ITEM 1A.
RISK FACTORS
Our business and financial performance are subject to various risks and uncertainties, some of which are beyond our control. We discuss in this section some of the risk factors that, if they actually occurred, could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. In that event, the trading price of our common stock could decline, and our shareholders may lose part or all of their investment. You should consider these risk factors in connection with evaluating the forward-looking statements contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K because these factors could cause our actual results and financial condition to differ materially from those projected in forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect subsequent events or circumstances or the occurrence of unanticipated events.
Summary of Risk Factors
We have in the past been adversely affected by certain of, and may in the future be materially and adversely affected by, the following risks:
The Company is a holding company and will rely on dividends paid by its subsidiaries for its cash needs. Any limitation on the ability of its subsidiaries to make dividend payments to the Company, or any tax implications of making dividend payments to the Company, could limit the Company’s ability to pay its expenses or pay dividends to holders of its common stock.
Fluctuations in exchange rates could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and the value of your investment.
Recent changes in U.S. trade policies are likely to significantly reduce the volume of imported goods into the United States from China, which is likely to materially reduce our sales in one of our primary markets.
If the availability of direct materials (raw materials, packaging, sourced products, energy) decreases, or these costs increase, and we are unable to either offset or pass along increased costs to our customers, our financial condition, liquidity or results of operations have been and could continue to be adversely affected.
Disruption to suppliers of raw materials could have a material adverse effect on us.
We have significant levels of sales in certain channels of distribution and reduction in sales through these channels could adversely affect our business.
Our patent applications may not be granted, which may have a material adverse effect on our ability to prevent others from commercially exploiting products similar to ours.
Our financial statements contain an explanatory paragraph regarding uncertainty as our ability to raise capital and therefore cast substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.
We may not be able to successfully implement our business strategies and future plans.
Risks Related to Our
Corporate Structure
The Company is a holding company and will rely on dividends paid by its subsidiaries for its cash needs. Any limitation on the ability of its subsidiaries to make dividend payments to the Company, or any tax implications of making dividend payments to the Company, could limit the Company’s ability to pay its expenses or pay dividends to holders of its common stock.
Because the Company is a holding company, we conduct substantially all of our business through our subsidiaries in the United States, Hong Kong and China. The Company may rely on dividends to be paid by its subsidiaries to fund our cash and financing requirements, including the funds necessary to pay dividends and other cash distributions to our stockholders, to service any debt we may incur and to pay its operating expenses. If any of the subsidiaries incurs debt on its behalf in the future, the instruments governing the debt may restrict its ability to pay dividends or make other distributions to the Company.
There are no restrictions in our Articles of Incorporation or Bylaws that prevent the Company from declaring dividends. The Nevada Revised Statutes, however, prohibit the Company from declaring dividends where, after giving effect to the distribution of the dividend:
the Company would not be able to pay its debts as they become due in the usual course of business; or
the total assets of the Company would be less than the sum of the total liabilities of the Company plus the amount that would be needed to satisfy the rights of stockholders who have preferential rights superior to those receiving the distribution, unless otherwise permitted under our Articles of Incorporation.
According to the Limited Liability Company Act of Delaware, in general, NBS and Benchwick LLC may make a distribution to the Company to the extent, after giving effect to the distribution, all liabilities of NBS and Benchwick LLC, other than liabilities to the Company on account of the Company’s membership interests in NBS and Benchwick LLC, do not exceed the fair value of the assets of NBS and Benchwick LLC. 3D PRINTING may make a distribution to Benchwick LLC to the extent, after giving effect to the distribution, all liabilities of 3D PRINTING, other than liabilities to Benchwick LLC on account of Benchwick LLC’s membership interests in 3D PRINTING, do not exceed the fair value of the assets of 3D PRINTING.
According to the California General Corporation Law, Dotfloor and NDC may make a distribution to their stockholders if the retained earnings of each of Dotfloor and NDC equal at least the amount of the proposed distribution. The California General Corporation Law also provides that, in the event that sufficient retained earnings are not available for the proposed distribution, a corporation may nevertheless make a distribution to its stockholders if it meets two conditions, which generally stated are as follows: (i) the corporation’s assets equal at least 1 and 1/4 times its liabilities, and (ii) the corporation’s current assets equal at least its current liabilities or, if the average of the corporation’s earnings before taxes on income and before interest expenses for the two preceding fiscal years were less than the average of the corporation’s interest expenses for such fiscal years, then the corporation’s current assets must equal at least 1 and 1/4 times its current liabilities.
Benchwick, Cedar Modern Limited, and Raleigh Industries Limited, our Hong Kong subsidiaries, are permitted, under the laws of Hong Kong, to provide funding to the Company through dividend distribution out of its profits. Under the current practices of the Hong Kong Inland Revenue Department, no tax is payable in Hong Kong in respect of dividends paid to the Company as a Nevada corporation.
According to the PRC Company Law and the Foreign Investment Law, each of Crazy Industry, Marco, Ringold and NCP, as a foreign invested enterprise, or FIE, is required to draw 10% of its after-tax profits each year, if any, to fund a common reserve, which may stop drawing its after-tax profits if the aggregate balance of the common reserve has already accounted for over 50% of its registered capital. These reserves are not distributable as cash dividends. Furthermore, under the EIT Law, which became effective in January 2008, the maximum tax rate for the withholding tax imposed on dividend payments from PRC foreign invested companies to their overseas investors that are not regarded as a “resident” for tax purposes is 20%. The rate was reduced to 10% under the Implementing Regulations for the EIT Law issued by the State Council. However, a lower withholding tax rate might be applied if there is a tax treaty between China and the jurisdiction of a foreign holding company. Mainland China and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region entered into a tax arrangement to avoid double taxation and prevent fiscal evasion with respect to income tax. The tax arrangement applies where a Hong Kong resident enterprise which is considered a non-PRC tax resident enterprise, directly holds at least 25% of equity interests in a PRC enterprise. In that case the withholding tax rate in respect to the payment of dividends by such PRC enterprise to such Hong Kong resident enterprise is reduced to 5% from a standard rate of 10%, subject to approval of the PRC local tax authority. Accordingly, Benchwick, our Hong Kong subsidiary, is to the 5% withholding tax rate for the dividends it receives from its PRC subsidiaries (Crazy Industry, Ringold and Marco if Benchwick) the conditions prescribed in relevant tax rules and regulations and obtains the required approvals. However, if Benchwick is considered a non- owner for purposes of the tax arrangement, any dividends paid to it by its PRC subsidiaries directly would not qualify for the preferential dividend withholding tax rate of 5%, but rather would be subject to a rate of 10%.
In addition, in response to the persistent capital outflow and the Renminbi’s depreciation against the U.S. dollar in the fourth quarter of 2016, the People’s Bank of China (“PBOC”) and the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, or SAFE, have implemented a series of capital control measures, including stricter vetting procedures for China-based companies to remit foreign currency for overseas acquisitions, dividend payments and shareholder loan repayments. The PRC government may continue to strengthen its capital controls and our PRC subsidiaries’ dividends and other distributions may be subjected to tighter scrutiny in the future.
Risks Related to Doing Business in China
Changes in China’s political, economic or social conditions could have a material adverse effect on our business and operations.
Most of our products are manufactured through NCP in China and as a result, our business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects may be influenced to a significant degree by political, economic and social conditions in China generally. The Chinese government plays a significant role in regulating industry development by imposing industrial policies. The Chinese government also exercises significant control over China’s economic growth by allocating resources, controlling payment of foreign currency-denominated obligations, setting monetary policy, and providing preferential treatment to particular industries or companies.
While the Chinese economy has experienced significant growth over the past decades, growth has been uneven, both geographically and among various sectors of the economy. Any adverse changes of economic conditions in China, in the policies of the Chinese government, or in the laws and regulations in China could have a material adverse effect on the overall economic growth of China. Such developments could adversely affect our business and operating results, reduce production and weaken our competitive position. The Chinese government has implemented various measures to encourage economic growth and guide the allocation of resources. Some of these measures may benefit the overall Chinese economy, but may have a negative effect on us. For example, our financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected by government control over capital investments or changes in tax regulations. In addition, in the past the Chinese government has implemented certain measures, including interest rate adjustments, to control the pace of economic growth. These measures may cause decreased economic activities in China, which may adversely affect our business and operating results.
Uncertainties in the interpretation and enforcement of PRC laws and regulations and changes in policies, rules, and regulations in China, which may be quick with little advance notice, could limit the legal protection available to you and us.
Our PRC subsidiaries are subject to various PRC laws and regulations generally applicable to companies in China. Since these laws and regulations are relatively new and the PRC legal system continues to rapidly evolve, however, the interpretations of many laws, regulations, and rules are not always uniform and enforcement of these laws, regulations, and rules involve uncertainties.
From time to time, we may have to resort to administrative and court proceedings to enforce our legal rights. Since PRC administrative and court authorities have significant discretion in interpreting and implementing statutory and contractual terms, however, it may be more difficult to evaluate the outcome of administrative and court proceedings and the level of legal protection we enjoy in the PRC legal system than in more developed legal systems. Furthermore, the PRC legal system is based in part on government policies, internal rules, and regulations that may have retroactive effects and may change quickly with little advance notice. As a result, we may not be aware of our violation of these policies and rules until sometime after the violation. Such uncertainties, including uncertainties over the scope and effect of our contractual, property (including intellectual property), and procedural rights, and any failure to respond to changes in the regulatory environment in China could materially and adversely affect our business and impede our ability to continue our operations.
PRC regulation of parent/subsidiary loans and direct investment by offshore holding companies to PRC entities may delay or prevent us from using the proceeds of offshore offerings to make loans or additional capital contributions to the PRC subsidiaries, which could materially and adversely affect their liquidity and their ability to fund and expand their business.
We are an offshore holding company conducting our operations in the U.S. and Hong Kong through offshore subsidiaries and in China through the PRC subsidiaries, to which we can make loans and make additional capital contributions. Most of these loans or contributions to our PRC subsidiaries are subject to PRC regulations and approvals or registration. For example, any loans to the PRC subsidiaries, which are treated as foreign-invested enterprises under PRC law, are subject to PRC regulations and foreign exchange loan registrations. Furthermore, loans made by us to the PRC subsidiaries to finance their activities cannot exceed statutory limits and must be registered with the local counterpart of SAFE, or filed with SAFE in its information system. Pursuant to relevant PRC regulations, we may provide loans to the PRC subsidiaries up to the larger amount of (i) the balance between the registered total investment amount and registered capital of these entities, or (ii) twice the amount of the net assets of these entities calculated in accordance with the Circular on Full-Coverage Macro-Prudent Management of Cross-Border Financing, or the “PBOC Circular 9.” Moreover, any medium or long-term loan to be provided by us to the PRC subsidiaries, or other domestic PRC entities must also be filed and registered with the National Development and Reform Commission (the “NDRC”). We may also decide to finance the PRC subsidiaries by means of capital contributions. These capital contributions are subject to registration with the SAMR or its local branch, reporting of foreign investment information with the Ministry of Commerce of the PRC (the “MOFCOM”), or registration with other governmental authorities in China.
On March 30, 2015, SAFE issued the Notice of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on Reforming the Administrative Approach Regarding the Settlement of the Foreign Exchange Capital of Foreign-invested Enterprises, or “SAFE Circular 19,” which took effect and replaced previous regulations effective on June 1, 2015, and was amended on December 30, 2019. Pursuant to SAFE Circular 19, up to 100% of foreign currency capital of a foreign-invested enterprise may be converted into RMB capital according to the actual operation, and within the business scope, of the enterprise at its will. Although SAFE Circular 19 allows for the use of RMB converted from the foreign currency-denominated capital for equity investments in the PRC, the restrictions continue to apply as to foreign-invested enterprises’ use of the converted RMB for purposes beyond their business scope, for entrusted loans or for inter-company RMB loans. On June 9, 2016, SAFE promulgated the Notice of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on Reforming and Standardizing the Foreign Exchange Settlement Management Policy of Capital Account, or “SAFE Circular 16,” effective on June 9, 2016, which reiterates some rules set forth in SAFE Circular 19, but changes the prohibition against using RMB capital converted from foreign currency-denominated registered capital of a foreign-invested company to issue RMB entrusted loans to a prohibition against using such capital to issue loans to non-affiliated enterprises. SAFE Circular 19 and SAFE Circular 16 may significantly limit our ability to transfer any foreign currency we hold, including the net proceeds from our offshore offerings, to the PRC subsidiaries, which may affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business in China. On October 23, 2019, SAFE issued the Notice of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on Further Facilitating Cross-border Trade and Investment, or “SAFE Circular 28,” which, among other things, expanded the use of foreign exchange capital to domestic equity investment area. Non-investment foreign-funded enterprises are allowed to lawfully make domestic equity investments by using their capital on the premise without to prevailing Special Administrative Measures for Access of Foreign Investments (Edition 2021), or the “ List,” and the authenticity and compliance with the regulations of domestic investment projects. However, since SAFE Circular 28 is newly promulgated, it is unclear how SAFE and competent banks will carry it out in practice.
In light of the various requirements imposed by PRC regulations on loans to and direct investment in PRC entities by offshore holding companies, including SAFE Circular 19, SAFE Circular 16, and other relevant rules and regulations, we cannot assure you that we will be able to complete the necessary registrations or obtain the necessary government approvals on a timely basis, if at all, with respect to future loans or capital contributions to the PRC subsidiaries. As a result, uncertainties exist as to our ability to provide prompt financial support to the PRC subsidiaries when needed. If we fail to complete such registrations or obtain such approvals, our ability to use the proceeds we received or expect to receive from our offshore offerings and to capitalize or otherwise fund our PRC operations may be negatively affected, which could materially and adversely affect the PRC subsidiaries’ business, including their liquidity and their ability to fund and expand their business.
You may experience difficulties in effecting service of legal process, enforcing foreign judgments, or bringing actions in China against us or our PRC subsidiaries based on foreign laws. It may also be difficult for you or overseas regulators to conduct investigations or collect evidence within China.
Our subsidiaries conduct a substantial amount of operations (including the manufacturing of most of our products) in China and most of our assets and equipment are located in China. As a result, it may be difficult for you to effect service of process upon us or our PRC subsidiaries inside China. In addition, there is uncertainty as to whether the PRC would recognize or enforce judgments of U.S. courts against us or our PRC subsidiaries predicated upon the civil liability provisions of U.S. securities laws or those of any U.S. state.
The recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments are provided for under the PRC Civil Procedures Law. PRC courts may recognize and enforce foreign judgments in accordance with the requirements of the PRC Civil Procedures Law based either on treaties between China and the country where the judgment is made or on principles of reciprocity between jurisdictions. China does not have any treaties or other forms of written arrangement with the U.S. that provide for the reciprocal recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments. In addition, according to the PRC Civil Procedures Law, the PRC courts will not enforce a foreign judgment against us or our directors and officers if they decide that the judgment violates the basic principles of PRC laws or national sovereignty, security, or public interest. As a result, it is uncertain whether and on what basis a PRC court would enforce a judgment rendered by a court in the United States.
It may also be difficult for you or overseas regulators to conduct investigations or collect evidence within China. For example, in China, there are significant legal and other obstacles to obtaining information needed for stockholder investigations or litigation outside China or otherwise with respect to foreign entities. Although the authorities in China may establish a regulatory cooperation mechanism with its counterparts of another country or region to monitor and oversee cross-border securities activities, such regulatory cooperation with the securities regulatory authorities in the U.S. may not be efficient in the absence of a 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 investigations or evidence collection activities within the territory of the PRC. Article 177 further provides that Chinese entities and individuals are not allowed to provide documents or materials related to a company’s securities and business activities to foreign agencies without prior consent from the securities regulatory authority of the PRC State Council and the competent departments of the PRC State Council. While detailed interpretation of or implementing rules under Article 177 have yet to be promulgated, the of an overseas securities regulator to directly conduct an or evidence collection activities within China may further increase the faced by you in protecting your interests. See “Enforceability of Civil Liabilities.”
The PRC government exerts substantial influence over the manner in which our PRC subsidiaries conduct their business activities. The PRC government may also intervene or influence our operations at any time and may exert more control over foreign investment in China-based issuers, which could result in a material change in our PRC subsidiaries’ operations.
The Chinese government has exercised and continues to exercise substantial control over virtually every sector of the Chinese economy through regulation and state ownership. Our ability to operate in China may be harmed by changes in its laws and regulations, including those relating to taxation, environmental regulations, land use rights, property and other matters. The central or local governments of these jurisdictions may impose new, stricter regulations or interpretations of existing regulations that would require additional expenditures and efforts on our part to ensure our compliance with such regulations or interpretations. Accordingly, government actions in the future, including any decision not to continue to support recent economic reforms and to return to a more centrally planned economy or regional or local variations in the implementation of economic policies, could have a significant effect on economic conditions in China or particular regions thereof, and could require us to divest ourselves of any interest we then hold in our operations in China.
For example, the Chinese cybersecurity regulator announced on July 2, 2021, that it began investigating Didi Global Inc. (NYSE: DIDI) and two days later ordered that the company’s smartphone application be removed from smartphone application stores. Similarly, our business segments may be subject to various government and regulatory interference in the regions in which we operate. We could be subject to regulation by various political and regulatory entities, including various local and municipal agencies and government sub-divisions. We may incur increased costs necessary to comply with existing and newly adopted laws and regulations or penalties for any failure to comply.
Although we believe that we are in compliance with existing and newly adopted laws and regulations of the PRC, we cannot assure you that PRC regulatory agencies would take the same view as we do, and there is no assurance that we can fully or timely comply with such laws. In the event that we are subject to any mandatory review and other specific actions required by any Chinese regulator, we face uncertainty as to whether any clearance or other required actions can be timely completed, or at all. Given such uncertainty, we may be further required to suspend our relevant business, shut down our website, or face other penalties, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations. Any future action by the PRC government could significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors and could cause the value of such securities to significantly decline or be worthless.
If the Chinese government chooses to exert more oversight and control over offerings that are conducted overseas and/or foreign investment in China-based issuers, such action could significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors and cause the value of such securities to significantly decline or be worthless.
We face risks arising from China including risks and uncertainties regarding the enforcement of laws and that rules and regulations in China can change quickly with little advance notice. The Chinese government may intervene or influence the operations of our subsidiaries in PRC and Hong Kong at any time, or may exert more control over offerings conducted overseas and/or foreign investment in China-based issuers, which could result in a material change in the operations of our subsidiaries in PRC and Hong Kong and/or the value of our common stock.
The Chinese government has exercised and continues to exercise substantial control over virtually every sector of the Chinese economy through regulation and state ownership. Our ability to operate in China through our subsidiaries in PRC and Hong Kong may be harmed by changes in laws and regulations in China, including those relating to securities regulation, data protection, cybersecurity and mergers and acquisitions and other matters. The PRC central or local governments may impose new, stricter regulations or interpretations of existing regulations that would require additional expenditures and efforts on our part to ensure our and our subsidiaries’ compliance with such regulations or interpretations.
Government actions in the future could significantly affect economic conditions in China or particular regions thereof, and could require our subsidiaries in PRC and Hong Kong to materially change their operating activities or divest ourselves of any interests we hold in Chinese assets. Our subsidiaries in PRC and Hong Kong may be subject to various government and regulatory interference. We may incur increased costs necessary to comply with existing and newly adopted laws and regulations or penalties for any failure to comply. Such subsidiaries’ operations could be adversely affected, directly or indirectly, by changes to existing laws or implementation of future laws and regulations relating to their business or industry.
As of the date of this prospectus, we and our subsidiaries in the Mainland China and Hong Kong (1) are not required to obtain permissions from any PRC authorities to operate or issue our common stock to foreign investors, (2) are not subject to permission requirements from the CSRC, CAC or any other entity that is required to approve their operations in the Mainland China and Hong Kong, and (3) have not received or were denied such permissions by any PRC authorities. Nevertheless, the General Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the General Office of the State Council jointly issued the “Opinions on Severely Cracking Down on Illegal Securities Activities According to Law,” which were made available to the public on July 6, 2021. The Opinions emphasized the need to strengthen the administration over illegal securities activities, and the need to strengthen the supervision over overseas listings by Chinese companies. The regulatory agencies like CSRC or CAC may impose fines and penalties on our operations in the Mainland China or Hong Kong, limit our ability to pay dividends outside of the Mainland China or Hong Kong, limit our operations in the Mainland China or Hong Kong, or restrict the repatriation of the proceeds from this offering into the Mainland China or Hong Kong or take other actions that could have a material effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects, as well as the trading price of our securities. The CSRC, the CAC, or other PRC regulatory agencies also may take actions requiring us, or making it advisable for us, to this offering before settlement and delivery of our common stock. Consequently, if you engage in market trading or other activities in anticipation of and prior to settlement and delivery, you do so at the risk that settlement and delivery may not occur. In addition, if the CSRC, the CAC or other regulatory PRC agencies later promulgate new rules requiring that we obtain their approvals for this offering, we may be to obtain a waiver of such approval requirements, if and when procedures are established to obtain such a waiver. Any uncertainties and/or publicity regarding such an approval requirement could have a material effect on the trading price of our securities.
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 complete hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer our securities and cause the value of such securities to significantly decline or be worthless.
Recent greater oversight by the Cyberspace Administration of China (the “CAC”) over data security could adversely impact our business.
On December 28, 2021, the CAC, together with 12 other governmental departments of the PRC, jointly promulgated the Cybersecurity Review Measures, which took effect on February 15, 2022. The Cybersecurity Review Measures provide that, in addition to critical information infrastructure operators (“CIIOs”) that intend to purchase Internet products and services, data processing operators engaging in data processing activities that affect or may affect national security must be subject to cybersecurity review by the Cybersecurity Review Office of the PRC. According to the Cybersecurity Review Measures, a cybersecurity review assesses potential national security risks that may be brought about by any procurement, data processing, or overseas listing. The Cybersecurity Review Measures further require that CIIOs and data processing operators that possess personal data of at least one million users must apply for a review by the Cybersecurity Review Office of the PRC before conducting listings in foreign countries.
On November 14, 2021, the CAC published the Security Administration Draft, which provides that data processing operators engaging in data processing activities that affect or may affect national security must be subject to network data security review by the relevant Cyberspace Administration of the PRC. According to the Security Administration Draft, data processing operators who possess personal data of at least one million users or collect data that affects or may affect national security must be subject to network data security review by the relevant Cyberspace Administration of the PRC. The deadline for public comments on the Security Administration Draft was December 13, 2021.
As of the date of this Annual Report, we have not received any notice from any authorities identifying our PRC subsidiaries as CIIOs or requiring us to go through cybersecurity review or network data security review by the CAC. We believe that the operations of our PRC subsidiaries and our listing will not be affected and that we will not be subject to cybersecurity review and network data security review by the CAC, given that: (i) because our companies mainly manufacture and sell vinyl flooring products, our PRC subsidiaries are unlikely to be classified as CIIOs by the PRC regulatory agencies; (ii) our PRC subsidiaries make all of their sales through distributors and do not collect or have access to personal data of the end customers and as a result, we possess personal data of fewer than one million individual clients in our business operations as of the date of this Annual Report; and (iii) since our PRC subsidiaries are in the vinyl flooring manufacture and wholesale industry, data processed in our business is unlikely to have a bearing on national security and therefore is unlikely to be classified as core or important data by the authorities. There remains uncertainty, however, as to how the Cybersecurity Review Measures and the Security Administration Draft will be interpreted or implemented and whether the PRC regulatory agencies, including the CAC, may adopt new laws, regulations, rules, or detailed implementation and interpretation related to the Cybersecurity Review Measures and the Security Administration Draft. If any such new laws, regulations, rules, or implementation and interpretation come into effect, we will take all reasonable measures and actions to comply and to minimize the effect of such laws on us. We cannot guarantee, however, that we will not be subject to cybersecurity review and network data security review in the future. During such reviews, we may be required to our operations or experience other to our operations. Cybersecurity review and network data security review could also result in publicity with respect to our Company and a of our managerial and financial resources, which could materially and affect our business, financial conditions, and results of operations.
If we and/or our subsidiaries were to be required to obtain any permission or approval from or complete any filing procedure with the China Securities Regulatory Commission (the “CSRC”), the CAC, or other PRC governmental authorities in connection with future follow-on offerings under PRC laws, we and/or our subsidiaries may be fined or subject to other sanctions, and our subsidiaries’ business and our reputation, financial condition, and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.
On February 17, 2023, the CSRC promulgated the Trial Administrative Measures of Overseas Securities Offering and Listing by Domestic Companies (the “Trial Measures”) and five supporting guidelines, which took effect on March 31, 2023. The Trial Measures requires companies in mainland China that seek to offer and list securities overseas, both directly and indirectly, to fulfill the filing procedures with the CSRC. According to the Trial Measures, the determination of the “indirect overseas offering and listing by companies in mainland China” shall comply with the principle of “substance over form” and particularly, an issuer will be required to go through the filing procedures under the Trial Measures if the following criteria are met at the same time: (i) 50% or more of the issuer’s operating revenue, total profits, total assets or net assets as documented in its audited consolidated financial statements for the most recent accounting year are accounted for by companies in mainland China; and (ii) the main parts of the issuer’s business activities are conducted in mainland China, or its main places of business are located in mainland China, or the senior managers in charge of its business operation and management are mostly Chinese citizens or domiciled in mainland China. On the same day, the CSRC held a press conference for the release of the Trial Measures and issued the Notice on Administration for the Filing of Overseas Offering and Listing by Domestic Companies, which clarifies that (i) on or prior to the effective date of the Trial Measures, companies in mainland China that have already submitted valid applications for overseas offering and listing but have not obtained approval from overseas regulatory authorities or stock exchanges shall complete the filing before the completion of their overseas offering and listing; and (ii) companies in mainland China which, prior to the date of the Trial Measures, have already obtained the approval from overseas regulatory authorities or stock exchanges and are not required to re-perform the regulatory procedures with the relevant overseas regulatory authority or stock exchange, but have not completed the indirect overseas listing, shall complete the overseas offering and listing before September 30, 2023, and to complete the overseas listing within such six-month period will subject such companies to the filing requirements with the CSRC.
Based on the assessment conducted by the management, we are not subject to the Trial Measures, because our main business are not conducted within China, our main premises are not located in China, and the majority of our senior management personnel are not Chinese citizens or reside in China on a regular basis.. However, as the Trial Measures and the supporting guidelines are newly published, there exists uncertainty with respect to the implementation and interpretation of the principle of “substance over form”. As of the date of this Annual Report, there was no material change to these regulations and policies since our IPO. If our future follow-on offerings were later deemed as “indirect overseas offering and listing by companies in mainland China” under the Trial Measures, we may need to complete the filing procedures for our offering. If we are subject to the filing requirements, we cannot assure you that we will be able to complete such filings in a timely manner or even at all.
Since these statements and regulatory actions are new, it is also highly uncertain in the interpretation and the enforcement of the above cybersecurity and overseas listing laws and regulation. There is no assurance that the relevant PRC governmental authorities would reach the same conclusion as us. If we and/or our subsidiaries are required to obtain approval or fillings from any governmental authorities, including the CSRC, in connection with the listing or continued listing of our securities on a stock exchange outside of Hong Kong or mainland China, it is uncertain how long it will take for us and/or our subsidiaries to obtain such approval or complete such filing, and, even if we and our subsidiaries obtain such approval or complete such filing, the approval or filing could be rescinded. Any failure to obtain or a delay in obtaining the necessary permissions from or complete the necessary filing procedure with the PRC governmental authorities to conduct offerings or list outside of Hong Kong or mainland China may subject us and/or our subsidiaries to sanctions imposed by the PRC governmental authorities, which could include fines and penalties, suspension of business, proceedings against us and/or our subsidiaries, and even on the controlling shareholder and other responsible persons, and our subsidiaries’ ability to conduct our business, our ability to invest into mainland China as foreign investments or accept foreign investments, or our ability to list on a U.S. or other overseas exchange may be restricted, and our subsidiaries’ business, and our reputation, financial condition, and results of operations may be materially and affected. Additionally, any to obtain or a in obtaining the necessary permissions from or completing the necessary filing procedures with the PRC governmental authorities to conduct offerings outside of Hong Kong or mainland China, which could cause the value of our shares of common stock to significantly or be .
PRC regulations relating to offshore investment activities by PRC residents may subject our PRC resident beneficial owners or our PRC subsidiaries to liability or penalties, limit our ability to inject capital into our PRC subsidiary, limit our PRC subsidiary’s ability to increase its registered capital or distribute profits to us, or may otherwise adversely affect us.
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 Notice on Relevant Issues Concerning Foreign Exchange Administration for Domestic Residents’ Financing and Roundtrip Investment Through Offshore Special Purpose Vehicles, or 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 stockholders who are PRC residents and may be applicable to any offshore acquisitions that we 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, will be required to register such investments with SAFE or its local branches. In addition, any PRC resident who is a direct or indirect stockholder of an SPV is required to update its filed 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 stockholders to update their registration with the local branch of SAFE. If any PRC stockholder of such SPV fails to make the required registration or to update the previously filed 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 subsidiary in China. On February 13, 2015, SAFE promulgated a Notice on Further Simplifying and Improving Foreign Exchange Administration Policy on Direct Investment, or SAFE Notice 13, which became effective on June 1, 2015. Under SAFE Notice 13, applications for foreign exchange registration of inbound foreign direct investments and outbound overseas direct investments, including those required under SAFE Circular 37, will be filed with qualified banks instead of SAFE. The qualified banks will directly examine the applications and accept registrations under the supervision of SAFE.
We are aware that some of our stockholders are subject to SAFE regulations, and expect all of these stockholders will have completed all necessary registrations with the local SAFE branch or qualified banks as required by SAFE Circular 37. We cannot assure you, however, that all of these stockholders may continue to make required filings or updates in a timely manner, or at all. We can provide no assurance that we are, or will in the future continue to be informed of the identities of all PRC residents holding a direct or indirect interest in our common stock. Any failure or inability by such stockholders to comply with SAFE regulations may subject us to fines or legal sanctions, such as restrictions on our cross-border investment activities or our PRC subsidiaries’ ability to distribute dividends to, or obtain foreign exchange-denominated loans from, our company or prevent us from making distributions or paying dividends. As a result, our business operations and our ability to make distributions to you could be materially and adversely affected.
Fluctuations in exchange rates could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and the value of your investment.
The value of the Chinese Yuan (RMB) against the U.S. dollar and other major currencies continues to experience fluctuations influenced by political and economic conditions in China, as well as the country’s foreign exchange policies. Over the past decade, the RMB has shifted from a fixed exchange rate to a managed floating exchange rate regime, with significant periods of volatility. For example, in 2023, the RMB faced depreciation pressures due to slower-than-expected economic recovery in China and a strengthening U.S. dollar, prompting intervention from the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) to stabilize the currency. The exchange rate fluctuated within a range of approximately 1 USD = 7.0105 RMB to 1 USD = 7.2968 RMB during this period.
The depreciation trend observed in 2023 was partly attributed to ongoing geopolitical tensions, persistent trade uncertainties, and capital outflows from China. In 2024, the RMB’s value has shown further volatility, driven by evolving trade policies, shifts in global interest rates, and China’s efforts to support export competitiveness. The PRC government has demonstrated its willingness to adjust foreign exchange policies to address external challenges, but such measures may exacerbate risks like inflation, increased import costs, and further outflows of foreign capital.
Given the interconnected nature of global markets, it is difficult to predict how the RMB will perform against the U.S. dollar in the near future. A weaker RMB reduces the value of revenues earned in China when converted to U.S. dollars, while a stronger RMB increases operational costs within China. As we operate in both China and the United States, these exchange rate fluctuations can significantly affect our financial results, operational costs, and strategic planning. Businesses must remain adaptable to changes in the foreign exchange market and prepare for potential impacts on profitability and liquidity as exchange rate volatility persists.
Under the EIT Law, we may be classified as a PRC “resident enterprise” for PRC enterprise income tax purposes. Such classification would likely result in unfavorable tax consequences to us and our non-PRC stockholders and have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and the value of your investment.
Under the EIT Law that became effective in January 2008, an enterprise established outside the PRC with “de facto management bodies” within the PRC is considered a “resident enterprise” for PRC enterprise income tax purposes and is generally subject to a uniform 25% enterprise income tax rate on its worldwide income. Under the implementation rules of the EIT Law, a “de facto management body” is defined as a body that has material and overall management and control over the manufacturing and business operations, personnel and human resources, finances, and properties of an enterprise. In addition, a circular, known as “SAT Circular 82,” issued in April 2009 by the State Administration of Taxation, or the “SAT,” and partially amended by People’s Bank of China Circular 9 promulgated in January 2014, specifies that certain offshore incorporated enterprises controlled by PRC enterprises or PRC enterprise groups will be classified as PRC resident enterprises if the following are located or resident in the PRC: senior management personnel and departments that are responsible for daily production, operation and management; financial and personnel decision making bodies; key properties, accounting books, company seal, and minutes of board meetings and stockholders’ meetings; and half or more of the senior management or directors having voting rights. Further to SAT Circular 82, SAT issued a bulletin, known as “SAT Bulletin 45,” which took effect in September 2011 and was amended on June 1, 2015 and October 1, 2016 to provide more guidance on the implementation of SAT Circular 82 and clarify the reporting and filing obligations of Chinese controlled offshore incorporated resident enterprises, to provide more guidance on the implementation of SAT Circular 82 and clarify the reporting and filing obligations of such “Chinese-controlled offshore incorporated resident enterprises.” SAT Bulletin 45 provides procedures and administrative details for the determination of resident status and administration on post-determination matters. Although both SAT Circular 82 and SAT Bulletin 45 only apply to offshore enterprises controlled by PRC enterprises or PRC enterprise groups, not those controlled by PRC individuals or foreign individuals, the determining criteria set forth in SAT Circular 82 and SAT Bulletin 45 may reflect SAT’s general position on how the “de facto management body” test should be applied in determining the tax resident status of offshore enterprises, regardless of whether they are controlled by PRC enterprises, PRC enterprise groups, or by PRC or foreign individuals.
If the PRC tax authorities determine that the Company’s actual management operations is within the territory of China, we may be deemed to be a PRC resident enterprise for PRC enterprise income tax purposes and a number of unfavorable PRC tax consequences could follow. First, we would be subject to the uniform 25% enterprise income tax on our world-wide income, which could materially reduce our net income. In addition, we will also be subject to PRC enterprise income tax reporting obligations. Finally, dividends payable by us to our investors and gains on the sale of our shares may become subject to PRC withholding tax, at a rate of 10% in the case of non-PRC enterprises or 20% in the case of non-PRC individuals (in each case, subject to the provisions of any applicable tax treaty), if such gains are deemed to be from PRC sources. It is unclear whether non-PRC stockholders of our Company would be able to claim the benefits of any tax treaties between their country of tax residence and the PRC in the event that we are treated as a PRC resident enterprise. Any such tax may reduce the returns on your investment in our shares. Although up to the date of this Annual Report, the Company has not been notified or informed by the PRC tax authorities that it has been deemed to be a PRC resident enterprise for the purpose of the EIT Law, we cannot you that it will not be deemed to be a PRC resident enterprise in the future.
We face uncertainty with respect to indirect transfers of equity interests in PRC resident enterprises by their non-PRC holding companies.
In February 2015, SAT issued a
Public Notice Regarding Certain Corporate Income Tax Matters on Indirect Transfer of Properties by Non-Tax Resident Enterprises
, or “SAT Circular 7.” SAT Circular 7 provides comprehensive guidelines relating to indirect transfers of PRC taxable assets (including equity interests and real properties of a PRC resident enterprise) by a non-resident enterprise. In addition, in October 2017, SAT issued an
Announcement on Issues Relating to Withholding at Source of Income Tax of Non-resident Enterprises
, or “SAT Circular 37,” effective in December 2017, which, among others, amended certain provisions in SAT Circular 7 and further clarify the tax payable declaration obligation by non-resident enterprise. Indirect transfer of equity interest and/or real properties in a PRC resident enterprise by their non-PRC holding companies are subject to SAT Circular 7 and SAT Circular 37. SAT Circular 7 provides clear criteria for an assessment of reasonable commercial purposes and has introduced safe harbors for internal group restructurings and the purchase and sale of equity through a public securities market. As stipulated in SAT Circular 7, indirect transfers of PRC taxable assets are considered as reasonable commercial purposes if the shareholding structure of both transaction parties falls within the following situations: i) the transferor directly or indirectly owns 80% or above equity interest of the transferee, or vice versa; ii) the transferor and the transferee are both 80% or above directly or indirectly owned by the same party; iii) the percentages in bullet points i) and ii) shall be 100% if over 50% the share value of a foreign enterprise is directly or indirectly derived from PRC real properties. Furthermore, SAT Circular 7 also brings challenges to both foreign transferor and transferee (or other person who is obligated to pay for the transfer) of taxable assets. Where a non-resident enterprise transfers PRC taxable assets indirectly by disposing of the equity interests of an overseas holding company, which is an indirect transfer, the non-resident enterprise as either transferor or transferee, or the PRC entity that directly owns the taxable assets, may report such indirect transfer to the relevant tax authority and the PRC tax authority may the existence of the overseas holding company if it a reasonable commercial purpose and was established for the purpose of reducing, avoiding, or deferring PRC tax. As a result, derived from such indirect transfer may be subject to PRC enterprise income tax, and the transferee or other person who is obligated to pay for the transfer is obligated to withhold the applicable taxes, currently at a rate of 10% for the transfer of equity interests in a PRC resident enterprise.
According to SAT Circular 37, where the non-resident enterprise fails to declare the tax payable pursuant to Article 39 of the EIT Law, the tax authority may order it to pay the tax due within the required time limits, and the non-resident enterprise shall declare and pay the tax payable within such time limits specified by the tax authority. If the non-resident enterprise, however, voluntarily declares and pays the tax payable before the tax authority orders it to do so within the required time limits, it shall be deemed that such enterprise has paid the tax in time.
We face uncertainties as to the reporting and assessment of reasonable commercial purposes and future transactions where PRC taxable assets are involved, such as offshore restructuring, selling shares of our offshore subsidiaries, and investments. In the event of being assessed as having no reasonable commercial purposes in an indirect transfer transaction, we may be subject to filing obligations or taxed if we are a transferor in such transactions, and may be subject to withholding obligations (to be specific, a 10% withholding tax for the transfer of equity interests) if we are a transferee in such transactions, under SAT Circular 7 and SAT Circular 37. Our PRC subsidiary may be requested to assist in the filing under the SAT circulars for share transfer by investors who are non-PRC resident enterprises. As a result, we may be required to expend valuable resources to comply with the SAT circulars or to request the relevant transferors from whom we purchase taxable assets to comply with these circulars, or to establish that we should not be taxed under these circulars, which may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
The M&A Rules and certain other PRC regulations establish complex procedures for some acquisitions of Chinese companies by foreign investors, which could make it more difficult for us to pursue growth through acquisitions in China.
The Regulations on Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Companies by Foreign Investors
, or the “M&A Rules,” and recently adopted regulations and rules concerning mergers and acquisitions established additional procedures and requirements that could make merger and acquisition activities by foreign investors more time consuming and complex. For example, the M&A Rules require that the Ministry of Commerce of the PRC (“MOFCOM”) be notified in advance of any change-of-control transaction in which a foreign investor takes control of a PRC domestic enterprise, if (i) any important industry is concerned, (ii) such transaction involves factors that have or may have impact on the national economic security, or (iii) such transaction will lead to a change in control of a domestic enterprise which holds a famous trademark or PRC time-honored brand. MOFCOM must also be notified in advance of mergers or acquisitions that allow one market player to take control of or to exert a decisive impact on another market player when the threshold under the Provisions on Thresholds for Prior Notification of Concentrations of Undertakings, or the “Prior Notification Rules,” issued by the State Council in August 2008 are triggered. In addition, the security review rules issued by MOFCOM that became effective in September 2011 specify that mergers and acquisitions by foreign investors that raise “national defense and security” concerns and mergers and acquisitions through which foreign investors may acquire de facto control over domestic enterprises that raise “national security” are subject to strict review by MOFCOM. The rules further prohibit any activities attempting to bypass a security review, including by structuring the transaction through a proxy or contractual control arrangement. In the future, we may grow our business by acquiring complementary businesses. Complying with the requirements of the above-mentioned regulations and other relevant rules to complete such transactions could be time consuming, and any required approval processes, including obtaining approval from MOFCOM or its local counterparts may or inhibit our ability to complete such transactions. It is clear that our business would not be deemed to be in an industry that raises “national defense and security” or “national security” . MOFCOM or other government agencies, however, may publish explanations in the future determining that our business is in an industry subject to the security review, in which case our future acquisitions in the PRC, including those by way of entering into contractual control arrangements with target entities, may be closely or prohibited. Our ability to expand our business or maintain or expand our market share through future acquisitions would as such be materially and affected.
Risks Related to Our Business and Industry
Recent changes in U.S. trade policies are likely to significantly reduce the volume of imported goods into the United States from China, which is likely to materially reduce our sales in one of our primary markets.
On April 2, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order imposing reciprocal tariffs on most of the United States’ trading partners under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977, including a baseline tariff of 10% and, in the case of certain trading partners with large trade surpluses, higher rates that became effective on April 9, 2025. As a result, beginning April 9, 2025, the applicable reciprocal tariff rate on imports from China is 34%, plus the existing 25% tariff and 6% import tax, which total 65%. President Donald Trump’s order also imposes 49%, 46% and 32% reciprocal tariffs on imports from Cambodia,Vietnam and Indonesia, respectively, from which we import products for sale in the United States from time to time. Previously U.S. did not impose tariffs on imports from these countries, besides the 6% import tax.
These changes in U.S. trade policy are likely to trigger retaliatory actions by affected countries, resulting in "trade wars," in increased costs for goods imported into the United States, which may reduce customer demand for these products if the parties having to pay those tariffs increase their prices, or in trading partners limiting their trade with the United States. If these consequences are realized, the volume of goods that we are likely to sell in the United States may be materially reduced, potentially for the duration of such “trade wars.” Such a reduction may materially and adversely affect our sales and our business. While it is too early as of the filing of this Annual Report on Form 10-K to predict how the recently enacted reciprocal tariffs will impact our business, the imposition of tariffs on products we import from China could require us to increase prices to our customers or, if unable to do so, result in lowering our gross margin on products sold, with a resulting material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
We may be subject to tax and related penalties owed to the PRC government.
We may be subject to taxes and related penalties owed to the PRC government. This risk arises from our collection of proceeds from the sales of our products in the normal course of business, by the Company, or via its subsidiaries located in the United States or Hong Kong, and whereby the remittance made to the Company’s PRC subsidiaries may not be in the exact amounts reported to the PRC customs authority in connection with the application for export credit refunds which have already been refunded to the Company by the PRC government on the assumption that Company will fully remit the amounts indicated in its application. We are unable to estimate the amount due to the PRC government or determine if it is probable that the PRC government will make efforts to recover the tax credit refunds already paid to the Company and if there would be any related penalties. However, if the PRC government were to take actions to recover such export tax credit refunds, we may be required to pay additional tax and related penalties and our business and results of operations may be materially adversely affected.
We compete with numerous flooring manufacturers in highly competitive markets. Competition can affect customer preferences, reduce demand for our products, negatively affect our product sales mix, leverage greater financial resources, or cause us to lower prices, any or all of which could adversely affect our financial condition, liquidity or results of operation
Our markets are highly competitive. We compete for sales of flooring products with many manufacturers and large-sized wholesale distributors of vinyl flooring as well as with manufacturers who also produce other types of flooring products. Some of our competitors have greater financial resources than we do. Competition can reduce demand for our products, negatively affect our product sales mix or cause us to lower prices. Our customers consider our products’ performance, content and styling, as well as customer service and price when deciding whether to purchase our products. Shifting consumer preference in our highly competitive markets whether for performance, product content, styling preferences, or our inability to develop and offer new competitive performance features, could have an adverse effect on our sales. Regulatory action or new product standards could also steer consumers away from our products.
In addition, excess industry capacity for certain products in several geographic markets could lead to industry consolidation and/or increased price competition. We are also subject to potential increased price competition from overseas competitors, which may have lower cost structures.
Our failure to compete effectively through the management of our product portfolio, by meeting consumer preferences and gaining market leadership could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, liquidity or results of operations.
If we are unable to anticipate consumer preferences and successfully develop and introduce new, innovative and updated products, we may not be able to maintain or increase our net revenues and profitability.
Our success depends on our ability to identify and originate product trends as well as to anticipate and react to changing consumer demands in a timely manner. All of our products are subject to changing consumer preferences that cannot be predicted with certainty. New products may not receive consumer acceptance as consumer preferences could shift rapidly to different types of flooring products or away from these types of products altogether, and our future success depends in part on our ability to anticipate and respond to these changes. Failure to anticipate and respond in a timely manner to changing consumer preferences could lead to, among other things, lower sales and excess inventory levels, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition.
If the availability of direct materials (raw materials, packaging, sourced products, energy) decreases, or these costs increase, and we are unable to either offset or pass along increased costs to our customers, our financial condition, liquidity or results of operations have been and could continue to be adversely affected.
The availability and cost of direct materials, including raw materials, packaging materials, energy and sourced products are critical to our operations. For example, we use substantial quantities of petrochemical-based raw materials in our manufacturing operations. The cost of some of these items has been volatile in recent years and availability has been limited at times. Ringold sources some materials from a limited number of suppliers, which, among other things, increases the risk of unavailability. In the fiscal years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, 10.65% and 8.7% of the cost of revenue were for purchasing raw materials sourced from within China; 82.8% and 81.2% of the cost of revenue were for purchasing other supplies from suppliers in China that processed raw materials from out of China; and 6.55% and 10.1% of the cost of revenue were for purchasing raw materials sourced directly from Germany, the U.S., Japan, South Korea and other countries, respectively. The prices of raw materials sourced from outside China may be affected by international trade costs such as tariffs, transportation and foreign exchange rates, or international pandemics including but not limited to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as geopolitical issues and the war in Ukraine. As part of our ongoing supply chain diversification strategy, we have expanded our sourcing to include suppliers in Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. This geographic diversification reduces our concentration risk on Chinese suppliers and mitigates the impact of tariffs on our cost structure. Looking ahead, we believe 3D printing technology will fundamentally reduce the industry’s reliance on raw material imports from Southeast Asia. By leveraging advanced manufacturing technology domestically and partnering with local suppliers in the United States, we aim to build a supply chain that is both shorter and more responsive to market demand.
This dependency and any limited availability could cause us to reformulate products or limit our production. Decreased access to direct materials and energy or significant increased cost to purchase these items, as well as increased transportation and trade costs, delays due to government-mandated initiatives in response to COVID-19 and any corresponding inability to pass along such costs through price increases or meet demand requirements, as applicable, have had and could continue to have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, liquidity or results of operations.
Disruption to suppliers of raw materials could have a material adverse effect on us.
Ink, coating, resin, sound padding, and glue are the principal raw materials used in our floorcovering products. We consider major suppliers to be those that accounted for more than 10% of the cost of revenues. During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025, we had two suppliers who collectively accounted for 44% of the total cost. During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, we had three suppliers who collectively accounted for 39% of the total cost. An interruption in the supply of these or other raw materials or sourced products used in our business or in the supply of suitable substitute materials or products would disrupt our operations, which could have a material adverse effect on our business. We continually evaluate sources of our principal raw materials for competitive costs, performance characteristics, brand value, and diversity of supply.
We have significant levels of sales in certain channels of distribution and reduction in sales through these channels could adversely affect our business.
A significant amount of our sales is generated through a few key customers, including large-sized wholesale distributors. We consider major customers to be those that accounted for more than 10% of sales revenues. For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025, two major customers accounted for 69.7% of our total revenues. For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, two major customers accounted for a total of 77.0% of our total revenues. A change in strategy by these customers to emphasize products at a lower price point than we currently offer will limit future sales opportunities with these customers. The reductions of sales through this channel could adversely affect our business if we are not able to replace the volume through other sales outlets and product offerings.
Our business is sensitive to changes in general economic conditions. Downturns in commercial and residential construction, remodeling and refurbishing activities could adversely affect our financial condition, liquidity or results of operations.
Our business has greater sales opportunities when construction is strong and, conversely, has fewer opportunities when such activity declines. The cyclical nature of commercial and residential construction and remodeling and refurbishing activities tends to be influenced by prevailing economic conditions, including the rate of growth in GDP, prevailing interest rates, government spending patterns, business, investor and consumer confidence and other factors beyond our control. Prolonged downturns in construction activity could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, liquidity or results of operations.
We are subject to various environmental, safety and health regulations that may subject us to costs, liabilities and other obligations, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
The production in our PRC facility is subject to various environmental, safety and health and other regulations that may subject us to costs, liabilities and other obligations which could have a material adverse effect on our business. The applicable requirements under these laws are subject to amendment, to the imposition of new or additional requirements and to changing interpretations of agencies or courts. We could incur material expenditures to comply with new or existing regulations, including fines and penalties and increased costs of our operations. Additionally, future laws, ordinances, regulations or regulatory guidelines could give rise to additional compliance or remediation costs that could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Various PRC environmental laws govern the use of our facilities. These laws govern such matters as:
Discharge to air and water;
Handling and disposal of solid and hazardous substances and waste, and
Remediation of contamination from releases of hazardous substances in our facilities and off-site disposal locations.
The production in our PRC facility is also governed by PRC laws relating to workplace safety and worker health, which, among other things, establish noise standards and regulate the use of hazardous materials and chemicals in the workplace. We have taken, and will continue to take, steps to comply with these laws. If we fail to comply with present or future environmental or safety regulations, we could be subject to future liabilities. However, we cannot ensure that complying with these environmental or health and safety laws and requirements will not adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.
We may be exposed to litigation, claims and other legal proceedings in the ordinary course of business relating to our products or business, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
In the ordinary course of business, we may be subject to a variety of work-related and product-related claims, lawsuits and legal proceedings, including those relating to product liability, product warranty, product recall, personal injury, and other matters that are inherently subject to many uncertainties regarding the possibility of a loss to our business. Such matters could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition if we are unable to successfully defend against or resolve these matters or if our insurance coverage is insufficient to satisfy any judgments against us or settlements relating to these matters. Although we have product liability insurance, the policies may not provide coverage for certain claims us or may not be sufficient to cover all possible liabilities. Further, we may not be to maintain insurance at commercially acceptable premium levels. Additionally, publicity arising from made us, even if the are not , could affect our reputation or the reputation and sales of our products.
Our business operations could suffer significant losses from natural disasters, catastrophes, fires, or other unexpected events.
Our business involves substantial investments in manufacturing facilities in our facility in China. The facility could be materially damaged by natural disasters, such as floods, tornadoes, hurricanes and earthquakes, or by fire or other unexpected events such as adverse weather conditions or other disruptions to our facilities, supply chain or our customer’s facilities. We could incur uninsured losses and liabilities arising from such events, including damage to our reputation, and/or suffer material losses in operational capacity, which could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We may need to defend ourselves against patent or trademark infringement, or other intellectual property claims, which may be time-consuming and cause us to incur substantial costs.
Companies, organizations or individuals, including our competitors, may own or obtain patents, trademarks or other proprietary rights that would prevent or limit our ability to make, use, develop or sell our vehicles or components, which could make it more difficult for us to operate our business. We may receive inquiries from patent or trademark owners inquiring whether we infringe on their proprietary rights. Companies owning patents or other intellectual property rights relating to battery packs, electric motors, fuel cells or electronic power management systems may allege infringement of such rights. In response to a determination that we have infringed upon a third party’s intellectual property rights, we may be required to do one or more of the following:
cease development, sales, or use of vehicles that incorporate the asserted intellectual property;
pay substantial damages;
obtain a license from the owner of the asserted intellectual property right, which license may not be available on reasonable terms or at all;
or redesign one or more aspects or systems of our trucks
A successful claim of infringement against us could materially adversely affect our business, prospects, operating results and financial condition. Any litigation or claims, whether valid or invalid, could result in substantial costs and diversion of resources.
Our business may be adversely affected if we are unable to protect our intellectual property rights from unauthorized use by third parties.
Failure to adequately protect our intellectual property rights could result in our competitors offering similar products, potentially resulting in the loss of some of our competitive advantage, and a decrease in our revenue which would adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results. Our success depends, at least in part, on our ability to protect our core technology and intellectual property. To accomplish this, we will rely on a combination of patents, trade secrets (including know-how), employee and third-party nondisclosure agreements, copyright, trademarks, intellectual property licenses and other contractual rights to establish and protect our rights in our technology. We cannot guarantee that we have entered into such agreements with each party that may have or have had access to our trade secrets or proprietary information, including our technology and processes. In connection with our collaboration, partnership and license agreements, our rights to use licensed or jointly owned technology and intellectual property under such agreements may be subject to the continuation of and compliance with the terms of those agreements. In some cases, we may not control the , maintenance or filing of licensed or jointly owned patent rights, or the enforcement of such patents third parties.
The protection of our intellectual property rights will be important to our future business opportunities. However, the measures we take to protect our intellectual property from unauthorized use by others may not be effective for various reasons, including the following:
any patent applications we submit may not result in the issuance of patents; the scope of our issued patents may not be broad enough to protect our proprietary rights; our issued patents may be challenged and/or invalidated by our competitors;
the costs associated with enforcing patents, confidentiality and invention agreements or other intellectual property rights may make aggressive enforcement impracticable;
current and future competitors may circumvent our patents;
and our in-licensed patents may be invalidated, or the owners of these patents may breach our license arrangements.
Patent, trademark, and trade secret laws vary significantly throughout the world. Some foreign countries do not protect intellectual property rights to the same extent as do the laws of the United States. Further, policing the unauthorized use of our intellectual property in foreign jurisdictions may be difficult. Therefore, our intellectual property rights may not be as strong or as easily enforced outside of the United States.
Our patent applications may not be granted, which may have a material adverse effect on our ability to prevent others from commercially exploiting products similar to ours.
We cannot be certain that we are the first inventor of the subject matter to which we have filed a particular patent application, or if we are the first party to file such a patent application. If another party has filed a patent application for the same subject matter as we have, we may not be entitled to the protection sought by the patent application. Further, the scope of protection of issued patent claims is often difficult to determine. As a result, we cannot be certain that the patent applications that we file will result in the issuance of patents, or that our issued patents will afford protection against competitors with similar technology. In addition, our competitors may design around our issued patents, which may adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition or operating results.
Our financial statements contain an explanatory paragraph regarding uncertainty as our ability to raise capital and therefore cast substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.
Our audited financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024 contain an explanatory paragraph regarding substantial doubt that the Company would continue as a going concern. As of and for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025, the Company had a working capital of $4,965,652 and net cash used in operating activities of $5,681,238. As of and for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, the Company had a working capital deficit of $5,781,202 and net cash provided by operating activities of only $243,506. The Company may not have adequate liquidity to remain solvent and settle its obligations when payment become due. This going concern opinion could materially limit our ability to raise additional funds through the issuance of equity or debt securities or otherwise. Future financial statements may include an explanatory paragraph with respect to our ability to continue as a going concern. Until we generate significant recurring revenues, we expect to satisfy our future cash needs through debt or equity financing. We cannot be certain that additional funding will be available to us on acceptable terms, if at all. If funds are not available, we may be required to delay, reduce the scope of, or eliminate our development plans. This may raise substantial about our ability to continue as a going
concern.
Cybersecurity risks and cyber incidents may adversely affect our business by causing a disruption to our operations, a compromise or corruption of our confidential information, misappropriation of assets and damage to our business relationships, all of which could negatively impact our business and results of operations.
Cyber incidents may result in disrupted operations, misstated or unreliable financial data, liability for stolen assets or information, increased cybersecurity protection and insurance costs and litigation and damage to our tenants. As our reliance on technology has increased, so have the risks posed to our information systems, both internal and those we have outsourced. Any processes, procedures and internal controls that we implement, as well as our increased awareness of the nature and extent of a risk of a cyber-incident, do not guarantee that our financial results, operations, business relationships, confidential information or price of the common stock will not be negatively impacted by such an incident.
Insider or employee cyber and security threats are increasingly a concern for all companies, including us. In addition, social engineering and phishing are a particular concern for companies with employees. We are continuously working to deploy information technology systems and to provide employee awareness training around phishing, malware and other cyber risks to ensure that we are protected against cyber risks and security breaches. Such technology and training, however, may not be sufficient to protect us and our tenants from all risks.
As a smaller company, we use third-party vendors to assist us with our network and information technology requirements. While we carefully select these third-party vendors, we cannot control their actions. Any problems caused by these third parties, including those resulting from breakdowns or other disruptions in communication services provided by a vendor, failure of a vendor to handle current or higher volumes, cyber-attacks and security breaches at a vendor could adversely affect our business and results of operations.
We may not be able to adequately address these additional risks. If we were unable to do so, our operations might suffer, which may adversely impact our results of operations and financial condition.
We may not be able to successfully implement our business strategies and future plans.
As part of our business strategies and future plans, we intend to expand our business and have some of our products manufactured to the United States. The plan involves the following steps: (1) find a potential location, (2) conduct title searches and due diligence to the facility, (3) apply for a mortgage unless the facility is leased, (4) complete the purchase or sign the lease, (5) start renovations and improvements, if necessary, (6) purchase new equipment for manufacturing and pollution control, and (7) hire local labor to begin operations. As of the date of this Annual Report, we have completed steps 1 to 5. In December 2024, we moved our headquarters from California to 2251 Catawba River Rd, Fort Lawn, SC 29714 and started renovating the factory we rented there. We are currently looking into purchasing new equipment for manufacturing and pollution control, and hiring local labor to begin operations locally. If the plans are successfully executed, we intend to maintain manufacturing in the United States and China in the short term. We plan to gradually shift manufacturing from China to the United States in the long term and eventually close the manufacturing sites in China.
See “Business – Growth Strategies – Made in the United States” on page 14.
While we have planned such expansion based on our outlook regarding our business prospects, there is no assurance that such plans will be commercially successful or that the actual outcome of the plans will match our expectations. The success and viability of our plans are dependent upon our ability to successfully carry out our business strategies and future plans and implement strategic business development and marketing plans effectively and upon an increase in demand for our products and services by existing and new customers in the future.
Further, the implementation of our business strategies and future plans may require substantial capital expenditure and additional financial resources and commitments. There is no assurance that these business strategies and future plans will achieve the expected results or outcome such as an increase in revenue that will be commensurate with our investment costs or the ability to generate any cost savings, increased operational efficiency and productivity improvements to our operations. There is also no assurance that we will be able to obtain financing on terms that are favorable, if at all. If the results or outcome of our future plans do not meet our expectations, if we fail to achieve a sufficient level of revenue or if we fail to manage our costs efficiently, we may not be able to recover our investment costs and our business, financial condition, results of operation and prospects may be adversely affected.
We have been granting share-based awards. Exercise of the share options or restricted shares granted will increase the number of common stock in circulation, which may adversely affect the market price of our common stock.
On May 30, 2023, the Company adopted the 2023 Equity Incentive Plan, or the 2023 Plan, for the purpose of granting share based compensation awards to current or prospective employees, directors, officers, advisors or consultants of the Company or its affiliates and align their interests with ours. The maximum aggregate number of shares of common stock we are authorized to issue pursuant to all awards under the 2023 Plan was 500,000. On December 31, 2024, the Company authorized an additional 1,000,000 shares of common stock under the 2023 Plan, bringing the total number of shares authorized under the 2023 Plan to 1,500,000. On December 31, 2025, the Company authorized an additional 2,000,000 shares of common stock under the 2023 Plan, bringing the total number of shares authorized under the 2023 Plan to 3,500,000 As of the date of this Annual Report, 1,500,000 shares of common stock were granted under the 2023 Plan. We may adopt other share incentive plans in the future that permits granting of share-based compensation awards to employees and directors, which will result in significant share-based compensation expenses to us.
Competition for highly skilled personnel is often intense and we may incur significant costs or not be successful in attracting, integrating, or retaining qualified personnel to fulfill our current or future needs. We have, from time to time, experienced, and we expect to continue to experience, difficulty in hiring and retaining highly skilled employees with appropriate qualifications. Our ability to attract or retain highly skilled employees may be adversely affected by declines in the perceived value of our equity or equity awards. Furthermore, there are no assurances that the number of shares reserved for issuance under our share incentive plans will be sufficient to grant equity awards adequate to recruit new employees and to compensate existing employees.
Risks Related to Ownership of Our Common Stock, Preferred Stock and Our Status as a Public Company
Our common stock may be delisted or prohibited from being traded on a national exchange under the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act (the “HFCA Act”) and the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, if the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (the “PCAOB”) is unable to inspect our auditors for two consecutive years. The delisting of our common stock, or the threat of their being delisted, may materially and adversely affect the value of your investment.
On May 20, 2020, the U.S. Senate passed the HFCA Act requiring a foreign company to certify it is not owned or controlled by a foreign government if the PCAOB is unable to audit specified reports because the company uses a foreign auditor not subject to PCAOB inspection. If the PCAOB is unable to inspect the company’s auditors for three consecutive years, the issuer’s securities are prohibited to trade on a national exchange. On December 2, 2020, the U.S. House of Representatives approved the HFCA Act. On December 18, 2020, the HFCA Act was signed into law.
On March 24, 2021, the SEC announced the adoption of interim final amendments to implement the submission and disclosure requirements of the HFCA Act. In the announcement, the SEC clarifies that before any issuer will have to comply with the interim final amendments, the SEC must implement a process for identifying covered issuers. The announcement also states that the SEC staff is actively assessing how best to implement the other requirements of the HFCA Act, including the identification process and the trading prohibition requirements.
On June 22, 2021, the U.S. Senate passed the Accelerating Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act and on December 29, 2022, legislation entitled “Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023” (the “Consolidated Appropriations Act”) was signed into law by President Biden, which contained, among other things, an identical provision to the Accelerating Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act and amended the HFCA Act by requiring the SEC to prohibit an issuer’s securities from trading on any U.S. stock exchanges if its auditor is not subject to PCAOB inspections for two consecutive years instead of three, thus reducing the time period for triggering the prohibition on trading.
On September 22, 2021, the PCAOB adopted a final rule implementing the HFCA Act, which provides a framework for the PCAOB to use when determining, as contemplated under the HFCA Act, whether the board of directors of a company is unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms located in a foreign jurisdiction because of a position taken by one or more authorities in that jurisdiction.
On December 2, 2021, the SEC issued amendments to finalize rules implementing the submission and disclosure requirements in the HFCA Act, which became effective on January 10, 2022. The rules apply to registrants that the SEC identifies as having filed an annual report with an audit report issued by a registered public accounting firm that is located in a foreign jurisdiction and that PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely because of a position taken by an authority in foreign jurisdictions.
On December 16, 2021, the PCAOB issued a report on its determinations that it was unable to inspect or investigate completely PCAOB-registered public accounting firms headquartered in Mainland China and in Hong Kong because of positions taken by PRC and Hong Kong authorities in those jurisdictions.
On August 26, 2022, the PCAOB announced that it had signed a Statement of Protocol (the “Statement of Protocol”) with the CSRC and the Ministry of Finance of China. The terms of the Statement of Protocol would grant the PCAOB complete access to audit work papers and other information so that it may inspect and investigate PCAOB-registered accounting firms headquartered in China and Hong Kong. On December 15, 2022, the PCAOB announced that it was able to secure complete access to inspect and investigate PCAOB-registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong completely in 2022. The PCAOB vacated its previous 2021 determinations that the PCAOB was unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong.
Our auditor, WWC, P.C., the independent registered public accounting firm that issued the audit report included elsewhere in this Annual Report, as an auditor of companies that are traded publicly in the United States and a U.S.-based accounting firm registered with the PCAOB, is headquartered in Mateo, CA and is subject to laws in the United States pursuant to which the PCAOB conducts regular inspections to assess its compliance with the applicable professional standards. WWC, P.C., is not headquartered in China or Hong Kong. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the PCAOB determines that it cannot inspect or fully investigate our auditor at such future time, trading in our common stock will be prohibited under the HFCA Act and NYSE American may determine to delist our common stock.
Moreover, the recent developments would add uncertainties to the listing of our common stock, and we cannot assure you whether SEC, NYSE American or regulatory authorities would apply additional and more stringent criteria to us after considering the effectiveness of our auditor’s audit procedures and quality control procedures, adequacy of personnel and training, or the sufficiency of resources, geographic reach or experience as it relates to the audit of our financial statements.
The purchase price for our common stock may not be indicative of prices that will prevail in the trading market and such market prices may be volatile.
The purchase price for our common stock does not bear any relationship to our earnings, book value or any other indicia of value. We cannot assure you that the market price of our common stock will not decline significantly below the purchase price. The financial markets in the United States and other countries have experienced significant price and volume fluctuations in the last few years. Volatility in the price of our common stock may be caused by factors outside of our control and may be unrelated or disproportionate to changes in our results of operations.
You may experience extreme stock price volatility, including any stock-run up, unrelated to our actual or expected operating performance, financial condition or prospects, making it difficult for prospective investors to assess the rapidly changing value of our common stock.
Our common stock may be subject to extreme volatility that is seemingly unrelated to the underlying performance of our business. In particular, our common stock may be subject to rapid and substantial price volatility, low volumes of trades and large spreads in bid and ask prices, given that we have relatively small public floats. Such volatility, including any stock-run up, may be unrelated to our actual or expected operating performance, financial condition or prospects.
Holders of our common stock may also not be able to readily liquidate their investment or may be forced to sell at depressed prices due to low volume trading. Broad market fluctuations and general economic and political conditions may also adversely affect the market price of our common stock. As a result of this volatility, shareholders may experience losses on their investment in our common stock. Furthermore, the potential extreme volatility may confuse the public shareholders of the value of our stock, distort the market perception of our stock price, our company’s financial performance, public image, and negatively affect the long-term liquidity of our common stock, regardless of our actual or expected operating performance. If we encounter such volatility, including any rapid stock price increases and declines seemingly unrelated to our actual or expected operating performance and financial condition or prospects, it will likely make it and for prospective shareholders to assess the rapidly changing value of our common stock and understand the value thereof.
Raising additional capital by issuing securities may cause dilution to existing shareholders and/or have other adverse effects on our operations.
We may need to raise future capital to implement our business strategies. We may seek additional capital through a combination of public and private equity offerings, debt financings, strategic partnerships and alliances and licensing arrangements. To the extent that we raise additional capital through the sale of equity, convertible debt securities or other equity-based derivative securities, the existing shareholders’ ownership interest will be diluted and the terms may include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect the existing shareholders’ rights as shareholders. Any additional indebtedness we incur would result in increased fixed payment obligations and could involve restrictive covenants, such as limitations on our ability to incur additional debt, limitations on our ability to acquire or license intellectual property rights and other operating restrictions that could adversely impact our ability to conduct our business. Furthermore, the issuance of additional securities, whether equity or debt, by us, or the possibility of such issuance, may cause the market price of our Common Shares to decline and existing shareholders may not agree with our financing plans or the terms of such financings. If we raise additional funds through strategic partnerships and and licensing arrangements with third parties, we may have to rights to our technologies, or our products, or grant licenses on terms to us. Adequate additional financing may not be available to us on acceptable terms, or at all.
We do not intend to pay dividends for the foreseeable future.
We currently intend to retain any future earnings to finance the operation and expansion of our business, and we do not expect to declare or pay any dividends in the foreseeable future. As a result, you may only receive a return on your investment in our common stock if the market price of our common stock increases.
If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or reports about our business, or if they publish a negative report regarding our shares of common stock, the price of our common stock and trading volume could decline.
The trading market for our common stock may depend in part on the research and reports that industry or securities analysts publish about us or our business. We do not have any control over these analysts. If one or more of the analysts who cover us downgrade us, the price of our common stock would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of our company or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which could cause the price of our common stock and the trading volume to decline.
The market price of our common stock may be volatile or may decline regardless of our operating performance, and you may not be able to resell your shares at or above the purchase price.
The purchase price for our common stock may vary from the market price of our common stock. If you purchase our common stock, you may not be able to resell those shares at or above the purchase price. The market price of our common stock may fluctuate significantly in response to numerous factors, many of which are beyond our control, including:
actual or anticipated fluctuations in our revenue and other operating results;
the financial projections we may provide to the public, any changes in these projections or our failure to meet these projections;
actions of securities analysts who initiate or maintain coverage of us, changes in financial estimates by any securities analysts who follow our company or our failure to meet these estimates or the expectations of investors;
announcements by us or our competitors of significant products or features, technical innovations, acquisitions, strategic partnerships, joint ventures or capital commitments;
price and volume fluctuations in the overall stock market, including as a result of trends in the economy as a whole;
lawsuits threatened or filed against us; and
other events or factors, including those resulting from war or incidents of terrorism, or responses to these events.
In addition, the stock markets have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have affected and continue to affect the market prices of equity securities of many companies. Stock prices of many companies have fluctuated in a manner unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of those companies. Our common stock closed as high as $10.96 and as low as $0.1713 per share between January 1, 2025 and December 31, 2025 on NYSE American. In the past, stockholders have filed securities class action litigation following periods of market volatility. If we were to become involved in securities litigation, it could subject us to substantial costs, divert resources and the attention of management from our business and adversely affect our business.
NYSE American may apply additional and more stringent criteria for our continued listing because insiders hold a large portion of the company’s listed securities.
NYSE American Company Guide Section 101 provides NYSE American with broad discretionary authority over the continued listing of securities in NYSE American and NYSE American 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 NYSE American inadvisable or unwarranted in the opinion of NYSE American, even though the securities meet all enumerated criteria for continued listing on NYSE American. In addition, NYSE American has used its discretion to deny continued listing or to apply additional and more stringent criteria in the instances, including but not limited to: where the company engaged an auditor that has not been subject to an inspection by the 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. The insiders of our Company hold a large portion of the Company’s listed securities. NYSE American might apply additional and more criteria for our continued listing.
Anti-takeover provisions in our charter documents and Nevada law could discourage, delay or prevent a change in control of our company and may affect the trading price of our common stock.
We are a Nevada corporation and the anti-takeover provisions of the Nevada Revised Statutes may discourage, delay, or prevent a change in control by prohibiting us from engaging in a business combination with an interested stockholder for a period of three years after the person becomes an interested stockholder, even if a change in control would be beneficial to our existing stockholders. An interested stockholder is a person who, together with the affiliates and associates, beneficially owns (or within the prior two years, did beneficially own) ten percent or more of the Company’s capital stock entitled to vote.
In addition, our Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws may have the effect of deterring unsolicited takeovers or delaying or preventing a change in control of our company or changes in our management, including transactions in which our stockholders might otherwise receive a premium for their shares over then current market prices. In addition, these provisions may limit the ability of stockholders to approve transactions that they may deem to be in their best interests. These provisions include:
the inability of stockholders to call special meetings;
the “business combinations” and “control share acquisitions” provisions of Nevada law, to the extent applicable, could discourage attempts to acquire our stockholders stock even on terms above the prevailing market price; and
the ability of our board of directors to designate the terms of and issue new series of preferred stock without stockholder approval, which could include the right to approve an acquisition or other change in our control or could be used to institute a rights plan, also known as a poison pill, that would dilute the stock ownership of a potential hostile acquirer, likely preventing acquisitions that have not been approved by our board of directors.
The existence of the forgoing provisions and anti-takeover measures could limit the price that investors might be willing to pay in the future for shares of our common stock. They could also deter potential acquirers of our company, thereby reducing the likelihood that you could receive a premium for your common stock in an acquisition.
We indemnify our officers and directors against liability to us and our security holders, and such indemnification could increase our operating costs.
Our articles of incorporation and bylaws require us to indemnify our officers and directors against claims associated with carrying out the duties of their offices. We are also required to advance the costs of certain legal defenses upon the indemnitee undertaking to repay such expenses to the extent it is determined that such person was not entitled to indemnification of such expenses. Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to our officers, directors, or control persons, the SEC has advised that such indemnification is against public policy and is therefore unenforceable.
We cannot predict the impact our multi-class structure may have on the stock price of our common stock.
We cannot predict whether our multi-class structure will result in a lower or more volatile market price of our common stock or in adverse publicity or other adverse consequences. For example, certain index providers have policies that restrict or prohibit the inclusion of companies with multiple-class share structures in certain of their indices, including the Russell 2000 and the S&P 500, S&P MidCap 400 and S&P SmallCap 600, which together make up the S&P Composite 1500. Beginning in 2017, MSCI, a leading stock index provider, opened public consultations on their treatment of no-vote and multi-class structures and temporarily barred new multi-class listings from certain of its indices. However, in October 2018, MSCI announced its decision to include equity securities “with unequal voting structures” in its indices and to launch a new index that specifically includes voting rights in its eligibility criteria. Under the announced policies, our multi-class capital structure will make us ineligible for inclusion in certain indices, and as a result, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds and other investment vehicles that attempt to passively track those indices will not be investing in our stock. These policies may depress the valuations of publicly traded companies that are excluded from the indices compared to those of other similar companies that are included. Because of our multi-class structure, we will likely be excluded from certain of these indices and we cannot you that other stock indices will not take similar actions. Given the sustained flow of investment funds into passive strategies that seek to track certain indices, exclusion from stock indices would likely investment by many of these funds and could make shares of our common stock less to other investors. As a result, the market price of shares of our common stock could be affected.
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the Securities Act, and a “smaller reporting company,” as defined in the Exchange Act, and we cannot be certain if the reduced disclosure requirements applicable to emerging growth companies and smaller reporting companies will make our common stock less attractive to investors.
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act, and we intend to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements. We cannot predict if investors will find our common stock less attractive if we rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our common stock less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our common stock and our share price may be more volatile.
We are also a “smaller reporting company” as defined in the Exchange Act. We may continue to be a smaller reporting company even after we are no longer an emerging growth company. We may take advantage of certain of the scaled disclosures available to smaller reporting companies until the fiscal year following the determination that our voting and non-voting ordinary shares held by non-affiliates is more than $250 million measured on the last business day of our second fiscal quarter, or our annual revenues are more than $100 million during the most recently completed fiscal year and our voting and non-voting ordinary shares held by non-affiliates is more than $700 million measured on the last business day of our second fiscal quarter.
