Item 1A. Risk Factors.
The following risk factors and other information included in this Annual Report should be carefully considered. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us that we currently deem immaterial or that generally apply to all businesses also may adversely impact our business. If any of the following risks occur, our business, financial condition, operating results, cash flow and liquidity could be materially adversely affected.
Risks Related to the Merger
The Merger may not be completed on the terms or timeline currently contemplated or at all.
The consummation of the Merger is subject to certain closing conditions, including among other things: (a) the approval of the Company’s stockholders; (b) expiration or early termination of the applicable waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended and the receipt of certain non-U.S. antitrust approvals; (c) the receipt of certain required consents or approvals, including, among others, from (i) the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States and the applicable regulators in certain non-U.S. jurisdictions under foreign investment laws, (ii) the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, (iii) the Federal Communications Commission, (iv) the Monetary Authority of Singapore, (v) the UK Financial Conduct Authority, and (vi) the European Union under the EU Foreign Subsidies Regulation 2022/2560; (d) the absence of legal restraints prohibiting the Merger; (e) the absence of certain materially adverse conditions or remedies imposed in connection with the foregoing regulatory approvals; and (f) the receipt of required consents for the Company’s flagship investment funds and from fee-paying clients of the Company and its subsidiaries representing, in the aggregate, at least 85% of the base date revenue run rate of the fee-paying clients of the Company and its subsidiaries, as well as other customary closing conditions. There can be no assurance that such conditions will be satisfied in a timely manner or at all, or that an effect, event, development or change will not transpire that could delay or prevent these conditions from being satisfied. Governmental agencies may not approve the Merger or the related transactions necessary to complete the Merger or may impose conditions to the approval of such transactions or require changes to the terms of such transactions. Any such conditions or changes could have the effect of delaying completion of the Merger or imposing costs on or limiting the operation of the Company's business following the Merger, and such conditions or changes could lead to the termination of the Merger Agreement. Further, competing offers or acquisition proposals for the Company may be made, resulting in delay of the Merger or termination of the Merger Agreement.
An adverse judgment in one or more lawsuits challenging the Merger, should they occur, may prevent the transaction from becoming effective or from becoming effective within the expected timeframe.
Stockholders may file lawsuits challenging the Merger or the other transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement, which may name the Company, members of the board of directors or others as defendants. No assurance can be made as to the outcome of such lawsuits, should they occur, including the amount of costs associated with defending these claims or any other liabilities that may be incurred in connection with the litigation of these claims. If plaintiffs are successful in obtaining an injunction prohibiting the parties from completing the Merger on the agreed-upon terms, such an injunction may delay the completion of the transaction in the expected timeframe, or may prevent the transaction from being completed altogether. Whether or not any plaintiff’s claim is successful, this type of litigation may result in significant costs and diverts management’s attention and resources, which could adversely affect the operation of our business.
Failure to consummate the proposed Merger could have a material adverse impact on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
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In the event the Merger is not completed, we will be subject to a number of risks without realizing any of the benefits of having completed the Merger, including the following:
• We may be required to pay a termination fee of $93 million if the Merger is terminated under qualifying circumstances, as described in the Merger Agreement;
• We have incurred and will continue to incur substantial costs relating to the Merger, such as financial advisor, legal, and accounting fees, regardless of whether the Merger is completed;
• Time and resources committed by management to matters relating to the Merger (including integration planning) could otherwise have been devoted to pursuing other beneficial opportunities; and
• The market price of our common stock could decline to the extent that the current market price reflects a market assumption that the Merger will be completed.
If the Merger is not completed, the Company cannot assure its stockholders that the risks described above will not materialize and will not materially affect the Company’s business and financial results or the market price of our securities.
Uncertainty regarding the completion of the Merger may adversely impact our ability to maintain relationships with investors and business partners and may adversely affect our ability to attract and retain key employees.
The Merger will be consummated only if stated conditions are met, many of which are beyond our control, and may not be completed on the terms or timeline currently contemplated or at all. As a result, there may be uncertainty regarding the completion of the Merger. This uncertainty may cause some of our investors and business partners to delay or defer decisions or to end their relationships with us, which could negatively affect our revenues, earnings and cash flows, regardless of whether the Merger is completed.
Uncertainty regarding the completion of the Merger may also foster uncertainty among employees about their future roles. This may adversely affect our ability to attract and retain key personnel, which could have an adverse effect on our ability to generate revenue at anticipated levels prior to the completion of the Merger.
The Merger Agreement contains provisions that could discourage a potential competing acquirer.
The Merger Agreement contains “no shop” provisions that, subject to limited exceptions, restrict our ability to initiate, solicit, knowingly encourage or knowingly facilitate any acquisition proposals, or provide non-public information to or engage in negotiations or substantive discussions with third parties in connection therewith. In some circumstances, upon termination of the Merger Agreement, we will be required to pay a termination fee of $96 million. These provisions could discourage a potential third-party acquirer that might have an interest in acquiring all or a significant portion of us from considering or proposing that acquisition, even if it were prepared to pay consideration with a higher per share cash or market value than the market value proposed to be received or realized in the Merger, or might otherwise result in a potential third-party acquirer proposing to pay a lower price to our stockholders than it might otherwise have proposed to pay because of the added expense of the termination fee that may become payable in certain circumstances.
Our directors and executive officers have interests in the Merger that are different from, or in addition to, those of our other stockholders.
Our directors and executive officers have interests in the Merger that are different from, or in addition to, other stockholders of the Company. Some of these interests include:
• our executive officers are entitled to severance protections and benefits under their employment agreements in connection with a change in control;
• specified awards held by our executive officers and members of our board of directors may be cancelled and cashed out based on the merger consideration;
• pursuant to the Merger Agreement, deferred stock unit awards and awards of a partnership interest in the Operating Company that have been designated as an “LTIP Unit” held by our executive officers and members of our board of directors will fully vest (to the extent not already vested) and be cancelled and cashed out based on the merger consideration;
• certain executive officers may enter into employment arrangements with the surviving company or affiliates of SoftBank following the effective time of the Merger or other agreements addressing such executive officer's post-closing employment and equity compensation and holdings, on terms to be mutually agreed by the surviving company or such affiliate(s) and such executive officer; and
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• the provision of indemnification, the advancement of expenses, exculpation and insurance arrangements pursuant to the Merger Agreement and our charter and bylaws, and performance under any indemnification agreements between the Company and our executive officers and members of our Board.
Risks Related to Our Business
Difficult market and political conditions could adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our business is materially affected by general economic and political conditions and events throughout the world, such as changes in interest rates, fiscal and monetary stimulus and withdrawal of stimulus, availability of credit, inflation rates, economic uncertainty, changes in laws (including laws relating to taxation), trade barriers, and tariffs, commodity prices, currency exchange rates and controls, national and international political circumstances (including wars, terrorist acts or security operations) and responses to widespread health events, and our ability to manage our exposure to these conditions may be very limited. These conditions and/or events can adversely affect our business in many ways, including by reducing the ability of our funds to raise or deploy capital, reducing the value or performance of our investments and the investments made by our funds and making it more difficult for us and our managed vehicles to realize value from existing investments. Adverse changes in market and economic conditions in the United States or the countries or regions in which we or our funds invest would likely have a negative impact on the value of our assets and spending and demand for infrastructure and technology and, accordingly, our and our funds' financial performance, the market prices of our securities, and our ability to pay dividends.
Inflation, rising interest rates, declining employment levels, declining demand for digital infrastructure, declining real estate values or periods of general economic slowdown or recession, increasing political instability or uncertainty, or the perception that any of these events may occur have negatively impacted the digital infrastructure and real estate markets in the past and may in the future negatively impact the performance of our investments, resulting in a more difficult fund raising environment and reducing exit opportunities in which to realize the value of our investments. During periods of difficult market or economic conditions (which may occur across one or more industries or geographies), the various companies or assets in which we have investments may experience several issues, including decreased revenues, increased costs, credit rating downgrades, difficulty in obtaining financing and even severe financial losses or insolvency.
In addition, political uncertainty may contribute to potential risks beyond our control, such as changes in governmental policy on a variety of matters including trade, manufacturing, development and investment, the restructuring of trade agreements, and uncertainties associated with political gridlock. The current U.S. political environment and the resulting uncertainties regarding actual and potential shifts in U.S. foreign investment, trade, taxation, economic, environmental and other policies, as well as the impact of geopolitical tension, such as a deterioration in the bilateral relationship between the U.S. and China or further escalations in the Russia-Ukraine war or conflicts in the Middle East, could lead to disruption, instability and volatility in the global markets, which may also have an impact on our investments and exit opportunities in negatively impacted sectors or geographies.
We have only a limited ability to change our portfolio promptly in response to changing economic, political or other conditions, which impedes us from responding quickly to changes in the performance of our investments and could adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations. Additionally, certain of our significant expenditures, such as debt service costs, real estate taxes, and operating and maintenance costs, are generally not reduced when market conditions are poor.
Our business depends in large part on our ability to raise capital from investors. If we were unable to raise such capital, we would be unable to collect management fees or deploy such capital into investments, which would materially reduce our revenues and cash flow and adversely affect our financial condition.
Our ability to raise capital from investors depends on a number of factors, including many that are outside our control. For example, investors may downsize their investment allocations to alternative asset managers to rebalance a disproportionate weighting of their overall investment portfolio among asset classes. If the value of an investor’s portfolio decreases as a whole, the amount available to allocate to alternative investments could decline. Further, investors often evaluate the amount of distributions they have received from existing funds when considering commitments to new funds. Poor performance of our funds, or regulatory or tax constraints, could also make it more difficult for us to raise new capital. Our investors and potential investors continually assess our funds’ performance independently and relative to market benchmarks and our competitors, which may affect our ability to raise capital for existing and future funds. If economic and market conditions deteriorate or continue to be volatile, investors may delay making new commitments to investment funds and/or we may be unable to raise sufficient amounts of capital to support the investment activities of future funds. We may not be able to find suitable investments for the funds to effectively deploy capital, which could reduce our
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revenues and cash flow and adversely affect our financial condition as well as our ability to raise new funds and our prospects for future growth. If we were unable to raise capital, our revenue and cash flow would be reduced, and our financial condition would be adversely affected. Furthermore, while our senior professionals have committed substantial capital to our funds, commitments from new investors may depend on the commitments made by our senior professionals to new funds. There can be no assurance that there will be further commitments to our funds by these individuals, and any future investments by them in our funds or other investment vehicles will likely depend on the performance of our funds, the performance of their overall investment portfolios and other investment opportunities available to them.
The investment management business is intensely competitive.
The investment management business is intensely competitive, with competition based on a variety of factors, including investment performance, the quality of client service, brand recognition and business reputation. Our investment management business competes for clients, personnel and investment opportunities with a large number of private equity funds, specialized investment funds, hedge funds, corporate buyers, traditional investment managers, commercial banks, investment banks, other investment managers and other financial institutions, and we expect that competition will increase. Numerous factors increase our competitive risks, some of which are outside of our control, including that:
• Competition in the digital infrastructure sector has intensified as institutional investors, technology companies and
private equity firms increasingly target this asset class;
• a number of our competitors have more personnel and greater financial, technical, marketing and other resources than we do;
• many of our competitors have raised, 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 reduce the size and duration of pricing inefficiencies that we seek to exploit;
• some of our competitors (including strategic competitors) may have a lower cost of capital and access to funding sources that are not available to us;
• some of our competitors have higher risk tolerances, different risk assessments or lower return thresholds, which could allow them to consider a wider variety of investments and to bid more aggressively than us for investments;
• our competitors may be able to achieve synergistic cost savings in respect of an investment that we cannot, which may provide them with a competitive advantage in bidding for an investment;
• our competitors may be able to innovate disruptive technologies and/or new business models to which we may be slow to adapt;
• there are relatively few barriers to entry impeding new funds, and the successful efforts of new entrants into our various lines of business, including major commercial and investment banks and other financial institutions, have resulted in increased competition;
• some investors may prefer to invest with an investment manager whose equity securities are not traded on a national securities exchange;
• some investors may prefer to pursue investments directly instead of investing through one of our managed funds or investment vehicles;
• competition for qualified motivated, and highly-skilled executives, professionals and other key personnel in investment management firms is significant, both in the U.S. and internationally, and we may not succeed in recruiting additional personnel or we may fail to effectively replace current personnel who depart with qualified or effective successors; and
• other investment managers may offer more products and services than we do, have more diverse sources of revenue or be more adept at developing, marketing and managing new products and services than we are.
We may find it harder to raise capital in the private funds and other investment vehicles that we manage, and we may lose investment opportunities in the future, if we do not match the fees, structures and terms offered by competitors to their fund clients. Alternatively, we may experience decreased profitability, decreased rates of return and increased risk of loss if we match the prices, structures and terms offered by competitors. This competitive pressure could adversely affect our ability to make successful investments and limit our ability to raise future funds, either of which would adversely impact our business, revenues, results of operations and cash flow.
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We depend on investors in the funds we manage for the continued success of our business.
It could become increasingly difficult for the funds we manage to raise capital as funds compete for investments from a limited number of qualified investors. Without the participation of investors, the funds we manage will not be successful in consummating their capital-raising efforts, or they may consummate them at investment levels (or fee rates) lower than those currently anticipated.
Certain institutional investors have publicly criticized elements of our compensation arrangements, including management and advisory fees. Although we have no obligation to modify any fees or other terms with respect to the funds we manage, we experience pressure to do so. In addition, certain institutional investors, including sovereign wealth funds and public pension funds, continue to demonstrate an increased preference for alternatives to the traditional investment fund structure, such as managed accounts, specialized funds and co-investment vehicles. Even though we have entered into some such strategic arrangements, there can be no assurance that such alternatives will be as profitable to us as traditional investment fund structures. While we have historically competed primarily on the performance of the funds we manage, and not on the level of our management fees or performance fees relative to those of our competitors, there is a risk that management fees and performance fees in the alternative investment management industry will decline, without regard to the historical performance of a manager. Management fee or performance fee reductions on existing or future funds or co-investments, without corresponding decreases in our cost structure even if other revenue streams increase, would adversely affect our revenues and profitability.
The failure of the funds we manage to raise capital in sufficient amounts and on satisfactory terms could result in a decrease in FEEUM, performance fees and/or fee revenue and could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. Similarly, any modification of our existing fee arrangements or the fee structures for new funds could adversely affect our results of operations.
We continue to depend on investors in the funds we manage even after the capital-raising phase of any fund. Investors in many of the funds we manage make capital commitments to those funds that we are entitled to call from those investors at any time during prescribed periods. If investors were to fail to satisfy a significant amount of capital calls for any particular fund or funds, the operation and performance of those funds could be materially and adversely affected.
The governing agreements of most of our investment funds provide that, subject to certain conditions, third party investors in those funds have the right to remove the general partner of the fund, terminate the commitment period of the fund or to accelerate the termination date of the investment fund without cause by a majority or supermajority vote, which could result in a reduction in management fees we would earn from such investment funds and a significant reduction in the amounts of performance fees from those funds. In addition, the governing agreements of certain of the funds we manage allow the investors of those funds to, among other things, (i) terminate the commitment period of the fund in the event that certain “key persons” fail to devote the requisite time to managing the fund and are not replaced by qualified individuals of comparable seniority and qualifications, (ii) (depending on the fund) terminate the commitment period, dissolve the fund or remove the general partner if we, as general partner or manager, or certain “key persons” engage in certain forms of misconduct, (iii) dissolve the fund or terminate the commitment period upon the affirmative vote of a specified percentage of limited partner interests entitled to vote, or (iv) dissolve the fund or terminate the commitment period upon a change of control. In addition to having a significant negative impact on our revenue, net income and cash flow, the occurrence of such an event with respect to any of the funds we manage would likely result in significant reputational damage to us.
Poor performance of our funds would cause a decline in our revenue, and results of operations, which may obligate us to repay performance fees previously paid to us and could adversely affect our ability to raise capital for future funds.
We derive revenues primarily from:
• management fees, which are based generally on the amount of capital committed to or invested by our funds;
• performance fees, which are based on the performance of our funds; and
• returns on investments of our own capital in the funds and other investment vehicles that we sponsor and manage.
When any of our funds perform poorly, either by incurring losses or underperforming benchmarks, as compared to our competitors or otherwise, our investment record suffers which could make it more difficult for us to raise new capital, and investors in our funds may decline to invest in future funds we raise. As a result, our performance fees may be adversely affected and, all else being equal, the value of our FEEUM could decrease, which may, in turn, reduce our management fees. Moreover, we may experience losses on investments of our own capital as a result of poor investment performance and may not receive performance fees with regard to such fund. Furthermore, if, as a result of poor
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performance or otherwise, a fund does not achieve total investment returns that exceed a specified investment return threshold over the life of the fund or other measurement period, we may be obligated to repay the amount by which performance fees that were previously distributed or paid to us exceed amounts to which we were entitled. We also guarantee such clawback obligations of our employees and may be required to repay a portion of performance fees distributed to an employee to the extent such employee fails to fulfill their repayment obligation and the amount held back by the Company from prior distributions to the employee is insufficient to satisfy the obligation.
Many parts of our revenues, earnings and cash flow are highly variable, which may make it difficult for us to achieve steady earnings growth on a quarterly basis, which may cause the price of our shares to be volatile.
A portion of our revenues, earnings and cash flow is highly variable, primarily due to the fact that performance fees from our asset management business can vary significantly from quarter to quarter and year to year. In addition, performance fees from some of the funds we manage are subject to contingent repayment by the general partner if, upon the final distribution, the relevant fund’s general partner (or an affiliate thereof) has received cumulative performance fees on individual portfolio investments in excess of the amount of performance fees it would be entitled to from the profits calculated for all portfolio investments in the aggregate. We may also experience fluctuations in our results from quarter to quarter and year to year due to a number of other factors, including changes in the values of investments of the funds we manage, changes in the amount of distributions, dividends or interest paid in respect of investments, changes in our operating expenses, the degree to which we encounter competition and general economic and market conditions. Such variability may lead to volatility in the trading price of our shares and cause our results for a particular period not to be indicative of our performance in a future period. It may be difficult for us to achieve steady growth in earnings and cash flow on a quarterly basis, which could in turn lead to large adverse movements in the price of our shares or increased volatility in the price of our shares in general.
The timing of performance fees generated by the funds we manage is uncertain and will contribute to the volatility of our results. Performance fees depend on the performance of the funds we manage. It takes a substantial period of time to identify attractive investment opportunities, to raise all the funds needed to make an investment and then to realize the cash value or other proceeds of an investment through a sale, public offering, recapitalization or other exit. Even if an investment proves to be profitable, it may be several years before any profits can be realized in cash or other proceeds. We cannot predict when, or if, any realization of investments will occur. Generally, if the funds we manage were to have a realization event in a particular quarter or year, it may have a significant impact on our results for that particular quarter or year that may not be replicated in subsequent periods.
Our fee revenue may also depend on the pace of investment activity in certain of our funds during certain periods. Management fees are calculated generally based on investors’ committed capital during the commitment period of the fund, and thereafter, contributed or invested capital (subject to certain reductions for NAV write-downs); invested capital for co-investment vehicles; or NAV for vehicles in the liquid securities strategy. Accordingly, a decline in the pace or the size of investments could reduce our revenue from management fees for certain funds during certain periods. Likewise, during an attractive selling environment, our funds may capitalize on increased opportunities to exit investments. Any increase in the pace at which our funds exit investments, if not offset by new commitments and investments, would reduce future management fees. Additionally, in certain of our funds that derive management fees only on the basis of invested capital, the pace at which we make investments, the length of time we hold such investment and the timing of disposition will directly impact our revenues.
Our investments in digital infrastructure may expose us to risks inherent in the ownership and operation of digital infrastructure.
We have invested and plan to continue to invest, primarily through our managed funds, in multiple asset classes within digital infrastructure, including, without limitation, data centers, cell towers, fiber networks, small cells and edge infrastructure, throughout the United States and around the world. Investment in digital infrastructure assets involves many relatively unique and acute risks. These risks include the following:
• Project revenues can be affected by a number of factors including economic and market conditions, political events, competition, regulation and the financial position and business strategy of customers;
• Any failure of physical infrastructure or services could lead to significant costs and disruptions that could harm our business reputation. Such a failure could result from numerous factors, including mechanical failure, power outage, human error, shortage of material and skilled labor or work stoppages, physical or electronic security incidents, war, terrorism, health crises or pandemics, fire, earthquake, hurricane, flood, climate change, and other natural disasters, sabotage and vandalism;
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• Service interruptions, equipment failures or security incidents may result in legal liability, regulatory requirements, penalties and monetary damages and damage our brand and reputation;
• Dependence on third-party suppliers for power, network connectivity and certain other services results in vulnerability to service failures of such third-party suppliers and to price increases by such suppliers to the extent such costs are not borne by customers;
• The digital infrastructure industry is highly competitive and it may be difficult to develop and maintain a balanced customer base, resulting in increased risk based on the credit quality of one or more customers;
• Demand for digital infrastructure assets, power or connectivity is particularly susceptible to general economic slowdowns as well as adverse developments in the internet and data communications and broader technology industries;
• Demand for digital infrastructure that supports wireless infrastructure, such as cell towers, is particularly susceptible to changes in the levels of consumption of mobile data and investment by mobile carriers;
• Technological developments, such as virtualization technology, more efficient or miniaturization of computing or networking devices, or devices that require higher power densities than today’s devices, may cause certain digital infrastructure assets to become obsolete or result in decreased demand for certain digital infrastructure assets;
• Digital infrastructure investments are subject to substantial government regulation related to the acquisition and operation of such investments; and
• The use and development of generative AI technologies is subject to evolving and complex regulatory frameworks across various jurisdictions, and it remains uncertain how generative AI and such regulatory developments will impact new and existing digital infrastructure investments.
Our digital infrastructure focused funds may be more susceptible to any single economic, political or regulatory occurrence and more volatile than a more diversified fund. Additionally, our strategy to invest across different classes of digital infrastructure assets may not perform as well as a portfolio that is concentrated in a particular type of digital infrastructure assets. Any of these factors may cause the value of the investments in our digital infrastructure funds to decline, which may have a material impact on our business and results of operations.
Our investments in infrastructure assets, including through our InfraBridge funds, may expose us to increased risks that are inherent in the ownership of real assets.
Investments in infrastructure assets, including through our InfraBridge funds, expose us to increased risks that are inherent in the ownership of real assets, including:
• Infrastructure investments are vulnerable to adverse change in the economic conditions in the jurisdiction in which they are situated, as well as to global economic declines. Since projects in this sector tend to be of a long-term nature, projects which were conceived at a time when conditions were favorable may subsequently be adversely affected by change in the financial markets, investor sentiment or a more general economic downturn;
• Investment vehicles may borrow to fund acquisitions or other activities and accordingly may be exposed to rates of interest which are variable over the life of the borrowing. Consequently, there is the risk that unfavorable movements in interest rates may adversely affect assets;
• Ownership of infrastructure assets may present risk of liability for personal and property injury or impose significant operating challenges and costs with respect to, for example, compliance with zoning, environmental, health and safety or other applicable laws, regulations and permit requirements;
• Many infrastructure asset investments greatly rely on the steady supply of power at reasonable costs and could be harmed by prolonged power outages or shortages, increased cost of energy or general lack of availability of electrical resources;
• Infrastructure asset investments may face construction and development risks including, without limitation: (a) labor disputes, shortages of material and skilled labor, or work stoppages, (b) slower than projected construction progress and the unavailability or late delivery of necessary equipment, (c) adverse weather conditions and unexpected construction conditions, (d) accidents or the breakdown or failure of construction equipment or processes, and (e) catastrophic events such as explosions, fires, terrorist activities and other similar events. These risks could result in substantial unanticipated delays or expenses (which may exceed expected or forecasted budgets) and, under certain circumstances, could prevent completion of construction or development activities once undertaken; and
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• The operation of infrastructure assets can be exposed to unplanned interruptions caused by significant catastrophic or force majeure events and there can be no assurance that such investments’ insurance policies would cover losses. These risks could, among other effects, adversely impact the cash flows available from investments in infrastructure assets, cause personal injury or loss of life, damage property, or instigate disruptions of service. In addition, the cost of repairing or replacing damaged assets could be considerable. Repeated or prolonged service interruptions may result in permanent loss of customers, litigation, or penalties for regulatory or contractual non-compliance. Force majeure events that are incapable of, or too costly to, cure may also have a permanent adverse effect on an investment.
Infrastructure investments often involve an ongoing commitment to a municipal, state, federal or foreign government or regulatory agencies. The nature of these obligations exposes us to a higher level of regulatory control than typically imposed on other businesses and may require us to rely on complex government licenses, concessions, leases or contracts, which may be difficult to obtain or maintain. Infrastructure investments may require external operators to manage such investments under contractual relationships and such operators’ failure to comply with laws, including prohibitions against bribing of government officials, may adversely affect the value of such investments and cause us serious reputational and legal harm. Revenues for such investments may rely on contractual agreements for the provision of services with a limited number of counterparties and are consequently subject to counterparty default risk or poor operational performance. The operations and cash flow of infrastructure investments are also more sensitive to inflation and, in certain cases, commodity price risk and price controls. Furthermore, services provided by infrastructure investments may be subject to rate regulations by government entities that determine or limit prices that may be charged. Similarly, users of applicable services or government entities in response to such users may react negatively to any adjustments in rates and thus reduce the profitability of such infrastructure investments.
Our operations in Europe, Asia, Latin America and other foreign markets expose our business to risks inherent in conducting business in foreign markets.
A portion of our revenues are sourced from our foreign operations in Europe, Asia, Latin America and other foreign markets. Accordingly, our firm-wide results of operations depend in part on our foreign operations. Conducting business and pursuing investment opportunities abroad carries significant risks, including:
• changes in real estate and other tax rates, the tax treatment of transaction structures and other changes in operating expenses in a particular country where we have an investment;
• restrictions and limitations relating to the repatriation of profits;
• complexity and costs of staffing and managing international operations;
• the burden of complying with multiple and potentially conflicting laws, including ESG-related regulatory frameworks such as the European Union’s Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (“SFDR”);
• changes in relative interest rates;
• translation and transaction risks related to fluctuations in foreign currency and exchange rates and our ability to structure and implement interest rate, foreign exchange and other hedging or derivative strategies;
• lack of uniform accounting standards (including availability of information in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States ("GAAP"));
• unexpected changes in regulatory requirements;
• the impact of different business cycles and economic instability;
• political instability and civil unrest;
• legal and logistical barriers to enforcing our contractual rights, including in perfecting our security interests, collecting accounts receivable, foreclosing on secured assets and protecting our interests as a creditor in bankruptcies in certain geographic regions;
• share ownership restrictions on foreign operations and restrictions on foreign investment;
• compliance with U.S. laws affecting operations outside of the United States, including sanctions laws, or anti-bribery laws such as the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”); and
• geographic, time zone, language and cultural differences between personnel in different areas of the world.
Each of these risks might adversely affect our performance and the performance of our investments. In addition, to accommodate the needs of global investors and strategies, we must structure investment products in a manner that
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addresses tax, regulatory and legislative provisions in different, and sometimes multiple, jurisdictions. Further, in conducting business in foreign jurisdictions, we are often faced with the challenge of ensuring that our activities and those of our funds and, in some cases, our funds’ portfolio companies, are consistent with U.S. or other laws with extraterritorial application, such as the USA PATRIOT Act and the FCPA. As a result, we are required to continuously develop our systems and infrastructure, including employing and contracting with foreign businesses and entities, in response to the increasing complexity and sophistication of the investment management market and legal, accounting and regulatory situations. This growth has required, and will continue to require, us to incur significant additional expenses and to commit additional senior management and operational resources. There can be no assurance that we will be able to manage or maintain appropriate oversight over our expanding international operations effectively or that we will be able to continue to grow this part of our business, and any failure to do so could adversely affect our ability to generate revenues and control our expenses.
Rapid growth of our businesses, particularly outside the U.S., may be difficult to sustain and may place significant demands on our administrative, operational and financial resources.
Our FEEUM has grown significantly in the past, and we are pursuing further growth in the near future, both organic and through acquisitions. Our rapid growth has placed, and planned growth, if successful, will continue to place, significant demands on our legal, accounting, compliance and operational infrastructure and has increased expenses. The complexity of these demands, and the expense required to address them, is a function not simply of the amount by which our FEEUM has grown, but of the growth in the variety and complexity of, as well as the differences in strategy between, our different funds. In addition, we are required to continuously develop our systems and infrastructure in response to the increasing sophistication of the investment management market and legal, accounting, regulatory and tax developments. Our future growth will depend in part on our ability to maintain an operating platform and management system sufficient to address our growth and will require us to incur significant additional expenses and to commit additional senior management and operational resources. As a result, we face significant challenges in:
• maintaining adequate financial regulatory (legal, tax and compliance) and business controls;
• providing current and future investors with accurate and consistent reporting;
• implementing new or updated information and financial systems and procedures;
• monitoring and enhancing our cybersecurity and data privacy risk management; 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 or be able to continue to grow, and any failure to do so could adversely affect our ability to generate revenue and control our expenses.
Valuation methodologies for certain assets in our managed institutional private funds can involve subjective judgments, and the fair value of assets established pursuant to such methodologies may be incorrect, which could result in the misstatement of performance and accrued performance fees of an institutional private fund.
There are often no readily ascertainable market prices for a substantial majority of the illiquid investments of our managed institutional private funds. We determine the fair value of the investments of each of our institutional private funds at least quarterly based on the fair value guidelines set forth by GAAP. The fair value measurement accounting guidance establishes a hierarchal disclosure framework that ranks the observability of market inputs used in measuring financial instruments at fair value. The observability of inputs is impacted by a number of factors, including the type of financial instrument, the characteristics specific to the financial instrument and the state of the marketplace, including the existence and transparency of transactions between market participants. Financial instruments with readily available quoted prices, or for which fair value can be measured from quoted prices in active markets, will generally have a higher degree of market price observability and a lesser degree of judgment applied in determining fair value.
Investments for which market prices are not observable include, but are not limited to, illiquid investments in operating companies, real estate, energy ventures and structured vehicles, and encompass all components of the capital structure, including equity, mezzanine, debt, preferred equity and derivative instruments such as options and warrants. Fair values of such investments are determined by reference to (1) the market approach (i.e., multiplying a key performance metric of the investee company or asset, such as earnings before interest, income tax, depreciation and amortization ("EBITDA"), by a relevant valuation multiple observed in the range of comparable public entities or transactions, adjusted by management as appropriate for differences between the investment and the referenced comparables), (2) the income approach (i.e., discounting projected future cash flows of the investee company or asset and/or capitalizing representative stabilized cash flows of the investee company or asset) and (3) other methodologies such as prices provided by reputable dealers or pricing services, option pricing models and replacement costs. We
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periodically engage independent valuation firms to assess and validate our valuation models; however, there can be no assurance that these valuations accurately reflect market conditions.
The determination of fair value using these methodologies takes into consideration a range of factors including but not limited to the price at which the investment was acquired, the nature of the investment, local market conditions, the multiples of comparable securities, current and projected operating performance and financing transactions subsequent to the acquisition of the investment. Valuation approaches depend on key assumptions such as discount rates, growth projections, projected holding period and exit multiples, which are inherently uncertain and subject to change. Our valuation approach often relies on applying exit multiples derived from comparable public companies or precedent transactions. However, these multiples are subject to market fluctuations and may not accurately reflect actual exit values at the time of realization. Uncertainty in the timing of exit and with respect to non-U.S. dollar denominated investments, fluctuations in foreign exchange rates at the time of exit, further compounds valuation risks. If market conditions deteriorate or if an investment must be sold under unfavorable circumstances, actual realized values may be significantly lower than those implied by our assumed exit multiples. These valuation methodologies involve a significant degree of management judgment. For example, as to investments that we share with another sponsor, we may apply a different valuation methodology than the other sponsor does or derive a different value than the other sponsor has derived on the same investment, which could cause some investors to question our valuations.
Because there is significant uncertainty in the valuation of, or stability of the value of, illiquid investments, including the effect of foreign exchange rates on non-U.S. dollar denominated investments, the fair values of such investments as reflected in an institutional private fund’s net asset value do not necessarily reflect the prices that would be obtained by us on behalf of the institutional private fund when such investments are realized. Realizations at values significantly lower than the values at which investments have been reflected in prior institutional private fund net asset values would result in reduced earnings or losses for the applicable fund and the loss of potential management fees, carried interest and incentive fees. Changes in values attributed to investments from quarter to quarter may result in volatility in the net asset values and results of operations that we report from period to period. Also, a situation where asset values turn out to be materially different than values reflected in prior institutional fund net asset values could cause investors to lose confidence in us, which could in turn result in difficulty in raising additional institutional private funds.
Further, the SEC has highlighted valuation practices as one of its areas of focus in investment advisor examinations and has instituted enforcement actions against advisers for misleading investors about valuation. If the SEC were to investigate and find errors in our methodologies or procedures, we and/or members of our management could be subject to penalties and fines, which could harm our reputation and our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.
The organization and management of our current and future investment vehicles may create conflicts of interest.
We currently manage, and may in the future manage, private funds and other investment vehicles that may be in competition with each other with respect to investment opportunities and financing opportunities. In general, our digital infrastructure focused investment funds and certain portfolio companies thereof have priority over the Company with respect to investment opportunities in digital infrastructure, and investors in our managed funds and investment vehicles typically have priority with regard to any related co-investment opportunities. We have implemented certain procedures to manage any perceived or actual conflicts among us and our managed investment vehicles, including the following:
• allocating investment opportunities based on numerous factors, including investment objectives, available cash, diversification/concentration, leverage policy, the size of the investment, tax, anticipated pipeline of suitable investments, fund life and existing contractual obligations such as first-look rights and non-compete covenants; and
• investment allocations are reviewed at least annually by the chief compliance officer of our applicable registered investment adviser.
In addition, subject to compliance with the rules promulgated under the Investment Advisers Act and the governing documents of our managed investment vehicles, we have and may continue to allow a managed investment vehicle to enter into principal transactions with us or cross-transactions with other managed investment vehicles or strategic vehicles. For certain cross-transactions, we may receive a fee from, or increased fees from, the managed investment vehicle and conflicts may exist. In certain circumstances, our funds may make investments at different levels of an issuer’s capital structure. If our interests and those of our managed funds and investment vehicles are not aligned, we may face conflicts of interests that result in action or inaction that is detrimental to us, our managed investment vehicles, our strategic partnerships or our joint ventures. Further, certain officers and senior management who make allocation decisions typically have financial interests in a particular fund or managed investment vehicle, which may increase such conflicts of interest.
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Potential conflicts will also arise with respect to our decisions regarding how to allocate co-investment opportunities among our funds and investors and the terms of any such co-investments. Our fund documents typically do not mandate specific allocations with respect to co-investments. The investment advisers of our funds may have an incentive to provide co-investment opportunities to certain investors in lieu of others. Co-investment arrangements may be structured through one or more of our investment vehicles, and in such circumstances, co-investors will generally bear the costs and expenses thereof (other than broken deal expenses which are typically borne by investment funds) which may lead to conflicts of interest regarding the allocation of costs and expenses between such co-investors and investors in our other investment funds. The terms of any such existing and future co-investment vehicles may differ materially, and in some instances may be more favorable to us, than the terms of certain of our funds or prior co-investment vehicles, and such different terms may create an incentive for us to allocate a greater or lesser percentage of an investment opportunity to such funds or such co-investment vehicles, as the case may be. Such incentives will from time to time give rise to conflicts of interest. There can be no assurance that any conflicts of interest will be resolved in favor of any particular investment funds or investors (including any applicable co-investors) and there is a risk that such investment fund or investor (or the SEC) may challenge our treatment of such conflict, which could impose costs on our business and expose us to potential liability.
Conflicts of interest may also arise in the allocation of fees and costs among our managed companies that we incur in connection with the management of their assets. This allocation sometimes requires us to exercise discretion and there is no guarantee that we will allocate these fees and costs appropriately.
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 would materially adversely affect our business and our ability to raise capital in future managed companies.
We may expand into new investment strategies, geographic markets and businesses, each of which may result in additional risks and uncertainties in our businesses.
We intend, to the extent that market conditions warrant, to seek to grow our businesses by increasing FEEUM in existing businesses, pursuing new investment strategies, developing new types of investment structures and products (such as separately managed accounts and structured products), expanding into new geographic markets and businesses and marketing products to new categories of investors. Introducing new types of investment structures and products or the types of investors we provide services to could increase the complexities involved in managing such investments, including ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements.
The success of our organic growth strategy will depend on, among other things, our ability to correctly identify and create products that appeal to the limited partners of our funds and vehicles. While we have made significant expenditures to develop these new strategies and products, there is no assurance that they will achieve a satisfactory level of scale and profitability. To raise new funds and pursue new strategies, we have and expect to continue to use our balance sheet to hold seed investments, which may decrease the liquidity available for other parts of our business. If a new strategy or fund does not develop as anticipated and such investments are not ultimately transferred to a fund, we may not be able to dispose of such investments at an advantageous time and may be forced to realize losses on these retained investments.
We may also pursue growth through acquisitions of other investment management companies, such as our acquisition of InfraBridge. To the extent we expand into new investment strategies, geographic markets and businesses and attempt to expand our business through acquisitions, we will face numerous risks and uncertainties, including risks associated with:
• our ability to successfully negotiate and enter into beneficial arrangements with our counterparties;
• our ability to realize the anticipated operational and financial benefits from an acquisition and to effectively integrate an acquired business;
• the required investment of capital and other resources;
• our ability to successfully integrate, train and retain new employees;
• the possibility of diversion of management's time and attention from our core business;
• the possibility of disruption of our ongoing business;
• the assumption of liabilities in any acquired business and the potential for litigation;
• the broadening of our geographic footprint, including the risks associated with conducting operations in foreign jurisdictions, such as taxation;
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• properly managing conflicts of interests; and
• our ability to comply with new regulatory regimes.
Entry into certain lines of business 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 liability, litigation, regulatory risk, and expense. If a new business generates insufficient revenue or if we are unable to efficiently manage our expanded operations, our results of operations may be adversely affected. Moreover, if a new product, business, or venture developed internally or by acquisition is unsuccessful, we may decide to wind down, liquidate, and/or discontinue it. Such actions could negatively impact our relationships with investors in those businesses, could subject us to litigation or regulatory inquiries and could expose us to additional expenses, including impairment charges and potential liability from investor or other complaints.
We do not directly control the operations of our portfolio companies and are therefore dependent on portfolio company management teams to successfully operate their businesses.
The portfolio companies managed by our funds are typically operated by in-place management teams at such companies or by third party management companies. While we have or expect to have various rights as an owner of the portfolio companies, our governance rights for certain portfolio companies may be shared with or limited by the rights of other investors. We may have limited recourse under our management agreements or investment governing documents if we believe that in-place management teams (who are not our employees) or third-party management companies are not performing adequately. If our portfolio companies or management companies experience any significant financial, legal, accounting or regulatory difficulties, such difficulties could have a material adverse effect on us.
We often pursue investment opportunities that involve business, regulatory, legal or other complexities and the failure to successfully manage such risks could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
We often pursue complex investment opportunities involving substantial business, regulatory or legal complexity that would deter investors. Our tolerance for complexity presents risks, as (i) such transactions can be more difficult, expensive and time-consuming to finance, execute and disclose, (ii) it can be more difficult to manage or realize value from the assets acquired in such transactions, and (iii) such transactions sometimes entail a higher level of regulatory scrutiny or a greater risk of contingent liabilities. Failure to successfully manage these risks could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Our funds may be forced to dispose of investments at a disadvantageous time.
Our funds may make investments of which they do not advantageously dispose of prior to the date the applicable fund is dissolved, either by expiration of such fund’s term or otherwise. Although we generally expect that our funds will dispose of investments prior to dissolution, we may not be able to do so. The general partners of our funds have only a limited ability to extend the term of the fund with the consent of fund investors or the advisory board of the fund, as applicable, and therefore, we may be required to seek to sell, distribute or otherwise dispose of investments during liquidation, which may be at a disadvantageous time. This would result in a lower than expected return on the investments and, perhaps, on the fund itself.
Climate change and regulatory and other efforts to reduce climate change could adversely affect our business.
We and the portfolio companies of the funds we manage face a number of risks associated with climate change, including both transition and physical risks. The transition risks that could impact us and the investments of the funds we manage include those risks related to the impact of U.S. and foreign climate-related legislation and regulation, as well as risks arising from climate-related business trends. Moreover, our investments, and the investments of the portfolio companies of the funds we manage, are subject to risks stemming from the physical impacts of climate change. In particular, climate change may impact energy prices, insurance costs and the value of investments linked to certain digital infrastructure assets.
New climate change-related regulations or interpretations of existing laws may result in enhanced disclosure obligations that could negatively affect us or the investments of the portfolio companies of the funds we manage and also materially increase our regulatory burden. We also face business trend-related climate risks. Certain fund investors take into account climate risks, in determining whether to invest in the funds we manage. Our reputation and investor relationships could be damaged as a result of our involvement, or the involvement of the funds we manage, in certain industries, portfolio companies or transactions associated with activities perceived to be causing or exacerbating climate change, as well as any decisions we make to continue to conduct or change our activities in response to considerations relating to climate change.
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We are subject to focus by our fund investors, our stockholders, regulators and other stakeholders on environmental, social and governance matters.
Many of our fund investors, stockholders, regulators and other stakeholders are focused on ESG matters. Certain fund investors, including public pension funds, consider our record on such matters in determining whether to invest in our funds. Similarly, certain stockholders, particularly institutional investors, use third-party benchmarks or scores to measure our ESG-related practices, and may use such information to decide whether to invest in our common stock or to seek to engage with us with respect to our practices. If our ESG practices do not meet the standards set by these fund investors or stockholders, they may choose not to invest in our funds or exclude our common stock from their investments. In addition, regulatory frameworks, such as the European Union’s SFDR, may increase our compliance costs and operational burdens.
Conversely, anti-ESG sentiment has been gaining momentum across the United States, with several states and the federal government having enacted or proposed policies or executive action restricting ESG-focused investment practices. For example, boycott bills target financial institutions that “boycott” or “discriminate against” companies in certain industries, such as energy and mining. These laws prohibit state entities from conducting business with or investing state assets, including pension plan funds, through such institutions, and certain ESG investment prohibitions require state entities or investment managers to base investment decisions solely on pecuniary factors, excluding the consideration of ESG factors. If investors subject to such legislation viewed our funds or practices, as being in contradiction of such “anti-ESG” policies, legislation or related legal opinions, such investors may not invest in our funds. These divergent stakeholder views expose us to competing pressures and increase litigation, regulatory and reputational risks that could have a material adverse impact on our ability to raise funds and negatively affect the price of our common stock.
Risks Related to Our Organizational Structure and Business Operations
We depend on our key personnel, and the loss of their services or the loss of investor confidence in such personnel could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
We depend on the efforts, skill, reputations and business contacts of our key personnel, including our Chief Executive Officer and our President, each of whom has entered into an employment agreement with us. For instance, the extent and nature of the experience of our executive officers and the nature of the relationships they have developed with digital infrastructure professionals, financial institutions, investors in certain of our investment vehicles and other members of the business community are critical to the success of our business. Changes to our management team have occurred in the past, and we cannot assure stockholders of the continued employment of these and other individuals with the Company.
There may be conflicts of interest between us and our Chief Executive Officer and certain other former senior DBH employees that could result in decisions that are not in the best interests of our stockholders.
Prior to our combination with DBH, Marc C. Ganzi, our Chief Executive Officer, Benjamin Jenkins, our President and Chief Investment Officer, and certain other DBRG employees who are former senior DBH employees (collectively, "Former DBH Employees") made personal investments in certain portfolio companies and/or related vehicles (collectively, the “DBH Portfolio Companies”), which DBH acquired along with a consortium of third-party investors. In the DBH combination, we acquired the contracts to provide investment advisory and other business services to the DBH Portfolio Companies, while the Former DBH Employees retained their respective investments in the DBH Portfolio Companies. As a result of these personal investments and related outside business activities, the Former DBH Employees may have control, veto rights or significant influence over, or be required to represent the interests of certain third-party investors in, major decisions and other operational matters at the DBH Portfolio Companies. In addition, Former DBH Employees may be entitled to receive carried interest payments from the DBH Portfolio Companies upon the occurrence of certain events. As a result, Former DBH Employees, may have different objectives than us regarding the performance and management of, transactions with or investment allocations to, the DBH Portfolio Companies. The Company has attempted, and will continue to attempt, to manage and mitigate actual or potential conflicts of interest between us, on the one hand, and the Former DBH Employees, on the other hand; however, there can be no assurances that such attempts will be effective.
As a result of their personal investments in DataBank and Vantage Data Centers (the prior owner of the assets from which the assets of Vantage SDC were spun out) prior to the Company’s acquisition of DBH and prior to the Company's investment in Vantage SDC, additional investments made by the Company in DataBank and Vantage SDC subsequent to their initial acquisitions have already and may in the future trigger future carried interest payments to the Former DBH Employees upon the occurrence of future realization events. Such investments made by the Company include ongoing payments for the buildout of expansion capacity, including lease-up of the expanded capacity and existing inventory, in Vantage SDC. In such transactions, the Company takes a series of steps to mitigate the conflicts in the transactions,
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including, among others, obtaining approval from an independent committee of the board of directors for any related party transactions. In addition, at the time of the Company's investment in Vantage SDC, Messrs. Ganzi and Jenkins agreed to roll their entitlements to future carried interest in Vantage SDC into equity in Vantage SDC to further align their interests with the Company. Additional information regarding payments to Messrs. Ganzi and Jenkins relating to DataBank and Vantage SDC acquisitions is included in Note 15 to the consolidated financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report.
Subject to our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics and related party transaction policies and procedures, as applicable, we may continue to enter into transactions or other arrangements with the DBH Portfolio Companies in which there are actual or potential conflicts of interests between us and Former DBH Employees. Despite having related party transaction policies and procedures in place and having conflict mitigants in such transactions, such transactions may not be on terms as favorable to us as they would have been if they had been negotiated among unrelated parties. In addition, such transactions may result in future conflicts of interest if the continuing interests of the Former DBH Employees in the transaction (if any) are not aligned with the Company's.
The occurrence of a cybersecurity incident or a failure to implement effective information and cybersecurity policies, procedures and capabilities has the potential to disrupt our operations, cause material harm to our financial condition, result in misappropriation of assets, compromise confidential information and/or damage our business relationships.
As an asset manager, our business is highly dependent on information technology networks and systems, including systems provided by third parties over which we have no control. We may also have limited opportunity to verify the security, effectiveness and resiliency of systems provided by third parties or to cause third parties to implement necessary or desirable improvements for such systems. In the normal course of business, we and our service providers process proprietary, confidential, and personal information provided by our customers, employees, and vendors. In addition to our information technology networks and systems, our funds’ portfolio companies maintain their own information technology networks and systems to access, store, transmit, and manage or support a variety of business processes and proprietary, confidential, and personal information. The risk of a cybersecurity incident or system or network disruption to networks and systems, including through cyber-attacks or cyber intrusions, including by computer hackers, nation-state affiliated actors, and cyber terrorists, has generally increased as the number, intensity and sophistication of attempted attacks and intrusions from around the world have increased. A cybersecurity incident or a significant and extended disruption to our or our funds’ portfolio companies’ systems or systems provided by third parties caused by a third-party or by employee error, negligence or fraud, or a failure to report such an incident or significant and extended disruption in the timeframe required by law, may result in compromise or corruption of, or unauthorized access to or acquisition of, proprietary, confidential, or personal information collected in the course of conducting our business, misappropriation of assets, disruption of our operations, material harm to our financial condition, cash flows, and the market price of our common shares, significant remediation expenses, and increased cybersecurity protection and insurance costs. A cybersecurity incident or disruption could also interfere with our ability to comply with financial reporting requirements or result in loss of competitive position, regulatory actions or increased regulatory scrutiny, litigation, breach of contracts, reputational harm, damage to our stakeholder relationships, or legal liability. While we may be entitled to damages if our third-party service providers fail to satisfy their cybersecurity-related obligations to us, any award may be insufficient to cover our damages, or we may be unable to recover such award. Additionally, future or past business transactions (such as acquisitions or integrations) could expose us to additional cybersecurity risks and vulnerabilities, as our systems could be negatively affected by vulnerabilities present in acquired or integrated entities’ systems and technologies. Furthermore, we may identify cybersecurity issues that were not found during due diligence of such acquired or integrated entities, and it may be difficult to integrate companies into our information technology environment and security program.
These risks require continuous and likely increasing attention and resources from us to, among other actions, identify and quantify these risks; upgrade and expand our technologies, systems, and processes to adequately address them; and provide periodic training for our employees to assist them in detecting phishing, malware, and other schemes. This diverts time and resources from other activities. In addition, the cost and operational consequences of responding to a cybersecurity incident or deficiency in our cybersecurity could be significant. Although we make efforts to maintain the security and integrity of our networks and systems, and the proprietary, confidential and personal information that resides on or is transmitted through them, and we have implemented various cybersecurity policies, procedures and capabilities to manage the risk of a cybersecurity incident or disruption, there can be no assurance that our cybersecurity efforts and measures will be effective or that attempted cybersecurity incidents or disruptions would not be successful or damaging. Due to the complexity and interconnectedness of our information technology networks and systems, and those upon which we rely, the process of upgrading or patching our protective measures could itself create a risk of cybersecurity issues or system disruptions for the Company, as well as for clients who rely upon, or have exposure to, such information technology networks and systems. Further, adoption of artificial intelligence (“AI”) tools by us or by third parties may pose new cybersecurity challenges. Threat actors may use AI tools to automate and enhance cybersecurity attacks against us.
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We use software and platforms designed to detect such cybersecurity threats, including AI-based tools, but these threats could become more sophisticated and harder to detect and counteract, which may pose significant risks to our data security and systems.
Moreover, data protection laws and regulations in the jurisdictions where we operate often require “reasonable,” “appropriate” or “adequate” technical and organizational cybersecurity measures, and the interpretation and application of those laws and regulations are often uncertain and evolving; there can be no assurance that our cybersecurity measures will be deemed adequate, appropriate or reasonable by a regulator or court. Increased regulation of data collection, use and retention practices, including self-regulation and industry standards, changes in existing laws and regulations, enactment of new laws and regulations, increased enforcement activity, and changes in interpretation of laws, could increase our cost of compliance and operation, limit our ability to grow our business or otherwise harm the Company.
While we have purchased cybersecurity insurance, there are no assurances that the coverage would be adequate in relation to any incurred losses. Moreover, as cyber-attacks and cyber intrusions increase in frequency and magnitude, we may be unable to obtain cybersecurity insurance in amounts and on terms we view as adequate for our operations.
Our funds’ portfolio companies also rely on similar systems and face similar risks. A disruption or compromise of these systems could have a material adverse effect on the value of these businesses. Our funds may invest in strategic assets having a national or regional profile or in infrastructure assets, the nature of which could expose them to a greater risk of being subject to a terrorist attack or cybersecurity incident than other assets or businesses. Such an event may have material adverse consequences on other of our investments or assets of the same type or may require applicable portfolio companies to increase preventative cybersecurity measures or expand insurance coverage.
We may not realize the anticipated benefits of our strategic partnerships and joint ventures.
We have and may continue to enter into strategic partnerships and joint ventures to support growth in our business. We may also make investments in partnerships or other co-ownership arrangements or participations with third parties. In connection with our investments, our partners provide, among other things, property management, investment advisory, sub-advisory and other services to us and certain of the companies that we manage. Any failure of our partners to perform their obligations may have a negative impact on our financial performance and results of operation. Additionally, we may not realize any of the anticipated benefits of our strategic partnerships and joint ventures. Such investments and any future strategic partnerships and/or joint ventures subject us and the companies we manage to risks and uncertainties not otherwise present with other methods of investment.
Risks related to emerging and changing technology, particularly artificial intelligence, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We may use AI tools in our operations, including machine learning technology and generative and agentic AI technologies. The current and potential future applications of these AI tools are rapidly evolving, as are the legal and regulatory frameworks that govern them. AI could significantly disrupt the markets in which we operate and subject us to increased competition, legal and regulatory risks and compliance costs, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Although AI tools may facilitate optimization and operational efficiencies, they also have the potential for inaccuracy, error, bias, infringement, or misappropriation of intellectual property, as well as risks related to data privacy and cybersecurity. The use of AI tools may introduce errors or inadequacies that are not easily detectable, including deficiencies, inaccuracies, or biases in the data used for AI training, or in the content, analyses, or recommendations generated by AI applications. This could reduce the effectiveness of AI tools and adversely impact us and our operations to the extent we rely on the work product of such technology in our operations. There is also a risk that AI tools may be misused or misappropriated by our employees and/or third parties engaged by us or with whom we partner, resulting in the unauthorized use or disclosure of confidential information, including material non-public information or personal information. Further, we may not be able to control how third-party AI technologies that we use are developed or maintained, or how data we input is used or disclosed, even where we have sought contractual protections with respect to these matters. As a result, we may be subject to regulatory actions or increased regulatory scrutiny, litigation, reputational harm, or legal liability. Additionally, the effort to gain technological expertise and develop new technologies in our business may be costly. Investments in technology systems and data analytics capabilities, including AI tools, may not deliver the benefits or perform as expected or may be replaced or become obsolete more quickly than expected, and we may not implement or use new technologies in the most effective way, which could result in operational difficulties or additional costs.
Some of our competitors may have instituted, or may institute, low-cost, high-speed applications and services based on AI, and new competitors may enter our industry using new platforms based on AI. We also face competitive risks
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related to the adoption and application of new technologies by established market participants or new entrants. If our peers use AI tools to optimize operations and we fail to leverage AI tools in a comparable manner, we may be competitively disadvantaged. Advances in technology, including through AI capabilities, automation, and other tools may require us to adapt our strategy, business and operations to address these trends and pressures. We may not be successful in anticipating or responding to these developments on a timely and cost-effective basis and as a result our competitive position may weaken and we could experience a material adverse effect on our operating results, customer relationships and growth opportunities.
The legal requirements relating to AI continue to evolve and remain uncertain, and such legal developments could impact our business and ability to enforce our proprietary rights or protect against infringement of those rights. Regulations related to AI also may impose certain obligations and costs related to monitoring and compliance as certain existing and proposed legal regimes, including those related to data privacy, regulate certain aspects of AI technology. We also may need to expend additional resources to modify and maintain our use of AI tools to comply with applicable law, the nature of which continues to evolve. The enforcement or interpretation of these laws may prevent or limit our ability to use AI in our business, lead to regulatory fines or penalties, or require us to change our business practices. We may also choose not to leverage AI or similar technologies in order to reduce potential risks and liabilities, which could harm our financial performance or increase expenses.
Additionally, our tenants, vendors investors, analysts and other of our stakeholders may use AI tools, which may present similar risks to those described above. Our vendors may use AI tools their products or services without our knowledge, and the providers of these tools may not meet the evolving regulatory or industry standards for privacy and data protection. Consequently, this may inhibit our or our vendors' ability to uphold an appropriate level of service and data privacy.
We are subject to substantial litigation risks and may face significant liabilities and damage to our professional reputation as a result of litigation allegations and negative publicity.
In the ordinary course of business, we are subject to the risk of substantial litigation and face significant regulatory oversight. Such litigation and proceedings, including, regulatory actions and shareholder class action suits, may result in defense costs, settlements, fines or judgments against us, some of which may not be covered by insurance or may result in disputes with insurance carriers relating to coverage. Litigation could be more likely in connection with a change of control transaction or during periods of market dislocation, shareholder activism or proxy contests. Due to the inherent uncertainties of litigation and regulatory proceedings, we cannot accurately predict the ultimate outcome of any such litigation or proceedings. An unfavorable outcome could negatively impact our cash flow, financial condition, results of operations and trading price of our shares of class A common stock.
In addition, even in the absence of misconduct, we may be exposed to litigation or other adverse consequences where investments perform poorly and investors in or alongside our managed companies experience losses. We depend to a large extent on our business relationships and our reputation for integrity and high-caliber professional services to attract and retain investors and to pursue investment opportunities for us and our managed companies. As a result, allegations of improper conduct by private litigants (including investors in or alongside our managed companies) or regulators, whether the ultimate outcome is favorable or unfavorable to us, as well as negative publicity and press speculation about us, our investment activities or the private equity industry in general, whether or not valid, may harm our reputation, which may be more damaging to our business than to other types of businesses.
Misconduct by our current and former employees, directors, advisers, third party-service providers or others affiliated with us could harm us by impairing our ability to attract and retain investors and by subjecting us to significant legal liability, regulatory scrutiny and reputational harm.
Our current and former employees, directors, advisers, third party-service providers or others affiliated with us could engage in misconduct or be accused of engaging in misconduct that adversely affects our business. We are subject to a number of obligations and standards arising from our asset management business and our authority over the assets managed by our asset management business. If anyone associated or affiliated with us, or the portfolio companies of the funds we manage, were to engage, or be accused of engaging in illegal or suspicious activities, sexual harassment, racial or gender discrimination, improper use or disclosure of confidential information, fraud, payment or solicitation of bribes, misrepresentation of products and services or any other type of similar misconduct or violation of other laws and regulations, we could suffer serious harm to our brand and reputation, be subject to penalties or sanctions, face difficulties in raising funds, and suffer serious harm to our financial position and current and future business relationships, as well as face potentially significant litigation or investigations.
In recent years, the U.S. Department of Justice and the SEC have devoted greater resources to enforcement of the FCPA. In addition, the U.K. has also significantly expanded the reach of its anti-bribery laws. While we have developed
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and implemented policies and procedures designed to ensure strict compliance by us and our personnel with the FCPA and other anti-corruption laws, such policies and procedures may not be effective in all instances to prevent violations. In addition, we may face an increased risk of such misconduct to the extent our investment in non-U.S. markets, particularly emerging markets, increases. Any determination that we have violated the FCPA, the U.K. anti-bribery laws or other applicable anti-corruption laws, could subject us to, among other things, civil and criminal penalties or material fines, profit disgorgement, injunctions on future conduct, securities litigation and a general loss of investor confidence, any one of which could adversely affect our business prospects, financial position or the market value of our common stock.
We have been and may continue to be subject to the actions of activist stockholders, which could cause us to incur substantial costs, divert management's attention and resources, and have an adverse effect on our business.
We have been and may continue to be the subject of increased activity by activist stockholders. Responding to stockholder activism can be costly and time-consuming, disrupt our operations and divert the attention of management and our employees from executing our business plan. Activist campaigns can create perceived uncertainties as to our future direction, strategy or leadership and may result in the loss of potential business opportunities, harm our ability to attract new investors, tenants/operators/managers and joint venture partners, cause us to incur increased legal, advisory and other expenses and cause our stock price to experience periods of volatility or stagnation. Moreover, if individuals are elected to our board of directors with a specific agenda, even though less than a majority, our ability to effectively and timely implement our current initiatives and execute on our long-term strategy may be adversely affected.
Risks Related to Financing
We require capital to continue to operate and grow our business, and the failure to obtain such capital, either through the public or private markets or other third-party sources of capital, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and ability to maintain our dividends to our stockholders.
We require capital to fund acquisitions and originations of our target investments, to fund our operations, including overhead costs, to fund dividends to our stockholders and to repay principal and interest on our borrowings. We expect to meet our capital requirements using cash on hand and cash flow generated from our operations and investments. However, we may also have to rely on third-party sources of capital, including public and private offerings of securities and debt financings. Third-party financing may not be available to us when needed, on favorable terms, or at all. If we are unable to obtain adequate financing to fund or grow our business, it could have a material adverse effect on our ability to acquire additional assets and make our debt service payments, and our financial condition, results of operations and the ability to fund our distributions to our stockholders would be materially adversely affected.
Changes in the debt financing markets or higher interest rates could negatively impact the value of certain assets or investments and the ability of our funds and their portfolio companies to access the capital markets on attractive terms, which could adversely affect investment and realization opportunities, lead to lower-yielding investments and potentially decrease our net income.
A significant contraction or weakening in the market for debt financing or other adverse change relating to the terms of debt financing, including higher interest rates and equity requirements and more restrictive covenants, could have a material adverse impact on our business and that of our investment funds and their portfolio companies. Additionally, higher interest rates may create downward pressure on the price of digital infrastructure assets, increase the cost and availability of debt financing for the transactions our funds may pursue and decrease the value of fixed-rate debt investments made by our funds. If our funds are unable to obtain committed debt financing for potential acquisitions or are only able to obtain debt financing at unfavorable interest rates or on unfavorable terms, our funds may have difficulty completing acquisitions that may have otherwise been profitable or if completed, such acquisitions could generate lower than expected profits, each of which could lead to a decrease in our net income. Further, should the equity markets experience a period of sustained declines in values as a result of concerns regarding higher interest rates, our funds may face increased difficulty in realizing value from investments.
Our funds’ portfolio companies also regularly utilize the corporate debt markets in order to obtain financing for their operations. To the extent monetary policy, tax or other regulatory changes or difficult credit markets render such financing difficult to obtain, more expensive or otherwise less attractive, this may also negatively impact the financial results of those portfolio companies and, therefore, the investment returns on our funds. In addition, to the extent that market conditions and/or tax or other regulatory changes make it difficult or impossible to refinance debt that is maturing in the near term, some of our funds’ portfolio companies may be unable to repay such debt at maturity and may be forced to sell assets, undergo a recapitalization or seek bankruptcy protection.
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Increases in interest rates could adversely affect the value of our investments and cause our interest expense to increase, which could result in reduced earnings or losses and negatively affect our profitability as well as the cash available for distribution to our stockholders.
The value of our investments in certain assets may decline if long-term interest rates increase or remain elevated. Declines in the value of our investments may ultimately reduce earnings or result in losses to us, which may negatively affect cash available for distribution to our stockholders. In addition, in a period of rising interest rates, our operating results will partially depend on the difference between the income from our assets and financing costs. We anticipate that, in some cases, the income from such assets will respond more slowly to interest rate fluctuations than the cost of our borrowings. Consequently, changes in interest rates, particularly short-term interest rates, may significantly influence our net interest income, which is the difference between the interest income we earn on our interest-earning investments and the interest expense we incur in financing these investments. Increases in these rates could decrease our net income and the market value of our assets.
Rising interest rates may also affect the yield on our investments or target investments and the financing cost of our debt. If rising interest rates cause us to be unable to acquire a sufficient volume of our target investments with a yield that is above our borrowing cost, our ability to satisfy our investment objectives and to generate income and pay dividends may be materially and adversely affected. Due to the foregoing, significant fluctuations in interest rates could materially and adversely affect our results of operations, financial conditions and our ability to make distributions to our stockholders.
We may not be able to generate sufficient cash flow to meet all of our existing or potential future debt service obligations.
Our ability to meet all of our existing or potential future debt service obligations (including those under our securitized debt instruments), to refinance our existing or potential future indebtedness, and to fund our operations, working capital, acquisitions, capital expenditures, and other important business uses, depends on our ability to generate sufficient cash flow in the future. Our future cash flow is subject to, among other factors, general economic, industry, financial, competitive, operating, legislative, and regulatory conditions, many of which are beyond our control.
We cannot assure you that our business will generate sufficient cash flow from operations or that future sources of cash will be available to us on favorable terms, or at all, in amounts sufficient to enable us to meet all of our existing or potential future debt service obligations, or to fund our other important business uses or liquidity needs. Furthermore, if we incur additional indebtedness in connection with future acquisitions or for any other purpose, our existing or potential future debt service obligations could increase significantly and our ability to meet those obligations could depend, in large part, on the returns from such acquisitions or projects, as to which no assurance can be given.
Furthermore, our obligations under the terms of our borrowings could impact us negatively. For example, such obligations could:
• limit our ability to obtain additional financing for working capital, capital expenditures, debt service requirements, acquisitions and general corporate or other purposes;
• restrict us from making strategic acquisitions or cause us to make non-strategic divestitures;
• restrict us from paying dividends to our stockholders;
• increase our vulnerability to general economic and industry conditions; and
• require a substantial portion of cash flow from operations to be dedicated to the payment of principal and interest on our borrowings, thereby reducing our ability to use cash flow to fund our operations, capital expenditures and future business opportunities.
We may also need to refinance all or a portion of our indebtedness at or prior to the scheduled maturity. Our ability to refinance our indebtedness or obtain additional financing will depend on, among other things, (i) our business, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations, distributable earnings ("DE") prospects, and then-current market conditions; and (ii) restrictions in the agreements governing our indebtedness. As a result, we may not be able to refinance any of our indebtedness or obtain additional financing on favorable terms, or at all.
In particular, our securitization co-issuers’ ability to refinance the securitization debt instruments or sell their interests in the securitization collateral will be affected by a number of factors, including the availability of credit for the collateral, the fair market value of the securitization collateral, our securitization entities’ financial condition, the operating history of the securitization managed funds, tax laws and general economic conditions. The ability of our securitization entities to sell or refinance their interests in the securitization collateral at or before the anticipated repayment date of the
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securitization debt instruments will also be affected by the degree of our success in forming new funds as additional managed funds for the securitization collateral pool. In the event that our securitization entities are not able to refinance the securitization debt instruments prior to the anticipated repayment date for such instruments, the interest payable on such securitization debt instruments will increase, which will reduce the cash flow available to us for other purposes.
If we do not generate sufficient cash flow from operations and additional borrowings or refinancings are not available to us, we may be unable to meet all of our existing or potential future debt service obligations. As a result, we would be forced to take other actions to meet those obligations, such as selling assets, raising equity or delaying capital expenditures, any of which could have a material adverse effect on us. Furthermore, we cannot assure you that we will be able to effect any of these actions on favorable terms, or at all.
The securitization transaction documents impose certain restrictions on our activities or the activities of our subsidiaries, and the failure to comply with such restrictions could adversely affect our business.
The indenture and other agreements entered into by certain of our subsidiaries contain various covenants that limit our and our subsidiaries’ ability to engage in specified types of transactions. For example, among other things our covenants restrict (subject to certain exceptions) the ability of certain subsidiaries to:
• incur or guarantee additional indebtedness;
• sell certain assets;
• alter the business conducted by our subsidiaries;
• create new subsidiaries or alter our current cash distribution arrangements;
• create or incur liens on certain assets; or
• consolidate, merge, sell or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of the assets held within the securitization entities.
In addition, under the transaction documents related to our securitization transactions, a failure to comply with certain covenants could prevent our securitization entities from distributing any excess cash to us, which may limit our ability to make distributions to our stockholders.
As a result of these restrictions, we may not have adequate resources or the flexibility to continue to manage the business and provide for our growth, which could adversely affect our future growth prospects, financial condition, results of operations and liquidity.
The securitized debt instruments issued by certain of our wholly-owned subsidiaries have restrictive terms, and any failure to comply with such terms could result in default, which could adversely affect our business.
The securitization debt instruments are subject to a series of covenants and restrictions customary for transactions of this type, including (i) that the securitization co-issuers maintain specified reserve accounts to be used to make required payments in respect of the securitization notes, (ii) provisions relating to optional and mandatory prepayments and the related payment of specified amounts, including specified prepayment consideration in the case of the securitization term notes under certain circumstances, (iii) in the event that the securitization notes are not fully repaid by their applicable respective anticipated repayment dates, provisions relating to additional interest that will begin to accrue from and after such respective anticipated repayment dates and (iv) covenants relating to record keeping, access to information and similar matters. The securitization notes are also subject to customary amortization events, including events tied to failure to maintain stated debt service coverage ratios. The securitization notes are also subject to certain customary events of default, including events relating to non-payment of required interest, principal, or other amounts due on or with respect to the securitization notes, failure to comply with covenants within certain time frames, certain bankruptcy events, breaches of specified representations and warranties and the termination for cause of certain limited partnership agreements of investment vehicles managed by us resulting in a specified percentage decrease of annualized recurring fees.
In the event that an amortization event occurs under the indenture which would require repayment of the securitization debt instruments or in the event of failure to repay or refinance the securitized debt instruments prior to the anticipated repayment date, the funds available to us would be reduced, which would in turn reduce our ability to operate and/or grow our business. If our subsidiaries are not able to generate sufficient cash flow to service their debt obligations, they may need to refinance or restructure debt, sell assets, reduce or delay capital investments, or seek to raise additional capital. If our subsidiaries are unable to implement one or more of these alternatives, they may not be able to meet debt payment and other obligations which could have an adverse effect on our financial condition.
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Our use of leverage to finance our businesses exposes us to substantial risks.
As of December 31, 2025, we had $300 million in borrowings outstanding under our securitized financing facility. We may choose to finance our businesses operations through further borrowings under the securitized financing facility or by issuing additional debt. Our existing and future indebtedness exposes us to the typical risks associated with the use of leverage, including the risks related to changes in debt financing markets and higher interest rates.
Risks Related to Ownership of Our Securities
The market price and trading volume of our class A common stock has been and may continue to be volatile and holders of our class A common stock could lose all or a significant portion of their investment due to drops in the market price of our class A common stock.
The market price of our class A common stock has been and may continue to be volatile. Our stockholders may not be able to resell their common stock at or above the implied price at which they acquired such common stock due to fluctuations in the market price of our class A common stock, including changes in market price caused by factors unrelated to our operating performance or prospects. Additionally, this volatility and other factors have and may continue to induce stockholder activism, which has been increasing in publicly traded companies in recent years and to which we have and continue to be subject, and could materially disrupt our business, operations and ability to make distributions to our stockholders.
We may issue additional equity securities, which may dilute your interest in us.
In order to expand our business, we may consider offering class A common stock and securities that are convertible into our class A common stock and may issue additional class A common stock in connection with acquisitions or joint ventures. If we issue and sell additional shares of our class A common stock, the ownership interests of our existing stockholders will be diluted to the extent they do not participate in the offering. The number of shares of class A common stock that we may issue for cash in non-public offerings without stockholder approval is limited by the rules of the NYSE. However, we may issue and sell shares of our class A common stock in public offerings, and there generally are exceptions that allow companies to issue a limited number of equity securities in private offerings without stockholder approval, which could dilute your ownership.
In addition, we have and may continue to issue OP units in the OP to current employees or third parties without stockholder approval. Subject to any applicable vesting or lock-up restrictions and pursuant to the terms and conditions of the OP agreement, a holder of OP units may elect to redeem such OP units for cash or, at the Company's option, shares of our class A common stock on a one-for-one basis. As a result of such OP unit issuances and potential future issuances, your ownership will be diluted.
Our board of directors may modify our authorized shares of stock of any class or series and may create and issue a class or series of common stock or preferred stock without stockholder approval.
Our Articles of Amendment and Restatement, as amended (our "Charter"), authorizes our board of directors to, without stockholder approval, classify any unissued shares of common stock or preferred stock; reclassify any previously classified, but unissued, shares of common stock or preferred stock into one or more classes or series of stock; and issue such shares of stock so classified or reclassified. Our board of directors may determine the relative rights, preferences, and privileges of any class or series of common stock or preferred stock issued. As a result, we may issue series or classes of common stock or preferred stock with preferences, dividends, powers, and rights (voting or otherwise) senior to the rights of current holders of our class A common stock. The issuance of any such classes or series of common stock or preferred stock could also have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control transaction that might otherwise be in the best interests of our stockholders.
An investment in our shares is not an investment in any of the funds we manage, and the assets and revenues of such funds are not directly available to us.
Shares of class A common stock are securities of the Company only. While our historical consolidated and combined financial information includes financial information, including assets and revenues of certain funds we manage on a consolidated basis, and our future financial information will continue to consolidate certain of these funds, such assets and revenues are available to the fund and not to us except through management fees, performance fees, distributions in respect of the Company’s investment in such funds and other proceeds arising from agreements with such funds.
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Risks Related to Our Incorporation in Maryland and Our Structure
Certain provisions of Maryland law could inhibit changes in control.
Certain provisions of the Maryland General Corporation Law ("MGCL") may have the effect of inhibiting a third party from making a proposal to acquire us or impeding a change of control that could provide our stockholders with the opportunity to realize a premium over the then-prevailing market price of our common stock, including:
• “business combination” provisions that, subject to limitations, prohibit certain business combinations between us and an “interested stockholder” (defined generally as any person who beneficially owns 10% or more of the voting power of our outstanding voting stock), or an affiliate thereof, for five years after the most recent date on which the stockholder becomes an interested stockholder, and thereafter imposes special appraisal rights and supermajority voting requirements on these combinations; and
• “control share” provisions that provide that holders of “control shares” of our company (defined as voting shares which, when aggregated with all other shares owned or controlled by the stockholder, entitle the stockholder to exercise one of three increasing ranges of voting power in electing directors) acquired in a “control share acquisition” (defined as the direct or indirect acquisition of ownership or control of issued and outstanding “control shares”) have no voting rights except to the extent approved by our stockholders by the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of all the votes entitled to be cast on the matter, excluding all interested shares.
The statute permits various exemptions from its provisions, including business combinations that are exempted by a board of directors prior to the time that the “interested stockholder” becomes an interested stockholder. Our board of directors has, by resolution, exempted any business combination between us and any person who is an existing, or becomes in the future, an “interested stockholder,” provided that any such business combination is first approved by our board of directors (including a majority of the directors of our Company who are not affiliates or associates of such person). Consequently, the five-year prohibition and the supermajority vote requirements will not apply to business combinations between us and any such person. As a result, such person may be able to enter into business combinations with us that may not be in the best interest of our stockholders, without compliance with the supermajority vote requirements and the other provisions of the statute. Additionally, this resolution may be altered, revoked or repealed in whole or in part at any time and we may opt back into the business combination provisions of the MGCL. If this resolution is revoked or repealed, the statute may discourage others from trying to acquire control of us and increase the difficulty of consummating any offer. In the case of the control share provisions of the MGCL, we have elected to opt out of these provisions of the MGCL pursuant to a provision in our bylaws.
Conflicts of interest may exist or could arise in the future with the OP and its members, which may impede business decisions that could benefit our stockholders.
Conflicts of interest may exist or could arise as a result of the relationships between us and our affiliates, on the one hand, and the OP or any member thereof, on the other. Our directors and officers have duties to our Company and our stockholders under applicable Maryland law in connection with their management of our Company. At the same time, the Company, as sole managing member of the OP, has fiduciary duties to the OP and to its members under Delaware law in connection with the management of the OP. Our duties to the OP and its members, as the sole managing member, may come into conflict with the duties of our directors and officers to our Company and our stockholders. As of the date of this report, Messrs. Ganzi and Jenkins indirectly own approximately 1.6% and 1.3%, respectively, in the OP. These conflicts may be resolved in a manner that is not in the best interest of our stockholders.
Regulatory Risks
Extensive regulation in the United States and abroad affects our activities, increases the cost of doing business and creates the potential for significant liabilities that could adversely affect our business and results of operations.
Our business is subject to extensive regulation, including periodic examinations by governmental agencies and self-regulatory organizations in the jurisdictions in which we operate around the world. Many of these regulators, including U.S. and foreign government agencies and self-regulatory organizations and state securities commissions in the United States, are empowered to grant, and in specific circumstances to cancel, permissions to carry on particular activities, and to conduct investigations and administrative proceedings that can result in fines, suspensions of personnel or other sanctions, including censure, the issuance of cease-and-desist orders or the suspension or expulsion of applicable licenses and memberships.
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In recent years, the SEC and its staff have focused on issues relevant to global investment firms and have formed specialized units devoted to examining such firms and, in certain cases, bringing enforcement actions against the firms, their principals and their employees. Such actions and settlements involving U.S.-based private fund advisers generally have involved a number of issues, including the undisclosed allocation of the fees, costs and expenses related to unconsummated co-investment transactions (i.e., the allocation of broken deal expenses), undisclosed legal fee arrangements affording the adviser greater discounts than those afforded to funds advised by such adviser and the undisclosed acceleration of certain special fees. Recent SEC focus areas have also included, among other things, compliance with the SEC's marketing rule and custody rule, the misuse of material non-public information, material impacts on portfolio companies owned by private funds, and compliance with practices described in fund disclosures regarding the use of limited partner advisory committees, including whether advisory committee approvals were properly obtained in accordance with fund disclosures.
The SEC’s oversight, inspections and examinations of global investment firms, including our firm, have focused on transparency, investor disclosure practices, fees and expenses, valuation and conflicts of interest and whether firms have adequate policies and procedures to ensure compliance with federal securities laws in connection with these and other areas of focus. While we believe we have procedures in place reasonably designed to monitor and make appropriate and timely disclosures regarding the engagement and compensation of our affiliated services providers and other matters of current regulatory focus, the SEC’s inspections of our firm have raised concerns about these and other areas of our operations. In September 2024, Colony Capital Investment Advisors, LLC (“CCIA”), the investment adviser to certain legacy funds and vehicles holding legacy assets, entered into a settlement agreement with the SEC that resolved the previously disclosed SEC examination into certain alleged deficiencies identified in the examination relating to CCIA’s compliance with its fiduciary duty, duty of care and disclosure of affiliate transactions involving certain legacy businesses and operations.
In addition, in recent years the SEC and several states have initiated investigations alleging that certain private equity firms and hedge funds, or agents acting on their behalf, have paid money to current or former government officials or their associates in exchange for improperly soliciting contracts with the state pension funds (i.e., “ pay to play” practices). Such “pay to play” practices are subject to extensive federal and state regulation, and any failure on our part to comply with rules surrounding “pay to play” practices could expose us to significant penalties and reputational damage.
Further, we regularly are subject to requests for information and informal or formal investigations by the SEC and other regulatory authorities, with which we routinely cooperate, and even historical practices that have been previously examined may be revisited. Even if an investigation or proceeding does not result in a sanction or the sanction imposed against us or our personnel by a regulator were small in monetary amount, the costs incurred in responding to such matters could be material and the adverse publicity relating to the investigation, proceeding or imposition of these sanctions could harm our reputation and cause us to lose existing investors or fail to gain new investors or discourage others from doing business with us.
In addition, we regularly rely on exemptions from various requirements of the Securities Act, the Exchange Act, the 1940 Act, the Commodity Exchange Act and ERISA in conducting our investment activities in the United States. Similarly, in conducting our investment activities outside the United States, we rely on available exemptions from the regulatory regimes of various foreign jurisdictions. These exemptions from regulation within the United States and abroad 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 become unavailable to us, we could become subject to regulatory action or third-party claims and our business could be materially and adversely affected. Moreover, the requirements imposed by our regulators are designed primarily to ensure the integrity of the financial markets and to protect investors in our funds and are not designed to protect our stockholders. Consequently, these regulations often serve to limit our activities and impose burdensome compliance requirements.
In recent years, the SEC has proposed substantial new regulations and, more recently in 2025, rescinded certain rule proposals or extended the effectiveness of other proposals. Nevertheless, 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 on adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition, reputation or prospects, impair employee retention or recruitment, increase the need for broader insurance coverage and require substantial additional attention by our senior management. Adoption of new rules and amendments to existing rules could significantly impact us and our operations, including by increasing compliance burdens and associated regulatory costs and complexity. In addition, new or changed rules enhance the risk of regulatory action, which could adversely impact our reputation and our fundraising efforts, including as a result of public regulatory sanctions and increased regulatory enforcement activity in the financial services industry.
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In addition to regulatory and legal developments in the U.S., other jurisdictions, including many European jurisdictions, have proposed modernizing financial regulations that have called for, among other things, increased regulation of and disclosure with respect to, and possibly registration of, hedge funds, private investment funds and their managers such as through the AIFM Directive discussed below. Regulatory agencies in the United States, Europe, Asia or elsewhere may adopt burdensome laws (including tax laws) or regulations, or changes in law or regulation, or in the interpretation or enforcement thereof, which are specifically targeted at the private investment fund industry, or other changes that could adversely affect private investment firms and the funds they sponsor.
The European Union Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (“AIFMD”) was transposed into national law within the member states of the European Economic Area ("EEA") pursuant to national laws and regulations adopted by those states. In the UK, a retained version of AIFMD was implemented primarily through the Alternative Investment Fund Managers Regulations 2013, as amended by the Alternative Investment Fund Managers (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019, and the Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”) Handbook of Rules and Guidance (together, the “UK AIFMD”). The interpretation and application of AIFMD and UK AIFMD may evolve due to, for example, guidance issued by the European Securities and Markets Authority (“ESMA”) or further amendments to applicable legislation. On February 26, 2024, the European Council unanimously adopted the text of a directive amending AIFMD and Directive 2009/65/EC (the “AIFMD II”). AIFMD II entered into force on April 15, 2024, and EU member states must implement it into national law by April 16, 2026, subject to certain transition provisions. AIFMD II introduces new requirements relating to concentration limits, restrictions on lending to connected entities, leverage and risk retention obligations for loan-originating funds, and mandatory liquidity management mechanisms. While the directive establishes a general framework, aspects of its implementation may be subject to further clarification through ESMA guidelines, secondary EU legislation, and national implementing measures in relevant EEA member states.
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 as a result of, among others, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, may impose additional costs on us, require the attention of our senior management or result in limitations on the manner in which we conduct our business. We may become subject to additional regulatory and compliance burdens as we expand our product offerings and investment platform, including raising additional funds. Moreover, as calls for additional regulation have increased as a result of heightened regulatory focus in the financial industry, there may be a related increase in regulatory investigations of the trading and other investment activities of alternative asset management funds, including our managed companies. Compliance with any new laws or regulations could make compliance more difficult and expensive, affect the manner in which we conduct our business and adversely affect our profitability.
Failure to satisfy the 40% limitation or to qualify for an exception or exemption from registration under the 1940 Act under Rule 3a-1 or otherwise could require us to register as an investment company or substantially change the way we conduct our business, either of which may have an adverse effect on us and the market price for shares of our class A common stock.
We intend to conduct our operations so that we and our subsidiaries are not required to register as investment companies under the 1940 Act. Compliance with the 40% limitation on holding investment securities under the 1940 Act and maintenance of applicable exceptions or exemptions, including Rule 3a-1 which provides an exemption for a company primarily engaged in a non-investment company business based on the nature of its assets and the sources of income, impose certain requirements on how we structure our balance sheet investments and manage our sponsored funds. Continuing satisfaction of the 40% limitation or qualification for Rule 3a-1 or another exception or exemption from registration under the 1940 Act will limit our ability to make certain investments or change the relevant mix of our investments.
If we fail to satisfy the 40% limitation or to maintain any applicable exception or exemption from registration as an investment company under the 1940 Act, either because of changes in SEC guidance or otherwise, we could be required to, among other things: (i) substantially change the manner in which we conduct our operations and the assets that we own to avoid being required to register as an investment company under the 1940 Act; or (ii) register as an investment company. Either of (i) or (ii) could have an adverse effect on us and the market price for shares of our class A common stock. If we are required to register as an investment company under the 1940 Act, we would become subject to substantial regulation with respect to our capital structure (including our ability to use leverage), management, operations, transactions with affiliated persons (as defined in the 1940 Act), portfolio composition, including restrictions with respect to diversification and industry concentration, and other matters.
Privacy and data protection regulations are complex and rapidly evolving areas. Any failure or alleged failure to comply with these laws could harm our business, reputation, financial condition, and operating results.
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Various federal, state, and foreign laws and regulations as well as industry standards and contractual obligations govern the collection, use, retention, protection, disclosure, cross-border transfer, localization, sharing, and security of the data we receive from and about our customers, employees, and other individuals. The regulatory environment for the collection and use of personal information for companies, including for those that own and manage data centers and other communications technologies, is evolving in the United States and internationally. The U.S. federal government, U.S. states, and foreign governments have enacted (or are considering) laws and regulations that may restrict our ability to collect, use, and disclose personal information and may increase or change our obligations with respect to storing or managing our own data, including our employees’ personal information, as well as our clients’ data, which may include individuals’ personal information. For example, the EU GDPR imposes detailed requirements related to the collection, storage, and use of personal information related to people located in the EU (or which is processed in the context of EU operations) and places data protection obligations and restrictions on organizations, and may require us to make further changes to our policies and procedures in the future beyond what we have already done. In addition, in the wake of the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the EU, the United Kingdom has adopted a framework similar to the GDPR. The EU has confirmed that the UK data protection framework as being “adequate” to receive EU personal data. We are monitoring recent developments regarding amendments to the UK data protection framework and the impact this may have on our business.
Privacy and consumer rights groups and government bodies (including the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”)), state attorneys general, the European Commission, and data protection authorities in Europe, the UK, Singapore, and other jurisdictions, are increasingly scrutinizing privacy, and we expect such scrutiny to continue to increase. This could result in loss of competitive position, regulatory actions or increased regulatory scrutiny, litigation, breach of contract, reputational harm, damage to our stakeholder relationships, or legal liability. We cannot predict how future laws, regulations and standards, or future interpretations of current laws, regulations and standards, related to privacy and data protection will affect our business, and we cannot predict the cost of compliance.
Risks Related to Taxation
We may fail to realize the anticipated benefits of becoming a taxable C Corporation or those benefits may take longer to realize than expected.
We believe that no longer qualifying for REIT status and becoming a taxable C Corporation has, among other things, provided us with greater flexibility to use our free cash flows as we are no longer required to operate under the REIT rules, including the requirement to distribute at least 90% of our taxable income to our stockholders. However, the amount of our free cash flows may not meet our expectations, which may reduce, or eliminate, the anticipated benefits of the transition from a REIT to a taxable C Corporation. For example, if our cash flows do not meet our expectations, we may be unable to reduce our net recourse debt and deleverage our debt as quickly as we desire. Moreover, there can be no assurance that the anticipated benefits of the transition from a REIT to a taxable C Corporation will offset its costs, which could be greater than we expect. Our failure to achieve the anticipated benefits of the transition from a REIT to a taxable C Corporation at all, or in a timely manner, or a failure of any benefits realized to offset its costs, could negatively affect our business, financial condition, results of operations or the market price of our common stock.
Our ability to use capital loss and NOL carryforwards to reduce future tax payments may be limited.
We have capital loss and NOL carryforwards that we may be able to use to reduce the income taxes that we owe following the termination of our REIT election beginning with our taxable year ended December 31, 2022. However, we must have taxable income or gains in future periods to benefit from these capital loss and NOL carryforwards, and there is a risk that we may not be profitable in future periods.
In addition, our ability to utilize capital loss and NOL carryforwards may be limited by various tax rules, including Sections 382 and 383 of the Code which generally apply if we undergo an “ownership change.” Our use of capital losses or NOLs arising after the date of an ownership change generally would not be affected by the limitations under Sections 382 and 383 (unless there were another ownership change after those new losses arose). In general, an “ownership change” occurs if there is a greater than 50 percentage point change (by value) in a corporation’s equity ownership by certain stockholders over a rolling three-year period. Similar provisions of state tax law may also apply to limit our use of existing state tax attributes such as NOLs. While we do not believe that we have experienced ownership changes in the past that would materially limit our ability to utilize our capital loss and NOL carryforwards, the rules under Sections 382 and 383 are complex and there is no assurance our view is correct or that an ownership change will not occur in the future. Also, to the extent not prohibited by our Charter we may decide in the future that it is necessary or in our interest to take certain actions, including issuing additional shares of our stock, that could result in an ownership change. In the event that we experience one or more ownership changes in the future, our ability to use our pre-change capital loss and NOL
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carryforwards and other tax attributes to offset our taxable income will be subject to limitations. As a result, we may be unable to use a material portion of the capital loss and NOL carryforwards and other tax attributes, which could adversely affect our future cash flows. In addition, we may be discouraged from issuing additional common stock to raise capital or to acquire businesses or assets because such issuance may result in an ownership change that would cause the limitations imposed by Section 382 and 383 to apply to our capital loss and NOL carryforwards.
We could be subject to increased taxes if the tax authorities in various international jurisdictions were to modify tax rules and regulations on which we have relied in structuring our international investments.
We currently receive favorable tax treatment in various international jurisdictions through tax rules, regulations, tax authority rulings, and international tax treaties. Should changes occur to these rules, regulations, rulings or treaties, we may no longer receive such benefits, and consequently, the amount of taxes we pay with respect to our international investments may increase.
There is a risk of changes in the tax law applicable to an investment in us.
The IRS, the United States Treasury Department, and Congress frequently review U.S. federal income tax legislation, regulations, and other guidance. We cannot predict whether, when, or to what extent new U.S. federal tax laws, regulations, interpretations, or rulings will be adopted. Any legislative action may prospectively or retroactively modify our tax treatment and, therefore, may adversely affect our taxation or the taxation of our stockholders. We urge you to consult with your tax advisor with respect to the status of legislative, regulatory, or administrative developments and proposals and their potential effect on an investment in our stock.
