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Zhibao Technology Inc. Class A (ZBAO) Risk Analysis
Risk Overview Q2, 2024
Source: the company's latest filing for the period ended Jun 30, 2024, filed Oct 31, 2024
Risk Change Over Time
Risk Highlights Q2, 2024
Risk Word Cloud
Risk Factors Full Breakdown - Total Risks 71
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 1Nasdaq may delist our securities from trading on its exchange, which could limit investors' ability to make transactions in our securities and subject us to additional trading restrictions.
Our Class A ordinary shares are listed on the Nasdaq under the symbol "ZBAO." We cannot assure you that our securities continue to be listed on Nasdaq in the future. In order to continue listing our securities on Nasdaq, we must maintain certain financial, distribution and stock price levels. Generally, we must maintain a minimum amount in shareholders' equity (generally $2,500,000) and a minimum number of holders of our securities (generally 300 public holders). We cannot assure you that we will continue to meet those continued listing requirements. If Nasdaq delists our securities from trading on its exchange and we are not able to list our securities on another national securities exchange, we expect our securities could be quoted on an over-the-counter market. If this were to occur, we could face significant material adverse consequences, including: - a limited availability of market quotations for our securities;- reduced liquidity for our securities;- a determination that our Class A ordinary shares come within the definition of "penny stock" which will require brokers trading in our Class A ordinary shares to adhere to more stringent rules and possibly result in a reduced level of trading activity in the secondary trading market for our securities;- a limited amount of news and analyst coverage; and - a decreased ability to issue additional securities or obtain additional 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 our Class A ordinary shares are listed on Nasdaq, our Class A ordinary shares are covered securities. Although the states are pre-empted 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.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 2We may incur significantly increased costs and devote substantial management time as a result of the listing of our Class A ordinary shares.
We may incur additional legal, accounting and other expenses as a public reporting company, particularly after we cease to qualify as an emerging growth company. For example, we may be required to comply with the additional requirements of the rules and regulations of the SEC and the Nasdaq rules, including applicable corporate governance practices. We expect that compliance with these requirements m increase our legal and financial compliance costs and will make some activities more time-consuming and costly. In addition, we expect that our management and other personnel will need to divert attention from operational and other business matters to devote substantial time to these public company requirements. We cannot predict or estimate the number of additional costs we may incur as a result of becoming a public company or the timing of such costs. In addition, changing laws, regulations and standards relating to corporate governance and public disclosure are creating uncertainty for public companies, increasing legal and financial compliance costs and making some activities more time-consuming. These laws, regulations and standards are subject to varying interpretations, in many cases due to their lack of specificity, and, as a result, their application in practice may evolve over time as new guidelines are provided by regulatory and governing bodies. This could result in continuing uncertainty regarding compliance matters and higher costs necessitated by ongoing revisions to disclosure and governance practices. We intend to invest resources to comply with evolving laws, regulations and standards, and this investment may result in increased general and administrative expenses and a diversion of management's time and attention from revenue-generating activities to compliance activities. If our efforts to comply with new laws, regulations and standards differ from the activities intended by regulatory or governing bodies due to ambiguities related to their application and practice, regulatory authorities may also initiate legal proceedings against us and our business may be adversely affected.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 3We are a foreign private issuer within the meaning of the rules under the Exchange Act, and as such we are exempt from certain provisions applicable to United States domestic public companies.
Because we are a foreign private issuer under the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), we are exempt from certain provisions of the securities rules and regulations in the United States that are applicable to U.S. domestic issuers, including: - the rules under the Exchange Act requiring the filing of quarterly reports on Form 10-Q or current reports on Form 8-K with the SEC;- the sections of the Exchange Act regulating the solicitation of proxies, consents, or authorizations in respect of a security registered under the Exchange Act;- the sections of the Exchange Act requiring insiders to file public reports of their share ownership and trading activities and liability for insiders who profit from trades made in a short period of time; and - the selective disclosure rules by issuers of material non-public information under Regulation FD. We will be required to file an annual report on Form 20-F within four months of the end of each fiscal year. In addition, we intend to publish our results on a quarterly basis through press releases, distributed pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Nasdaq Capital Market. Press releases relating to financial results and material events will also be furnished to the SEC on Form 6-K. However, the information we are required to file with or furnish to the SEC will be less extensive and less timely compared to that required to be filed with the SEC by U.S. domestic issuers. As a result, you may not be afforded the same protections or information, which would be made available to you, were you investing in a U.S. domestic issuer.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 4We 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 for so long as we are an emerging growth company. The JOBS Act also provides that an emerging growth company does not need to comply with any new or revised financial accounting standards until such date that a private company is otherwise required to comply with such new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an "emerging growth company" can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We have elected to take advantage of the extended transition period. As a result of this election, our future financial statements may not be comparable to other public companies that comply with the public company effective dates for these new or revised accounting standards.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 5Certain judgments obtained against us by our shareholders may not be enforceable.
We are a Cayman Islands exempted company and substantially all of our assets are located outside of the United States. Substantially all of our current operations are conducted in the PRC. In addition, most of our current directors and officers are nationals and residents of countries other than the United States. Substantially all of the assets of these persons are located outside the United States. As a result, it may be difficult or impossible for you to bring an action against us or against these individuals in the United States in the event that you believe that your rights have been infringed under the U.S. federal securities laws or otherwise. Even if you are successful in bringing an action of this kind, the laws of the Cayman Islands and of the PRC may render you unable to seek recognition and/or enforce a judgment against our assets or the assets of our directors and officers. For more information regarding the relevant laws of the Cayman Islands and the PRC.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 6You may be unable to present proposals before annual general meetings or extraordinary general meetings not called by shareholders.
The laws of the Cayman Islands provide shareholders with only limited rights to requisition a general meeting, and does not provide shareholders with any right to put any proposal before a general meeting. These rights, however, may be provided in a company's articles of association. Our amended and restated articles of association allow our shareholders holding shares representing in aggregate not less than ten (10%) percent of our voting share capital in issue, to requisition a general meeting of our shareholders, in which case our directors are obliged to call such meeting. Advance notice of at least fourteen (14) clear days is required for the convening of our general shareholders' meeting. A quorum required for a meeting of shareholders consists of at least one or more shareholders present or by proxy, or if a corporation, by its duly authorized representative, representing not less than one-third of all votes attaching to all ordinary shares in issue and entitled to vote at such general meeting of the Company. For these purposes, "clear days" means that period excluding (a) the day when the notice is given or deemed to be given and (b) the day for which it is given or on which it is to take effect.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 7You may face difficulties in protecting your interests, and your ability to protect your rights through U.S. courts may be limited, because we are incorporated under Cayman Islands law.
We are an exempted company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands with limited liability. As a result, it may be difficult for investors to effect service of process within the United States upon our directors or officers, or enforce judgments obtained in the United States courts against our directors or officers. Our corporate affairs are governed by our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, as amended from time to time, the Companies Act (Revised) of the Cayman Islands and the common law of the Cayman Islands. The rights of shareholders to take action against the directors, actions by minority shareholders and the fiduciary duties of our directors to us under Cayman Islands law are to a large extent governed by the common law of the Cayman Islands. The common law of the Cayman Islands is derived in part from comparatively limited judicial precedent in the Cayman Islands as well as from the common law of England, the decisions of whose courts are of persuasive authority, but are not binding, on the courts in the Cayman Islands. The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary duties of our directors under Cayman Islands law are not as clearly established as they would be under statutes or judicial precedent in some jurisdictions in the United States. In particular, the Cayman Islands has a less developed body of securities laws than the United States. Some U.S. states, such as Delaware, have more fully developed and judicially interpreted bodies of corporate law than the Cayman Islands. In addition, Cayman Islands companies may not have the standing to initiate a shareholder derivative action in a federal court of the United States. Shareholders of Cayman Islands exempted companies like us have no general rights under Cayman Islands law to inspect corporate records or to obtain copies of the register of members of these companies. Our directors have discretion under our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to determine whether or not, and under what conditions, our corporate records may be inspected by our shareholders, but are not obliged to make them available to our shareholders. This may make it more difficult for you to obtain the information needed to establish any facts necessary for a shareholder motion or to solicit proxies from other shareholders in connection with a proxy contest. Certain corporate governance practices in the Cayman Islands, which is our home country, differ significantly from requirements for companies incorporated in other jurisdictions such as the U.S. Currently, we do not plan to rely on home country practice with respect to any corporate governance matter. However, if we choose to follow our home country practice in the future, our shareholders may be afforded less protection than they otherwise would under rules and regulations applicable to U.S. domestic issuers. As a result of all of the above, public shareholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests in the face of actions taken by our management, members of the board of directors or controlling shareholders than they would as public shareholders of a company incorporated in the United States. For a discussion of significant differences between the provisions of the Companies Act of the Cayman Islands and the laws applicable to companies incorporated in the United States and their shareholders, see "Description of Our Securities."
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 8We are a "controlled company" within the meaning of the Nasdaq Stock Market Rules and, as a result, may rely on exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements that provide protection to shareholders of other companies.
We are a "controlled company" as defined under the Nasdaq Stock Market Rules because our Chairman of the board of directors and our Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Botao Ma, beneficially owns more than 50% of our total voting power. For so long as we remain a controlled company under that definition, we are permitted to elect to rely on, and may rely on, certain exemptions from corporate governance rules, including an exemption from the rule that a majority of our board of directors must be independent directors. As a result, you may not have the same protection afforded to shareholders of companies that are subject to these corporate governance requirements.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 9The amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that we adopted contain anti-takeover provisions that could have a material adverse effect on the rights of holders of our Class A ordinary shares.
Some provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may discourage, delay or prevent a change in control of our company or management that shareholders may consider favorable, including provisions that authorize our board of directors to issue shares at such times and on such terms and conditions as the board of directors may decide without any further vote or action by our shareholders. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association contain provisions to limit the ability of others to acquire control of our company or cause us to engage in change-of-control transactions. These provisions could have the effect of depriving our shareholders of an opportunity to sell their shares at a premium over prevailing market prices by discouraging third parties from seeking to obtain control of our company in a tender offer or similar transaction. Our dual-class voting structure gives disproportionate voting power to the holders of our Class B ordinary shares. In addition, our board of directors will have the authority, without further action by our shareholders, to issue preferred shares in one or more series and to fix their designations, powers, preferences, privileges, and relative participating, optional or special rights and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions, including dividend rights, conversion rights, voting rights, terms of redemption and liquidation preferences, any or all of which may be greater than the rights associated with our Class A ordinary shares. Preferred shares could be issued quickly with terms calculated to delay or prevent a change in control of our company or make removal of management more difficult. If our board of directors decides to issue preferred shares, the price of our Class A ordinary shares may fall and the voting and other rights of the holders of our Class A ordinary shares may be materially and adversely affected.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 10The sale or availability for sale of substantial amounts of our Class A ordinary shares could adversely affect their market price.
Sales of substantial amounts of our Class A ordinary shares, including Class B ordinary shares, which will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares upon transfer, or convertible promissory notes convertible into our Class A ordinary shares under certain conditions, in the public market at any time, or the perception that these sales could occur, could adversely affect the market price of our Class A ordinary shares and could materially impair our ability to raise capital through equity offerings in the future. The Class A ordinary shares sold in the Private Placement and future public offerings freely tradable without restriction or further registration under the Securities Act, and shares held by our existing shareholders may also be sold in the public market subsequent to the IPO subject to the restrictions in Rule 144 under the Securities Act and applicable lock-up agreements. There are currently 14,707,073 Class A ordinary shares and 16,816,692 Class B ordinary shares outstanding. We cannot predict what effect, if any, market sales of securities held by our significant shareholders or any other shareholder or the availability of these securities for future sale will have on the market price of our Class A ordinary shares.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 11If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or reports about our business, or if they adversely change their recommendations regarding our Class A ordinary shares, the market price for our Class A ordinary shares and trading volume could decline.
The trading market for our Class A ordinary shares is influenced by research or reports that industry or securities analysts publish about our business. If one or more analysts who cover us downgrade our Class A ordinary shares, the market price for our Class A ordinary shares would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease to cover us or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which in turn could cause the market price or trading volume for our Class A ordinary shares to decline.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 12Certain initial public offerings of companies with public floats comparable to our public float have experienced extreme volatility that was seemingly unrelated to the underlying performance of the respective company. We may experience similar volatility, which may make it difficult for prospective investors to assess the value of our Class A ordinary shares.
In addition to the risks addressed above in "- The trading price of our Class A ordinary shares may be volatile, which could result in substantial losses to investors", our Class A ordinary shares may be subject to extreme volatility that is seemingly unrelated to the underlying performance of our business. Recently, companies with comparable public floats and initial public offering sizes have experienced instances of extreme stock price run-ups followed by rapid price declines, and such stock price volatility was seemingly unrelated to the respective company's underlying performance. Although the specific cause of such volatility is unclear, our public float may amplify the impact the actions taken by a few shareholders have on the price of our Class A ordinary shares, which may cause our share price to deviate, potentially significantly, from a price that better reflects the underlying performance of our business. Should our Class A ordinary shares experience run-ups and declines that are seemingly unrelated to our actual or expected operating performance and financial condition or prospects, prospective investors may have difficulty assessing the rapidly changing value of our Class A ordinary shares. In addition, investors of our Class A ordinary shares may experience losses, which may be material, if the price of our Class A ordinary shares declines at any time or if such investors purchase shares of our Class A ordinary shares prior to any price decline.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 13The trading price of our Class A ordinary shares may be volatile, which could result in substantial losses to investors.
The trading price of our Class A ordinary shares may be volatile and could fluctuate widely due to factors beyond our control. This may happen because of the broad market and industry factors, like the performance and fluctuation of the market prices of other companies with business operations located primarily in China that have listed their securities in the United States. A number of Chinese companies have listed or are in the process of listing their securities on U.S. stock markets. The securities of some of these companies have experienced significant volatility, including price declines in connection with their initial public offerings. The trading performance of these Chinese companies' securities after their offerings may affect the attitudes of investors toward Chinese companies listed in the United States in general and consequently may impact the trading performance of our Class A ordinary shares, regardless of our actual operating performance. In addition to market and industry factors, the price and trading volume for our Class A ordinary shares may be highly volatile for factors specific to our own operations, including the following: - regulatory developments affecting us or our industry;- actual or anticipated fluctuations in our quarterly results of operations and changes or revisions of our expected results;- changes in financial estimates by securities research analysts;- conditions in the market for intermediary services;- announcements by us or our competitors of new product and/or service offerings, acquisitions, strategic relationships, joint ventures, capital raisings or capital commitments;- additions to or departures of our senior management;- fluctuations of exchange rates between the Renminbi and the U.S. dollar;- release or expiry of lock-up or other transfer restrictions on our outstanding shares;- negative publicity regarding Chinese listed companies;- Political or legal actions taken or restrictions imposed by the government in China; and - sales or perceived potential sales of additional Class A ordinary shares. Any of these factors may result in large and sudden changes in the volume and price at which our Class A ordinary shares will trade. In the past, shareholders of public companies have often brought securities class action suits against those companies following periods of instability in the market price of their securities. If we were involved in a class action suit, it could divert a significant amount of our management's attention and other resources from our business and operations and require us to incur significant expenses to defend the suit, which could harm our results of operations. Any such class action suit, whether or not successful, could harm our reputation and restrict our ability to raise capital in the future. In addition, if a claim is successfully made against us, we may be required to pay significant damages, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 14Our Chairman of the board of directors and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Botao Ma, beneficially owns 16,579,977 Class B ordinary shares, currently representing approximately 94.47% of the voting power of our outstanding share capital, and has significant influence over all corporate matters for which shareholder approval is required.
We have a dual-class share structure such that our ordinary shares consist of Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares. Holders of our Class A ordinary shares and our Class B ordinary shares shall at all times vote together as one class on all resolutions submitted to a vote by our shareholders. Each Class A ordinary share shall entitle the holder thereof to one vote on all matters subject to vote at our general meetings, and each Class B ordinary share shall entitle the holder thereof to twenty votes on all matters subject to vote at our general meetings. Each Class B ordinary share is convertible into one Class A ordinary share at any time by the holder thereof, while Class A ordinary shares are not convertible into Class B ordinary shares under any circumstances. Upon any sale, transfer, assignment or disposition of any Class B ordinary share by the holder of such Class B ordinary share to any person who is not an affiliate of such shareholder, such Class B ordinary share shall be automatically and immediately converted into one Class A ordinary share. Mr. Botao Ma, our Chairman of the board of directors and our Chief Executive Officer beneficially holding 16,579,977 Class B ordinary shares, is able to exercise approximately 94.47% of the total voting power of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares. Mr. Ma could have significant influence on determining the outcome of any corporate transaction or other matter submitted to the shareholders for approval, including mergers, consolidations, the election of directors and other significant corporate actions. In cases where his interests are aligned, he has the power to prevent or cause a change in control. Without the consent of Mr. Ma, we may be prevented from entering into transactions that could be beneficial to us or our minority shareholders. In addition, Mr. Ma could violate his fiduciary duties by diverting business opportunities from us to himself or others. The interests of Mr. Ma may differ from the interests of our other shareholders. The concentrated voting power owned by Mr. Ma may cause a material decline in the value of our Class A ordinary shares. For more information regarding our beneficial owners and their affiliated entities, see "Majority Shareholders and Related Party Transactions."
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 15Nasdaq may apply additional and more stringent criteria for our continued listing because we commutated a small public offering and insiders currently hold a large portion of our listed securities.
Nasdaq Listing Rule 5101 provides Nasdaq with broad discretionary authority over the initial and continued listing of securities in Nasdaq and Nasdaq may use such discretion to apply additional or more stringent criteria for the continued listing of particular securities, or suspend or delist particular securities based on any event, condition, or circumstance that exists or occurs that makes continued listing of the securities on Nasdaq inadvisable or unwarranted in the opinion of Nasdaq, even though the securities meet all enumerated criteria for continued listing on Nasdaq. In addition, Nasdaq has used its discretion to deny continued listing or to apply additional and more stringent criteria in the instances, including but not limited to: (i) where the company engaged an auditor that has not been subject to an inspection by PCAOB, an auditor that PCAOB cannot inspect, or an auditor that has not demonstrated sufficient resources, geographic reach, or experience to adequately perform the company's audit; (ii) where the company planned a small public offering, which would result in insiders holding a large portion of the company's listed securities. Nasdaq was concerned that the offering size was insufficient to establish the company's initial valuation, and there would not be sufficient liquidity to support a public market for the company; and (iii) where the company did not demonstrate sufficient nexus to the U.S. capital market, including having no U.S. shareholders, operations, or members of the board of directors or management. The IPO was relatively small and the insiders of our Company hold a large portion of the company's listed securities following the consummation of the IPO. Nasdaq might apply the additional and more stringent criteria for our continued listing, which might cause suspension or even de-listing our securities listed on Nasdaq.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 16The trading market for our Class A ordinary shares is very new, and consistently robust and liquid trading market may not develop or be sustained over the long term.
We only recently consummated our IPO in April 2024, and so the trading market for our Class A ordinary shares is very new and unestablished. If a consistently robust and liquid trading market for our Class A ordinary shares does not develop, you may not be able to sell your shares quickly or at the market price. Our ability to raise capital to continue to fund operations by selling our securities and our ability to acquire other companies or technologies by using our securities as consideration may also be impaired.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 17It may be difficult for overseas shareholders and/or regulators to conduct investigation or collect evidence within China.
Shareholder claims or regulatory investigation that are common in the United States generally are difficult to pursue as a matter of law or practicality in China. For example, in China, there are significant legal and other obstacles to providing information needed for regulatory investigations or litigation initiated outside China. Although the authorities in China may establish a regulatory cooperation mechanism with the securities regulatory authorities of another country or region to implement cross-border supervision and administration, such cooperation with the securities regulatory authorities in the Unities States may not be efficient in the absence of mutual and practical cooperation mechanism. Furthermore, according to Article 177 of the PRC Securities Law, or Article 177, which became effective in March 2020, no overseas securities regulator is allowed to directly conduct investigation or evidence collection activities within the territory of the PRC without first receiving approval from the CSRC. While detailed interpretation of or implementation rules under Article 177 have yet to be promulgated, the inability for an overseas securities regulator to directly conduct investigation or evidence collection activities within China may further increase difficulties faced by you in protecting your interests.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 18Dividends payable to our foreign investors and gains on the sale of our Class A ordinary shares by our foreign investors may be subject to PRC tax.
Under the EIT Law and its implementation regulations issued by the State Council, a 10% PRC withholding tax is applicable to dividends payable to investors that are non-resident enterprises, which do not have an establishment or place of business in the PRC or which have such establishment or place of business but the dividends are not effectively connected with such establishment or place of business, to the extent such dividends are derived from sources within the PRC. Any gain realized on the transfer of ordinary shares by such investors is also subject to PRC tax at a current rate of 10% which in the case of dividends will be withheld at source if such gain is regarded as income derived from sources within the PRC. If we are deemed a PRC resident enterprise, dividends paid on our ordinary shares, and any gain realized from the transfer of our ordinary shares, may be treated as income derived from sources within the PRC and may as a result be subject to PRC taxation. See "Regulation - Regulations Relating to Taxation." Furthermore, if we are deemed a PRC resident enterprise, dividends payable to individual investors who are non-PRC residents and any gain realized on the transfer of ordinary shares by such investors may be subject to PRC tax at a current rate of 20%. Any PRC tax liability may be reduced under applicable tax treaties. However, it is unclear whether holders of our ordinary shares would be able to claim the benefit of income tax treaties or agreements entered into between China and other countries or areas if we are considered a PRC resident enterprise. If dividends payable to our non-PRC investors, or gains from the transfer of our Class A ordinary shares by such investors are subject to PRC tax, the value of your investment in our Class A ordinary shares may decline significantly.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 19Our Class A ordinary shares may be delisted under the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable (HFCA) Act if the PRC adopts positions at any time in the future that would prevent the PCAOB from continuing to inspect or investigate completely accounting firms headquartered in mainland China or Hong Kong. The delisting of our Class A ordinary shares, or the threat of their being delisted, may materially and adversely affect the value of your investment. Furthermore, the U.S. Senate passed the Accelerating Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, which amends 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, thus reducing the time before our Class A ordinary shares may be prohibited from trading or delisted. The HFCA Act, the Accelerating Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, which amends the HFCA act, together with recent joint statement by the SEC and PCAOB, the PCAOB's determinations, and the Nasdaq rule changes all call for additional and more stringent criteria to be applied to emerging market companies upon assessing the qualification of their auditors, especially the non-U.S. auditors who are not inspected by the PCAOB. These developments add uncertainties to our offering.
On April 21, 2020, SEC Chairman Jay Clayton and PCAOB Chairman William D. Duhnke III, along with other senior SEC staff, released a joint statement highlighting the disclosure, financial reporting and other risks associated with investing in companies based in or have substantial operations in emerging markets including China as well as the limited remedies available to investors who might take legal action against such companies. The joint statement emphasized the risks associated with lack of access for the PCAOB to inspect auditors and audit work papers in China and higher risks of fraud in emerging markets. On May 18, 2020, Nasdaq filed three proposals with the SEC to (i) apply minimum offering size requirement for companies primarily operating in "Restrictive Market," (ii) adopt a new requirement relating to the qualification of management or board of director for Restrictive Market companies, and (iii) apply additional and more stringent criteria to an applicant or listed company based on the qualifications of the company's auditors. These proposals were approved by the SEC on October 4, 2021. These developments add uncertainties to our offering, including the possibility that Nasdaq can stop trading in our securities if the PCAOB cannot inspect or fully investigate our auditor. Furthermore, various equity-based research organizations have recently published reports on China-based companies after examining their corporate governance practices, related party transactions, sales practices and financial statements, and these reports have led to special investigations and listing suspensions on U.S. national exchanges. Any similar scrutiny on us, regardless of its lack of merit, could cause the market price of our shares to fall, divert management resources and energy, cause us to incur expenses in defending ourselves against rumors, and increase the premiums we pay for director and officer insurance. On May 20, 2020 and December 2, 2020, the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives, respectively, passed S. 945, the HFCA Act, which was signed into law on December 18, 2020. The HFCA Act requires a foreign company to certify that it is not owned or manipulated by a foreign government if the PCAOB is unable to audit specified reports because the company uses a foreign auditor not subject to PCAOB inspection. If the PCAOB is unable to inspect the company's auditors for three consecutive years, the issuer's securities are prohibited from trading on a national exchange. Although we believe that the HFCA Act and the related regulations do not currently affect us, we cannot assure you that there will not be any further implementations and interpretations of the HFCA Act or the related regulations, which might pose regulatory risks to and impose restrictions on us because of our primary operations in China. The lack of access to the PCAOB inspection in China prevents the PCAOB from fully evaluating audits and quality control procedures of the auditors based in China. As a result, the investors may be deprived of the benefits of such PCAOB inspections. The inability of the PCAOB to conduct inspections of auditors in China makes it more difficult to evaluate the effectiveness of these accounting firms' audit procedures or quality control procedures as compared to auditors outside of China that are subject to the PCAOB inspections, which could cause existing and potential investors in our stock to lose confidence in our audit procedures and reported financial information and the quality of our financial statements. On December 2, 2021, the SEC issued final rules under the HFCA Act, which became effective on January 10, 2022, amending the disclosure requirements in annual reports. These amendments apply to registrants that the SEC identifies as having filed an annual report issued by a registered public accounting firm that is located in a foreign jurisdiction that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely because of a position taken by an authority in that jurisdiction. The amendments require the submission of documentation to the Commission establishing that such a registrant is not owned or controlled by a governmental entity in that foreign jurisdiction and also require disclosure in a foreign issuer's annual report regarding the audit arrangements of, and governmental influence on, such registrants. The Commission is to identify a reporting company that has retained a registered public accounting firm to issue an audit report where that registered public accounting firm has a branch or office that: - Is located in a foreign jurisdiction; and - The PCAOB has determined that it is unable to inspect or investigate completely because of a position taken by an authority in the foreign jurisdiction. Once identified, Section 104(i)(2)(B) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires these issuers, which the SEC refers to as "Commission-Identified Issuers," to submit in connection with their annual report documentation to the Commission establishing that they are not owned or controlled by a governmental entity in that foreign jurisdiction and to name any director who is affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party or whether the company's articles include any charter of the Chinese Communist Party. On December 16, 2021, the PCAOB determined that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely PCAOB-registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and in Hong Kong, because of positions taken by PRC authorities in those jurisdictions, and the PCAOB included in the report of its determination a list of the accounting firms that are headquartered in mainland China or Hong Kong. Our auditor, Marcum Asia CPAs LLP, the headquarter of which is based in New York, is currently subject to inspection by the PCAOB at least every three years. Therefore, it is not subject to the determinations announced by the PCAOB on December 16, 2021 as it is not on the list published by the PCAOB. However, our auditor's China affiliate is located in, and organized under the laws of the PRC. We cannot assure you that we will not be identified by the SEC under the HFCA Act as an issuer that has retained an auditor that has a branch or office located in a foreign jurisdiction that the PCAOB determines it is unable to inspect or investigate completely because of a position taken by an authority in that foreign jurisdiction. In the event the PRC authorities would further strengthen regulations over auditing work of Chinese companies listed on the U.S. stock exchanges, which would prohibit our current auditor to perform work in China, then we would need to change our auditor and the audit workpapers prepared by our new auditor may not be inspected by the PCAOB without the approval of the PRC authorities, In which case the PCAOB may not be able to fully evaluate the audit or the auditors' quality control procedures. In addition, there can be no assurance that, if we have a "non-inspection" year, we will be able to take any remedial measures. If any such event were to occur, trading in our securities could in the future be prohibited under the HFCA Act and, as a result, we cannot assure you that we will be able to maintain the listing of our Class A ordinary shares on Nasdaq or that you will be allowed to trade our Class A ordinary shares in the United States on the "over-the-counter" markets or otherwise. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event it is later determined that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely our auditor, then such lack of inspection could cause our securities to be delisted from the stock exchange. Furthermore, due to the recent developments in connection with the implementation of the HFCAA, we cannot assure you whether the SEC, Nasdaq or other regulatory authorities would apply additional and more stringent criteria to us after considering the effectiveness of our auditor's audit procedures and quality control procedures, adequacy of personnel and training, or sufficiency of resources, geographic reach or experience as it relates to the audit of our financial statements. The requirement in the HFCA Act that the PCAOB be permitted to inspect the issuer's public accounting firm within three years, may result in our delisting in the future if the PCAOB is unable to inspect our accounting firm at such future time. On August 26, 2022, the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), the Ministry of Finance (MOF), and the PCAOB signed the Protocol to allow the PCAOB to inspect and investigate completely registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong, consistent with the HFCA Act, and the PCAOB will be required to reassess its determinations by the end of 2022. Pursuant to the fact sheet with respect to the Protocol disclosed by the SEC, the PCAOB shall have independent discretion to select any issuer audits for inspection or investigation and has the unfettered ability to transfer information to the SEC. On December 15, 2022, the PCAOB 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. On December 29, 2022, the Accelerating Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act was enacted, which amended the HFCA Act by decreasing the number of non-inspection years from three years to two, thus reducing the time period before our Class A ordinary shares may be prohibited from trading or delisted. As a result, trading in our securities may be prohibited under the HFCA Act, as amended by the Accelerating Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, and related regulations if the PCAOB determines that it cannot inspect or investigate completely our auditor for a period of two consecutive years, and that as a result an exchange may determine to delist our securities. Notwithstanding the foregoing, we cannot assure you that, because our books and records are primarily located in mainland China, we will in the future be able to become an issuer that is not a Commission-Identified Issuer, in which event our Class A ordinary shares may not be tradable in any United States stock exchange or market and it may be necessary for us to list on a foreign exchange in order that our Class A ordinary shares can be traded. It is possible that, in the event trading in our stock in the United States is no longer possible, you may lose the entire value of your Class A ordinary shares. Further, new laws and regulations or changes in laws and regulations in both the United States and China could affect our ability to list our shares on Nasdaq, which could materially impair the market for and market price of our Class A ordinary shares.
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