Uxin (UXIN) Risk Analysis

We are subject to rules and regulations promulgated by various governing bodies, including, for example, the Securities and Exchange Commission, which is charged with the protection of investors and the oversight of companies whose securities are publicly traded, and the various regulatory authorities in China and the Cayman Islands, and to new and evolving regulatory measures under applicable laws. Our efforts to comply with new and changing laws and regulations have resulted in and are likely to continue to result in, increased general and administrative expenses and a diversion of management time and attention from revenue-generating activities to compliance activities. Moreover, because these laws, regulations and standards are subject to varying interpretations, their application in practice may evolve over time as new guidance becomes available. This evolution may result in continuing uncertainty regarding compliance matters and additional costs necessitated by ongoing revisions to our disclosure and governance practices. If we fail to address and comply with these regulations and any subsequent changes, we may be subject to penalty and our business may be harmed.

Our financing partners and payment companies are subject to anti-money laundering obligations under applicable anti-money laundering laws and regulations and are regulated in that respect by the People's Bank of China, or the PBOC. If any of our third-party service provides fail to comply with applicable anti-money laundering laws and regulations, our reputation could suffer and we could become subject to regulatory intervention, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Any negative perception of the industry, such as that arises from any failure of other loan facilitation service providers, consumer finance marketplaces or e-commerce platform for buying and selling used cars to detect or prevent money laundering activities, even if factually incorrect or based on isolated incidents, could compromise our image or undermine the trust and credibility we have established.

In August 2017, the State Council promulgated the Regulations on the Administration of Financing Guarantee Companies, or the Financing Guarantee Rules, which became effective on October 1, 2017. Pursuant to the Financing Guarantee Rules, "financing guarantee" refers to the activities in which guarantors provide guarantee to the guaranteed parties as to loans, bonds or other types of debt financing, and "financing guarantee companies" refer to companies legally established and operating financing guarantee business. According to the Financing Guarantee Rules, the establishment of financing guarantee companies are subject to the approval by the relevant governmental authority, and unless otherwise stipulated, no entity may operate financing guarantee business without such approval. If any entity violates these regulations and operates financing guarantee business without approval, the entity may be subject to penalties including ban or suspension of business, fines of RMB500,000 to RMB1,000,000, confiscation of illegal gains if any, and criminal liability if the violation constitutes a criminal offense. Prior to divesting our loan facilitation business to Golden Pacer as first announced in July 2019, we provided guarantees to our financing partners in connection with the historical consumer auto loans. We have ceased to provide loan facilitation related guarantee services since November 2019 as a result of the divestiture and have divested the guarantee liabilities in relation to our historically-facilitated loans for XW Bank. In addition, we settled our remaining guarantee liabilities associated with the historically-facilitated loans for WeBank in July 2020. As of March 31, 2023, we have no outstanding guarantee obligations in relation to our historically facilitated loans. We do not believe that the Financing Guarantee Rules apply to such guarantee obligations as the guarantees were not provided independently from our principal business. However, due to the lack of further interpretations, the exact definition and scope of "operating financing guarantee business" under the Financing Guarantee Rules is unclear. It is uncertain whether we would be deemed to operate financing guarantee business in violation of relevant PRC laws or regulations because of historical arrangements with certain financial institutions. If the relevant regulatory authorities determine that we were and/or are operating financing guarantee business, we may be required to obtain approval or license for financing guarantee business. In such cases, our business, results of operations and financial conditions could be adversely affected.

Prior to the divestiture of our loan facilitation related business to Golden Pacer, or the Loan Facilitation Divestiture, we historically provided loan facilitation services in partnership with financial institutions who finance our customers' car purchases. As a result of the divestiture, we have ceased to provide loan facilitation services since November 2019. According to the Financing Guarantee Circular 37 which was issued and became effective on October 9, 2019, entities shall be prohibited from providing financing guarantee services unless obtaining the approval from the relevant regulatory authorities and establishing financing guarantee companies. Those who have been engaged in financing guarantee services shall properly settle its existing business. The authorities shall intensify the crackdowns on the financing guarantee companies with illegal operation or those who committed serious infringement of consumer's (and guaranteed person's) rights and shall timely report such cases to the banks so as to work together to protect the legitimate rights and interests of the consumers. The Financing Guarantee Circular 37 also stipulates that, without prior approval, any institution which provides customer promotion, credit evaluation and other services for any lending institution shall be prohibited from providing financing guarantee services or doing so in a disguised form. Any entity operating the financing guarantee business without a financing guarantee business license shall be banned by the regulatory authorities. See "Item 4. Information on the Company-B. Business Overview-Regulation-Regulations on Financing Guarantee." As we (i) no longer provide any additional loan facilitation related guarantee services since November 2019 and have divested the guarantee liabilities in relation to our historically-facilitated loans for XW Bank, which accounted for more than half of the total loans we historically facilitated, to Golden Pacer as a result of the Loan Facilitation Divestiture and (ii) have entered into a supplemental agreement with one of our major financing partners with regards to our historically-facilitated loans in July 2020, where we agreed to entirely settle all of our remaining guarantee liabilities associated with the historically-facilitated loans for this financing partner under the condition that we would pay the settlement amount in instalments from 2020 to 2025 based on an agreed schedule, we are no longer subject to any guarantee liabilities for the consumer auto loans we historically facilitated through our 2C business. It is required by the Financing Guarantee Circular 37 for us to properly settle our existing business and we plan to settle and gradually relieve our guarantee obligations from these historically facilitated loans along with the maturity of those remaining outstanding loans. However, we cannot assure you that our guarantee services in connection with such historical auto loans will be regarded as our "proper settlement" of our existing auto loan guarantee business by the relevant authority, or that our past practices in connection with our loan facilitation services would not be regarded as historical noncompliance. The imposition of any enforcement action would adversely affect our reputation and business, financial condition and results of operations. Furthermore, PRC laws and regulations concerning financial services, including internet financial services, are evolving and the PRC government authorities may promulgate further laws and regulations in the future. We cannot assure you that our past or current practices would not be regarded as non-compliance, and imposition of any enforcement action would adversely affect our reputation and business, financial condition and results of operations. For example, under current regulations, the risk assets of a PRC entity that conducts finance leasing business must not exceed 10 times its total net assets. In addition, PRC regulations stipulate that the amount of auto loans should be capped at 80% of the purchase price for a self-use conventionally-powered new car, 85% for a self-use new energy vehicle, and 70% for a used car. Our financing partners were responsible for designing the financing products that we offered through our historical loan facilitation services and are responsible for the financing products we currently refer to consumers on our platform. The financing products provided by our financing partners on our platform may be deemed to exceed the stipulated cap on the loan amount relative to the car purchase price, in which case we may be required to make adjustments to our cooperation arrangements or cease to cooperate with these financing partners.

Certain of our PRC subsidiaries used to engage in business activities that are not within their registered business scope. As of the date of this annual report, we are not aware of any action, claim, or investigation being conducted or threatened by the State Administration for Market Regulation (formerly known as the State Administration for Industry and Commerce), or the SAMR, or its local branches with respect to such business activities. While we have ceased conducting such business activities, we cannot rule out the possibility that our past practice could be interpreted by the SAMR as "doing business beyond the business scope" and subject us to enforcement actions such as confiscation of any illegal gains, or imposition of fines. In addition, pursuant to relevant laws and regulations, as some of our PRC subsidiaries are regarded as operators of used car marketplaces and used car related business, these entities are required to complete filings with the Ministry of Commerce of the PRC, or the MOFCOM, at provincial level. These PRC subsidiaries have completed such required filings with the relevant authorities and we will strive to complete relevant filings if certain of our subsidiaries commence used car related business. However, there is no assurance we will be able to complete the filing in a timely manner, or at all. Failure to comply with the filing requirements may subject our business to restriction, which would have an adverse impact on our business and results of operations. In addition, it is required by PRC laws and regulations for companies responsible for the construction projects to prepare environmental impact report, environmental impact statement, or environmental impact registration form based on the different level of potential environmental impact of the projects. The environmental impact reports (required if potentially serious environmental impact) and the environmental impact statements (required if potentially mild environmental impact) are subject to review and approval by the governmental authority and failure to satisfy such requirements may subject one to discontinuation of the construction projects, fines of 1% to 5% of the total investment in the projects or an order of restoration. The environmental impact registration forms (required if very little environmental impact where environmental impact assessment is not necessary) are required to be filed with competent authority and failure to satisfy such requirement may subject one to fines up to RMB50,000. We do not regularly conduct construction projects in the ordinary course of our business. However, some of our projects, including the building and overall decoration of our transaction centers from time to time, could be recognized as construction projects where a timely filing or submission for approval is required and failure to do so may subject us to fines and other enforcement actions as mentioned above. In addition, certain of our PRC subsidiaries used to engage in Internet freight business temporarily, for which we might be required to obtain the Road Transportation Operation Permit and Value-added Telecommunications Business License that certain entities did not have. As of the date of this annual report, we are not aware of any action, claim, or investigation being conducted or threatened by the relevant authority. While we have ceased conducting such business activities, we cannot rule out the possibility that our past practice could be interpreted as "operating without a license" and subject us to enforcement actions such as confiscation of any illegal gains, or imposition of fines. Considerable uncertainty exists regarding the interpretation and implementation of existing and future laws and regulations governing our business activities. Historically, some of our PRC subsidiaries have been fined due to late tax filings, although the amount of the fine was not significant. If we fail to complete, obtain, maintain or renew any of the required licenses or approvals or make the necessary filings, we may be subject to various penalties, such as confiscation of the illegal gains, imposition of fines and discontinuation or restriction of our operations. Any such penalties may disrupt our business operations and materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

In April 2015, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress promulgated the PRC Advertising Law, effective on September 1, 2015 and amended on October 26, 2018 and April 29, 2021. According to the Advertising Law, advertisements shall not have any false or misleading content, or defraud or mislead consumers. Furthermore, an advertisement will be deemed as a "false advertisement" if any of the following situations exist: (i) the advertised product or service does not exist; (ii) there is any inconsistency that has a material impact on the decision to purchase in what is included in the advertisement with the actual circumstances with respect to the product's performance, functions, place of production, uses, quality, specification, ingredient, price, producer, term of validity, sales condition, and honors received, among others, or the service's contents, provider, form, quality, price, sales condition, and honors received, among others, or any commitments, among others, made on the product or service; (iii) fabricated, forged or unverifiable scientific research results, statistical data, investigation results, excerpts, quotations, or other information have been used as supporting material; (iv) effect or results of using the good or receiving the service are fabricated; or (v) other circumstances where consumers are defrauded or misled by any false or misleading content. See "Item 4. Information on the Company-B. Business Overview-Regulation-Regulations On Advertisement" for further details. Our current marketing relies on advertising, via both online and offline channels. The laws and regulations of advertising are relatively new and evolving and there is substantial uncertainty as to the interpretation of "false advertisement" by the SAMR. If any of the advertisements that we publish is deemed to be a "false advertisement" by the SAMR or its local branch, we could be subject to various penalties, such as discontinuation of publishing the target advertisement, imposition of fines and obligations to eliminate any adverse effects incurred by such false advertisement. Some of our outdoor advertisements has historically been deemed as giving misstatement, resulting in fines by the local SAMR. The amount of the fine was not significant. We cannot assure you that the advertisement we publish in the future will not be subject to further penalties. And any such penalties may disrupt our business and our competition with competitors, which could affect our results of operations and financial conditions.

Under PRC law, a company doing business at a fixed venue outside its registered residence address is required to register with the local branch of the SAMR where the business premise is located to set it up as branch office and obtain business license. We have successfully registered and set up branch offices nationwide for all of our newly opened business premise. If the PRC regulatory authorities determine that we are in violation of the relevant laws and regulations, we may be subject to penalties, including fines, confiscation of income and suspension of operation and our business, results of operations and financial condition could thus be adversely affected.

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

The Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, or the HFCAA, was enacted on December 18, 2020. The HFCAA, which was further amended by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 signed into law on December 29, 2022, states that if the SEC determines that we have filed audit reports issued by a registered public accounting firm that has not been subject to inspection by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (the "PCAOB") for two consecutive years, the SEC shall prohibit our shares or ADSs from being traded on a national securities exchange or in the over-the-counter trading market in the United States. On December 2, 2021, the SEC adopted final amendments implementing the disclosure and submission requirements of the HFCAA, pursuant to which the SEC will identify an issuer as a "Commission Identified Issuer" if the issuer has filed an annual report containing an audit report issued by a registered public accounting firm that the PCAOB has determined it is unable to inspect or investigate completely, and will then impose a trading prohibition on an issuer after it is identified as a Commission-Identified Issuer for two consecutive years. On August 29, 2022, the SEC conclusively listed Uxin Limited as a Commission-Identified Issuer under the HFCAA following the filing of our annual report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2022. In accordance with the HFCAA, our securities will be prohibited from being traded on a national securities exchange or in the over-the-counter trading market in the United States if the PCAOB, for two consecutive years, is unable to inspect or completely investigate PCAOB-registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China. As a result, the Nasdaq may determine to delist our securities. Based on the above, trading in our securities on U.S. markets, including Nasdaq Global Select Market, would be prohibited under the HFCAA if the PCAOB determines that it is unable to inspect or investigate completely our auditor for two consecutive years. On December 16, 2021, the PCAOB issued the HFCAA Determination Report, or the 2021 Determinations, to notify the SEC of its determinations that the PCAOB was unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong, including our auditor. On December 15, 2022, the PCAOB announced that it was able to conduct inspections and investigations completely of PCAOB-registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong in 2022. Accordingly, the PCAOB vacated its previous 2021 Determinations. As a result, we do not expect to be identified as a Commission-Identified Issuer under the HFCAA for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2023 after we file our annual report on Form 20-F for such fiscal year. However, whether the PCAOB will continue to conduct inspections and investigations completely to its satisfaction 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, including positions taken by authorities of the PRC. The PCAOB is expected to continue to demand complete access to inspections and investigations regarding registered accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong in the future and states that it has already made plans to resume regular inspections in early 2023 and beyond. The PCAOB is required under the HFCAA to make its determination on an annual basis with regards to its ability to inspect and investigate completely registered accounting firms based in the mainland China and Hong Kong. The possibility of being a Commission-Identified Issuer and risk of delisting in the future could continue to adversely affect the trading price of our securities. If the PCAOB determines in the future that it no longer has full access to inspect and investigate completely registered accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong and we continue to use such accounting firm to conduct audit work, we would be identified as a "Commission-Identified Issuer" under the HFCAA following the filing of the annual report for the relevant fiscal year, and if we were so identified for two consecutive years, trading in our securities on U.S. markets would be prohibited. If our shares and ADSs are prohibited from trading in the United States, there is no certainty that we will be able to list on a non-U.S. exchange or that a market for our shares will develop outside of the United States. Such a prohibition would substantially impair your ability to sell or purchase our ADSs when you wish to do so, and the risk and uncertainty associated with delisting would have a negative impact on the price of our ADSs. Also, such a prohibition 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.

In July 2014, SAFE promulgated the Circular on Relevant Issues Concerning Foreign Exchange Control on Domestic Residents' Offshore Investment and Financing and Roundtrip Investment Through Special Purpose Vehicles, or SAFE Circular 37, to replace the previous SAFE Circular 75, which ceased to be effective upon the promulgation of SAFE Circular 37. SAFE Circular 37 requires PRC residents (including PRC individuals and PRC corporate entities) to register with SAFE or its local branches in connection with their direct or indirect offshore investment activities. SAFE Circular 37 is applicable to our shareholders who are PRC residents and may be applicable to any offshore acquisitions that we may make in the future. Under SAFE Circular 37, PRC residents who make, or have prior to the implementation of SAFE Circular 37 made, direct or indirect investments in offshore special purpose vehicles, or SPVs, are required to register such investments with SAFE or its local branches. In addition, any PRC resident who is a direct or indirect shareholder of an SPV, is required to update its registration with the local branch of SAFE with respect to that SPV, to reflect any material change. Moreover, any subsidiary of such SPV in China is required to urge the PRC resident shareholders to update their registration with the local branch of SAFE to reflect any material change. If any PRC resident shareholder of such SPV fails to make the required registration or update the registration, the subsidiary of such SPV in China may be prohibited from distributing its profits or the proceeds from any capital reduction, share transfer or liquidation to the SPV, and the SPV may also be prohibited from making additional capital contributions into its subsidiaries in China. In February 2015, SAFE promulgated a Notice on Further Simplifying and Improving Foreign Exchange Administration Policy on Direct Investment, or SAFE Notice 13. Under SAFE Notice 13, applications for foreign exchange registration of inbound foreign direct investments and outbound direct investments, including those required under SAFE Circular 37, must be filed with qualified banks instead of SAFE. Qualified banks should examine the applications and accept registrations under the supervision of SAFE. In April 2014, the National Development Reform Committee, or the NDRC, promulgated the Administrative Measures for the Approval and Filing of Overseas Investment Projects and MOFCOM promulgated the Measures for the Administration of Overseas Investment in September 2014. In December 2017, the NDRC further promulgated the Administrative Measures of Overseas Investment of Enterprises, which became effective in March 2018 and abolished the Administrative Measures for the Approval and Filing of Overseas Investment Projects. Pursuant to these regulations, any outbound investment of PRC enterprises in the area and industry that is not sensitive is required to be filed with MOFCOM and the NDRC or their local branch. Mr. Kun Dai, who indirectly holds our shares through SPVs and who is known to us as a PRC resident, has completed the applicable foreign exchange registrations to the extent acceptable by SAFE in accordance with SAFE Circular 75 and SAFE Circular 37. We cannot assure you, however, that Mr. Kun Dai will continue to make required filings or updates in a timely manner, or at all. Moreover, we can provide no assurance that we are or will in the future continue to be informed of the identities of all PRC residents and PRC enterprises holding direct or indirect interest in our company, and even if we are aware of such shareholders or beneficial owners who are PRC residents or PRC enterprises, we may not be able to compel them to comply with SAFE Circular 37 and outbound investment related regulations, and we may not even have any means to know whether they comply with these requirements. Any failure or inability by such individuals or enterprises to comply with SAFE and outbound investment related regulations may subject such individuals or the responsible officers of such enterprises to fines or legal sanctions, and may result in adverse impact on us, such as restrictions on our ability to distribute or pay dividends. Furthermore, as these foreign exchange and outbound investment related regulations are relatively new and their interpretation and implementation have been constantly evolving, it is uncertain how these regulations, and any future regulations concerning offshore or cross-border investments and transactions, will be interpreted, amended and implemented by the relevant government authorities. For example, we may be subject to a more stringent review and approval process with respect to our foreign exchange activities, such as remittance of dividends and foreign-currency-denominated borrowings, which may adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. Due to the complexity and constantly changing nature of the foreign exchange and outbound investment related regulations as well as the uncertainties involved, we cannot assure you that we have complied or will be able to comply with all applicable foreign exchange and outbound investment related regulations. In addition, if we decide to acquire a PRC domestic company, we cannot assure you that we or the owners of such company, as the case may be, will be able to obtain the necessary approvals or complete the necessary filings and registrations required by the foreign exchange regulations. This may restrict our ability to implement our acquisition strategy and could adversely affect our business and prospects.

Government policies on automobile purchases and ownership may have a material impact on our business due to their influence on consumer behaviors. Since 2009, the PRC government has changed the vehicle purchase tax on automobiles with 1.6 liter or smaller engines several times. In addition, in August 2014, several PRC governmental authorities jointly announced that from September 2014 to December 2017, purchases of new energy automobiles designated on certain catalogs will be exempted from vehicle purchase taxes. In April 2015, several PRC governmental authorities also jointly announced that from 2016 to 2020, purchasers of new energy automobiles designated on certain catalogs will enjoy subsidies. In December 2016, relevant PRC governmental authorities further adjusted the subsidy policy for new energy automobiles. We cannot predict whether government subsidies will remain in the future or whether similar incentives will be introduced, and if they are, their impact on automobile retail transactions in China. It is possible that automobile retail transactions may decline significantly upon expiration of the existing government subsidies if consumers have become used to such incentives and postpone purchase decisions in the absence of new incentives. If automobile retail transactions indeed decline, our revenues and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected. Atmospheric Pollution Prevention and Control Law of the People's Republic of China, as amended on August 29, 2015 and on October 26, 2018, advocate reasonable control over the number of fuel vehicles in accordance with urban planning. Some local governmental authorities issued regulations and implementation rules in order to control urban traffic and the number of automobiles within particular urban areas. Municipal authorities of Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Tianjin, Hangzhou, Guiyang and Shenzhen adopted regulations and implemented rules to limit the total number of license plates issued to new automobile purchases. In addition to the quantity control of automobiles, some local governmental authorities have also adopted environmental protection policies and regulations in recent years, pursuant to which an automobile, failing to meet certain environmental protection requirements or standards, will not be able to obtain the license plate issued by relevant local governmental authorities. As some used cars cannot meet the environmental protection standards required in some regions, the above policies and regulations may restrict or adversely impact the transactions of such used cars. Such regulatory developments, as well as other uncertainties, may adversely affect the growth prospects of China's automobile industry, which in turn may have a material adverse impact on our business.

The PRC legal system is based on written statutes and prior court decisions have limited value as precedents. Since these laws and regulations are relatively new and the PRC legal system continues to rapidly evolve, the interpretations of many laws, regulations and rules are not always consistent and enforcement of these laws, regulations and rules involves uncertainties. In particular, PRC laws and regulations concerning the used car e-commerce industry are developing and evolving. Although we have taken measures to comply with the laws and regulations that are applicable to our business operations and avoid conducting any activities that may be deemed as illegal under the current applicable laws and regulations, the PRC government authority may promulgate new laws and regulations regulating our industry and amend the existing laws and regulations in the future. See "-Risks Related to Our Business and Industry-Failure to obtain certain filings, approvals, licenses, permits and certificates for our business operations may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations." We cannot assure you that our practices would not be deemed to violate any PRC laws or regulations. Moreover, developments in the used car service industry and online used car transaction industry may lead to changes in PRC laws, regulations and policies or in the interpretation and application of existing laws, regulations and policies that may limit or restrict e-commerce platform for used cars like us, which could materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations. In addition, we are required to satisfy various requirements by relevant authorities from time to time and we cannot assure you that we will comply with all those requirements within prescribed time. For example, some of our PRC subsidiaries have been included in the list of abnormal business operation by the local branch of the SAMR for reasons including delay in information disclosure and failure to be reached by the authority. Failure to do so may subject us to administrative penalties. From time to time, we may have to resort to administrative and court proceedings to enforce our legal rights. However, since PRC administrative and court authorities have significant discretion in interpreting and implementing statutory and contractual terms, it may be more difficult to evaluate the outcome of administrative and court proceedings and the level of legal protection we enjoy than in more developed legal systems. Furthermore, the PRC legal system is based in part on government policies and internal rules (some of which are not published in a timely manner or at all) that may have retroactive effect. As a result, we may not be aware of our violation of these policies and rules until sometime after the violation. Such uncertainties, including uncertainty over the scope and effect of our contractual, property (including intellectual property) and procedural rights, could materially and adversely affect our business and impede our ability to continue our operations. Furthermore, recently, certain PRC regulatory authorities issued Opinions on Strictly Cracking Down on Illegal Securities Activities, which were available to the public on July 6, 2021 and further emphasized to strengthen the cross-board regulatory collaboration, to improve relevant laws and regulations on data security, cross-border data transmission, and confidential information management, and provided that efforts will be made to revise the regulations on strengthening the confidentiality and file management relating to the offering and listing of securities overseas, to implement the responsibility on information security of overseas listed companies, and to strengthen the standardized management of cross-border information provision mechanisms and procedures. However, these opinions were newly issued, and there were no further explanations or detailed rules or regulations with respect to such opinions, and there are still uncertainties regarding the interpretation and implementation of these opinions. These and other similar legal and regulatory developments could lead to legal and economic uncertainty, affect how we design, market and sell solutions, how we operate our business, how our customers process and share data, how we process and use data, and how we transfer personal data from one jurisdiction to another, which could negatively impact demand for our solutions. We may incur substantial costs to comply with such laws and regulations, to meet the demands of our customers relating to their own compliance with applicable laws and regulations, and to establish and maintain internal compliance policies.

We historically conducted our business in China primarily through the former VIEs and their subsidiaries. Our operations in China are governed by PRC laws and regulations. The PRC government has oversight over the conduct of our business, and may intervene or influence our operations as the government deems appropriate to advance regulatory and social goals and policy positions. The PRC government deems appropriate to advance regulatory and social goals and policy positions. The PRC government has recently published new policies that significantly affected certain industries and we cannot rule out the possibility that it will in the future release regulations or policies that directly or indirectly affect our industry or require us to seek additional permission to continue our operations, which could result in a material adverse change in our operation and/or the value of our ADSs. In addition, any actions by the Chinese government to exert more oversight and control over offerings that are conducted overseas and/or foreign investment in China-based issuers could significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer ADSs to investors and cause the value of our ADSs to significantly decline or become worthless. Therefore, investors of our company and our business face potential uncertainty from actions taken by the PRC government affecting our business.

The Regulations on Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investors, or the M&A Rules, purport to require offshore special purpose vehicles that are controlled by PRC companies or individuals and that have been formed for the purpose of seeking a public listing on an overseas stock exchange through acquisitions of PRC domestic companies or assets to obtain CSRC approval prior to any public securities offerings on an overseas stock exchange. The interpretation and application of the regulations remain unclear. If a governmental approval is required, it is uncertain how long it will take for us to obtain such approval, and, even if we obtain such approval, the approval could be rescinded. Any failure to obtain or a delay in obtaining the requisite governmental approval for an offering, or a rescission of such CSRC approval if obtained by us, may subject us to sanctions imposed by the relevant PRC regulatory authority, which could include fines and penalties on our and the former VIEs' operations in China, restrictions or limitations on our ability to pay dividends outside of China, and other forms of sanctions that may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations. JunHe LLP, our counsel regarding certain PRC legal matters, has advised us that, based on its understanding of the current PRC laws and regulations, we will not be required to submit an application to the CSRC for the approval under the M&A Rules for an offering because (i) the CSRC currently has not issued any definitive rule or interpretation concerning whether our offerings are subject to this regulation; and (ii) we are not required to file the application after consulting with the Ministry of Commerce through the Internet. However, JunHe LLP, our counsel regarding certain PRC legal matters, has further advised us that there remains some uncertainty as to how the M&A Rules will be interpreted or implemented in the context of an overseas offering, and its opinions summarized above are subject to any new laws, rules and regulations or detailed implementations and interpretations in any form relating to the M&A Rules. We cannot assure you that relevant PRC governmental authorities, including the CSRC, would reach the same conclusion as our PRC legal counsel, and hence, we may face regulatory actions or other sanctions from them. Furthermore, relevant PRC governmental authorities promulgated the Opinions on Strictly Cracking Down Illegal Securities Activities on July 6, 2021, which provided that the administration and supervision of overseas-listed China-based companies will be strengthened, and the special provisions of the State Council on overseas issuance and listing of shares by such companies will be revised, clarifying the responsibilities of domestic industry competent authorities and regulatory authorities. However, the Opinions on Strictly Cracking Down Illegal Securities Activities were still leaving uncertainties regarding the interpretation and implementation of these opinions. It is possible that any new rules or regulations may impose additional requirements on us. Furthermore, the Review Measures required that, in addition to network products and services acquired by critical information infrastructure operators, online platform operators are also subject to cybersecurity review if they carry out data processing activities that affect or may affect national security, and online platform operators listing in a foreign country with more than one million users' personal information data must apply for a cybersecurity review with the Cybersecurity Review Office. It is uncertain whether we would be deemed as a CIIO or an online platform operator which is under the censorship of the Review Measure in the future. In the event that we become under investigation or review by the CAC, we may have to substantially change our current business and our operations may be materially and adversely affected. If it is determined in the future that CSRC approval or other procedural requirements are required to be met for and prior to an offering, it is uncertain whether we can or how long it will take us to obtain such approval or complete such procedures and any such approval could be rescinded. Any failure to obtain or delay in obtaining such approval or completing such procedures for an offering, or a rescission of any such approval, could subject us to sanctions by the relevant PRC governmental authorities. The PRC governmental authorities may impose restrictions and penalties on our operations in China, such as the suspension of our apps and services, revocation of our licenses, or shutting down part or all of our operations, limit our ability to pay dividends outside of China, delay or restrict the repatriation of the proceeds from an offering into China or take other actions that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects, as well as the trading price of our ADSs. The PRC governmental authorities may also take actions requiring us, or making it advisable for us, to halt an offering before settlement and delivery of the ADSs being offered. Consequently, if investors engage in market trading or other activities in anticipation of and prior to settlement and delivery, they do so at the risk that settlement and delivery may not occur. In addition, if the PRC governmental authorities later promulgate new rules or explanations requiring that we obtain their approvals for filings, registrations or other kinds of authorizations for an offering, we cannot assure you that we can obtain the approval, authorizations, or complete required procedures or other requirements in a timely manner, or at all, or obtain a waiver of the requisite requirements if and when procedures are established to obtain such a waiver. On February 17, 2023, the CSRC, as approved by the State Council, released the Overseas Listing Trial Measures. According to the Overseas Listing Trial Measures, domestic companies in the Chinese mainland that directly or indirectly offer or list their securities in an overseas market, are required to file with the CSRC. Specifically, the securities under the Trial Measures refer to stocks, depositary receipts, convertible corporate bonds, exchangeable bonds and other equity-linked securities to be issued and offered in overseas markets by domestic companies directly or indirectly, while a direct offering and listing refers to the overseas offering and listing of a joint-stock company incorporated in the Chinese mainland, and an indirect offering and listing refers to the overseas offering and listing of a domestic company which conducts its business operations primarily in the Chinese mainland, in the name of an offshore company and based on the underlying equities, assets, earnings or similar interests of the domestic company. In particular, the determination of an indirect offering and listing will be conducted on a "substance over form" basis, and an offering and listing should be considered as an indirect overseas offering and listing by a domestic company if the issuer meets both of the following conditions: (i) 50% or more of the issuer's revenue, profit, total assets or net assets as documented in the issuer's audited consolidated financial statements in the most recent financial year is accounted by domestic companies; and (ii) the majority of its business operations are conducted in the Chinese mainland or its principal place of business is located in the Chinese mainland, or the majority of senior management in charge of business operations are Chinese citizens or have domicile in the Chinese mainland. According to the Overseas Listing Trial Measures, an overseas offering and listing is prohibited under any of the following circumstances: (i) if the intended securities offering and listing is specifically prohibited by the laws, administrative regulations and relevant national provisions; (ii) if the intended securities offering and listing may constitute a threat to or endanger national security as reviewed and determined by competent authorities under the State Council in accordance with law; (iii) the domestic companies or their controlling shareholders or actual controllers have committed corruption, bribery, embezzlement, misappropriation of property, or other criminal offenses disruptive to the order of the socialist market economy in the past three years; (iv) the domestic companies are currently under investigations in connection with suspicion of having committed criminal offenses or material violations of applicable laws and regulations, and there is still no explicit conclusion; or (v) there are material ownership disputes over the shareholdings held by the controlling shareholder or the shareholder under the control of the controlling shareholder or the actual controllers. According to the Overseas Listing Trial Measures, the issuer or its affiliated domestic company, as the case may be, is required to file with the CSRC (i) with respect to its initial public offering and listing and its subsequent securities offering in an overseas market different from the market where it has listed, within three business days after its submission of listing application documents to the relevant regulator in the place of intended listing, (ii) with respect to its follow-on offering in the same overseas market where it has listed (including issuance of any corporate convertible bonds, exchangeable bonds and other equity-linked securities, but excluding the offering for employees incentive, dividend distribution by shares and share split), within three business days after completion of such follow-on offering, (iii) with respect to listing by means of single or multiple acquisitions, share swap, transfers of shares and similar transactions, within three business days after its initial filing of the listing application or the first public announcement of the transaction, as case may be. Failure to comply with the filing requirements may result in an order of rectification, a warning and fines up to RMB10 million to the non-compliant domestic companies, and the directly responsible persons of the companies will be warned and fined between RMB500,000 and RMB5 million. Furthermore, if the controlling shareholder and the actual controller of the non-compliant companies organizes or instigates the breach, they will be fined between RMB1 million and RMB10 million. In addition to above filing requirements, the Filings Rules also requires an issuer to report to the CSRC within three business days after occurrence of any the following events: (i) its change of control; (ii) its being subject to investigation or sanctions by any overseas securities regulators or overseas authorities; (iii) its change of listing status or listing segment; (iv) voluntary or mandatory delisting; and (v) material change of its principal business operations to the extent that it ceases to be subject to the filing requirements of the Overseas Listing Trial Measures. On February 24, 2023, the CSRC released the Provisions on Strengthening the Confidentiality and Archives Administration Related to the Overseas Securities Offering and Listing by Domestic Enterprises, or, the Confidentiality Provisions, which came into effect on March 31, 2023. Pursuant to the Confidentiality Provisions, any future inspection or investigation conducted by overseas securities regulator or the relevant competent authorities on our PRC domestic companies with respect to our overseas issuance and listing shall be carried out in the manner in compliance with PRC laws and regulations. As of the date of this annual report, we have not received any inquiry or notice or any objection in connection with our previous issuance of securities to foreign investors from the CSRC, the CAC or any other PRC governmental authorities that have jurisdiction over our operations. As advised by Beijing DOCVIT Law Firm, our counsel as to certain PRC legal matters, we are not required to file an application for the cybersecurity review by CAC for our previous issuance of securities to foreign investors as of the date of this annual report because (i) the relevant regulations do not require network platform operators holding personal information of over one million users to file a supplementary application of cybersecurity review for their previous issuance of securities to foreign investors that occurred before the effective date of such regulations; and (ii) our securities have already been listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market before such regulations became effective. Thus, Beijing DOCVIT Law Firm, our counsel as to certain PRC legal matters, does not expect that, as of the date of this annual report, we are required to file an application for the cybersecurity review by CAC for our previous issuance of securities to foreign investors. Furthermore, as advised by Beijing DOCVIT Law Firm, our counsel as to certain PRC legal matters, based on the facts that, (i) the Cybersecurity Review Measures were newly adopted and the Draft Regulations have not been formally adopted, and the implementation and interpretation of both are subject to uncertainties, and (ii) except as otherwise disclosed in the annual report, we have not been involved in any investigations on cyber security review made by the CAC on such basis, nor have we received any inquiries, notices, warnings, or sanctions from any competent PRC regulatory authorities related to cybersecurity, data security and personal data protection, we believe we are in material compliance with the existing PRC laws and regulations on cybersecurity, data security and personal data protection. However, given the current regulatory environment in the PRC, there remains uncertainty regarding the interpretation and enforcement of PRC laws, which can change quickly with little notice in advance and subject to any future actions within the discretion of PRC authorities. According to the New Overseas Listing Rules, PRC domestic companies that seek to offer and list securities in overseas markets, either in direct or indirect means, are required to complete the filing procedure with the CSRC and report relevant information. In addition, an overseas-listed company must also submit the filing with respect to its follow-on offerings, issuance of convertible corporate bonds and exchangeable bonds, and other equivalent offering activities, within the time frame specified the Overseas Listing Trial Measures. We have been closely monitoring regulatory developments in China regarding any necessary approvals, filings or reports from the CSRC, and we will take any and all actions necessary to complete the filing with the CSRC if required.

In February 2012, SAFE promulgated the Notices on Issues Concerning the Foreign Exchange Administration for Domestic Individuals Participating in Stock Incentive Plan of Overseas Publicly-Listed Company, replacing earlier rules promulgated in 2007. Pursuant to these rules, PRC citizens and non-PRC citizens who reside in China for a continuous period of not less than one year who participate in any stock incentive plan of an overseas publicly listed company, subject to a few exceptions, are required to register with SAFE through a qualified PRC agent, which could be the PRC subsidiaries of such overseas-listed company, and complete certain other procedures. The PRC agent shall amend the SAFE registration within three months in the event that there is any material changes to the stock incentive plan, the PRC agent or the overseas entrusted institution or other material changes. In addition, an overseas-entrusted institution must be retained to handle matters in connection with the exercise or sale of stock options and the purchase or sale of shares and interests. We and our executive officers and other employees who are PRC citizens or who reside in the PRC for a continuous period of not less than one year and who have been granted options are subject to these regulations. However, we cannot assure you that the SAFE registrations for the grantees of our stock options could be completed and updated in a timely manner. Failure to complete SAFE registrations or to amend such registrations in time may subject us to fines of up to RMB300,000 for entities and up to RMB50,000 for individuals, and legal sanctions and may also limit our ability to contribute additional capital into our PRC subsidiaries and limit our PRC subsidiaries' ability to distribute dividends to us. We also face regulatory uncertainties that could restrict our ability to adopt additional incentive plans for our directors, executive officers and employees under PRC law. See "Item 4. Information on the Company-B. Business Overview-Regulation-Regulations on Stock Incentive Plans."

As an offshore holding company of our PRC subsidiaries, we may make loans to our PRC subsidiaries, or we may make additional capital contributions to our PRC subsidiaries. Such loans to our PRC subsidiaries in China and capital contributions are subject to PRC regulations and approvals or filing. For example, loans by us to our PRC subsidiaries cannot exceed statutory limits and must be registered with SAFE or its local branch. Information about capital contributions to our PRC subsidiaries must be filed with the PRC Ministry of Commerce or its local counterpart. In addition, the PRC government also restricts the convertibility of foreign currencies into Renminbi and use of the proceeds. On March 30, 2015, SAFE promulgated Circular 19, which took effect and replaced certain previous SAFE regulations from June 1, 2015. SAFE further promulgated Circular 16, effective on June 9, 2016, which, among other things, amend certain provisions of Circular 19. According to SAFE Circular 19 and SAFE Circular 16, the flow and use of the Renminbi capital converted from foreign currency denominated registered capital of a foreign-invested company is regulated such that Renminbi capital may not be used for business beyond its business scope or to provide loans to persons other than affiliates unless otherwise permitted under its business scope. On October 23, 2019, SAFE promulgated Circular 28, which stipulates that non-investment foreign-funded enterprises are allowed to make domestic equity investment with their capital funds on the premise that the Negative List is not violated and the projects invested thereby in China are true and compliant. Violations of the applicable circulars and rules may result in severe penalties, including substantial fines as set forth in the Foreign Exchange Administration Regulations. If our variable interest entity requires financial support from us or our wholly owned subsidiaries in the future and we find it necessary to use foreign currency-denominated capital to provide such financial support, our ability to fund our variable interest entity's operations will be subject to statutory limits and restrictions, including those described above. The Circular Regarding Further Optimizing the Cross-border RMB Policy to Support the Stabilization of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment jointly promulgated by the PBOC, NDRC, the Ministry of Commerce, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council, the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission and SAFE on December 31, 2020 and effective on February 4, 2021 allows the non-investment foreign-invested enterprises to make domestic reinvestment with RMB capital in accordance with the law on the premise that they comply with prevailing regulations and the invested projects in China are authentic and compliant. In addition, if a foreign-invested enterprise uses RMB income under capital accounts to conduct domestic reinvestment, the invested enterprise is not required to open a special deposit account for RMB capital. The applicable foreign exchange circulars and rules may significantly limit our ability to convert, transfer and use the net proceeds from our initial public offering and the concurrent private placement of convertible notes or any offering of additional equity securities in China, which may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. As the foreign exchange related regulatory regime and practice are complex and still evolving and involve many uncertainties, we cannot assure you that we have complied or will be able to comply with all applicable foreign exchange circulars and rules, or that we will be able to complete the necessary government registrations or filings on a timely basis, if at all, with respect to future loans by us to our PRC subsidiaries or with respect to future capital contributions by us to our PRC subsidiaries. If we fail to complete such registrations or filings, our ability to contribute additional capital to fund our PRC operations may be negatively affected, which could adversely and materially affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business.