ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
Risk Factor Summary
The following summary highlights some of the principal risks that could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations. This summary is not complete and the risks summarized below are not the only risks we face. These risks are discussed more fully further below in this section entitled “Risk Factors” in Item 1A. of this Annual Report. These risks include, but are not limited to, the following:
Risks Related to Macroeconomic Conditions
• Difficult market and political conditions may reduce the value or hamper the performance of the investments made by our investment products and services or impair the ability of our investment products and services to raise or deploy capital.
• Inflation may adversely affect the business, results of operations and financial condition of our investment products and services.
• Higher interest rates could have a material adverse effect on our business and that of our investment products and services’ portfolio companies.
Risks Related to our Business and Industry
• We are a holding company and our only material asset is our interest in our subsidiaries, and we are accordingly dependent upon distributions made by our subsidiaries to pay taxes, make payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement (see Note 21 (Commitments and Contingencies) to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report) and pay dividends.
• Our revenue is derived from fees correlated to the amount of assets under management and assets under advisement that we have and the performance of our investment strategies and/or products. Poor performance of our investments in the future or terminations of significant client relationships, in each case, resulting in a reduction in assets under management or advisement, could have a materially adverse impact on our results, financial condition or business.
• The historical returns attributable to our investment products and services should not be considered as indicative of the future results of our investment products and services or of our future results or of any returns expected on an investment in our Class A Common Stock.
• Valuation methodologies for certain assets of our investment products and services can be open to subjectivity.
• The due diligence process that we undertake in connection with investments and M&A may not reveal all facts that may be relevant in connection with an investment or acquisition.
• The administration/insolvency of our International Real Estate Businesses, or any other subsidiaries, could negatively impact our business, and liabilities arising from intercompany balances could adversely affect our financial results.
• Failure to properly disclose conflicts of interest could harm our reputation, results of operations, financial condition or business.
Risks Related to Geographical Environmen t
• Our international operations subject us to numerous risks.
• We are expanding our business and may enter into new lines of business or geographic markets, which may result in additional risks and uncertainties and place significant demands on our administrative, operational and financial resources.
Risks Related to Our Regulatory Environmen t
• We are exposed to litigation risk and subject to regulatory examinations and investigations.
• We are subject to extensive government regulation, and our failure or inability to comply with these regulations or regulatory action against us could adversely affect our results of operations, financial condition or business.
• Financial regulations and changes thereto in the United States could adversely affect our business and the possibility of increased regulatory focus could result in additional burdens and expenses on our business.
• We may face damage to our professional reputation and legal liability if our services are not regarded as satisfactory or for other reasons.
Risks Related to Personnel
• We rely on our management team to grow our business, and the loss of key management members, or an inability to hire key personnel, could harm our business.
• Our future growth depends on our ability to attract, retain and develop human capital in a highly competitive talent market.
Risks Related to Being a Public Company
• Our management team has limited experience managing a public company.
• As a public company, we are subject to laws, regulations and stock exchange listing standards, which impose additional costs on us and may strain our resources and divert our management’s attention. Additionally, due to our anticipated loss of “emerging growth company status” as of December 31, 2026, these expenses may increase even more.
• As previously disclosed, we have identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting and may find additional weaknesses in the future or fail to maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting. If we fail to establish and maintain proper and effective internal control over financial reporting, our operating results and our ability to operate our business could be harmed.
• If we are deemed an “investment company” subject to regulation under the Investment Company Act, applicable restrictions could make it impractical for us to continue our business as contemplated and could have a material adverse effect on our business.
• We are an emerging growth company within the meaning of the Securities Act and we have taken advantage of certain exemptions from disclosure requirements available to emerging growth companies; this could make our securities less attractive to investors and may make it more difficult to compare our performance with other public companies.
Risks Related to Our Strategic Alternatives Review Process
• Our review of preliminary indications of interest and potential strategic alternatives may not result in any transaction, and the announcement or conduct of such a process may adversely affect our business.
General Risk Factors
• We may be required to take write-downs or write-offs, restructuring and impairment or other charges that could have a significant negative effect on our financial condition and our share price, which could cause you to lose some or all of your investment.
• Future resales of shares may cause the market price of our securities to drop significantly, even if our business is doing well.
Risk Factors
You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described below and the other information in this Annual Report before making an investment in our Class A Common Stock. Our business, financial condition, results of operations, or prospects could be materially and adversely affected if any of these risks occurs, and as a result, the market price of our Class A Common Stock could decline and you could lose all or part of your investment. This Annual Report also contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. See “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.” Our actual results could differ materially and adversely from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors, including those set forth below.
Risks Related to Macroeconomic Conditions
Difficult market and political conditions may reduce the value or hamper the performance of the investments made by our investment products and services or impair the ability of our investment products and services to raise or deploy capital.
Our business is affected by conditions and trends in the global financial markets and the global economic and political climate relating to, among other things, current high interest rates, the availability and cost of credit, economic uncertainty, changes in laws (including laws relating to our taxation, taxation of our clients and the possibility of changes to regulations applicable to alternative asset managers), trade policies by the U.S. or other countries (such as tariffs or retaliatory tariffs as those proposed or imposed by the new U.S. Administration), commodity prices, currency exchange rates and controls, supply chain disruptions, consumer spending, employment levels, labor shortages, challenging labor market conditions, wage stagnation, energy prices, home prices, commercial property values, federal government shutdowns, political elections and administration transitions, national and international political events (including conflicts, terrorist acts, and security operations) and catastrophic events such as fires, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes and global health pandemics. These factors are outside of our control and may affect the level and of credit and securities prices and the liquidity and value of fund investments, and we and our investment products and services may not be to or may choose not to manage our exposure to these conditions. Global financial markets have experienced heightened in recent periods, including as a result of economic and political events in or affecting the world’s major economies. over increasing inflation, economic , as well as interest rate and fluctuations in oil and gas prices resulting from global production and demand levels, as well as geopolitical tension, have market .
During periods of difficult market conditions or slowdowns, which may be across one or more industries, sectors or geographies, our investment products and services’ portfolio companies may experience decreased revenues, financial losses, credit rating downgrades, difficulty in obtaining access to financing and increased funding costs. During such periods, those companies may also have difficulty in pursuing growth strategies, expanding their businesses and operations and be unable to meet their debt service obligations or other expenses as they become due, including obligations and expenses payable to our funds. Negative financial results in our investment products and services’ portfolio companies may reduce the NAV of our investment products and services, result in the impairment of assets and reduce the investment returns for our investment products and services, which could have a material adverse effect on our operating results and cash flow or ability to raise additional capital through new or successor investment products and services. In addition, such conditions would increase the risk of with respect to credit-oriented or debt investments by our investment products and services. Our investment products and services may be affected by reduced to exit and realize value from their investments, by lower than expected returns on investments made prior to the
deterioration of the credit markets and by our inability to find suitable investments for our investment products and services to effectively deploy capital, which could adversely affect our ability to raise new funds and thus adversely impact our prospects for future growth.
Inflation may adversely affect the business, results of operations and financial condition of our investment products and services.
Inflation continued at elevated levels in 2025 and may remain elevated in 2026. Inflation could have an adverse impact on any variable rate debt and general and administrative expenses, as these costs could increase at a rate higher than our revenue. While the inflation rate has decreased, prices remain high. Certain of our investment products and services and their portfolio companies operate in industries that have been impacted by inflation. Inflationary pressures have continually increased the costs of labor, energy and raw materials and have adversely affected consumer spending, economic growth and our investment products and services’ portfolio companies’ operations. If such portfolio companies are unable to pass any increases in the costs of their operations along to their customers, it could adversely affect their operating results. Such conditions would increase the risk of default on their obligations as a borrower. In addition, any projected future decreases in the operating results of our investment products and services’ portfolio companies due to inflation could adversely impact the fair value of those investments. Any decreases in the fair value of our investment products and services’ investments could result in future realized or unrealized losses.
Higher interest rates could have a material adverse effect on our business and that of our investment products and services’ portfolio companies.
Higher interest rates could have a dampening effect on overall economic activity, the financial condition of our customers and the financial condition of the end customers who ultimately create demand for the capital we supply, all of which could negatively affect demand for our investment products and services’ capital. Interest rates, which are subject to the influence of economic conditions generally, both domestic and foreign, to events in the capital markets and also to the monetary and fiscal policies of the United States and its agencies, particularly the Federal Reserve. The nature and timing of any changes in such policies or general economic conditions and their effect on us cannot be controlled and are extremely difficult to predict. High interest rates may have a material effect on our business making it particularly difficult for us to obtain financing at attractive rates, impacting our ability to execute on our growth strategies or future acquisitions.
Changes in market and economic conditions could lower the value of assets on which we earn revenue and could decrease the demand for our investment solutions and services.
We operate in the financial services industry. The financial markets, and in turn the financial services industry, are affected by many factors, such as U.S. and foreign economic and geopolitical conditions and general trends in business and finance that are beyond our control, and could be adversely affected by changes in the equity or debt marketplaces, unanticipated changes in currency exchange rates, interest rates, inflation rates, the yield curve, financial crises, war, terrorism, natural disasters, pandemics and outbreaks of disease or similar public health concerns, and other factors that are difficult to predict. In the event that the U.S. or international financial markets suffer a severe or prolonged economic downturn, investments may lose value and investors may choose to withdraw assets from financial advisers and use the assets to pay expenses or transfer them to investments that they perceive to be more secure, such as bank deposits and Treasury securities. Any in financial markets, or increased levels of asset withdrawals could have a material effect on our results of operations, financial condition or business.
Significant fluctuations in securities prices have and will continue to materially affect the value of the assets we manage and may also influence financial adviser and investor decisions regarding whether to invest in, or maintain an investment in, one or more of our investment solutions. If such fluctuations in securities prices were to lead to decreased investment in the securities markets, our revenue and earnings derived from asset-based revenue could be materially and adversely affected.
Furthermore, although the immediate effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have moderated, it has had, and may continue to have, a long-term negative impact on certain commercial real estate assets, particularly office
properties, due to the risk that tenants may continue to reduce the office space they lease as a portion of the workforce works remotely on a hybrid or full time basis. Lower occupancy, rental rates and declining values in our real estate portfolio could have the following negative effects on us:
• the values of our investments in commercial properties could decrease below the amounts paid for such investments; and
• revenues from the properties underlying our real estate investments could decrease due to fewer tenants and/or lower rental rates.
Adverse developments affecting the financial services industry, such as actual events or concerns involving liquidity, defaults or non-performance by financial institutions or transactional counterparties, could adversely affect our current and projected business operations and our financial condition and results of operations.
Actual events involving limited liquidity, defaults, non-performance or other adverse developments that affect financial institutions, transactional counterparties or other companies in the financial services industry or the financial services industry generally, or concerns or rumors about any events of these kinds or other similar risks, have in the past and may in the future lead to market-wide liquidity problems. Inflation and rapid increases in interest rates have led to a decline in the trading value of previously issued government securities with interest rates below current market interest rates. If such events were to occur again in the future and result in the receivership of financial institutions, there is no guarantee that the U.S. Department of the Treasury, FDIC and/or Federal Reserve, as applicable, take such actions in the future that they would do so in a timely fashion or that such actions, if taken, would have their intended effect or would fully protect depositors or counterparties.
Although we assess our banking relationships as we believe necessary or appropriate, our access to funding sources and other credit arrangements in amounts adequate to finance or capitalize our current and projected future business operations could be significantly impaired by factors that affect us, the financial institutions with which we have arrangements directly, or the financial services industry or economy in general. These factors could include, among others, events such as liquidity constraints or failures, the ability to perform obligations under various types of financial, credit or liquidity agreements or arrangements, disruptions or instability in the financial services industry or financial markets, or concerns or negative expectations about the prospects for companies in the financial services industry. These factors could involve financial institutions or financial services industry companies with which we have financial or business relationships, but could also include factors involving financial markets or the financial services industry generally.
The results of events or concerns that involve one or more of these factors could include a variety of material and adverse impacts on our current and projected business operations, our financial condition, and results of operations.
In addition, investor concerns regarding the U.S. or international financial systems could result in less favorable commercial financing terms, including higher interest rates or costs and tighter financial and operating covenants, or systemic limitations on access to credit and liquidity sources, thereby making it more difficult for us to acquire financing on acceptable terms or at all. Any of these impacts, or any other impacts resulting from the factors described above or other related or similar factors not described above, could have material adverse impacts on our liquidity and our current and/or projected business operations and financial condition and results of operations.
Risks Related to our Business and Industry
Over the next 12-months from the time of this filing and the foreseeable future, we believe our cash and cash equivalents are sufficient to meet all of our normal operational and liquidity needs. However, to fund new initiatives and accelerate our growth, we may be required to obtain additional funds. This is because periods of low cash balances, caused by potential mismatches between projected revenue and the timing of receipts, could
specifically impact the capital available for expansion and/or business initiative efforts to grow or scale the business.
We are a holding company and our only material asset is our interest in our subsidiaries, and we are accordingly dependent upon distributions made by our subsidiaries to pay taxes, make payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement and pay dividends.
Since the completion of the Business Combination, we are a holding company with no material assets other than the equity interests in our direct and indirect subsidiaries, including Umbrella. As a result, we have no independent means of generating revenue or cash flow. Our ability to pay taxes, make payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement and pay dividends or make other distributions depends on the financial results and cash flows of our subsidiaries and the distributions we receive from our subsidiaries. Deterioration in the financial condition, earnings or cash flow of such subsidiaries for any reason could limit or impair such subsidiaries’ ability to pay such distributions. Additionally, to the extent that we need funds and our subsidiaries are restricted from making such distributions under applicable law or regulation or under the terms of any financing arrangements, or our subsidiaries are otherwise unable to provide such funds, it could materially adversely affect our liquidity and financial condition.
Subject to the discussion herein, Umbrella will continue to be treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes and, as such, generally will not be subject to any entity-level U.S. federal income tax. Instead, taxable income will be allocated to holders of Umbrella common units. Accordingly, we will be required to pay income taxes on our allocable share of any net taxable income of Umbrella. Under the terms of the Umbrella LLC Agreement, Umbrella is obligated to make tax distributions to holders of Umbrella common units (including the Company) calculated at certain assumed tax rates. In addition to tax expenses, we will also incur expenses related to our operations, including our payment obligations under the Tax Receivable Agreement, which could be significant, and some of which will be reimbursed by Umbrella (excluding payment obligations under the Tax Receivable Agreement). We intend to cause Umbrella to make ordinary distributions and tax distributions to holders of Umbrella common units on a pro rata basis in amounts sufficient to cover all applicable taxes, relevant operating expenses, payments we make under the Tax Receivable Agreement and dividends, if any, we declare. However, Umbrella’s ability to make such distributions may be subject to various limitations and restrictions including, but not limited to, retention of amounts necessary to satisfy the obligations of Umbrella and restrictions on distributions that would violate any applicable restrictions contained in Umbrella’s debt agreements, or any applicable law, or that would have the effect of rendering Umbrella . Any restrictions on the ability of Umbrella’s subsidiaries to make dividends or other distributions to Umbrella would also reduce the cash available to Umbrella to make distributions. To the extent that we are to make payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement for any reason, such payments will be deferred and will accrue interest until paid.
Dividends on our shares, if any, will be paid at the discretion of the Board, which will consider, among other things, our business, operating results, financial condition, current and expected cash needs, plans for expansion and any legal or contractual limitations on our ability to pay such dividends. Financing arrangements may include restrictive covenants that restrict our ability to pay dividends or make other distributions to our stockholders. In addition, entities are generally prohibited under relevant law from making a distribution to a stockholder to the extent that, at the time of the distribution, after giving effect to the distribution, the liabilities of such entity (subject to certain exceptions) exceed the fair value of its assets. If our subsidiaries do not have sufficient funds to make distributions, our ability to declare and pay cash dividends may also be restricted or impaired.
Our revenue is derived from fees correlated to the amount of AUM and AUA that we have and the performance of our investment strategies and/or products. Poor performance of our investments in the future or terminations of significant client relationships, in each case, resulting in a reduction in AUM or advisement, could have a materially adverse impact on our results, financial condition or business.
The success and growth of our business is dependent upon the performance of our investments. Poor performance of our investments could cause a decline in our revenues as a result of reduced management fees
and incentive fees from our clients, as applicable, and may therefore have a materially adverse impact on our results. If we fail to meet the expectations of our clients or our investments otherwise experience poor investment performance, whether due to general economic and financial conditions, our investment acumen or otherwise, our ability to retain existing AUM or advisement and attract new clients could be materially adversely affected and our management fees and/or incentive fees would be reduced. Furthermore, even if the investment performance of our investments is positive, our business or financial condition could be materially adversely affected if we are unable to attract and retain additional AUM and AUA consistent with our past experience, industry trends or investor and market expectations.
The success of our business depends on the identification and availability of suitable investment opportunities for our clients .
Our success largely depends on the identification and availability of suitable investment opportunities for our clients, including the success of underlying funds and products in which our clients invest. The availability of investment opportunities will be subject to market conditions and other factors outside of our control and the control of the investment managers with which we invest for our clients. Past returns of our clients have benefited from investment opportunities and general market conditions that may not continue or reoccur, including favorable borrowing conditions in the debt markets, and there can be no assurance that our clients or the underlying funds and other products in which we invest for our clients will be able to avail themselves of comparable opportunities and conditions. There can also be no assurance that the underlying funds and other products we select will be able to identify sufficient attractive investment to meet their investment objectives.
The historical returns attributable to our investment products and services should not be considered as indicative of the future results of our investment products and services or of our future results or of any returns expected on an investment in our Class A Common Stock.
The historical performance of our investment products and services is relevant to us primarily insofar as it is indicative of our reputation and ability to raise new funds. The historical and potential returns of the funds we advise are not, however, directly linked to returns on shares of our Class A Common Stock. Therefore, holders of our Class A Common Stock should not conclude that positive performance of the funds we advise will necessarily result in positive returns on a return on investment in our Class A Common Stock. However, poor performance of our investment products and services we advise would likely cause a decline in our revenues and would therefore likely have a negative effect on our operating results, returns on our Class A Common Stock and a negative impact on our ability to raise new funds. Also, there is no assurance that projections in respect of our investment products and services or unrealized valuations will be realized.
Moreover, the historical returns of our investment products and services should not be considered indicative of the future returns of these or from any future funds we may raise, in part because:
• market conditions during previous periods may have been significantly more favorable for generating positive performance than the market conditions we may experience in the future;
• our investment products and services’ rates of returns, which are calculated on the basis of NAV of the funds’ investments, reflect unrealized gains, which may never be realized;
• our investment products and services’ returns have previously benefited from investment opportunities and general market conditions that may not recur, including the availability of debt capital on attractive terms and the availability of distressed debt opportunities, and we may not be able to achieve the same returns or profitable investment opportunities or deploy capital as quickly;
• future fund returns will depend increasingly on the performance of our newer funds or funds not yet formed, which may have little or no realized investment track record;
• the circumstances under which our current or future funds may make future investments may differ significantly from those conditions prevailing in the past;
• the increased competition for investments may reduce our returns in the future; and
• our newly established funds may generate lower returns during the period that they take to deploy their capital.
The future return for any current or future fund may vary considerably from the historical return generated by any particular fund, or for our investment products and services as a whole. Future returns will also be affected by the risks described elsewhere in this report, including risks of the industries and businesses in which a particular fund invests.
Valuation methodologies for certain assets of our investment products and services can be open to subjectivity.
Many of the investments in our investment products and services are illiquid and thus have no readily ascertainable market prices. We value these investments based on our estimate, or an independent third party’s estimate, of their value as of the date of determination. The determination of fair value, and thus the amount of unrealized appreciation or depreciation our investment products and services may recognize in any reporting period, is to a degree subjective. Our investment products and services generally value their investments quarterly at fair value, based on, among other things, the input of third party valuation firms and taking into account the nature and realizable value of any collateral, the portfolio company’s ability to make payments and its earnings, the markets in which the portfolio company operates, comparison to publicly traded companies, discounted cash flow, current market interest rates and other relevant factors. Because such valuations, and particularly valuations of private securities, private companies and privately owned real estate, are inherently uncertain, the valuations may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time due to changes in current market conditions. A fund’s NAV could be adversely affected if the determinations regarding the fair value of the investments were materially higher than the values that are ultimately realized upon the disposal of such investments. These valuations could, in turn, affect the management fees or performance income that our business receives.
The due diligence process that we undertake in connection with investments and M&A may not reveal all facts that may be relevant in connection with an investment or acquisition.
Before investing the assets of our clients, we conduct due diligence that we deem reasonable and appropriate based on the facts and circumstances applicable to each investment. When conducting due diligence, we may be required to evaluate important and complex business, financial, tax, accounting, technological, environmental, social, governance and legal and regulatory issues. Outside consultants, legal advisors and accountants may be involved in the due diligence process in varying degrees depending on the type of investment and the parties involved. Nevertheless, when conducting due diligence and making an assessment regarding an investment, we rely on the resources available to us, including information provided by the target of the investment and, in some circumstances, third-party investigations, and such an investigation will not necessarily result in the investment ultimately being successful. Moreover, the due diligence investigation that we will carry out with respect to any investment opportunity may not reveal or highlight all relevant facts or risks that are necessary or helpful in evaluating such investment opportunity. For example, instances of bribery, fraud, accounting and other , or practices can be to detect and may be more widespread in certain jurisdictions.
In addition, a substantial portion of our clients invest in underlying funds, and therefore we are dependent on the due diligence investigation of the underlying investment manager of such funds. We have little or no control over their due diligence process, and any shortcomings in their due diligence could be reflected in the performance of the investment we make with them on behalf of our funds. Poor investment performance could lead investors to terminate their agreements with us and/or result in negative reputational effects, either of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Dependence on leverage by certain funds, underlying investment funds and portfolio companies subjects us to volatility and contractions in the debt financing markets and could adversely affect the ability of our funds to achieve attractive rates of return on their investments.
Many of the funds we manage, the funds in which we invest and portfolio companies within our funds and customized separate accounts currently rely on credit facilities either to facilitate efficient investing or for speculative purposes. If our funds are unable to obtain financing, or the underlying funds or the companies in which our funds invest are unable to access the structured credit, leveraged loan and high yield bond markets (or do so only at increased cost), the results of their operations may suffer if such markets experience dislocations, contractions or volatility. Any such events could adversely impact our funds’ ability to invest efficiently, and may impact the returns of our funds’ investments.
The absence of available sources of sufficient debt financing for extended periods of time or an increase in either the general levels of interest rates or in the risk spread demanded by sources of indebtedness would make it more expensive to finance those investments, and, in the case of rising interest rates, decrease the value of fixed-rate debt investments made by our funds. Certain investments may also be financed through fund-level debt facilities, which may or may not be available for refinancing at the end of their respective terms. Finally, limitations on the deductibility of interest expense on indebtedness used to finance our funds’ investments reduce the after-tax rates of return on the affected investments and make it more costly to use debt financing. Any of these factors may have an adverse impact on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Similarly, private markets fund portfolio companies regularly utilize the corporate debt markets to obtain additional financing for their operations. The leveraged capital structure of such businesses increases the exposure of the funds’ portfolio companies to adverse economic factors such as rising interest rates, downturns in the economy or deterioration in the condition of such business or its industry. Any adverse impact caused by the use of leverage by portfolio companies in which we directly or indirectly invest could in turn adversely affect the returns of our funds.
Defaults by third-party investors could adversely affect that fund’s operations and performance.
Our business is exposed to the risk that investors that owe us money for our services may not pay us. If investors default on their obligations to fund or similar commitments, there may be adverse consequences on the investment process, and we could incur losses and be unable to meet underlying capital calls. For example, certain of our funds may utilize lines of credit to fund investments. Because interest expense and other costs of borrowings under lines of credit are an expense of the fund, the fund’s net multiple of invested capital may be reduced, as well as the amount of carried interest generated by the fund. Any material reduction in the amount of carried interest generated by a fund may adversely affect our revenues.
Our failure to comply with investment guidelines of our clients could result in damage awards against us or a reduction in AUM, either of which would cause our earnings to decline and adversely affect our business.
Each of our clients is serviced pursuant to specific investment guidelines, which, with respect to our customized separate accounts, are often established collaboratively between us and the investor. Our failure to comply with these guidelines and other limitations could result in investors terminating their relationships with us or deciding not to commit further capital to us in respect of new or different funds. In some cases, these investors could also sue us for breach of contract and seek to recover damages from us. In addition, such guidelines may restrict our ability to pursue certain allocations and strategies on behalf of our investors that we believe are economically desirable, which could similarly result in losses to a client or termination of the client relationship and a corresponding reduction in AUM. Even if we comply with all applicable investment guidelines, our investors may nonetheless be dissatisfied with our investment performance or our services or fees and may their investment with us or be to commit new capital to our funds. Any of these events could cause our earnings to and have a material effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We may not have control over the day-to-day operations of many of the funds included in our investments and we do not control the business of the External Strategic Managers in which we have made strategic investments.
Investments by most of our funds, as well as by the External Strategic Managers in which we have made strategic investments, will include debt instruments and equity securities of companies that we do not control.
Our funds, as well as the External Strategic Managers, may invest through co-investment arrangements or acquire minority equity interests and may also dispose of a portion of the equity investments in portfolio companies over time in a manner that results in their retaining a minority investment. Consequently, the performance of our funds, as well as the External Strategic Managers, will depend significantly on the investment and other decisions made by third parties, which could have a material adverse effect on the returns achieved by our funds, as well as our External Strategic Managers. Portfolio companies in which the investment is made may make business, financial or management decisions with which we do not agree. In addition, the majority stakeholders or our management may take risks or otherwise act in a manner that does not serve our interests. If any of the foregoing were to occur, the values of our investments and the investments we have made on behalf of our clients could decrease and our financial condition, results of operations and cash flow could suffer as a result. The operations of the External Strategic Managers are not subject to our control.
The investment products, services, and investment strategies we currently pursue may expose us to specific market, tax, regulatory and other risks.
We currently pursue, through our investment products and services, multiple investment strategies. While we believe that there may be certain synergies amongst the various strategies, there can be no assurance that the benefits will manifest or that there will not be unanticipated consequences resulting therefrom. Although we are seeking additional investment strategies, relative to more diversified asset managers, our investment products and services’ limited and specialized focus also leaves us more exposed to risks affecting the sectors in which our investment products and services invest. As our investment management program is not broadly diversified, we may be uniquely exposed to market, tax, regulatory and other risks affecting the sectors in which we invest. There can be no assurance that we will be able to take actions necessary to mitigate the effect of such risks or otherwise diversify our investment program to minimize such exposure.
Investments made on behalf of our clients may in many cases rank junior to investments made by other investors.
In many cases, the companies in which we invest on behalf of our clients have indebtedness or equity securities, or may be permitted to incur indebtedness or to issue equity securities, that rank senior to investments made on behalf of our clients. By their terms, these instruments may provide that their holders are entitled to receive payments of dividends, interest or principal on or before the dates on which payments are to be made in respect of our clients’ investments. Also, in the event of insolvency, liquidation, dissolution, reorganization or bankruptcy of a company in which one or more of our clients hold an investment, holders of securities ranking senior to our client investments would typically be entitled to receive payment in full before distributions could be made in respect of our client investments. After repaying senior security holders, the issuer may not have any remaining assets to use for repaying amounts owed in respect of our client investments. To the extent that any assets remain, holders of claims that rank equally with our client investments would be entitled to share on an equal and ratable basis in distributions that are made out of those assets. Also, during periods of financial distress or following an , our ability to influence a company’s affairs and to take actions to protect investments by our clients may be substantially less than that of those holding senior interests.
Certain of our investments utilize special situation and distressed debt investment strategies that involve significant risks.
Our clients sometimes invest in companies with weak financial conditions, poor operating results, substantial financial needs, negative net worth and/or special competitive or regulatory problems. These clients also invest in companies that are or are anticipated to be involved in bankruptcy or reorganization proceedings. In such
situations, it may be difficult to obtain full information as to the exact financial and operating conditions of these companies. Additionally, the fair values of such investments are subject to abrupt and erratic market movements and significant price volatility if they are publicly traded securities, and are subject to significant uncertainty in general if they are not publicly traded securities. Furthermore, some of our clients’ distressed investments may not be widely traded or may have no recognized market. A client’s exposure to such investments may be substantial in relation to the market for those investments, and the assets are likely to be illiquid and difficult to sell or transfer. As a result, it may take a number of years for the market value of such investments to ultimately reflect their intrinsic value as perceived by us, if at all.
Our distressed investment strategies depend in part on our ability to successfully predict the occurrence of certain corporate events, such as debt and/or equity offerings, restructurings, reorganizations, mergers, takeover offers and other transactions, that we believe will improve the condition of the business. If the corporate event we predict is delayed, changed or never completed, the market price and value of the applicable fund’s investment could decline sharply.
In addition, these investments could subject us to certain potential additional liabilities that may exceed the value of our original investment. Under certain circumstances, payments or distributions on certain investments may be reclaimed if any such payment or distribution is later determined to have been a fraudulent conveyance, a preferential payment or similar transaction under applicable bankruptcy and insolvency laws. In addition, under certain circumstances, a lender that has inappropriately exercised control of the management and policies of a debtor may have its claims subordinated or disallowed, or may be found liable for damages suffered by parties as a result of such actions. In the case where the investment in securities of troubled companies is made in connection with an attempt to influence a restructuring proposal or plan of reorganization in bankruptcy, our clients and/or we may become involved in substantial .
Our investment advisory contracts may be terminated or may not be renewed by investors or fund boards on favorable terms and the liquidation of certain funds may be accelerated at the option of investors.
We derive a substantial portion of our revenue from providing investment advisory services. The advisory or management contracts we have entered into with our clients, including the agreements that govern many of our investment funds, provide investors or, in some cases, the independent directors of applicable investment funds, with significant latitude to terminate such contracts, withdraw funds or liquidate funds by simple majority vote with limited notice or penalty, or to remove or terminate us as investment advisor (or equivalent). Our fee arrangements under any of our advisory or management contracts may be reduced (including at the behest of a fund’s board of directors). In addition, if a number of our investors terminate their contracts, or otherwise remove us from our advisory roles, liquidate funds or fail to renew management contracts on favorable terms, the fees or carried interest we earn could be reduced, which may cause our AUM, revenue and earnings to decline. The occurrence of any of these events could lead to a reduction in our revenues and .
We may sell our strategic investments in the External Strategic Managers or they may sell their businesses or exercise their rights to purchase our interests.
We have made, and may make in the future strategic investments with certain External Strategic Managers that contribute to our revenues. Depending on the circumstances, in the future we may sell our strategic investments in one or more of the External Strategic Managers. We also do not have control over these External Strategic Managers, who may sell their business (including our interests) without our consent, or they may have a contractual right to purchase our interest from us without our consent. The occurrence of any of these events could lead to a reduction in our revenues and profitability.
We may establish fund vehicles in the future to own the existing strategic investments in our External Strategic Managers or to make strategic investments in new External Strategic Managers.
Although we currently own our strategic investments in the External Strategic Managers, in the future we may establish fund vehicles that we manage to own these investments and any strategic investments we may make in new External Strategic Managers. The benefit of setting up these fund vehicles is that we would not have to use
our own capital to fund these investments since they would be funded by third party investors in our fund vehicles. However, if we establish such fund vehicles, we will only be entitled to a management fee for managing the vehicles and a carried interest based on the performance of the investments made in these External Strategic Managers, rather than all of the economics associated with owning the investments in these External Strategic Managers. Setting up these fund vehicles to own the investments in External Strategic Managers could lead to a reduction in the revenues and profitability we would have otherwise realized had we owned those interests directly.
If we are unable to compete effectively, our business and financial condition could be adversely affected.
The industry in which we operate is intensely competitive, with competition based on a variety of factors, including investment performance, the scope and the quality of service provided to clients, brand recognition, business reputation and price. Our business competes with a number of private equity funds, hedge funds, wealth managers, specialized investment funds, solutions providers and other sponsors managing pools of capital, as well as corporate buyers, traditional asset managers, commercial banks, investment banks and other financial institutions (including sovereign wealth funds), and we expect that competition will continue to increase. For example, certain traditional asset managers have developed their own private equity platforms and are marketing other asset allocation strategies as alternatives to hedge fund investments. Additionally, developments in financial technology, such as distributed ledger technology, commonly referred to as blockchain, have the potential to disrupt the financial industry and change the way financial institutions, as well as asset managers, do business. A number of factors serve to increase our competitive risks:
• a number of our competitors have greater financial, technical, marketing and other resources and more personnel than we do;
• some of our competitors have significant amounts of capital or are expected to raise significant amounts of capital, and many of them have investment objectives similar to ours, which may create additional competition for investment opportunities and may reduce the size and duration of pricing inefficiencies that our investments seek to exploit;
• some of our investments may not perform as well as competitors’ funds or other available investment products;
• some of our competitors may have a lower cost of capital, which may be exacerbated to the extent potential changes to the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”) limit the deductibility of interest expense;
• some of our competitors may have access to funding sources that are not available to us, which may create competitive disadvantages for us with respect to investment opportunities;
• some of our competitors may be subject to less regulation and accordingly may have more flexibility to undertake and execute certain businesses or investments than we can and/or bear less compliance expense than we do;
• some of our competitors may have more flexibility than us in raising certain types of investment funds under the investment management contracts they have negotiated with their investors;
• some of our competitors may have better expertise or be regarded by investors as having better expertise in a specific asset class or geographic region than we do; and
• other industry participants may, from time to time, seek to recruit our investment professionals and other employees away from us.
We may find it harder to attract and retain wealth management clients and raise new funds, and we may lose investment opportunities in the future, if we do not match the prices, structures and terms offered by our competitors. We may not be able to maintain our current fee structures as a result of industry pressure from investors to reduce fees. In order to maintain our desired fee structures in a competitive environment, we must
be able to continue to provide clients with investment returns and service that incentivize them to pay our desired fee rates. We cannot assure you that we will succeed in providing investment returns and service that will allow us to maintain our desired fee structure. Fee reductions on existing or future new business could have a material adverse effect on our profit margins and results of operations.
The anticipated benefits of future acquisitions that we may pursue may not be realized or may take longer than expected to realize.
We may pursue acquisitions of assets or businesses that are complementary to our business. For any such acquisitions, the optimization of our combined operations may be a complex, costly and time-consuming process and if we experience difficulties in this process, the anticipated benefits may not be realized fully or at all, or may take longer to realize than expected, which could have an adverse effect on us for an undetermined period after any such future acquisition. There can be no assurances that we will realize any potential operating efficiencies, synergies and other benefits anticipated in connection with such acquisitions.
The integration of our acquisitions may present material challenges, including, without limitation:
• combining leadership teams and corporate cultures;
• the diversion of management’s attention from ongoing business concerns and performance shortfalls as a result of the devotion of management’s attention to the integration of a new asset or business;
• managing a larger combined business;
• maintaining employee morale and retaining key management and other employees, including by offering sufficiently attractive terms of employment;
• retaining existing business and operational relationships, and attracting new business and operational relationships;
• the possibility of faulty assumptions underlying expectations regarding the integration process;
• consolidating corporate and administrative infrastructures and eliminating duplicative operations;
• managing expense loads and maintaining currently anticipated operating margins given that investment products and services may be different in nature and therefore may require additional personnel and compensation expenses, which expenses may be borne by us, rather than our investment products and services; and
• unanticipated issues in integrating information technology, communications and other systems.
Some of those factors are outside of our control, and any one of them could result in delays, increased costs, decreases in the amount of potential revenues or synergies, potential cost savings, and diversion of management’s time and energy, which could materially affect our financial position, results of operations, and cash flows.
The administration/insolvency of our International Real Estate Businesses could negatively impact our business, and liabilities arising from intercompany balances could adversely affect our financial results.
On July 11, 2025, we placed our International Real Estate Businesses into administration in England and Wales under applicable insolvency laws and appointed the Administrators. The Administrators are officers of the court and, upon their appointment, the directors’ powers were suspended such that the day-to-day operations of these businesses are now under the control of the Administrators. The administration process presents risks and uncertainties that could negatively affect us.
The ultimate costs of the administration/insolvency could exceed our current estimates. In addition, the realization of any remaining assets may be less than anticipated.
The Administrators have broad powers, including with respect to the realization of assets, including intercompany balances owed to the International Real Estate Businesses, and adjudication of claims.
We have historically engaged in transactions with our subsidiaries and affiliated entities, including intercompany funding arrangements and other financial support. The treatment of intercompany balances is subject to applicable insolvency laws, including limitations on contractual or other rights of setoff, and will require negotiated resolution with the Administrators (which may require payments or other consideration from us or our solvent subsidiaries). If a mutually acceptable resolution is not achieved, the Administrators could seek payment of amounts they determine to be due, which could require certain of our affiliated entities to satisfy obligations in cash or otherwise. Any such amounts, and the timing of any required payments, are uncertain and could be material to our results of operations, cash flows or financial condition. There can be no assurance that such matters will be resolved on terms favorable to us, or at all.
We may also retain responsibility for certain pre-administration liabilities or other obligations, or face claims related to the historical operations of the International Real Estate Businesses. Any such pre-administration liabilities could be material and could adversely affect our results of operations, cash flows or financial condition.
The potential insolvency of other subsidiaries or affiliated entities could materially adversely affect us.
If additional subsidiaries or affiliated entities were to become subject to bankruptcy, administration, liquidation or similar insolvency proceedings in any jurisdiction, we could be adversely affected. Although our subsidiaries are separate legal entities, a court, administrator, liquidator or other insolvency official could seek to enforce intercompany arrangements, guarantees, letters of support or other financial commitments, or assert claims against us under applicable law. In certain jurisdictions, local law may permit recourse against shareholders or affiliated entities in circumstances involving undercapitalization, workforce-related liabilities, or other statutory obligations.
In addition, our right to receive any assets of a subsidiary upon its bankruptcy, liquidation or reorganization would be junior to the claims of that subsidiary’s creditors, including trade creditors and employees. If any material subsidiary, particularly one that holds significant contracts, licenses or assets, were to enter insolvency proceedings, the resulting disruption, potential loss of value, and related claims could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition.
Potential conflicts of interest may arise in the allocation of investment opportunities among funds.
Certain of our investment products and services may have overlapping investment objectives, including funds that have different fee structures, and potential conflicts may arise with respect to our decisions regarding how to allocate investment opportunities among those funds. We may allocate an investment opportunity that is appropriate for two or more investment funds in a manner that excludes one or more funds or results in a disproportionate allocation based on factors or criteria that we determine, including but not limited to differences with respect to available capital, the current or anticipated size of a fund, minimum investment amounts, the remaining life of a fund, differences in investment objectives, guidelines or strategies, diversification, portfolio construction considerations and other considerations deemed relevant to us and in accordance with our policy. Although we have adopted investment allocation policies and procedures that are designed to ensure fair and equitable treatment over time, and expect these policies and procedures to continue to evolve, those policies and procedures will not eliminate all potential conflicts. Certain investment opportunities may be allocated to certain funds that have lower fees or to our co-investment funds that pay no fees.
Conflicts of interest may arise in our allocation of costs and expenses, and we are subject to increased regulatory scrutiny and uncertainty with regard to those allocations.
As an asset manager with multiple funds, we regularly make determinations to allocate costs and expenses both among our funds and between our funds and us. Certain of those allocation determinations are inherently subjective and virtually all of them are subject to regulatory oversight. Any allocation or allegation of, or
investigation into, a potential violation could cause reputational harm and a loss of investor confidence in our business. It could also result in regulatory lapses and any applicable penalties, as well as increased regulatory oversight of our business. In addition, any determination to allocate costs and expenses to us could negatively affect our net income, and ultimately decrease the value of our Class A Common Stock and our dividends to our stockholders. Similar considerations arise when allocating expenses to, or away from vehicles to which specified interests apply.
We have a conflict of interest in determining whether certain costs and expenses are incurred in the course of operating our funds, including the extent to which services provided by certain employees and associated costs, including compensation, are allocable to certain funds. Our funds generally pay or otherwise bear all legal, accounting, filing, and other expenses incurred in connection with organizing and establishing the funds and the offering of interests in the funds, including certain employee compensation. Such determinations often require subjective judgment and may result in us, rather than our funds, being allocated certain fees and expenses. In addition, our funds generally pay all expenses related to the operation of the funds and their investment activities, in certain cases subject to caps. We also determine, in our sole discretion, the appropriate allocation of investment-related expenses, including broken deal expenses, incurred in respect of unconsummated investments and expenses more generally relating to a particular investment strategy, among our investment products and services, vehicles and accounts participating or that would have participated in such investments or that otherwise participate in the relevant investment strategy, as applicable. That often requires judgment and could result in one or more of our funds bearing more or less of these expenses than other investors or potential investors in the relevant investments or a fund paying a disproportionate share, including some or all, of the deal expenses or other expenses incurred by potential investors. Any regarding such allocations could lead to our funds or us, as further described below, having to bear some portion of these costs as well as reputational risk. In addition, for funds that do not pay or otherwise bear the costs and expenses described above because of the application of caps or otherwise, such amounts may be borne by us, which will reduce the amount of net fee income we receive for providing advisory services to the funds.
Additional and unpredictable conflicts of interests may rise in the future.
In addition to the conflicts outlined above, we may experience conflicts of interest in connection with the management of our business affairs relating to and arising from a number of matters, including the amounts paid to us by our investment funds; services that may be provided by us and our affiliates to investments in which our investment funds invest (including the determination of whether or not to charge fees to our investments for our provision of such services); investments by our investment funds and our other clients, subject to the limitations of the Investment Company Act; our formation of additional investment funds; differing recommendations given by us to different clients; and our use of information gained from an investment funds’ investments used to inform investments by other clients, subject to applicable law.
Our entitlement and that of certain employees to receive performance income from certain of our investment products and services may create an incentive for us to make more speculative investments and determinations on behalf of our investment products and services than would be the case in the absence of such performance income.
Some of our investment products and services generate performance-based fees, including carried interest. Carried interest and performance-based fees or allocations may create an incentive for us or our investment professionals to make more speculative or riskier investments and determinations, directly or indirectly on behalf of our investment products and services, or otherwise take or refrain from taking certain actions that it would otherwise make in the absence of such carried interest or performance-based fees or allocations. It may also create incentives to influence how we establish economic terms for future funds. In addition, we may have an incentive to make exit determinations based on factors that maximize economics in favor of the employees relative to us and our non-participating stockholders. Our failure to appropriately address any actual, potential or perceived conflicts of interest resulting from our entitlement to receive performance income from many of our investment products and services could have a material adverse effect on our reputation, which could materially and adversely affect our business in a number of ways, including limiting our ability to raise additional funds, attract new clients or retain existing clients.
We have implemented procedures to mitigate potential conflicts of interest and address certain regulatory requirements that prevent us from fully realizing potential synergies across our various businesses.
In an effort to mitigate potential conflicts of interest and address regulatory, legal and contractual requirements and contractual restrictions, we have implemented certain procedures that may reduce the positive synergies that would otherwise exist across our various businesses. For example, in certain instances, our procedures prohibit reliance by one of our business lines on due diligence on investment opportunities performed by another business line. This prohibition may result in multiple business lines conducting duplicative and costly due diligence. Additionally, the terms of confidentiality or other agreements with or related to companies in which we have entered, either on our own behalf or on behalf of any of our clients, sometimes restrict or otherwise limit the ability of us or our clients to make investments or otherwise engage in businesses or activities competitive with such companies.
Failure to properly disclose conflicts of interest could harm our reputation, results of operations, financial condition or business.
We currently provide or may in the future provide a broad spectrum of financial services, including investment advisory, asset management, capital markets, and idea generation. Because of our size and the variety of investment strategies that we may pursue or we currently pursue, we may face a higher degree of scrutiny compared with investment managers that are smaller or focus on fewer asset classes. In the ordinary course of business, we engage in activities in which our interests or the interests of our clients may conflict with the interests of other clients, including the investors in our funds. Such conflicts of interest could adversely affect one or more of our clients and/or our performance or returns to our investors.
Certain of our clients may have overlapping investment objectives, including clients that have different fee structures and/or investment strategies that are more narrowly focused, and potential conflicts may arise with respect to allocation of investment opportunities among those clients. We will, from time to time, be presented with investment opportunities that fall within the investment objectives of multiple clients. In such circumstances, we will seek to allocate such opportunities among our clients on a basis that we reasonably determine in good faith to be fair and equitable, and may take into account a variety of relevant factors in determining eligibility, including the investment team primarily responsible for sourcing or performing due diligence on the transaction, the nature of the investment focus of each client, the relative amounts of capital available for investment, anticipated expenses to the applicable client and/or to us with regard to investment by our various clients, the investment pacing and timing of our clients and other considerations deemed relevant by us. Allocating investment opportunities appropriately frequently involves significant and subjective judgments. The risk that investors could challenge allocation decisions as with our obligations under applicable law, governing client agreements or our own policies cannot be eliminated. In addition, the perception of non-compliance with such requirements or policies could our reputation with investors.
Our clients may invest in companies in which we or one or more of our other clients also invest, either directly or indirectly. Investments in a company by certain of our clients may be made prior to the investment by other clients, concurrently, including as part of the same financing plan or subsequent to the investments by such other clients. Any such investment by a client may consist of securities or other instruments of a different class or type from those in which other of our clients are invested, and may entitle the holder of such securities and other instruments to greater control or to rights that otherwise differ from those to which such other clients are entitled. In connection with any such investments—including as they relate to acquisition, owning, and disposition of such investments—our clients may have conflicting interests and investment objectives, and any difference in the terms of the securities or other instruments held by such parties may raise additional conflicts of interest for our clients and us. Our failure to adequately mitigate these conflicts could give rise to regulatory and investor scrutiny.
In the ordinary course of our investment activities on behalf of our clients, we receive investment-related information. We do not generally establish information barriers between internal investment teams. To the extent permitted by law, investment professionals have access to and make use of such investment-related information in making investment decisions for our clients. Therefore, information related to investments made
on behalf of a particular client may inform investment decisions made in respect of another of our clients or otherwise be used and monetized by us. The access and use of this information may create conflicts between our clients and between our clients and us, and no client, including any fund investor, is entitled to any compensation for any profits earned by another client or us based on our use of investment-related information received in connection with managing such clients.
Certain persons employed by or otherwise associated with us are related to, or otherwise have business, personal, political, financial, or other relationships with, persons employed by or otherwise associated with service providers engaged for our clients, and third-party investment managers with whom we invest on behalf of our clients. These types of relationships may also influence us in deciding whether to select or recommend such a service provider to perform services for a particular client or to make or redeem an investment on behalf of a client.
Additionally, we permit employees, former employees and other parties associated with the firm to invest in or alongside our funds on a no-fee, no-carry basis. These arrangements may create a conflict in connection with investments we make on behalf of our clients.
It is possible that actual, potential or perceived conflicts could give rise to investor dissatisfaction or litigation or regulatory enforcement actions. Appropriately dealing with conflicts of interest is complex and difficult and our reputation could be damaged if we fail, or appear to fail, to deal appropriately with one or more potential or actual conflicts of interest. Regulatory scrutiny of, or litigation in connection with, conflicts of interest could have a material adverse effect on our reputation, which could materially and adversely affect our business in a number of ways, including an inability to raise additional funds, attract new investors or retain existing clients.
We pay carried interest and performance-based fees to our investment professionals and other personnel in order to attract and retain them, which may result in a reduction of our revenues and a decrease in our profit margins.
In order to recruit and retain existing and future investment professionals and other key personnel, and to further align the interests of our investment professionals and other personnel with the investment performance of our funds and other products, we expect to increase the level, or change the form or composition, of the amounts we pay to them, including providing them with a greater share of carried interest or performance-based fees. If we increase these amounts, it will likely reduce our revenues, or cause a higher percentage of our revenue to be paid out in the form of compensation, adversely impacting our profit margins. To the extent an increased share of carried interest and performance-based fees are insufficient to ensure an adequate amount of cash is received by our investment professionals and other key personnel, we may not be able to adequately attract or retain them.
Risks Related to Geographical Environment
Our international operations subject us to numerous risks.
We or the External Strategic Managers in which we have made strategic investments maintain operations in the United Kingdom and Hong Kong, among other places, and may grow our business into new regions with which we have less familiarity and experience, and this growth is important to our overall success. In addition, many of our investors are non-U.S. entities where we are expected to have a familiarity with the specific legal and regulatory requirements applicable to such investors. We rely upon stable and free international markets, not only in connection with seeking investors outside the U.S. but also in investing fund capital in these markets.
Our international operations carry special financial and business risks, which could include the following:
• greater difficulties in managing and staffing foreign operations;
• differences between the U.S. and foreign capital markets, such as for accounting, auditing, financial reporting and legal standards, practices and disclosure requirements;
• fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates that could adversely affect our results;
• additional costs of complying with, and exposure to liability under, foreign regulatory regimes;
• changes in governmental policies;
• unexpected changes in trading policies, regulatory requirements, tariffs and other barriers;
• longer transaction cycles;
• higher operating costs;
• local labor conditions and regulations;
• adverse consequences or restrictions on the repatriation of earnings;
• potentially adverse tax consequences, such as trapped foreign losses;
• less stable political and economic environments;
• terrorism, political hostilities, war, public health crises and other civil disturbances or other catastrophic or pandemic events that reduce business activity;
• cultural and language barriers and the need to adopt different business practices in different geographic areas; and
• difficulty collecting fees and, if necessary, enforcing judgments.
As part of our day-to-day operations outside the United States, we are required to maintain compensation programs, employment policies, compliance policies and procedures and other administrative programs that comply with the laws of multiple countries. We also must communicate and monitor standards and directives across our global operations. Changes in governmental policy may adversely affect the profitability of our business. Our failure to successfully manage and grow our geographically diverse operations could impair our ability to react quickly to changing business and market conditions and to enforce compliance with non-U.S. standards and procedures.
Any payment of distributions, loans or advances to and from our subsidiaries could be subject to restrictions on or taxation of dividends or repatriation of earnings under applicable local law, monetary transfer restrictions, foreign currency exchange regulations in the jurisdictions in which our subsidiaries operate or other restrictions imposed by current or future agreements, including debt instruments, to which our non-U.S. subsidiaries may be a party. Our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected if we are unable to successfully manage these and other risks of international operations in a volatile environment. If our international business increases relative to our total business, these factors could have a more pronounced effect on our results of operations or growth prospects.
Our operations in Hong Kong may be adversely affected by political and trade tensions between the U.S. and China.
In our client portfolios, we maintain (depending upon client objective and mandate) allocations of investments in Asian equities and Emerging Market Funds. In both cases, we have direct exposure to Hong Kong equities, Chinese equities and equities of other Asian countries for which China is a significant export market. In the case of a significant change in how the Chinese government treats Hong Kong or regulation of its equity markets, or how China itself evolves from a sovereign risk perspective, there may be risk to the valuation of these shares. Our Hong Kong wealth management business represents $1.1 billion in AUM as of December 31, 2025, which represents approximately 1.1% of our AUM and less than 2.5% of revenue for the year ended December 31, 2025. Moreover, more than 99.9% of our Hong Kong client assets are custodied in locations other than China or Hong Kong.
Our business operations and financial condition may be affected by political and legal developments in Hong Kong. Hong Kong is a special administrative region of the People’s Republic of China (the “PRC”) and the basic policies of the PRC regarding Hong Kong are reflected in the Basic Law, which provides Hong Kong with
a high degree of autonomy and executive, legislative and independent judicial powers, including that of final adjudication under the principle of “one country, two systems.”
However, there is no assurance that the PRC will not cause changes in the economic, political and legal environment in Hong Kong in the future. The U.S. State Department has indicated that the United States no longer considers Hong Kong to have significant autonomy from China. Any reduction in Hong Kong’s autonomy may have adverse global implications. Tensions between the United States and China with respect to international trade policy, human rights and relations with Taiwan and Russia may result in the imposition of more tariffs, export controls or economic sanctions, the application of which may be extended to Hong Kong. Legislative or administrative actions with respect to China-U.S. relations could cause investor uncertainty for affected issuers, including us, and the market price of our Common Stock could be adversely affected.
We are expanding our business and may enter into new lines of business or geographic markets, which may result in additional risks and uncertainties and place significant demands on our administrative, operational and financial resources. There can be no assurance that we will be able to successfully manage this growth.
We currently generate substantially all of our revenues from either management fees and/or incentive fees. However, we intend to grow our business by offering additional products and services, by entering into new lines of business and by entering into, or expanding our presence in, new geographic markets. Introducing new types of investment structures, products and services could increase our operational costs, and the complexities involved in managing such investments, including with respect to ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements and the terms of the investment. For example, we invest in funds that seek to capitalize on investment opportunities accessed by investing with women-owned and minority-owned investment firms and funds, which may be subject to greater levels of regulatory scrutiny. To the extent we enter into new lines of business, we will face numerous risks and uncertainties, including risks associated with the possibility that we have insufficient expertise to engage in such activities profitably or without incurring inappropriate amounts of risk, the required investment of capital and other resources and the loss of clients due to the perception that we are no longer focusing on our core business. In addition, we have in the past and continue in the future to explore to grow our business via acquisitions, partnerships, investments or other strategic transactions, and to execute on those . There can be no assurance that we will identify, negotiate or complete such transactions in the future, that any completed transactions will produce financial results or that we will be to integrate an acquired business with ours.
Entry into certain lines of business or geographic markets or the introduction of new types of products or services may subject us to new laws and regulations with which we are not familiar, or from which we are currently exempt, and may lead to increased litigation and regulatory risk. If a new business generates insufficient revenues or if we are unable to efficiently manage our expanded operations, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.
Our future growth will depend in part on our ability to maintain an operating platform and management system sufficient to address our growth and may require us to incur significant additional expenses and to commit additional senior management and operational resources. As a result, we may face significant challenges in:
• maintaining adequate financial, regulatory (legal, tax and compliance) and business controls;
• providing current and future investors and stockholders with accurate and consistent reporting;
• implementing new or updated information and financial systems and procedures; and
• training, managing and appropriately sizing our work force and other components of our businesses on a timely and cost-effective basis.
We may not be able to manage our expanding operations effectively and may not be ready to continue to grow because of operational needs, and any failure to do so could adversely affect our ability to generate revenue and control our expenses. In addition, if we are unable to consummate or successfully integrate development opportunities, acquisitions or joint ventures, we may not be able to implement our growth strategy successfully.
Risks Related to Our Regulatory Environment
We are exposed to litigation risk and subject to regulatory examinations and investigations.
The financial services industry faces substantial regulatory risks and litigation. Like many firms operating within the financial services industry, we are experiencing a difficult regulatory environment across our markets. Our current scale and reach as a provider to the financial services industry, the continued stringent regulatory oversight of the financial services industry generally, new laws and regulations affecting the financial services industry, ever-changing regulatory interpretations of existing laws and regulations and the retroactive imposition of new interpretations through enforcement actions have made this an increasingly challenging and costly regulatory environment in which to operate. These examinations or investigations, including any enforcement action brought by the SEC, UK FCA or other regulator against us, could result in the identification of matters that may require remediation activities or enforcement proceedings by the relevant regulator. The direct and indirect costs of responding to these examinations, or of defending us in any litigation could be significant. Additionally, actions brought us may result in settlements, awards, , and . The outcome of or regulatory action is inherently to predict and could have an effect on our ability to offer some of our products and services.
We are subject to extensive government regulation, and our failure or inability to comply with these regulations or regulatory action against us could adversely affect our results of operations, financial condition or business.
Our business activities are subject to extensive and evolving laws, rules and regulations. Any changes or potential changes in the regulatory framework applicable to our business may impose additional expenses or capital requirements on us, limit our fundraising activities, have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, reputation or prospects, impair employee retention or recruitment and require substantial attention by senior management. It is impossible to determine the extent of the impact of any new laws, regulations, initiatives or regulatory guidance that may be proposed or may become law on our business or the markets in which we operate.
Governmental authorities around the world have implemented or are implementing financial system and participant regulatory reform in reaction to volatility and disruption in the global financial markets, financial institution failures and financial frauds. Such reform includes, among other things, additional regulation of investment funds, as well as their managers and activities, including compliance, risk management and anti-money laundering procedures; restrictions on specific types of investments and the provision and use of leverage; implementation of capital requirements; limitations on compensation to managers; and books and records, reporting and disclosure requirements. We cannot predict with certainty the impact on us, our clients, or on alternative investment funds generally, of any such reforms. Any of these regulatory reform measures could have an adverse effect on our clients’ investment strategies or our business model. We may incur significant expense in order to comply with such reform measures and may incur significant liabilities if regulatory authorities determine that we are not in compliance.
Our business is subject to regulation in the United States, including by the SEC, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the IRS, and other regulatory agencies. Any change in such regulation or oversight could materially increase our financial burden in order to comply with such regulation or have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, we regularly rely on exemptions from various requirements of these and other applicable laws. These exemptions are sometimes highly complex and may in certain circumstances depend on compliance by third parties whom we do not control. If, for any reason, these exemptions were to be revoked or challenged or otherwise become unavailable to us, we could be subject to regulatory action or third-party claims, and our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. Our failure to comply with applicable laws or regulations could result in fines, suspensions of personnel or other sanctions, including of certain of our subsidiaries’ registrations as investment advisors, of contracts or products that we offer. Even if a sanction imposed us or our personnel is small in monetary amount, the publicity arising from the imposition of sanctions us by regulators could our reputation and cause us to existing clients or to new clients.
The SEC continues to increase its regulation of the asset management and private equity industries, focusing on the private equity industry’s fees, allocation of expenses to funds, including the allocation of broken-deal expenses, marketing practices, allocation of investment opportunities, disclosures to investors, cybersecurity, data protection, and general conflicts of interest disclosures. The SEC has also heightened its focus on the valuation practices employed by investment advisers. The lack of readily ascertainable market prices for many
of the investments made by our clients or the funds in which we invest could subject our valuation policies and processes to increased scrutiny by the SEC. We may be adversely affected as a result of new or revised legislation or regulations imposed by the SEC, other U.S. or foreign governmental regulatory authorities or self-regulatory organizations that supervise the financial markets. Brexit may result in our being subject to new and increased regulations if we can no longer rely on passporting privileges that allow U.K. financial institutions to access the EU single market without restrictions. We also may be adversely affected by changes in the interpretation or enforcement of existing laws and rules by these governmental authorities and self-regulatory organizations.
We are subject to the fiduciary responsibility provisions of ERISA and the prohibited transaction provisions of ERISA and Section 4975 of the Code in connection with the management of certain of funds. With respect to these funds, this means that (1) the application of the fiduciary responsibility standards of ERISA to investments made by such funds, including the requirement of investment prudence and diversification, and (2) certain transactions that we enter into, or may have entered into, on behalf of these funds, in the ordinary course of business, are subject to the prohibited transactions rules under Section 406 of ERISA and Section 4975 of the Code. A non-exempt prohibited transaction, in addition to imposing potential liability upon fiduciaries of an ERISA plan, may also result in the imposition of an excise tax under the Code upon a “party in interest” (as defined in ERISA), or “disqualified person” (as defined in the Code), with whom we engaged in the transaction. In addition, a court could find that our funds that invest directly in operating companies have formed a partnership-in-fact conducting a trade or business with such operating companies and would therefore be jointly and severally liable for these companies’ unfunded pension liabilities.
In addition, certain entities in our structure are registered as an investment adviser with the SEC and are subject to the requirements and regulations of the Advisers Act. Such requirements relate to, among other things, restrictions on entering into transactions with clients, maintaining an effective compliance program, incentive fees, solicitation arrangements, allocation of investments, recordkeeping and reporting requirements, disclosure requirements, limitations on agency cross and principal transactions between an adviser and their advisory clients, as well as general anti-fraud prohibitions. As certain of our subsidiaries are registered investment advisors, they have fiduciary duties to our clients. A failure to comply with the obligations imposed by the Advisers Act, including recordkeeping, advertising and operating requirements, disclosure obligations and prohibitions on fraudulent activities, could result in examinations, investigations, sanctions and reputational damage, and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
In the EU, MiFID II requires, among other things, all MiFID investment firms to comply with prescriptive disclosure, transparency, reporting and recordkeeping obligations and obligations in relation to the receipt of investment research, best execution, product governance and marketing communications. As we operate investment firms which are subject to MiFID II, we have implemented policies and procedures to comply with MiFID II where relevant, including where certain rules have an extraterritorial impact on us. Compliance with MiFID II has resulted in greater overall complexity, higher compliance, administration and operational costs, and less overall flexibility. The complexity, operational costs and reduction in flexibility may be further compounded as a result of Brexit. This is because the UK is both: (i) no longer generally required to transpose EU law into UK law; and (ii) electing to transpose certain EU legislation into UK law subject to various amendments and subject to the UK FCA’s oversight rather than that of EU regulators. Taken together, (i) and (ii) could result in divergence between the UK and EU regulatory frameworks.
In addition, across the EU, we are subject to the Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (“AIFMD”), under which we are subject to regulatory requirements regarding, among other things, registration for marketing activities, the structure of remuneration for certain of our personnel and reporting obligations. Individual member states of the EU have imposed additional requirements that may include internal arrangements with respect to risk management, liquidity risks, asset valuations, and the establishment and security of depository and custodial requirements. Because some EEA countries have not yet incorporated the AIFMD into their agreement with the EU, we may undertake marketing activities and provide services in those EEA countries only in compliance with applicable local laws. Outside the EEA, the regulations to which we are subject relate primarily to registration and reporting obligations. As described above, Brexit and the potential resulting divergence between the UK and EU regulatory frameworks may result in additional complexity and costs in complying with AIFMD across both the UK and EU.
The EU Securitization Regulation (the “Securitization Regulation”) imposes due diligence and risk retention requirements on “institutional investors,” which includes managers of alternative investment funds assets, and constrains the ability of alternative investment funds to invest in securitization positions that do not comply with the prescribed risk retention requirements. The Securitization Regulation may impact or limit our funds’ ability to make certain investments that constitute “securitizations” and may impose additional reporting obligations on securitizations, which may increase the costs of managing such vehicles.
A new EU Regulation on the prudential requirements of investment firms (Regulation (EU) 2019/2033) and its accompanying Directive (Directive (EU) 2019/2034) (together, “IFR/IFD”) went into effect on June 26, 2021. IFR/IFD introduced a bespoke prudential regime for most MiFID investment firms to replace the one that previously applied under the fourth Capital Requirements Directive and the Capital Requirements Regulation. IFR/IFD represents a complete overhaul of “prudential” regulation in the EU. As the application dates for IFR/IFD fall outside the end of the Brexit transition period, the UK is not required to implement the legislation and has instead established a new Investment Firms Prudential Regime that went into effect January 1, 2022, which is intended to achieve similar outcomes to IFD/IFR. There is a risk that the new regime will result in higher regulatory capital requirements for affected firms and new, more onerous remuneration rules, as well as re-cut and extended internal governance, disclosure, reporting, liquidity, and group “prudential” consolidation requirements (among other things), each of which could have a material impact on our European operations, although there are transitional provisions allowing firms to increase their capital to the necessary level over three to five years.
It is expected that additional laws and regulations will come into force in the EEA, the EU, the UK and other countries in which we operate over the coming years. These laws and regulations may affect our costs and manner of conducting business in one or more markets, the risks of doing business, the assets that we manage or advise, and our ability to raise capital from investors. Any failure by us to comply with either existing or new laws or regulations could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We are subject to U.S. foreign investment regulations, which may impose conditions on or limit certain investors’ ability to purchase or maintain our Class A Common Stock.
Investments that involve the acquisition of, or investment in, a U.S. business by a non-U.S. investor may be subject to U.S. laws that regulate foreign investments in U.S. businesses and access by foreign persons to technology developed and produced in the United States. These laws include Section 721 of the Defense Production Act of 1950, as amended by the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act of 2018, and the regulations at 31 C.F.R. Parts 800 and 802, as amended, administered by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (“CFIUS”).
Whether CFIUS has jurisdiction to review an acquisition or investment transaction depends on, among other factors, the nature and structure of the transaction, including the level of beneficial ownership interest and the nature of any information or governance rights involved. For example, investments that result in “control” of a “U.S. business” by a “foreign person” (in each case, as such terms are defined in 31 C.F.R. Part 800) are subject to CFIUS jurisdiction. Significant CFIUS reform legislation, which was fully implemented through regulations that became effective in 2020, expanded the scope of CFIUS’s jurisdiction to investments that do not result in control of a U.S. business by a foreign person, but where they afford certain foreign investors certain information or governance rights in a U.S. business that has a nexus to “critical technologies,” “covered investment critical infrastructure,” and/or “sensitive personal data” (in each case, as such terms are defined in 31 C.F.R. Part 800). The current U.S. Administration may also seek to expand the scope of regulation on foreign investment through executive orders.
The Business Combination resulted in investments in various U.S. entities by non-U.S. persons that could be considered by CFIUS to result in a covered control transaction that CFIUS would have authority to review. IlWaddi Cayman Holdings is organized in the Cayman Islands and has its principal place of business in Qatar,
and its sole ultimate beneficial owner is a Qatar national, and holds 11.9% of our issued and outstanding Common Stock. Several of our directors and executive officers, including each of such persons who is currently a partner and/or officer of AlTi, are also citizens and/or residents of countries other than the United States. While we do not believe that any of the foregoing foreign persons or entities, nor any other foreign person or entity, “controls” us or any of our subsidiaries, CFIUS or another U.S. governmental agency could choose to
review any of our past or proposed transactions, including the Business Combination, involving new or existing foreign investors, even if a filing with CFIUS is or was not required at the time of such transaction.
There can be no assurances that CFIUS or another U.S. governmental agency will not choose to review the Business Combination or any of our past or proposed transactions. There are no time bars or statute of limitations for CFIUS to exert jurisdiction over a transaction. Any review and approval of an investment or transaction by CFIUS may have outsized impacts on transaction certainty, timing, feasibility, and cost, among other things. CFIUS policies and agency practices are rapidly evolving, and, in the event that CFIUS reviews the Business Combination or one or more proposed or existing investments by investors, there can be no assurances that such investors will be able to maintain, or proceed with, such investments on terms acceptable to the parties to the Business Combination or to such investors. Among other things, CFIUS could seek to impose limitations or restrictions on, or prohibit, investments by such investors (including, but not limited to, limits on purchasing our Common Stock, limits on information sharing with such investors, requiring a voting trust, governance modifications, or forced divestiture, among other things), or CFIUS could require us to divest a portion of the Target Companies.
Changes in tax law or policy could increase our effective tax rate and tax liability or the taxes payable by investors in our funds or holders of shares of our Common Stock, each of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
The rules addressing U.S. federal, state and local and non-U.S. income taxation are constantly under review including by persons involved in the legislative process and by the IRS and the U.S. Treasury Department. Changes to tax laws (which changes may have retroactive application) could adversely affect us or holders of our Common Stock. In recent years, many changes have been made and changes are likely to continue to occur in the future.
Additional changes to U.S. federal income tax law are currently being contemplated, and future changes in tax laws could have a material adverse effect on our business, cash flow, financial condition or results of operations. It cannot be predicted whether, when, in what form, or with what effective dates, new tax laws may be enacted, or regulations and rulings may be enacted, promulgated or issued under existing or new tax laws, which could result in an increase in our or our stockholders’ tax liability or require changes in the manner in which we operate in order to minimize or mitigate any adverse effects of changes in tax law or in the interpretation thereof.
In addition, our effective tax rate and tax liability are based on the application of current income tax laws, regulations and treaties. These laws, regulations and treaties are complex, and the manner which they apply to us and our funds and diverse set of business arrangements is often open to interpretation. Significant management judgment is required in determining our provision for income taxes, our deferred tax assets and liabilities and any valuation allowance recorded against our net deferred tax assets. The tax authorities could challenge our interpretation of laws, regulations and treaties, resulting in additional tax liability or adjustment to our income tax provision that could increase our effective tax rate. Changes to tax laws may also adversely affect our ability to attract and retain key personnel.
We may be subject to the excise tax included in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 in connection with redemptions of our Class A Common Stock.
On August 16, 2022, President Biden signed into law the Inflation Reduction Act, which, among other things, imposes a 1% excise tax on any domestic corporation the stock of which is traded on an established securities market (a “covered corporation”) that repurchases its stock after December 31, 2022 (the “Excise Tax”). The Excise Tax is imposed on the fair market value of the repurchased stock, subject to certain exceptions and adjustments. Because we are a Delaware corporation and our securities trade on Nasdaq, we are a “covered corporation” within the meaning of the Inflation Reduction Act and the Excise Tax may apply to any future redemptions of our stock.
Federal, state and foreign anti-corruption, export control and sanctions laws create the potential for significant liabilities and penalties and reputational harm.
We are also subject to a number of laws and regulations governing payments and contributions to political persons or other third parties, including restrictions imposed by the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977
(“FCPA”), as well as trade sanctions and export control laws administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of the Treasury (“OFAC”), the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. Department of State. The FCPA is intended to prohibit bribery of foreign governments and their officials and political parties and requires public companies in the United States to keep books and records that accurately and fairly reflect those companies’ transactions. OFAC, the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. Department of State administer and enforce various export control and economic and trade sanctions laws and regulations based on U.S. foreign policy and national security goals against targeted foreign states, regions, organizations, entities and individuals. These laws and regulations relate to a number of aspects of our business, including with respect to servicing existing investors, finding new investors, and sourcing new investments, as well as activities by the portfolio companies in our investment portfolio or other controlled investments.
Similar laws in non-U.S. jurisdictions, such as EU sanctions or the U.K. Bribery Act, as well as other applicable anti-bribery, anti-corruption, anti-money laundering, or sanction or other export control laws in the U.S. and abroad, may also impose stricter or more onerous requirements than the FCPA, OFAC, the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. Department of State, and implementing them may disrupt our business or cause us to incur significantly more costs to comply with those laws. Different laws may also contain conflicting provisions, making compliance with all laws more difficult. If we fail to comply with these laws and regulations, we could be exposed to claims for damages, civil or criminal financial penalties, reputational , of our employees, restrictions on our operations and other liabilities, which could materially and affect our business, results of operations and financial condition. In addition, we may be subject to successor liability for FCPA or other acts of , or of applicable sanctions or other export control laws, committed by companies in which we or our clients invest or which we or our clients acquire. While we have developed and implemented policies and procedures designed to ensure strict compliance by us and our personnel with the FCPA and other anti-, sanctions and export control laws in jurisdictions in which we operate, such policies and procedures may not be in all instances to prevent . Any determination that we have the FCPA or other applicable anti-, sanctions or export control laws could subject us to, among other things, civil and , material , profit , on future conduct, securities and a general of investor confidence, any one of which could affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Failure to comply with “pay to play” regulations implemented by the SEC and certain states, and changes to the “pay to play” regulatory regimes, could adversely affect our business.
Certain states and other regulatory authorities require investment managers to register as lobbyists. We are registered as a lobbyist in California. These registration requirements impose significant compliance obligations on registered lobbyists and their employers, which may include annual registration fees, periodic disclosure reports and internal record keeping, and may also prohibit the payment of contingent fees.
Under applicable SEC rules, investment advisers are required to implement compliance policies designed, among other matters, to track contributions by certain of the adviser’s employees and engagements of third parties that solicit government entities and to keep certain records to enable the SEC to determine compliance with the rule. The SEC also has adopted rules that, among other things, prohibit an investment adviser from providing advisory services for compensation with respect to a government plan investor for two years after the adviser or certain of its executives or employees make a contribution to certain elected officials or candidates.
These rules could impose significant economic sanctions on our business if we or one of the other persons covered by the rules make any prohibited contribution or payment, whether or not material or with an intent to secure an investment from certain government entities, including a public pension plan. We may also acquire other investment managers or hire additional personnel who are not subject to the same restrictions as us, but whose activity, and the activity of their principals, prior to our ownership or employment of such person, could affect our product raising. Any failure on our part to comply with these rules could cause us to lose compensation for our advisory services or expose us to significant penalties and reputational damage.
Failure to comply with regulations regarding the prevention of money laundering or terrorism or national security could adversely affect our business.
As part of our responsibility for the prevention of money laundering under applicable laws, we may require detailed verification of a prospective investor’s identity and the source of such prospective investor’s funds. In
the event of delay or failure by a prospective investor to produce any such information required for verification purposes, we may refuse to admit the investor to our investment products and services. We may from time-to-time request (outside of the subscription process), and our investment products and services’ investors will be obligated to provide to us as appropriate upon such request, additional information as from time to time may be required for us to satisfy our obligations under these and other laws that may be adopted in the future. Additionally, we may from time to time be obligated to file reports with regulatory authorities in various jurisdictions with regard to, among other things, the identity of our investment products and services’ investors and suspicious activities involving the interests of our investment products and services. In the event it is determined that any investor, or any direct or indirect owner of any investor, is a person identified in any of these laws as a prohibited person, or is otherwise engaged in activities of the type prohibited under these laws, we may be obligated, among other actions to be taken, to withhold distributions of any funds otherwise owing to such investor or to cause such investor’s interests to be cancelled or otherwise redeemed (without the payment of any consideration in respect of those interests).
The Bank Secrecy Act of 1970 and the USA PATRIOT Act require that financial institutions (a term that includes banks, broker-dealers and investment companies) establish and maintain compliance programs to guard against money laundering activities. Laws or regulations may presently or in the future require us, our investment products and services or any of our affiliates or other service providers to establish additional anti-money laundering procedures, to collect information with respect to our investment products and services’ investors, to share information with governmental authorities with respect to our investment products and services’ investors or to implement additional restrictions on the transfer of the interests. These requirements can lead to increased expenses and exposure to enforcement actions.
Financial regulations and changes thereto in the United States could adversely affect our business and the possibility of increased regulatory focus could result in additional burdens and expenses on our business.
The Dodd-Frank Act has imposed significant changes on almost every aspect of the U.S. financial services industry, including aspects of our business. In June 2010, the SEC approved Rule 206(4)-5 under the Advisers Act regarding “pay to play” practices by investment advisers involving campaign contributions and other payments to government clients and elected officials able to exert influence on such clients. The rule prohibits investment advisers from providing advisory services for compensation to a government client for two years, subject to very limited exceptions, after the investment adviser, its senior executives or its personnel involved in soliciting investments from government entities make contributions to certain candidates and officials in a position to influence the hiring of an investment adviser by such government client. Any failure on our part to comply with the rule could expose us to significant penalties, loss of fees, and reputational damage. There have also been similar laws, rules and regulations and/or policies adopted by a number of states and municipal pension plans, which prohibit, restrict or require disclosure of payments to (and/or certain contracts with) state officials by individuals and entities seeking to do business with state entities, including investment by public retirement funds.
The Dodd-Frank Act authorizes federal regulatory agencies to review and, in certain cases, prohibit compensation arrangements at financial institutions that give employees incentives to engage in conduct deemed to encourage inappropriate risk taking by covered financial institutions. Initially proposed on May 16, 2016 and re-proposed on May 6, 2024, the SEC and other federal regulatory agencies proposed a rule that would apply requirements on incentive-based compensation arrangements of “covered financial institutions,” including certain registered investment advisers above a specific asset threshold. This rule, if adopted, could limit our ability to recruit and retain investment professionals and senior management executives. However, the proposed rule remains pending and may be subject to significant modifications. In addition, as directed under the Dodd-Frank Act, on October 26, 2022, the SEC adopted final rules under which companies listed on the NYSE and Nasdaq will be required to adopt “clawback” policies that mandate recovery by companies of certain incentive-based compensation awarded to current and former executives in the event of an accounting restatement. On June 9, 2023, the SEC approved, on an accelerated basis, the NYSE and Nasdaq proposed listing standards implementing the SEC’s Dodd-Frank rules covering the recovery of erroneously awarded compensation and the listing standards became effective on October 2, 2023.
The SEC’s amended rule for investment adviser marketing became effective in November 2022. The rule increases regulatory obligations and potential scrutiny and imposes more prescriptive requirements on investment advisers’ marketing activities, including but not limited to prohibitions on advertisements that are
misleading or contain material statements that an investment adviser cannot substantiate as well as requirements for performance advertising and the use of placement agent arrangements. The rule impacts the marketing of certain of our funds and other investment advisory functions. Compliance with new rule entails compliance and operational costs.
Future legislation, regulation or guidance may have an adverse effect on the fund industry generally and/or us specifically. Financial services regulation, including regulations applicable to our business, has increased significantly in recent years, and may in the future be subject to further enhanced governmental scrutiny and/or increased regulation, including resulting from changes in U.S. executive administration or Congressional leadership:
• In October 2023, the SEC adopted amendments to accelerate the filing deadlines for companies to make filings of beneficial ownership and to expand the scope of instances where such a filing is required, and rules to require certain asset managers to file with the SEC on a monthly basis certain data related to their short sales activity. The adopted rules require that we devote additional resources to fulfilling our beneficial ownership and short-sale reporting obligations and there may be additional regulatory attention focused on such activities.
• In May 2023, the SEC adopted amendments to Form PF (the “Form PF Amendments”) that greatly expand the type, amount, and frequency of information the SEC collects from private fund advisers registered with the SEC. The Form PF Amendments require (i) new “quarterly event” reporting for all private equity fund advisers within 60 days of the end of the fiscal quarter regarding certain trigger events (including adviser-led secondary transactions), (ii) expanded reporting for “large private equity fund advisers,” including reporting on any general partner clawback reporting on any limited partner clawback that is more than 10% of the fund’s capital commitments and additional information on events of default, and (iii) new “current” reporting for “large hedge fund advisers” upon a “trigger event,” including certain extraordinary investments losses that are 20% or more of a fund’s reporting fund aggregate calculated value over a rolling 10 business day period, significant margin and default events, certain operations events with respect to the fund’s critical operations, and events associated with withdrawals and / or redemptions of 50% or more of the fund’s NAV. The Form PF Amendments require the adviser to file additional Form PF reports requiring significant quantitative and qualitative analyses. Consequently, certain of our investment adviser entities will have to devote resources and attention to complying with this additional requirement. The Form PF Amendments will impose operational on such subsidiaries as it will have to build or modify systems to gather the information required by the newly adopted reporting regime. This could result in increased compliance and monitoring costs and resources away from a fund’s .
• In February 2023, the SEC proposed a significant transformation of the Custody Rule under the Advisers Act into a new Rule 223-1 (the “Safeguarding Rule”) applicable to SEC-registered investment advisers. The proposed Safeguarding Rule would, among other things. On June 12, 2025, the SEC formally withdrew the Safeguarding Rule proposal and indicated that it does not intend to finalize that proposal. However, the SEC has signaled its intention to pursue modernization of the existing Custody Rule (Rule 206(4)-2) through future rulemaking. While the scope and requirements of any future custody rule amendments remain uncertain, they could present significant compliance challenges for investment advisers and may require advisers to modify their custodial arrangements, operational procedures, and compliance programs.
In addition, an amended SEC rule and subsequent guidance has, from January 2025 and on, prohibited broker dealers from providing price quotations for certain private debt securities unless information about the issuer of these securities is current and publicly available. This rule impacts our ability to obtain quotations in affected securities for which there is no exemptive or no action relief and may affect our ability to trade such securities.
These adopted rules and proposed rules, if adopted, could significantly impact the regulatory landscape applicable to our operations, potentially resulting in increased compliance obligations and associated costs. Additionally, they could affect our business by making it more costly financially or burdensome for us to engage in certain business transactions. However, the outcome and timing of these proposed rules remain uncertain. The change in the U.S. Administration may influence the SEC’s regulatory priorities and the ultimate
disposition of these proposals. At this time, it is unclear whether these proposed rules will be adopted in their current form, modified, or withdrawn altogether.
It is difficult to determine the full extent of the impact on us of any new laws, regulations or initiatives that may be proposed or whether any of the proposals will become law. Any changes in the regulatory framework applicable to our business, including the changes described above, may impose additional costs on us, impact our ability to generate revenue, require the attention of our senior management or result in limitations on the manner in which we conduct our business. Moreover, we anticipate there may be an increase in regulatory investigations of the trading and other investment activities of private funds, including our investment funds. Compliance with any new laws or regulations (including recent heightened SEC scrutiny regarding adviser compliance with advisers’ own internal policies) could make compliance more difficult and expensive, affect the manner in which we conduct our business and adversely affect our profitability.
We may be subject to increasing scrutiny from our clients with respect to the societal and environmental impact of investments we make, which may adversely impact our ability to retain clients or to grow our client base and assets under management or AUA, and also may cause us to be more likely to invest client capital based on societal and environmental factors instead of investing client capital in the investment opportunities with the highest return potential for a particular level of risk.
In recent years, certain investors, including U.S. public pension funds and certain non-U.S. investors, have placed increasing importance on the impacts of investments to which they invest or commit capital, including with respect to ESG matters. Investors for whom ESG matters are a priority may decide to redeem or withdraw previously committed capital from our funds and accounts (where such withdrawal is permitted) or to not invest or commit capital to future funds or accounts as a result of their assessment of our approach to and consideration of the social cost of our investments or their assessment of the potential impact of investments made by our competitors’ funds and other products. To the extent our access to capital from investors, including public pension funds, is impaired, we may not be able to maintain or increase the size of our funds, investment vehicles or accounts or raise sufficient capital for new funds, investment vehicles or accounts, which may adversely impact our revenues.
The transition to sustainable finance accelerates existing risks and raises new risks for our business that may impact our profitability and success. A lack of harmonization globally in relation to ESG legal and regulatory reform leads to a risk of fragmentation in group level priorities as a result of the different pace of sustainability transition across global jurisdictions. This may create conflicts across our global business which could risk inhibiting our future implementation of, and compliance with, rapidly developing ESG standards and requirements. Failure to keep pace with sustainability transition could impact our competitiveness in the market and damage our reputation resulting in a material adverse effect on our business. In addition, failure to comply with applicable legal and regulatory changes in relation to ESG matters may attract increased regulatory scrutiny of our business and could result in fines and/or other sanctions being levied against us.
The European Commission has implemented various legislative reforms, which include, without limitation: (a) Regulation 2019/2088 regarding the introduction of transparency and disclosure obligations for investors, funds and asset managers in relation to ESG factors, for which most rules took effect beginning on March 10, 2021; (b) a regulation regarding the introduction of an EU-wide taxonomy of environmentally sustainable activities, which takes effect in a staggered approach following the first phase which came into effect as of January 1, 2022; and (c) amendments to existing regulations including MiFID II and AIFMD to embed ESG requirements. As a result of these legislative initiatives, we may be required to provide additional disclosure to investors in our funds with respect to ESG matters. This exposes us to increased disclosure risks, for example due to a lack of available or credible data, and the potential for conflicting disclosures may also expose us to an increased risk of misstatement litigation or misselling allegations. Failure to manage these risks could result in a material effect on our business in a number of ways.
ERISA regulations require that an ERISA plan fiduciary base its investment decisions on factors that the fiduciary reasonably determines are relevant to a “risk and return analysis, using appropriate investment horizons consistent with the plan’s investment objectives and taking into account the funding policy of the plan established pursuant to section 402(b)(1) of ERISA.” The responsible fiduciary of each ERISA plan must determine whether to invest in our Class A Common Stock independently and without relying on any information provided by us as advice or a recommendation in connection with such determination.
We are exposed to data and cybersecurity risks that could result in data breaches, service interruptions, harm to our reputation, protracted and costly litigation or significant liability .
In connection with the products and services that we provide, we collect, use, store, transmit and otherwise process certain confidential, proprietary and sensitive information, including the personal information of end-users, third-party service providers and employees. We rely on the efficient, uninterrupted and secure operation of complex information technology systems and networks to operate our business and securely store, transmit and otherwise process such information. In the normal course of business, we also share information with our service providers and other third parties. We and the third parties we rely upon, like other organizations in our industry, have experienced and expect to continue to experience threats that could cause cybersecurity incidents or data breaches. Such threats are prevalent and continue to rise, are increasingly difficult to detect, and come from a variety of sources. A failure to safeguard the integrity, confidentiality, availability and authenticity of personal information, client data and our proprietary data from cyber-attacks, unauthorized access, activity (e.g., check “kiting” or , wire or other acts), data and other security that we, our third-party service providers or our clients may experience may lead to modification, , of availability or theft of and sensitive data pertaining to us, our clients or other third parties.
Our management and Board actively manage and oversee cybersecurity risks. Our cybersecurity program is designed to protect systems and data, containing preventive and detective controls, and our Board, audit committee and management team are regularly briefed on our cybersecurity policies and practices and ongoing efforts to improve security, as well as periodic updates on cybersecurity events. All such protective measures, as well as additional measures that may be required to comply with rapidly evolving data privacy and security standards and protocols imposed by law, regulation, industry standards or contractual obligations, have and will continue to cause us to incur substantial expenses. Failure to timely upgrade or maintain computer systems, software and networks as necessary could also make us or our third-party service providers susceptible to breaches and unauthorized access and misuse. We may be required to expend significant additional resources to modify, investigate or remediate vulnerabilities or other exposures arising from data and cybersecurity risks.
Improper access to our or our third-party service providers’ systems or databases could result in the theft, publication, deletion or modification of confidential, proprietary or sensitive information, including personal information. An actual or perceived breach of our security systems or those of our third-party service providers may require notification under applicable data privacy regulations or contractual obligations. The accidental or unauthorized access to or disclosure, loss, destruction, disablement, corruption or encryption of, use or misuse of or modification of our, our clients’ or other third parties’ confidential, proprietary or sensitive information, including personal information, by us or our third-party service providers could result in significant fines, penalties, orders, sanctions and proceedings or actions against us by governmental bodies and other regulatory authorities, customers or third parties, which could materially and affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Any such proceeding or action, and any related indemnification obligations, could our reputation, us to incur significant expenses in defense of such proceeding or action, our management, increase our costs of doing business or result in the imposition of financial liability.
Despite our efforts to ensure the integrity, confidentiality, availability, and authenticity of our proprietary systems and information, it is possible that we may not be able to anticipate or to implement effective preventive measures against all cyber threats. No security solution, strategy, or measures can address all possible security threats or block all methods of penetrating a network or otherwise perpetrating a security incident. The risk of unauthorized circumvention of our security measures or those of our third-party providers, clients and partners has been heightened by advances in computer and software capabilities and the increasing sophistication of hackers, including those operating on behalf of nation-state actors, who employ complex techniques involving the theft or misuse of personal and financial information, , “phishing” or social engineering , business email compromise, account takeover attacks, or of service attacks, malware, payment and identity theft. Because the techniques used by hackers change frequently and are increasingly complex and sophisticated, and new technologies may not be identified until they are launched a target, we and our third-party service providers may be to anticipate these techniques or detect an , assess its or impact, react or appropriately respond in a timely manner or implement adequate preventative measures. actors around the world use increasingly sophisticated methods, including the use of artificial intelligence, to engage in activities involving the theft and of personal information, confidential information and intellectual property. In addition, the use of artificial
intelligence (“AI”) based models in our internal or third-party systems may create new attack surfaces or methods for adversaries, which could impact us and our vendors. Any of these effects could damage our reputation, result in the loss of valuable property and information, cause us to breach applicable laws and regulations, and adversely impact our business. Our systems may also be subject to compromise from internal threats, such as theft, misuse, unauthorized access or other improper actions by employees, service providers and other third parties with otherwise legitimate access to our systems or databases. The latency of a compromise is often measured in months, but could be years, and we may not be able to detect a compromise in a timely manner.
Due to applicable laws and regulations or contractual obligations, we may also be held responsible for any failure or cybersecurity breaches attributed to our third-party service providers as they relate to the information that we share with them. Although we generally have agreements relating to data privacy and security in place with our third-party service providers, they are limited in nature and we cannot guarantee that such agreements will prevent the accidental or unauthorized access to or disclosure, loss, destruction, disablement, corruption or encryption of, use or misuse of or modification of confidential, proprietary or sensitive information, including personal information, or enable us to obtain reimbursement from third-party service providers in the event we should suffer incidents resulting in accidental or unauthorized access to or disclosure, , , disablement or encryption of, use or of or modification of confidential, proprietary or sensitive information, including personal information. In addition, because we do not control our third-party service providers and our ability to monitor their data security is limited, we cannot ensure the security measures they take will be sufficient to protect confidential, proprietary or sensitive information (including personal information). Our contracts may not contain of liability, and even where they do, there can be no assurance that of liability in our contracts are sufficient to protect us from liabilities, , or related to our privacy and data security obligations. Further, although we maintain cyber liability insurance, this insurance may not provide adequate coverage potential liabilities related to any experienced cybersecurity or data .
Regardless of whether a security incident or act of fraud involving our services is attributable to us or our third-party service providers, such an incident could, among other things, result in improper disclosure of information, harm our reputation and brand, reduce the demand for our products and services, lead to loss of client business or confidence in the effectiveness of our security measures, disrupt normal business operations or result in our systems or products and services being unavailable. In addition, such incidents may require us to spend material resources to investigate or correct the incident and to prevent future security incidents, expose us to uninsured liability, increase our risk of regulatory , us to and , trigger indemnity obligations, result in for contract , the attention of management from the operation of our business and otherwise cause us to incur significant costs or liabilities, any of which could affect our financial condition, results of operations and reputation. Moreover, there could be public announcements regarding any such and any steps we take to respond to or remediate such , and if securities analysts or investors perceive these announcements to be , it could, among other things, have a substantial effect on the price of our Class A Common Stock. In addition, our remediation efforts may not be . Further, any findings in security audits or examinations could result in reputational to us, which could reduce the use and acceptance of our services, cause our customers to doing business with us or have a significant impact on our revenue and future growth prospects. Furthermore, even if not directed at us specifically, attacks on other financial institutions could the overall functioning of the financial system or lead to additional regulation and oversight by federal and state agencies, which could impose new and compliance obligations.
If we are not able to satisfy data protection, security, privacy and other government- and industry-specific requirements or regulations, our results of operations, financial condition or business could be harmed.
We are subject to various risks and costs associated with the collection, processing, storage and transmission of personal data and other sensitive and confidential information. Personal data is information that can be used to identify a natural person, including names, photos, email addresses, or computer IP addresses. This data is wide ranging and relates to our clients, employees, counterparties and other third parties. Our compliance obligations include those relating to federal laws and regulations, such as Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) Act and the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (“GLBA”) and its implementing regulations, as well as state laws, such as the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”), and similar privacy and data security laws have
been enacted or proposed in numerous other states. These laws provides for enhanced notice and privacy rights, a private right of action for data breaches, and statutory fines and damages for data breaches or other CCPA violations, as well as requirements of “reasonable” cybersecurity, among other requirements. We are also required to comply with foreign data collection and privacy laws in various non-U.S. jurisdictions in which we have offices or conduct business, such as the European Economic Area (“EEA”) and the United Kingdom (“UK”). The collection, use, disclosure, transfer, or other processing of personal data regarding individuals in the European Economic Area or EEA and the UK is subject to the EU General Data Protection Regulation, or EU GDPR, with respect to the EEA, and the UK General Data Protection Regulation, or UK GDPR, with respect to the UK, and collectively with the EU GDPR referred to as the “GDPR” in this report unless specified otherwise. The GDPR applies to all organizations processing or holding personal data of EEA and/or UK data subjects (regardless of the organization’s location) as well as to organizations outside these jurisdictions that offer goods or services in the EEA and UK, or that monitor the behavior of EEA and/or UK data subjects. Compliance with the GDPR requires us to analyze and evaluate how we handle data in the ordinary course of business, from processes to technology. The GDPR imposes extensive obligations on organizations that process personal data, including requirements relating to lawful bases for processing, , consent where required, security safeguards, data processing agreements, data subject rights, notification, record-keeping, data protection impact assessments and, in some cases, appointment of a data protection officer. It also restricts transfers of personal data outside the EEA and UK (including to the US). can result in significant (up to €20 million / £17.5 million or 4% of global annual turnover, whichever is higher), and data subjects have rights to lodge and seek compensation. There are currently a number of proposals pending before federal, state, and foreign legislative and regulatory bodies.
Many statutory requirements include obligations for companies to notify individuals of security breaches involving certain personal information, which could result from breaches experienced by us or our third-party service providers. For example, laws in all 50 U.S. states require businesses to provide notice to customers whose personal information has been disclosed as a result of a data breach. These laws are not consistent, and compliance in the event of a widespread data breach is difficult and may be costly. Moreover, states have been frequently amending existing laws, requiring attention to changing regulatory requirements. In addition, we may be contractually required to notify clients, end-investors or other counterparties of a security breach. Although we may have contractual protections with our third-party service providers, any security breach, or actual or perceived non-compliance with privacy or security laws, regulations, standards, policies or contractual obligations, could harm our reputation and brand, us to potential liability and require us to expend significant resources on data security and in responding to any such or actual or perceived non-compliance. Any contractual protections we may have from our third-party service providers may not be sufficient to protect us from any such liabilities and , and we may be to enforce any such contractual protections.
We make public statements about our use and disclosure of personal information through our privacy policy, information provided on our website and press statements. Although we endeavor to comply with our public statements and documentation, we may at times fail to do so or be alleged to have failed to do so. The publication of our privacy policy and other statements that provide promises and assurances about data privacy and security can subject us to potential government or legal action if they are found to be deceptive, unfair or misrepresentative of our actual practices. In addition, from time to time, concerns may be expressed about whether our products and services compromise the privacy of clients and others. Even the perception, whether or not valid, of privacy concerns or any failure by us to comply with our posted privacy policies or with any legal or regulatory requirements, standards, certifications or orders or other privacy or consumer protection-related laws and regulations applicable to us may harm our reputation, inhibit adoption of our products by current and future customers or impact our ability to attract and retain workforce talent.
Given the complexity of operationalizing data privacy and security laws and regulations to which we are subject, the maturity level of proposed compliance frameworks and the relative lack of guidance in the interpretation of the numerous requirements of the data privacy and security laws and regulations to which we are subject, we may not be able to respond quickly or effectively to regulatory, legislative and other developments, and these changes may in turn impair our ability to offer our existing or planned products and services or increase our cost of doing business. Although we work to comply with applicable laws and regulations, industry standards, contractual obligations and other legal obligations, such laws, regulations, standards and obligations are evolving and may be modified, interpreted and applied in an inconsistent manner
from one jurisdiction to another, and may conflict with one another. In addition, they may conflict with other requirements or legal obligations that apply to our business or the features and services that our adviser clients and their investor clients expect from our products and services. As such, we cannot assure ongoing compliance with all such laws, regulations, standards and obligations. Any failure, or perceived failure, by us to adequately address privacy and security concerns, even if unfounded, or to comply with applicable laws, regulations and standards, or with employee, client and other data privacy and data security requirements pursuant to contract and our stated privacy notice(s), could result in investigations or proceedings against us by data protection authorities, governmental entities or others, including class action privacy litigation in certain jurisdictions, which could subject us to fines, civil or liability, public , for by customers and other affected individuals, to our reputation and of goodwill (in relation to both existing and prospective clients), or we could be required to fundamentally change our business activities and practices, which may not be possible in a commercially reasonable manner, or at all. Any or all of these consequences could have a material effect on our operations, financial performance and business.
The use of new and evolving technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI) , in our offerings may result in spending material resources and presents risks and challenges that can impact our business including by posing security and other risks to our confidential information, proprietary information and personal information, and as a result we may be exposed to reputational harm and liability.
We may use and integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into our business processes both in our own development and implementation of AI and through the adoption of commercially available tools. Use of this technology could pose cybersecurity, data privacy, IT, intellectual property, regulatory, legal, operational, competitive, reputational and other risks and challenges that could affect our business. Specifically, risks related to accuracy, bias, AI hallucinations, discrimination, harmful content, misinformation, fraud, scams, targeted attacks (including model poisoning or data poisoning), surveillance, data leakage, inequality, environmental harms, and other harms may flow from our development, use, or deployment of AI technologies. AI technologies may also introduce novel and evolving attack vectors, including prompt‑injection vulnerabilities, model‑extraction attacks, indirect or hidden prompt manipulation, training‑data contamination, and the generation of hyper‑realistic synthetic content (including “deepfakes”), enabling sophisticated fraud or identity spoofing. These emerging risks may compromise the , confidentiality, availability, or reliability of our systems and may increase exposure to operational , financial , and reputational . Additionally, the use of certain AI technology can give rise to intellectual property risks, including by or otherwise compromising our confidential or proprietary intellectual property and intellectual property , or by our ability to assert or ownership rights in intellectual property created with the assistance of AI tools.
A growing number of legislators and regulators are adopting laws and regulations and have focused enforcement efforts on the adoption of AI and use of such technologies in compliance with ethical standards and societal expectations. These developments may increase our compliance burden and costs in connection with use of AI and lead to legal liability if we fail to meet evolving legal standards or if use of such technologies results in harms or other causes of action we did not predict. For example, the EU began implementing the Artificial Intelligence Act (the “AI Act”) on August 1, 2024. The AI Act will apply on a phased basis between 2025 and 2027, with most high‑risk system obligations becoming enforceable beginning August 2026, and additional obligations potentially extending into 2027–2028, depending on harmonized standards under the EU’s Digital Omnibus initiative. In the U.S., states have advanced, and in some cases passed, dozens of laws focusing on AI governance and regulation. State legislation is rapidly evolving, with more than 1,200 AI‑related bills introduced in 2025 and significant new laws taking effect in 2026, creating a fragmented and frequently shifting compliance landscape. Federal deregulation efforts have triggered preemption conflicts and legal challenges to state AI laws, creating additional regulatory uncertainty. Regulators, including the SEC, increasingly expect tailored, non‑generic AI risk disclosures, clear definitions of AI use cases, and regarding board oversight and material operational impacts. Companies are also ‘AI washing’ – that is, AI capabilities in ways that may investors. If we develop or use AI systems that are governed by these laws or regulations, we will need to meet higher standards of data quality, , and human oversight, and we would need to adhere to specific and potentially and ethical, accountability, and administrative requirements. We may also be subject to significant enforcement or in the event of any perceived non-compliance.
Bad actors around the world also use increasingly sophisticated methods, including the use of AI, to engage in illegal activities involving the theft and misuse of personal information, confidential information and intellectual property. In addition, the use of generative AI models in our internal or third-party systems may create new attack surfaces or methods for adversaries, which could impact us and our vendors. Any of these effects could damage our reputation, result in the loss of valuable property and information, cause us to breach applicable laws and regulations, and adversely impact our business.
Confidentiality agreements with employees, consultants, and others may not adequately prevent disclosure of trade secrets and other proprietary information.
We have devoted substantial resources to the development of our proprietary technologies, investment solutions and services. To protect our proprietary rights, we enter into confidentiality, nondisclosure, non-interference and invention assignment agreements with our employees, consultants and independent contractors. However, we cannot guarantee that we have entered into such agreements with each party that has or may have had access to our trade secrets and proprietary know-how. Further, these agreements may not effectively prevent unauthorized disclosure of confidential information or unauthorized parties from copying aspects of our technologies, investment solutions or products or obtaining and using information that we regard as proprietary. Moreover, these agreements may not provide an adequate remedy in the event of such unauthorized disclosures of confidential information and we cannot assure you that our rights under such agreements will be enforceable. In addition, others may independently discover trade secrets and proprietary information, and in such cases, we could not assert any trade secret rights against such parties. Costly and time-consuming could be necessary to enforce and determine the scope of our proprietary rights, and to obtain or maintain trade secret protection could reduce any competitive we have developed and cause us to customers or otherwise our business.
We may face damage to our professional reputation and legal liability if our services are not regarded as satisfactory or for other reasons.
In recent years, the volume of claims and amount of damages claimed in litigation and regulatory proceedings against financial advisors and investment managers has been increasing. Our asset management and advisory activities may expose us to the risk of significant legal liabilities to our clients and third parties, including our clients’ stockholders or beneficiaries, under securities or other laws and regulations for, for example, materially false or misleading statements made in connection with securities and other transactions. We make investment decisions on behalf of our clients that could result in substantial losses. Since November 2022, Home REIT and AHRA, which served as its investment advisor until June 30, 2023, have been the subject of allegations regarding Home REIT’s operations, stemming from a report issued by a short seller and Home REIT has seen its financial performance materially decline. AlTi was formed on January 3, 2023 through a business combination transaction that included certain legacy Alvarium companies. Although AHRA was sold prior to the business combination and has never been a subsidiary of AlTi, we were required under GAAP to consolidate its results in our financial statements until June 30, 2023, when it was deconsolidated. HLIF pursues a similar investment strategy to Home REIT and its financial performance has similarly significantly since the end of 2021. The historic management of these funds by certain legacy Alvarium companies is now the subject of separate by the UK FCA and, with respect to certain individuals previously affiliated with Home REIT, the UK SFO and, in the case of Home REIT, potential are being asserted by its current and former shareholders and, separately, by Home REIT and its directors certain group entities (AFM UK and ARE). We no longer provide services to Home REIT. Notwithstanding this, we or our subsidiaries may potentially reputational from the concerning the historic management of Home REIT or HLIF. Further, we may be subject to the risk of legal and regulatory liabilities or actions of regulatory rules and/or principles, , (including ), of fiduciary duty or of contract. In particular, although the UK FCA’s concerning the historic management of Home REIT and HLIF only commenced in February 2024 and the UK SFO’s of certain individuals previously affiliated with Home REIT became known to us in January 2026, and their outcomes cannot be known or anticipated as at the date of this Annual Report, any financial or other outcomes resulting from these may affect our business, financial condition or results of operations. Similarly, if any or other action is commenced AFM UK and/or ARE in connection with Home REIT, whilst it is not possible at this point in time for us to reliably assess the quantum of such , or AFM UK’s and ARE’s potential exposure, such may potentially be
material to the Company and, although our intent is for any such claims to be defended, an adverse outcome could have an adverse affect on the business, financial condition or results of operations. These risks often may be difficult to assess or quantify and their existence and magnitude often remain unknown for substantial periods of time. Significant legal expenses may be incurred in defending litigation and responding to regulatory investigations. In addition, negative publicity and press speculation about us, our investment activities or the private markets in general, whether or not based in truth, or litigation or regulatory action against us or any third-party managers recommended by us or involving us may tarnish our reputation and harm our ability to attract and retain clients. Substantial legal or regulatory liability could have a material effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations or cause significant reputational to us, which could our business.
Our inability to obtain adequate insurance could subject us to additional risk of loss or additional expenses.
We may not be able to obtain or maintain sufficient insurance on commercially reasonable terms or with adequate coverage levels against potential liabilities we may face, which could have a material adverse effect on our business. We may face a risk of loss from a variety of claims, including those related to contracts, fraud, compliance with laws and various other issues, whether or not such claims are valid. Insurance and other safeguards might only partially reimburse us for our losses, if at all, and if a claim is successful and exceeds or is not covered by our insurance policies, we may be required to pay a substantial amount in respect of such successful claim. Certain losses of a catastrophic nature, such as public health crises, wars, earthquakes, typhoons, terrorist attacks or other similar events, may be uninsurable or may only be insurable at rates that are so high that maintaining coverage would cause an impact on our business, in which case we may choose not to maintain such coverage.
Our controls and procedures may fail or be circumvented, our risk management policies and procedures may be inadequate and operational risks could adversely affect our reputation and financial condition.
We have developed and continue to update strategies and procedures specific to our business for managing risks, which include market risk, liquidity risk, operational risk and reputational risk. Management of these risks can be very complex. These strategies and procedures may fail under some circumstances, particularly if we are confronted with risks that we have underestimated or not identified. Some of our risk evaluation methods depend upon information provided by others and public information regarding markets, clients or other matters that are otherwise accessible by us. If our policies and procedures are not fully effective or we are not successful in capturing all risks to which we are or may be exposed, we may suffer harm to our reputation or be subject to litigation or regulatory actions that could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations or financial condition.
If Umbrella were treated as a corporation for U.S. federal, state or local tax purposes, then the amount available for distribution by it could be substantially reduced and our financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.
An entity that would otherwise be classified as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes (such as Umbrella) may nonetheless be treated as, and taxable as, a corporation if it is a “publicly traded partnership” unless an exception to such treatment applies. An entity that would otherwise be classified as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes will be treated as a “publicly traded partnership” if interests in such entity are traded on an established securities market or interests in such entity are readily tradable on a secondary market or the substantial equivalent thereof. If Umbrella were determined to be treated as a “publicly traded partnership” that is taxable as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, it would be taxable on its income at the U.S. federal income tax rate applicable to corporations and distributions by it to its members (including the Company) could be taxable as dividends to such members to the extent of the earnings and profits of Umbrella. In addition, we would no longer have the benefit of increases in the tax basis of Umbrella’s assets as a result of exchanges of Umbrella common units. Pursuant to the Umbrella LLC Agreement, certain holders of Umbrella common units may, from time to time, subject to the terms of the Umbrella LLC Agreement, have their Umbrella common units redeemed by Umbrella for cash or Class A Common Stock. Such redemptions could be treated as trading in the interests of the Umbrella for purposes of testing “publicly traded partnership” status. While the Umbrella LLC Agreement contains restrictions on such redemptions that are intended to prevent Umbrella from being treated as a “publicly traded partnership” for U.S. federal income tax purposes by complying with certain safe harbors provided for under applicable U.S. federal income tax law,
such position is not free from doubt and, if such provisions are not effective, Umbrella may be treated as a “publicly traded partnership” taxable as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
In certain cases, payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement may be accelerated or exceed the actual tax benefits realized by the Company.
Payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement will be based on the tax reporting positions that we determine, and the IRS or another taxing authority may challenge all or any part of the tax basis increases, as well as other tax positions that we take, and a court may sustain such a challenge. In the event that any tax benefits we initially claim are disallowed, the recipients of the payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement will not be required to reimburse us for any excess payments that may previously have been made under the Tax Receivable Agreement, for example, due to adjustments resulting from examinations by taxing authorities. As a result, in certain circumstances we could make payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement in excess of our actual income or franchise tax savings, which could materially impair our financial condition.
Moreover, the Tax Receivable Agreement provides that, in certain events, including a change of control or our exercise of early termination rights, our obligations under the Tax Receivable Agreement will accelerate and we will be required to make a lump-sum cash payment to the parties to the Tax Receivable Agreement equal to the present value of all forecasted future payments that would have otherwise been made under the Tax Receivable Agreement, which lump-sum payment would be based on certain assumptions, including those relating to our future taxable income. The lump-sum payment could be substantial and could exceed the actual tax benefits that we realize subsequent to such payment because such payment would be calculated assuming, among other things, that we would have certain tax benefits available to it and that we would be able to use the potential tax benefits in future years.
There may be a material negative effect on our liquidity if the payments we are required to make under the Tax Receivable Agreement exceed the actual income or franchise tax savings that we realize. Furthermore, our obligations to make payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement could also have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing certain mergers, asset sales, other forms of business combinations or other changes of control.
Umbrella may directly or indirectly make distributions of cash to us substantially in excess of the amounts we use to make distributions to our stockholders and pay our expenses (including our taxes and payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement). To the extent we do not distribute such excess cash to our stockholders, the direct or indirect holders of Umbrella common units would benefit from any value attributable to such cash as a result of their ownership of our stock upon a Unit Exchange.
We will directly or indirectly receive a pro rata portion of any distributions made by Umbrella. Any cash received from such distributions will first be used to satisfy any tax liability and then to make any payments required to be made under the Tax Receivable Agreement. Subject to having available cash and subject to limitations imposed by applicable law and contractual restrictions, the Umbrella LLC Agreement requires Umbrella to make certain distributions to holders of Umbrella common units (including the Company) pro rata to facilitate the payment of taxes with respect to the income of Umbrella that is allocated to them. To the extent that the tax distributions we directly or indirectly receive exceed the amounts we actually require to pay taxes, Tax Receivable Agreement payments and other expenses (which is likely to be the case given that the assumed tax rate for such distributions will generally exceed our effective tax rate), we will not be required to distribute such excess cash. Our Board may, in its sole discretion, choose to use such excess cash for certain purposes, including to make distributions to the holders of our stock. Unless and until our Board chooses, in its sole discretion, to declare a distribution, we will have no obligation to distribute such cash (or other available cash other than any declared dividend) to our stockholders.
Certain holders of Umbrella common units (i) were deemed to have sold a portion of their Umbrella common units at the time of the Business Combination, and (ii) may in the future redeem their Umbrella common units for shares of the Company or cash pursuant to the Umbrella LLC Agreement, subject to certain conditions and transfer restrictions as set forth therein (each such redemption, a “Unit Exchange”). No adjustments to the exchange ratio of Umbrella common units for our shares pursuant to a Unit Exchange will be made as a result of either (i) any cash distribution by us or (ii) any cash that we retain and do not distribute to our stockholders. To the extent we do not distribute such cash as dividends and instead, for example, hold such cash balances or use such cash for certain other purposes, this may result in shares of our stock increasing in value relative to the
Umbrella common units. The holders of Umbrella common units may benefit from any value attributable to such cash balances if they acquire shares of our stock in an exchange of Umbrella common units.
Risks Related to Personnel
We rely on our management team to grow our business, and the loss of key management members, or an inability to hire key personnel, could harm our business.
While the success of our business is not tied to any particular person or group of “key persons,” the success of our business does depend on the efforts, judgment and reputations of our personnel generally, and in particular our experienced and senior personnel in investment, operational and executive functions. Our personnel’s reputation, expertise in investing and risk management and relationships with our clients and third parties on which our funds depend for investment opportunities are each critical elements in operating and expanding our business. However, we may not be successful in our efforts to retain our most valued employees, as the market for alternative asset management professionals is extremely competitive. The loss of one or more members of our senior team could harm our business and jeopardize our relationships with our clients and members of the investing community. Accordingly, the retention of our personnel is crucial to our success. Certain of our executives are subject to long-term employment contracts that contain various incentives and restrictive covenants designed to retain these employees for the long-term of our business, but none of them are obligated to remain actively involved with us. In addition, if any of our personnel were to join or form a competitor, following any required restrictive period set forth in their employment agreements, some of our investors could choose to invest with that competitor rather than with us. The of the services of one or more members of our senior team could have a material effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations, including our performance, our ability to retain and attract funds and highly qualified employees and our ability to raise new funds. Any change to our senior management team could have a material effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We do not carry any “key person” insurance that would provide us with proceeds in the event of the death or disability of any of our personnel. In addition, certain of our funds have key person provisions that are triggered upon the loss of services of one or more specified employees and could, upon the occurrence of such event, provide the investors in these funds with certain rights such as rights providing for the termination or suspension of the funds’ investment periods and/or wind-down of the funds. Accordingly, the loss of such personnel could result in significant disruption of certain funds’ investment activities, which could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations, and could harm our ability to maintain or grow our assets under management in existing funds or raise additional funds in the future. Similarly, to the extent there is a perception in the market that one or more of our employees is critical to the success of a particular investment strategy, the of one or more such employees could lead investors to redeem from our funds or choose not to make further investments in existing or future funds that we manage, which would correspondingly reduce our management fees and potential to earn incentive fees.
Employee misconduct could harm us by impairing our ability to attract and retain fund investors and subjecting us to significant legal liability, regulatory scrutiny and reputational harm.
Our ability to attract and retain fund investors and to pursue investment opportunities for our clients depends heavily upon the reputation of our professionals, especially our senior professionals as well as third-party service providers. We are subject to a number of obligations and standards arising from our investment management business and our authority and statutory fiduciary status over the assets managed by our investment management business. Further, our employees are subject to various internal policies including a Code of Ethics and policies covering conflicts of interest, information systems, business continuity and information security. The violation of those obligations, standards and policies by any of our employees or misconduct by one of our third-party service providers could adversely affect investors in our investment products and services and us. Our business often requires that we deal with confidential matters of great significance to companies in which our investment products and services may invest. If our employees, former
employees or third-party service providers were to use or disclose confidential information improperly, we could suffer serious harm to our reputation, financial position and current and future business relationships. Employee or third-party service provider misconduct could also include, among other things, binding us to transactions that exceed authorized limits or present unacceptable risks and other unauthorized activities or concealing unsuccessful investments (which, in either case, may result in unknown and unmanaged risks or losses), or otherwise charging (or seeking to charge) inappropriate expenses or inappropriate or unlawful behavior or actions directed towards other employees.
It is not always possible to detect or deter misconduct by employees or third-party service providers, and the extensive precautions we take to detect and prevent this activity may not be effective in all cases. If one or more of our employees, former employees or third-party service providers were to engage in misconduct or were to be accused of such misconduct, our business and our reputation could be adversely affected and a loss of fund investor confidence could result, which would adversely impact our ability to raise future funds. Our current and former employees and those of our investment products and services’ investments as well as our third-party service providers may also become subject to allegations of sexual harassment, racial and gender discrimination or other similar misconduct, which, regardless of the ultimate outcome, may result in publicity that could our and such portfolio company’s brand and reputation.
Our future growth depends on our ability to attract, retain and develop human capital in a highly competitive talent market.
The success of our business will continue to depend upon us attracting, developing and retaining human capital. Competition for qualified, motivated, and highly skilled executives, professionals and other key personnel in asset management firms is significant. Turnover and associated costs of rehiring, the loss of human capital through attrition, death, or disability and the reduced ability to attract talent could impair our ability to implement our future growth and maintain our standards of excellence. Our future success will depend upon our ability to find, attract, retain and motivate highly skilled and highly qualified individuals. We seek to provide our personnel with competitive benefits and compensation packages. However, our efforts may not be sufficient to enable us to attract, retain and motivate qualified individuals to support our growth. Moreover, if our personnel join competitors or form businesses that compete with ours, that could adversely affect our ability to raise new or successor funds.
Risks Related to Being a Public Company
Our management team has limited experience managing a public company.
Most members of our management team have limited experience managing a publicly traded company, interacting with public company investors, and complying with the increasingly complex laws pertaining to public companies. Our management team may not successfully or efficiently manage our compliance with obligations as a public company subject to significant regulatory oversight and reporting obligations under the federal securities laws and the continuous scrutiny of securities analysts and investors. These obligations and constituents will require significant attention from our senior management and could divert their attention away from the day-to-day management of our business, which could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Our internal controls over financial reporting may not be effective and our independent registered public accounting firm may not be able to certify as to their effectiveness, which could have a significant and adverse effect on our business and reputation.
As a public company, we are required to comply with the SEC’s rules implementing Sections 302 and 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which require management to certify financial and other information in our quarterly and annual reports and provide an annual management report on the effectiveness of controls over financial reporting. As an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the JOBS Act, our independent registered public accounting firm will not be required to formally attest to the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 until the date we are no longer an emerging growth company. We anticipate losing “emerging growth company” status as of December 31, 2026. At such time, our independent registered public accounting firm may issue a report that is adverse in the event that it is not satisfied with the level at which our controls are documented, designed or operating.
To comply with the requirements of being a public company, we may need to undertake various actions, such as implementing additional internal controls and procedures and hiring additional accounting or internal audit staff. Testing and maintaining internal controls can divert our management’s attention from other matters that are important to the operation of our business. If we identify material weaknesses in our internal controls over financial reporting or are unable to comply with the requirements of Section 404 or assert that our internal controls over financial reporting are effective, or if our independent registered public accounting firm is unable to express an opinion as to the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting, investors may lose confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports and the market price of our Common Stock could be negatively affected, and we could become subject to investigations by the SEC or other regulatory authorities, which could require additional financial and management resources.
We have identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting and may find additional weaknesses in the future or fail to maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting. If we fail to establish and maintain proper and effective internal control over financial reporting, our operating results and our ability to operate our business could be harmed.
We regularly review and update our internal controls, disclosure controls and procedures, and corporate governance policies and procedures. Any system of controls, however well designed and operated, is based in part on certain assumptions and can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurances that the objectives of the system will be met. Any failure or circumvention of our controls and procedures or failure to comply with regulations related to controls and procedures could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We previously identified three material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting, primarily stemming from: (1) insufficiently documented risk assessments, (2) insufficiently documented process-level controls, and (3) insufficiently documented information technology controls supporting our financial statements and reporting. Consequently, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer previously determined that our internal controls and disclosure controls and procedures were ineffective as of December 31, 2024. To address these weaknesses, management has been active in implementing remediation plans, including a testing plan to determine the effectiveness of controls that support our financial statements and reporting, the recruitment of additional accounting personnel and the establishment of process-level controls, management review protocols, and documentation policies. These measures aim to ensure the completeness and accuracy of financial statement disclosures and to identify and to mitigate emerging risks. During 2024, management was able to successfully remediate the previously identified material weakness regarding documented risk assessments with additional made in management’s report on internal controls over financial reporting, including establishment of entity level controls and risk management. Furthermore, during 2025, management was to remediate the previously identified material regarding documented information technology controls supporting our financial statements and reporting. This effort resulted in of information security general controls across five key information technology segments, which include: change management, computer operations, IT governance, security administration and system development. Additionally, an information technology assessment was completed to remediate four key dependent information technology financial reporting categories, which include: accounts payable, financial reporting, human resources & payroll, and revenue.
While we have made progress in remediating the remaining material weakness, insufficiently documented process-level controls, additional time is required to complete sustainability testing of our internal control over financial reporting during 2026, finalize our remediation efforts, and satisfy the SEC’s rules implementing the Section 404(a) internal control certification requirements. Accordingly, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have determined that our internal controls and disclosure controls and procedures remained ineffective as of December 31, 2025.
If we identify additional material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting or are otherwise required to restate our financial statements in the future, we could be required to implement expensive and time-consuming remedial measures and could lose investor confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports. In addition, there are risks that individuals, either employees or contractors, consciously circumvent established control mechanisms by, for example, exceeding trading or investment management limitations, or committing fraud. Failure to implement and maintain effective internal control over financial
reporting could result in errors in our consolidated financial statements that could result in a restatement of our financial statements, may subject us to litigation and investigations, and could cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations, any of which could diminish investor confidence, cause a decline in the price of the Class A Common Stock and limit our ability to access capital markets.
If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or reports about our business, if they adversely change their recommendations regarding our shares or if our results of operations do not meet their expectations, our share price and trading volume could decline.
The trading market for our Class A Common Stock will be influenced by 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 securities or industry analysts cease coverage of us or fail to publish reports on us regularly, the trading price of our Class A Common Stock would likely be negatively impacted and we could lose visibility in the financial markets. Moreover, if one or more of the analysts who cover us downgrade our stock, or if our results of operations do not meet their expectations, the price of our Class A Common Stock could decline.
As a public company, we are subject to laws, regulations and stock exchange listing standards, which will impose additional costs on us and may strain our resources and divert our management’s attention.
As a company with publicly traded securities, we are subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the Dodd-Frank Act, the listing requirements of Nasdaq and other applicable securities laws and regulations. These rules and regulations require that we adopt additional controls and procedures and disclosure, corporate governance and other practices thereby significantly increasing our legal, financial and other compliance costs. Additionally, due to our anticipated loss of “emerging growth company status” as of December 31, 2026, these expenses may increase even more. These new obligations will also make other aspects of our business more difficult, time-consuming or costly and increase demand on our personnel, systems and other resources. For example, to maintain and improve the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting, we will need to commit significant resources, hire additional staff and provide additional management oversight. Furthermore, as a result of disclosure of information in this Annual Report and in our Exchange Act and other filings required of a public company, our business and financial condition will become more visible, which we believe may give some of our competitors who may not be similarly required to disclose this type of information a competitive . In addition to these added costs and , if we are to our obligations as a public company, we could be subject to of our Class A Common Stock, , sanctions, other regulatory actions and civil , any of which could affect the price of our Class A Common Stock.
If we are deemed an “investment company” subject to regulation under the Investment Company Act, applicable restrictions could make it impractical for us to continue our business as contemplated and could have a material adverse effect on our business .
An issuer will generally be deemed to be an “investment company” for purposes of the Investment Company Act if, absent an applicable exemption:
• pursuant to Section 3(a)(1)(A) of the Investment Company Act, it is or holds itself out as being engaged primarily, or proposes to engage primarily, in the business of investing, reinvesting or trading in securities; or
• pursuant to Section 3(a)(1)(C) of the Investment Company Act, it owns or proposes to acquire investment securities having a value exceeding 40% of the value of its total assets (exclusive of U.S. government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis (the “40%” Test).
We regard ourselves as a financial services business. We believe that we are engaged primarily in the business of providing financial services and advice and not in the business of investing, reinvesting or trading in securities. We also believe that the primary source of income from each of our businesses is properly characterized as income earned in exchange for the provision of services. We hold ourselves out as a financial services and advisory business and do not propose to engage primarily in the business of investing, reinvesting or trading in securities. Consequently, we do not believe that we or our subsidiaries would be deemed
investment companies with an obligation to register as such pursuant to Section 3(a)(1)(A) of the Investment Company Act.
As of December 31, 2025, based on their respective asset compositions subject to the 40% Test to determine assets that would or would not be considered investment securities, we do not believe that we or our subsidiaries would be deemed investment companies with an obligation to register as such pursuant to Section 3(a)(1)(C) of the Investment Company Act. Our and our subsidiaries’ asset compositions are, however, fluid and may be subject to change in the future.
If we become obligated to register ourselves or any of our subsidiaries as an investment company pursuant to the Investment Company Act, the registered entity would have to comply with a variety of substantive requirements under the Investment Company Act including, among other things:
• limitations on capital structure;
• restrictions on specified investments;
• prohibitions on transactions with affiliates; and
• compliance with reporting, record keeping, voting, proxy disclosure and other rules and regulations that would significantly change our operations.
If we were deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, we would either have to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act, obtain exemptive relief from the SEC or modify our equity interests and debt positions or organizational structure or our contract rights to fall outside the definition of an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Registering as an investment company pursuant to the Investment Company Act could, among other things, materially adversely affect our financial condition, business and results of operations, materially limit our ability to borrow funds or engage in other transactions involving leverage and require us to add directors who are independent of us and otherwise would subject us to additional regulation that would be costly and time-consuming. Modifying our equity interests and debt positions or organizational structure or our contract rights could require us to alter our business and investment strategy in a manner that could require us to purchase or dispose of assets or securities, prevent us from pursuing certain opportunities, or otherwise restrict our business, which may have a material adverse effect on our business results of operations, financial condition or prospects.
Our quarterly operating results and other operating metrics may fluctuate from quarter to quarter, which makes these metrics difficult to predict.
Our quarterly operating results and other operating metrics have fluctuated in the past and may continue to fluctuate in the future. As a result, you should not rely on our past quarterly operating results as indicators of future performance. You should take into account the risks and uncertainties frequently encountered by companies in rapidly evolving markets. Our financial condition and operating results in any given quarter can be influenced by numerous factors, many of which we are unable to predict or are outside of our control, including the performance of our investments, competition with other market participants, and changes in market and economic conditions.
Any one of the factors above or the cumulative effect of some of the factors above may result in significant fluctuations in our operating results.
The variability and unpredictability of our quarterly operating results or other operating metrics could result in our failure to meet our expectations or those of analysts that cover us or investors with respect to revenue or other operating results for a particular period. If we fail to meet or exceed such expectations, the market price of our shares of Class A Common Stock could fall substantially, and we could face costly lawsuits, including securities class action suits.
Our ability to raise capital in the future may be limited.
Our business and operations may consume resources faster than we anticipate. In the future, we may need to raise additional funds through the issuance of new equity securities, debt or a combination of both, which may not be available on favorable terms, or at all. If adequate funds are not available on acceptable terms, we may be
unable to fund our capital requirements. If we issue new debt securities, the debt holders would have rights senior to holders of Class A Common Stock to make claims on our assets, and the terms of any debt could restrict our operations, including our ability to pay dividends on our Class A Common Stock. If we issue additional equity securities, existing stockholders will experience dilution, and the new equity securities could have rights senior to those of our Class A Common Stock. Because our decision to issue securities in any future offering will depend on market conditions and other factors beyond our control, we cannot predict or estimate the amount, timing or nature of our future offerings.
The forecasts of market growth and other projections included in this Annual Report may prove to be inaccurate, and even if the markets in which we compete achieve the forecasted growth, we cannot assure you that our business will grow at a similar rate, if at all.
Growth forecasts and projections are subject to significant uncertainty and are based on assumptions and estimates that may not prove to be accurate. The forecasts in this Annual Report relating to the expected growth in the financial services market may prove to be inaccurate. Even if the markets experience the forecasted growth described in this Annual Report, we may not grow our business at a similar rate, or at all. Our growth is subject to many factors, including our success in implementing our business strategy, which is subject to many risks and uncertainties. Accordingly, the forecasts of market growth included in this Annual Report should not be taken as indicative of our future growth.
We are an emerging growth company within the meaning of the Securities Act and we have taken advantage of certain exemptions from disclosure requirements available to emerging growth companies; this could make our securities less attractive to investors and may make it more difficult to compare our performance with other public companies.
We are an “emerging growth company” within the meaning of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act, and have taken advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies, which exemptions include, but are not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on certain executive compensation matters. As a result, our stockholders may not have access to certain information they may deem important. We may be an emerging growth company for up to five years from the initial public offering, although circumstances could cause the loss of that status earlier, including if the market value of the Common Stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of any time before or as of June 30, in which case we would no longer be an emerging growth company as of the following December 31. We cannot predict whether investors will find our securities less attractive because we rely on these exemptions. If some investors find the securities less attractive as a result of reliance on these exemptions, the trading prices of our securities may be lower than they otherwise would be, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the trading prices of the securities may be more .
Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that an emerging growth company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such an election to opt out is irrevocable. We have elected not to opt out of such extended transition period. Accordingly, when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, we, as an emerging growth company, will adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard, unless early adoption is permitted by the standard. This may make comparison of our financial statements with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.
Our certificate of incorporation provides, subject to limited exceptions, that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware is the sole and exclusive forum for certain stockholder litigation matters, which could limit
our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers, employees or stockholders.
Our certificate of incorporation requires, to the fullest extent permitted by law, that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, (i) derivative actions brought in our name, (ii) actions asserting a claim of breach of fiduciary duty owed by any of our director, officer or stockholders, (iii) actions asserting a claim pursuant to the DGCL, the certificate of incorporation or the amended and restated bylaws of the Company, or (iv) actions asserting claims governed by the internal affairs doctrine, may be brought only in the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware (or, in the event that the Chancery Court does not have jurisdiction, the federal district court for the District of Delaware or other state courts of the State of Delaware). Subject to the preceding sentence, the federal district courts of the United States of America will be the exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act. However, such forum selection provisions will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal courts of the United States have exclusive jurisdiction.
The choice of forum provision may limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers, or other employees, or may increase the cost for such stockholder to bring a claim, both of which may discourage such lawsuits against us and our directors, officers, and other employees. Alternatively, if a court were to find the choice of forum provision contained in the certificate of incorporation to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions, which could harm our business, results of operations, and financial condition.
Additionally, Section 22 of the Securities Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for federal and state courts over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. As noted above, the certificate of incorporation provides that the federal district courts of the United States of America will have jurisdiction over any action arising under the Securities Act. Accordingly, there is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce such provision. Our stockholders will not be deemed to have waived our compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of our capital stock will be deemed to have notice of and consented to the forum provisions in our certificate of incorporation.
Risks Related to Our Strategic Alternatives Review Process
Our Review of Preliminary Indications of Interest and Potential Strategic Alternatives May Not Result in Any Transaction, and the Announcement or Conduct of Such a Process May Adversely Affect Our Business.
On December 9, 2025, we announced that we had received multiple preliminary indications of interest regarding a potential transaction with the Company and that our Board had formed a Special Committee of independent directors to consider these preliminary indications of interest and assess potential strategic options to maximize long-term value for shareholders, support the Company’s continued growth and continue delivering best-in-class service to clients.
There can be no assurance that our review process will result in any particular outcome or transaction. Any indications of interest received are preliminary and non-binding, and we may not be able to identify or consummate a transaction on acceptable terms, or at all. Even if a transaction is pursued, it may not be completed due to, among other things, the inability to agree on terms, failure to obtain necessary approvals, financing constraints, regulatory considerations or other factors.
The announcement and pendency of the review process may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. The process may be time-consuming and disruptive to our operations, may divert the attention of management and our Board from executing our business strategy, and may negatively impact our ability to recruit and retain key personnel, maintain relationships with clients, business partners and other stakeholders, and pursue strategic initiatives.
General Risk Factors
We may be required to take write-downs or write-offs, restructuring and impairment or other charges that could have a significant negative effect on our financial condition and our share price, which could cause you to lose some or all of your investment.
As a result of unidentified issues or factors outside of our control, we may be forced to later write-down or write-off assets, restructure operations, or incur impairment or other charges that could result in reporting losses. Even if we identify certain risks, unexpected risks may arise and previously known risks may materialize in a manner not consistent with the preliminary risk analysis conducted by us. Even though these charges may be non-cash items that would not have an immediate impact on our liquidity, the reporting of charges of this nature could contribute to negative market perceptions about us or our securities. In addition, charges of this nature may cause us to violate leverage or other covenants to which it may be subject. Accordingly, our stockholders could suffer a reduction in the value of their shares from any such write-down or write-offs.
The certificate of incorporation contains certain provisions, including anti-takeover provisions that limit the ability of stockholders to take certain actions and could delay or discourage takeover attempts that stockholders may consider favorable.
The certificate of incorporation contains provisions that may discourage unsolicited takeover proposals that stockholders may consider to be in their best interests. These provisions may make more difficult the removal of management and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our securities.
Our business and operations could be negatively affected if we become subject to any securities litigation or stockholder activism, which could cause us to incur significant expense, hinder execution of business and growth strategy and impact our stock price.
In the past, following periods of volatility in the market price of a company’s securities, securities class action litigation has often been brought against that company. Stockholder activism, which could take many forms or arise in a variety of situations, has been increasing recently. Volatility in the stock price of our securities or other reasons may in the future cause it to become the target of securities litigation or stockholder activism. Securities litigation and stockholder activism, including potential proxy contests, could result in substantial costs and divert management’s and the Board’s attention and resources from our business. Further, such securities litigation and stockholder activism could give rise to perceived uncertainties as to our future, adversely affect our relationships with service providers and clients and make it more difficult to attract and retain qualified personnel. Also, we may be required to incur significant legal fees and other expenses related to any securities and activist stockholder matters. Further, our stock price could be subject to significant fluctuation or otherwise be affected by the events, risks and uncertainties of any securities and stockholder activism.
Future resales of shares may cause the market price of our securities to drop significantly, even if our business is doing well.
Pursuant to the Registration Rights and Lock-Up Agreement and the Sponsor Support Agreement, dated September 19, 2021, by and between the Company, Sponsor, TWMH, the TIG Entities, and Alvarium (the “Sponsor Support Agreement”) subject to certain exceptions, the Sponsor and certain stockholders receiving shares of Company stock as consideration pursuant to the Business Combination Agreement are contractually restricted from selling or transferring a portion of their shares. The last applicable lock-up period expired on January 3, 2026.
Following the expiration of the applicable lock-up period, no equity holders will be restricted from selling shares of the Company held by them, other than by applicable securities laws. As such, sales of a substantial number of our securities in the public market could occur at any time. These sales, or the perception in the market that the holders of a large number of securities intend to sell securities, could reduce the market price of our securities. Pursuant to the subscription agreements for the private placements and the registration rights and lock-up agreement, we were required to register the resale of the Class A Common Stock issued to the subscribers that agreed to purchase shares of Class A Common Stock at the Closing pursuant to the Private Placement, including, without limitation, as reflected in the Subscription Agreements and securities received by certain stockholders as consideration pursuant to the Business Combination Agreement. As restrictions on
resale end and as long as the registration statements we filed after the Closing to provide for the resale of such shares from time to time remain available for use, the sale or possibility of sale of these shares could have the effect of increasing the volatility in the Company’s share price or the market price of our securities could decline if the holders of currently restricted shares sell them or are perceived by the market as intending to sell them.
