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Nature Wood Group Limited Sponsored ADR (NWGL) Risk Analysis
Risk Overview Q4, 2023
Risk Change Over Time
Risk Highlights Q4, 2023
Risk Word Cloud
Risk Factors Full Breakdown - Total Risks 55
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 1Although the audit report included in this 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 ADSs 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, may determine to delist our securities. Furthermore, on December 29, 2022, the Accelerating Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act was enacted, which amended the HFCA Act and requires 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, and thus reducing the time before our ADSs 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. 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 on our access to the 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 departments 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 (as amended by the Accelerating Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, which was enacted on December 29, 2022), our securities may be prohibited from trading on the Nasdaq or other U.S. stock exchanges if our auditor is not inspected by the PCAOB for two consecutive years, and this ultimately could result in our ADSs being delisted. 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, and thus, would reduce the time before our ADSs 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 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, which determinations were vacated on December 15, 2022. 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, which determinations were vacated on December 15, 2022. The report further listed in its Appendix A and Appendix B, the Registered Public Accounting Firms Subject to the Mainland China Determination and Registered Public Accounting Firms Subject to the Hong Kong Determination, respectively, which determinations were vacated on December 15, 2022. Our auditor, WWC, P.C. is headquartered in the United States, and did not appear as part of the report under the lists in its Appendix A or Appendix B. On August 26, 2022, the PCAOB signed SOP Agreements with the China Securities Regulatory Commission (the "CSRC") and China's Ministry of Finance. The SOP Agreements established a specific, accountable framework to make possible complete inspections and investigations by the PCAOB of audit firms based in mainland China and Hong Kong, as required under U.S. law. On December 15, 2022, the PCAOB announced that it was able to secure complete access to inspect and investigate PCAOB-registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong completely in 2022. The PCAOB vacated its previous 2021 determinations that the PCAOB was unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong. However, whether the PCAOB will continue to be able to satisfactorily conduct inspections of PCAOB-registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong is subject to uncertainty and depends on a number of factors out of our, and our auditor's control. However, if the PCAOB continues to be prohibited from conducting complete inspections and investigations of PCAOB-registered public accounting firms in mainland China and Hong Kong, the PCAOB is likely to determine by the end of 2023 that positions taken by authorities in the PRC obstructed its ability to inspect and investigate registered public accounting firms in mainland China and Hong Kong completely, then the companies audited by those registered public accounting firms would be subject to a trading prohibition on U.S. markets pursuant to the HFCA Act. 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 we understand that there has been dialogue among the CSRC, the SEC and the PCAOB regarding the inspection of PCAOB-registered accounting firms in mainland China, there can be no assurance that we will be able to comply with requirements imposed by U.S. regulators if there is a significant change to current political arrangements between mainland China, Macau and Hong Kong, or if any component of our auditor's work papers become located in mainland China in the future. Delisting of our ADSs would force holders of our ADSs to sell their ADSs. The market price of our ADSs could be adversely affected as a result of anticipated negative impacts of these executive or legislative actions, regardless of whether these executive or legislative actions are implemented and regardless of our actual operating performance.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 2If we fail to meet applicable listing requirements, Nasdaq may delist our ADSs from trading, in which case the liquidity and market price of our ADSs could decline.
We cannot assure you that we will be able to meet the continued listing standards of Nasdaq in the future. If we fail to comply with the applicable listing standards and Nasdaq delists our ADSs, we and our shareholders could face significant material adverse consequences, including: - a limited availability of market quotations for our ADSs; - reduced liquidity for our ADSs; - a determination that our ADSs are "penny stock", which would require brokers trading in our ADSs to adhere to more stringent rules and possibly result in a reduced level of trading activity in the secondary trading market for our ADSs; - a limited amount of news about us and analyst coverage of us; and - a decreased ability for us to issue additional equity securities or obtain additional equity or debt financing in the future. The National Securities Markets Improvement Act of 1996, which is a federal statute, prevents or preempts the states from regulating the sale of certain securities, which are referred to as "covered securities." Because we expect that our ADSs will be listed on Nasdaq, such securities will be covered securities. Although the states are preempted from regulating the sale of our securities, the federal statute does allow the states to investigate companies if there is a suspicion of fraud, and, if there is a finding of fraudulent activity, then the states can regulate or bar the sale of covered securities in a particular case. Further, if we were no longer listed on Nasdaq, our securities would not be covered securities and we would be subject to regulations in each state in which we offer our securities.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 3Volatility in our ADSs price may subject us to securities litigation.
The market for our ADSs may have, when compared to seasoned issuers, significant price volatility and we expect that our ADS price may continue to be more volatile than that of a seasoned issuer for the indefinite future. In the past, plaintiffs have often initiated securities class action litigation against a company following periods of volatility in the market price of its securities. We may, in the future, be the target of similar litigation. Securities litigation could result in substantial costs and liabilities and could divert management's attention and resources.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 4The price and the trading volume of our ADSs may be volatile which could result in substantial losses for investors.
The price and trading volume of our ADSs may be volatile. The market price of our ADSs may fluctuate significantly and rapidly as a result of the following factors, among others, some of which are beyond our control: - fluctuations in stock market price and volume; - depth and liquidity of the market for our ADSs; - investors' perceptions of us and our business; - actions by institutional shareholders; - changes in accounting standards, policies, guidance, interpretations and principles;- additions or departures of our key personnel; - regulatory or legal developments, including involvement in litigation; and - general global economic, political and stock market conditions. There were instances of extreme stock price run-ups followed by rapid price declines and stock price volatility seemingly unrelated to company performance following a number of recent initial public offerings, particularly among companies with relatively smaller public floats. Such volatility, including stock run-up, may be unrelated or disproportionate to the actual or expected operating performance and financial condition or prospects of such companies, making it difficult for investors to assess the rapidly changing value of our ADSs. In addition, if the trading volumes of our ADSs are low, persons buying or selling in relatively small quantities may easily influence prices of our ADSs. This low volume of trades could also cause the price of our ADSs to fluctuate greatly, with large percentage changes in price occurring in any trading day session. Holders of our ADSs 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 ADSs. As a result of this volatility, investors may experience losses on their investment in our ADSs. A decline in the market price of our ADSs also could adversely affect our ability to issue additional ADSs and our ability to obtain additional financing in the future. No assurance can be given that an active market in our ADSs will develop or be sustained. If an active market does not develop, holders of our ADSs may be unable to readily sell the ADSs they hold or may not be able to sell their shares at all.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 5Our pre-IPO shareholders will be able to sell their ADSs after the completion of the IPO subject to restrictions under Rule 144.
Our pre-IPO shareholders, may be able to sell their ADSs under Rule 144 after completion of the IPO. Because these shareholders have paid a lower price per ADS than participants in the IPO, when they are able to sell their pre-IPO shares under Rule 144, they may be more willing to accept a lower sales price than the IPO price. This fact could impact the trading price of the stock following completion of the IPO, to the detriment of participants in the IPO. Under rule 144, before our pre-IPO shareholders can sell their shares, in addition to meeting other requirements, they must meet the required holding period.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 6We will be a "controlled company" within the meaning of Nasdaq rules and we will qualify for and may rely on exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements.
We will be a "controlled company" within the meaning of Nasdaq Stock Market Rules. As at the date of this report, approximately 68.56% of the issued share capital of the Company is owned by Easy Bliss Limited, which is in turn owned approximately 60.19% by Mr. Hok Pan Se and 39.81% by Ms. Son I Un. Mr. Se Hok Pan is our Director and Ms. Un Son I is the spouse of Mr. Se Hok Pan. Mr. Hok Pan Se and Ms. Son I Un are deemed to hold the voting and dispositive power over the Ordinary Shares held by Easy Bliss Limited. Together with Mr. Se's personal interest of 2,145,392 Ordinary Shares, Mr. Se has a total interest of 92,932,850 Ordinary Shares, representing 70.18% of the issued share capital of the Company. Under the Nasdaq rules, a company of which more than 50% of the voting power with respect to the election of directors is held by an individual, a company or a group of persons acting together is a "controlled company" and may elect not to comply with certain stock exchange rules regarding corporate governance, including the following requirements: – that a majority of its board of directors consists of independent directors; – that its director nominees be selected or recommended for the board's selection by a majority of the board's independent directors in a vote in which only independent directors participate or by a nominating committee comprised solely of independent directors, in either case, with a formal written charter or board resolutions, as applicable, addressing the nominations process and such related matters as may be required under the federal securities laws; and – that its compensation committee is composed solely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committee's purpose and responsibilities. If we elect to be treated as a controlled company and use these exemptions, you may not have the same protections afforded to stockholders of companies that are subject to all of Nasdaq rules regarding corporate governance, which could make our ADSs less attractive to investors or otherwise harm our stock price.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 7An active trading market for the ADSs on Nasdaq might not develop or be sustained, their trading prices might fluctuate significantly and the liquidity of our ordinary shares would be materially affected.
We cannot assure you that an active trading market for the ADSs on Nasdaq will develop or be sustained. If an active trading market of our ADSs on Nasdaq does not develop or is not sustained, the market price and liquidity of our ADSs could be materially and adversely affected.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 8Securities analysts may not publish favorable research or reports about our business or may publish no information at all, which could cause our share price or trading volume to decline.
If a trading market for our ADSs develops, the trading market will be influenced to some extent by the research and reports that industry or financial analysts publish about us and our business. We do not control these analysts. As a newly public company, we may be slow to attract research coverage and the analysts who publish information about our ADSs will have had relatively little experience with us or our industry, which could affect their ability to accurately forecast our results and could make it more likely that we fail to meet their estimates. In the event we obtain securities or industry analyst coverage, if any of the analysts who cover us provide inaccurate or unfavorable research or issue an adverse opinion regarding our share price, our share price could decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of us or fail to publish reports covering us regularly, we could lose visibility in the market, which in turn could cause our share price or trading volume to decline and result in the loss of all or a part of your investment in us.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 9Investors may have difficulty enforcing judgments against us, our Directors and management.
We are incorporated under the laws of the BVI and all of our Directors and officers reside outside the United States. Moreover, many of these persons do not have significant assets in the United States. As a result, it may be difficult or impossible to effect service of process within the United States upon these persons, or to recover against us or them on judgments of U.S. courts, including judgments predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws. Even if you are successful in bringing an action of this kind, the laws of the BVI could render you unable to enforce a judgment against our assets or the assets of our Directors and officers. There is uncertainty as to whether the courts of the BVI would (i) recognize or enforce judgments of U.S. courts obtained against us or our Directors or officers predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the U.S. or any state in the U.S. or (ii) entertain original actions brought in the BVI against us or our Directors or officers predicated upon the securities laws of the U.S. or any state in the U.S. The U.S. and the BVI do not have a treatment providing for reciprocal recognition and enforcement of judgments of courts of the U.S. in civil and commercial matters and that a final judgment for the payment of money rendered by any general or state court in the U.S. based on civil liability, whether or not predicated solely upon the U.S. federal securities laws would not be enforceable in the BVI. A final and conclusive judgment obtained in U.S. federal or state courts under which a sum of money is payable as compensatory damages (i.e., not being a sum claimed by a revenue authority for taxes or other charges of a similar nature by a governmental authority, or in respect of a fine or penalty or multiple or punitive damages) may be the subject of an action on a debt in the court of the BVI under the common law doctrine of obligation. Furthermore, it is uncertain that BVI courts would: (1) recognize or enforce judgments of U.S. courts obtained in actions against us or our Directors or officers predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws; or (2) entertain original actions brought against us or other persons predicated upon the Securities Act.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 10You may have more difficulty protecting your interests than you would as a shareholder of a U.S. corporation.
Our corporate affairs are governed by the provisions of our memorandum and articles of association, as amended and restated from time to time, and by the provisions of applicable BVI law. The rights of shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our Directors and officers under BVI law are not as clearly established as they would be under statutes or judicial precedents in some jurisdictions in the U.S., and some states (such as Delaware) have more fully developed and judicially interpreted bodies of corporate law. These rights and responsibilities are to a large extent governed by the BVI Act and the common law of the BVI. The common law of the BVI is derived in part from judicial precedent in the BVI as well as from English common law, which has persuasive, but not binding, authority on a court in the BVI. In addition, BVI law does not make a distinction between public and private companies and some of the protections and safeguards (such as statutory pre-emption rights, save to the extent expressly provided for in the memorandum and articles of association) that investors may expect to find in relation to a public company are not provided for under BVI law. There may be less publicly available information about us than is regularly published by or about U.S. issuers. Also, the BVI regulations governing the securities of BVI companies may not be as extensive as those in effect in the U.S., and the BVI law and regulations regarding corporate governance matters may not be as protective of minority shareholders as state corporation laws in the U.S. Therefore, you may have more difficulty protecting your interests in connection with actions taken by our Directors and officers or our principal shareholders than you would as a shareholder of a corporation incorporated in the U.S.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 11As a foreign private issuer, we are permitted to adopt certain home country practices in relation to corporate governance matters that differ significantly from Nasdaq corporate governance listing standards. These practices may afford less protection to shareholders than they would enjoy if we complied fully with corporate governance listing standards.
As a foreign private issuer, we are permitted to take advantage of certain provisions in the Nasdaq rules that allow us to follow our home country's law for certain governance matters. Certain corporate governance practices in our home country, the BVI, may differ significantly from Nasdaq corporate governance listing standards. Currently, we do not plan to rely on some home country practices with respect to our corporate governance. However, if we choose to follow home country practices in the future, our shareholders may be afforded less protection than they would otherwise enjoy under the Nasdaq corporate governance listing standards applicable to U.S. domestic issuers.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 12We 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 do not plan to opt out of such exemptions afforded to an emerging growth company. As a result of this election, our financial statements may not be comparable to companies that comply with public company effective data.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 13We may amend the deposit agreement without consent from holders of ADSs and, if such holders disagree with our amendments, their choices will be limited to selling the ADSs or cancelling and withdrawing the underlying Ordinary Shares.
We may agree with the depositary to amend the deposit agreement without consent from holders of ADSs. If an amendment increases fees to be charged to ADS holders or prejudices a substantial existing right of ADS holders, it will not become effective until 30 days after the depositary notifies ADS holders of the amendment. At the time an amendment becomes effective, ADS holders are considered, by continuing to hold their ADSs, to have agreed to the amendment and to be bound by the amended deposit agreement. If holders of ADSs do not agree with an amendment to the deposit agreement, their choices will be limited to selling the ADSs or cancelling and withdrawing the underlying Ordinary Shares. No assurance can be given that a sale of ADSs could be made at a price satisfactory to the holder in such circumstances.
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