offering to make loans or additional capital contributions to our PRC operating subsidiaries, which could materially and adversely affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business.
In the normal course of our business, we may make loans to our PRC subsidiaries or may make additional capital contributions to our PRC subsidiaries. Any loans to our wholly foreign-owned or holding subsidiaries in China, which are treated as foreign-invested enterprises ("FIEs") under PRC law, are subject to PRC regulations and foreign exchange loan registrations. For example, loans by us to our FIE subsidiaries in China to finance their activities cannot exceed statutory limits and must be registered with SAFE or its local counterparts, or filed with SAFE in its information system. In addition, a foreign invested enterprise shall use its capital pursuant to the principle of authenticity and self-use within its business scope. The capital of a foreign invested enterprise shall not be used for the following purposes: (i) directly or indirectly used for payment beyond the business scope of the enterprises or the payment prohibited by relevant laws and regulations; (ii) directly or indirectly used for investment in securities or investments other than banks' principal-secured products unless otherwise provided by relevant laws and regulations; (iii) granting of loans to non-affiliated enterprises, except where it is expressly permitted in the business license; and (iv) paying the expenses related to the purchase of real estate that is not for self-use (except for the foreign-invested real estate enterprises). SAFE promulgated the Notice of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on Reforming the Administration of Foreign Exchange Settlement of Capital of Foreign-invested Enterprises, or SAFE Circular 19, effective June 2015, in replacement of the Circular on the Relevant Operating Issues Concerning the Improvement of the Administration of the Payment and Settlement of Foreign Currency Capital of Foreign-Invested Enterprises, the Notice from the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on Relevant Issues Concerning Strengthening the Administration of Foreign Exchange Businesses, and the Circular on Further Clarification and Regulation of the Issues Concerning the Administration of Certain Capital Account Foreign Exchange Businesses. According to SAFE Circular 19, the flow and use of the RMB capital converted from foreign currency-denominated registered capital of a foreign-invested company is regulated such that RMB capital may not be used for the issuance of RMB entrusted loans, the repayment of inter-enterprise loans or the repayment of banks loans that have been transferred to a third party. Although SAFE Circular 19 allows RMB capital converted from foreign currency-denominated registered capital of a foreign-invested enterprise to be used for equity investments within China, it also reiterates the principle that RMB converted from the foreign currency-denominated capital of a foreign-invested company may not be directly or indirectly used for purposes beyond its business scope. SAFE promulgated the Notice of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on Reforming and Standardizing the Foreign Exchange Settlement Management Policy of Capital Account, or SAFE Circular 16, effective on June 9, 2016, which reiterates some of the rules set forth in SAFE Circular 19, but changes the prohibition against using RMB capital converted from foreign currency-denominated registered capital of a foreign-invested company to issue RMB entrusted loans to a prohibition against using such capital to issue loans to non-associated enterprises. Violations of SAFE Circular 19 and SAFE Circular 16 could result in administrative penalties. SAFE Circular 19 and SAFE Circular 16 may significantly limit our ability to transfer any foreign currency we hold, including the net proceeds from this offering, to our PRC subsidiaries, which may adversely affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business in China. On October 23, 2019, the SAFE promulgated the Notice of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on Further Promoting the Convenience of Cross-border Trade and Investment, or the SAFE Circular 28, which, among other things, allows all foreign-invested companies to use Renminbi converted from foreign currency-denominated capital for equity investments in China, as long as the equity investment is genuine, does not violate applicable laws, and complies with the negative list on foreign investment. However, since the SAFE Circular 28 is newly promulgated, it is unclear how SAFE and competent banks will implement the relevant rules in practice. In light of the various requirements imposed by PRC regulations on loans to and direct investment in PRC entities by offshore holding companies, we cannot be certain that we will be able to complete the necessary government registrations or obtain the necessary government approvals on a timely basis, if at all, with respect to future loans to our PRC subsidiaries or future capital contributions by us to our subsidiaries in China. As a result, uncertainties exist as to our ability to provide prompt funding to our PRC subsidiaries when needed. If we fail to complete such registrations or obtain such approvals, our ability to use the proceeds we expect to receive from this offering and to capitalize or otherwise fund our PRC operations may be negatively affected, which could materially and adversely affect our financial condition and operating results.
Risk Highlights Q3, 2022
Risk Word Cloud
Risk Factors Full Breakdown - Total Risks 36
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 1We have the right to issue shares of preferred stock. If we were to issue preferred stock, it is likely to have rights, preferences and privileges that may adversely affect our common stock or other securities.
We are authorized to issue 200,000,000 shares of "blank check" preferred stock, with such rights, preferences and privileges as may be determined from time to time by our board of directors. Our board of directors is empowered, without shareholder approval, to issue preferred stock in one or more series, and to fix for any series the dividend rights, dissolution or liquidation preferences, redemption prices, conversion rights, voting rights, and other rights, preferences and privileges for the preferred stock. No shares of preferred stock are presently issued and outstanding and we have no immediate plans to issue shares of preferred stock. The issuance of shares of preferred stock, depending on the rights, preferences and privileges attributable to the preferred stock, could adversely reduce the voting rights and powers of the common stock and the portion of our assets allocated for distribution to common stock holders in a liquidation event, and could also result in dilution in the book value per share of our common stock. The preferred stock could also be utilized, under certain circumstances, as a method for raising additional capital or discouraging, delaying or preventing a change in control of the Company, to the detriment of holders of our common stock. We cannot assure you that we will not, under certain circumstances, issue shares of our preferred stock.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 2We may be required to raise additional financing by issuing new securities, which may have terms or rights superior to those of our shares of common stock, which could adversely affect the market price of our shares of common stock.
We will require additional financing to fund development and commercialization of the Apps and for working capital and other purposes. We may not be able to obtain financing on favorable terms, if at all. If we raise additional funds by issuing equity securities, the percentage ownership of our then-current stockholders will be reduced. Further, we may have to offer new investors in our equity securities rights that are superior to the holders of common stock, which could adversely affect the market price and the voting power of shares of our common stock. If we raise additional funds by issuing debt securities, the holders of the debt securities would similarly have rights senior to those of the holders of shares of common stock, and the terms of the debt securities could impose restrictions on operations and create a significant interest expense for us which could have a materially adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 3We will incur significant costs as a result of being a public company that reports to the SEC. Furthermore, the reporting requirements may place undue strain on our personnel, systems and resources.
As a public company required reporting to the SEC, we expect to incur significant legal, accounting, investor relations, printing, board compensation, and other expenses that we did not incur as a private company. We are currently subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 as well as rules subsequently implemented by the SEC that impose significant requirements on public companies, including requiring us to establish and maintain effective disclosure and financial controls and changes in corporate governance practices. In addition, there are significant corporate governance and executive compensation-related provisions in the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Protection Act that, as we grow, could increase our legal and financial compliance costs and make some activities more difficult, time-consuming or costly. These requirements may place undue strain on our personnel, systems and resources.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 4Our Chief Executive Officer is also our controlling shareholder. He may significantly influence matters to be voted on and his interests may differ from, or be adverse to, the interests of our other stockholders.
Our Chief Executive Officer and director, Mr. Yi-Hsiu Lin, beneficially owns 29.2% of our common stock. Accordingly, Mr. Lin possesses significant influence over the Company on matters submitted to the stockholders for approval, including the election of directors, mergers, consolidations, the sale of all or substantially all our assets, and also the power to prevent or cause a change in control. This amount of control gives Mr. Lin a substantial ability to determine the future of our Company, and as such, he may elect to close the business, change the business plan or make any number of other major business decisions without the approval of stockholders. Mr. Lin's interests may differ from the interests of our other stockholders and could therefore result in corporate decisions that are averse to other stockholders.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 5The audit reports included in this annual report have been prepared by auditors whose work was not inspected fully by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board ("PCAOB") and, as such, the Company could be delisted if it is unable to timely meet the PCAOB inspection requirements established by the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act.
As a public company with securities quoted on the OTCQB, we will be required to have our financial statements audited by an independent registered public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB. A requirement of being registered with the PCAOB is that if requested by the SEC or PCAOB, such accounting firm is required to make its audits and related audit work papers be subject to regular inspections to assess its compliance with the applicable professional standards. Since our auditor is located in Hong Kong and China, a jurisdiction where the PCAOB has been unable to conduct inspections without the approval of the Chinese authorities due to various state secrecy laws and the revised Securities Law, the PCAOB currently does not have free access to inspect the work of our auditor. This lack of the PCAOB inspections in China prevents the PCAOB from fully evaluating audits and quality control procedures of our auditor. As a result, we and investors in our ordinary shares are deprived of the benefits of such PCAOB inspections, which could cause investors in our stock to lose confidence in our audit procedures and the quality of our financial statements. On December 18, 2020, the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, or HFCAA, was enacted. In essence, the act requires the SEC to prohibit securities of any foreign companies from being listed on U.S. securities exchanges or traded "over-the-counter" if a company retains a foreign accounting firm that cannot be inspected by the PCAOB for three consecutive years, beginning in 2021. Our independent registered public accounting firm is located in and organized under the laws of Hong Kong and China, a jurisdiction where the PCAOB is currently unable to conduct inspections without the approval of the Chinese authorities, and therefore our auditors are not currently inspected by the PCAOB. On March 24, 2021, the SEC adopted interim final amendments, which will become effective 30 days after publication in the Federal Register, relating to the implementation of certain disclosure and documentation requirements of the HFCAA. The interim final amendments will 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 the PCAOB has determined it is unable to inspect or investigate completely because of a position taken by an authority in that jurisdiction. Before any registrant will be required to comply with the interim final amendments, the SEC must implement a process for identifying such registrants. As of the date of this Amendment, the SEC is seeking public comment on this identification process. Consistent with the HFCAA, the amendments will require any identified registrant to submit documentation to the SEC establishing that the registrant is not owned or controlled by a government entity in that jurisdiction, and will also require, among other things, disclosure in the registrant's annual report regarding the audit arrangements of, and government influence on, such registrant. On June 22, 2021, the U.S. Senate passed a bill which, if passed by the U.S. House of Representatives and signed into law, would reduce the number of consecutive non-inspection years required for triggering the prohibitions under the HFCAA from three years to two. The SEC may propose additional rules or guidance that could impact us if our auditor is not subject to PCAOB inspection. For example, on August 6, 2020, the President's Working Group on Financial Markets, or the PWG, issued the Report on Protecting United States Investors from Significant Risks from Chinese Companies to the then President of the United States. This report recommended that the SEC implement five recommendations to address companies from jurisdictions that do not provide the PCAOB with sufficient access to fulfil its statutory mandate. Some of the concepts of these recommendations were implemented with the enactment of the HFCAA. However, some of the recommendations were more stringent than the HFCAA. For example, if a company was not subject to PCAOB inspection, the report recommended that the transition period before a company would be delisted would end on January 1, 2022. It is unclear when the SEC will complete its rulemaking, when such rules will become effective and what, if any, of the PWG recommendations will be adopted. The enactment of the HFCAA and the implications of any additional rulemaking efforts to increase U.S. regulatory access to audit information in China could cause investor uncertainty for affected SEC registrants, including us, and the market price of our stock could be materially adversely affected. However, PCAOB announced the signing of a Statement of Protocol with the China Securities Regulatory Commission and the Ministry of Finance of the People's Republic of China on August 26, 2022 for the PCAOB to inspect and investigate completely registered public accounting firms in mainland China and Hong Kong. PCAOB has sent an inspection team to Hong Kong in September 2022 to put the agreement to test and the inspection report is due some time in December 2022. Therefore, whether the PCAOB will be able to conduct inspections of our auditors in the next three years, or at all, is subject to substantial uncertainty and depends on a number of factors out of our control. If we are unable to meet the PCAOB inspection requirement in time, our stock will not be permitted for trading "over-the counter" either. Such a delisting would substantially impair your ability to sell or purchase our stock when you wish to do so, and the risk and uncertainty associated with delisting would have a negative impact on the price of our stock. Also, such a delisting would significantly affect our ability to raise capital on terms acceptable to us, or at all, which would have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and prospects.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 6Proceedings instituted by the SEC against five PRC-based accounting firms could result in financial statements being determined to be not in compliance with the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
We are required to have our financial statements audited by an independent registered public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB. A requirement of being registered with the PCAOB is that if requested by the SEC or PCAOB, such accounting firm is required to make its audits and related audit work papers be subject to regular inspections to assess its compliance with the applicable professional standards. Since our auditor is located in Hong Kong and PRC, a jurisdiction where the PCAOB has been unable to conduct inspections without the approval of the PRC authorities due to various state secrecy laws and the revised Securities Law, the PCAOB currently does not have free access to inspect the work of our auditor. This lack of access to the PCAOB inspection in the PRC prevents the PCAOB from fully evaluating audits and quality control procedures of our auditor based in the PRC. As a result, the investors may be deprived of the benefits of such PCAOB inspections. The inability of the PCAOB to conduct inspections of auditors in the PRC makes it more difficult to evaluate the effectiveness of these accounting firms' audit procedures or quality control procedures as compared to auditors outside of the PRC that are subject to the PCAOB inspections. The SEC previously instituted proceedings against mainland Chinese affiliates of the "big four" accounting firms, including the affiliate of our auditor, for failing to produce audit work papers under Section 106 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act because of restrictions under PRC law. Each of the "big four" accounting firms in mainland China agreed to a censure and to pay a fine to the SEC to settle the dispute and stay the proceedings for four years, until the proceedings were deemed dismissed with prejudice on February 6, 2019. It remains unclear whether the SEC will commence a new administrative proceeding against the four mainland China-based accounting firms. Any such new proceedings or similar action against our audit firm for failure to provide access to audit work papers could result in the imposition of penalties, such as suspension of our auditor's ability to practice before the SEC. If our independent registered public accounting firm, or its affiliate, was denied, even temporarily, the ability to practice before the SEC, and it was determined that our financial statements or audit reports were not in compliance with the requirements of the U.S. Exchange Act, we could be at risk of delisting or become subject to other penalties that would adversely affect our ability to remain listed on the U.S. stock exchanges. In recent years, U.S. regulators have continued to express their concerns about challenges in their oversight of financial statement audits of United States on access to audit information, the United States enacted the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act ("HFCA Act"), in December 2020. The HFCA Act includes requirements for the SEC to identify issuers whose audit reports are prepared 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 HFCA Act also requires public companies on this SEC list to certify that they are not owned or controlled by a foreign government and make certain additional disclosures in their SEC filings. In addition, if the auditor of a U.S. listed company's financial statements is not subject to PCAOB inspections for three consecutive "non-inspection" years after the law becomes effective in 2021, the SEC is required to prohibit the securities of such issuer from being traded on a U.S. national securities exchange, such as the NYSE, or in U.S. over-the-counter markets. On March 24, 2021, the SEC announced that it had adopted interim final relating to the implementation of certain disclosure and documentation requirements of the HFCA Act. The interim final amendments will 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 the PCAOB has determined it is unable to inspect or investigate completely because of a position taken by an authority in that jurisdiction. Before any registrant will be required to comply with the interim final amendments, the SEC must implement a process for identifying such registrants. Consistent with the HFCA Act, the amendments will require any identified registrant to submit documentation to the SEC establishing that the registrant is not owned or controlled by a government entity in that jurisdiction, and will also require, among other things, disclosure in the registrant's annual report regarding the audit arrangements of, and government influence on, such registrant. Furthermore, on June 22, 2021, the U.S. Senate passed the Accelerating Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, which, if enacted, would amend the HFCA Act and require 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. In the future, if we do not engage an auditor that is subject to regular inspection by the PCAOB, our common stocks may be delisted. On September 22, 2021, the PCAOB adopted a final rule implementing the HFCA Act, which became effective on November 4, 2021 and provided 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. Additionally, 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 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 the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate (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 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. On December 16, 2021, PCAOB issued a report on its determinations that PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely PCAOB-registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and in Hong Kong, a Special Administrative Region of the PRC, because of positions taken by PRC authorities in those jurisdictions. The PCAOB made these determinations pursuant to PCAOB Rule 6100, which provides a framework for how the PCAOB fulfills its responsibilities under the HFCAA. 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. The audit report included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for the years ended August 31, 2022 and 2021, was issued by Centurion ZD CPA & Co. ("CZD CPA"), an audit firm headquartered in Hong Kong, a jurisdiction that the PCAOB has determined that the PCAOB is unable to conduct inspections or investigate auditors. Our auditors CZD CPA is among those listed by the PCAOB Hong Kong Determination, a determination announced by the PCAOB on December 16, 2021 that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms headquartered in Hong Kong, a Special Administrative Region and dependency of the PRC, because of a position taken by one or more authorities in Hong Kong. The lack of access to the PCAOB inspection in PRC prevents the PCAOB from fully evaluating audits and quality control procedures of the auditors based in PRC. As a result, the investors may be deprived of the benefits of such PCAOB inspections. The inability of the PCAOB to conduct inspections of auditors in PRC makes it more difficult to evaluate the effectiveness of these accounting firms' audit procedures or quality control procedures as compared to auditors outside of the PRC that are subject to the PCAOB inspections. In addition, under the HFCA Act, our securities may be prohibited from trading on the U.S. stock exchanges or in the over the counter trading market in the U.S. if our auditor is not inspected by the PCAOB for three consecutive years, and this ultimately could result in our ordinary shares being delisted. The enactment of the HFCA Act and the implications of any additional rulemaking efforts to increase U.S. regulatory access to audit information in PRC could cause investor uncertainty for affected SEC registrants, including us, and the market price of our common stock could be materially adversely affected. Further, whether the PCAOB will be able to conduct inspections of our auditor in the next three years, or at all, is subject to substantial uncertainty and depends on a number of factors out of our control. While we understand that there has been dialogue among the China Securities Regulatory Commission (the "CSRC"), the SEC and the PCAOB regarding the inspection of PCAOB-registered accounting firms in China, there can be no assurance that we will be able to comply with requirements imposed by U.S. regulators. If we are unable to meet the PCAOB inspection requirement in time, we could be subject to additional submission and disclosure requirements, delisted from the OTCQB and our common stock will not be permitted for trading "over-the-counter" at all. If our securities are unable to be listed on another securities exchange by then, such a delisting would substantially impair investors' ability to sell or purchase our common stock when investor wish to do so, and the ongoing risk and uncertainty associated with delisting would have a negative impact on the price of our common stock. Also, such a delisting would significantly affect our ability to raise capital on terms acceptable to us, or at all, which would have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and prospects.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 7The trading in our shares will be regulated by the Rule 15G-9 of the Exchange Act which defines a "penny stock."
Our common stock is a penny stock, as defined in Rule 15G-9 promulgated under the Exchange Act. As discussed at Item 9 of this registration statement, the Exchange Act and the penny stock rules generally impose additional sales practice and disclosure requirements on broker-dealers who sell our securities to persons other than certain accredited investors or in transactions not recommended by the broker-dealer. For transactions covered by the penny stock rules, a broker dealer must make certain mandated disclosures in penny stock transactions, including the actual sale or purchase price and actual bid and offer quotations, the compensation to be received by the broker-dealer and certain associated persons, and must deliver certain disclosures required by the SEC. Consequently, the penny stock rules may make it difficult for you to resell any shares you may purchase.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 8FINRA sales practice requirements may also limit a stockholder's ability to buy and sell our stock.
In addition to the penny stock rules promulgated by the SEC, which are discussed in the immediately preceding risk factor, FINRA rules require that in recommending an investment to a customer, a broker-dealer must have reasonable grounds for believing that the investment is suitable for that customer. Prior to recommending speculative low priced securities to their non-institutional customers, broker-dealers must make reasonable efforts to obtain information about the customer's financial status, tax status, investment objectives and other information. Under interpretations of these rules, FINRA believes that there is a high probability that speculative low priced securities will not be suitable for at least some customers. FINRA requirements make it more difficult for broker-dealers to recommend that their customers buy our common stock, which may limit the ability to buy and sell our stock and have an adverse effect on the market value for our shares.
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