AllianceBernstein (AB) Risk Analysis

We rely on various counterparties and third-party vendors to enhance our investment, operational, financial, and technological capabilities. However, using third-party vendors does not diminish our responsibility to meet client and regulatory obligations. During market stress, default rates, credit downgrades, and collateral valuation disputes can increase significantly. Financial market disruptions and economic challenges may cause our counterparties and vendors to face cash flow problems or insolvency, leading to significant costs and impairing our business operations. Weaknesses or failures in a vendor's processes, systems, or business continuity plans can disrupt our operations. Additionally, vendors may lack the infrastructure to safeguard our confidential data effectively. If we cannot manage the risks associated with third-party relationships, we may face fines, disciplinary action, and reputational damage.

Our financial performance relies on our ability to quickly adapt to changes in the asset management industry, meet evolving client needs, and develop, market, and manage new investment products and services. Creating new products, including those focused on specific industries, sectors, or criteria like ESG, requires continuous innovation, significant time, resources, and ongoing support. Introducing new products and services involves substantial risks and uncertainties, such as establishing appropriate operational controls, adapting to shifting client and market preferences, facing competition, and complying with regulatory requirements. We cannot guarantee that we will successfully develop new products and services within the necessary timeframes. Failure to do so, or to manage the associated operational risks effectively, could damage our reputation, increase costs, and negatively impact our AUM, revenues, and operating income.

Ensuring the continuity and effectiveness of our information and cyber security infrastructure, policies, procedures, and capabilities is crucial to protect our systems and data. Despite our protective measures, including advanced security technology, our systems may still be vulnerable to unauthorized access, supply chain attacks, computer viruses, and other security threats, such as cybercriminal attacks (e.g., phishing and ransomware). These threats could significantly harm our operations, our ability to service our clients and our reputation. We also take precautions to password-protect and encrypt our laptops and other mobile devices. However, if these devices are stolen, misplaced, or left unattended, they could be hacked or used without authorization, posing a security risk and potentially leading to costly consequences. Although we have a robust cybersecurity infrastructure and incident preparedness strategy that we test frequently, we may not always respond quickly enough to a cyber incident. Any delay in response could damage our reputation, lead to litigation and regulatory scrutiny, and incur significant remediation costs. For more details see "Cybersecurity" in Item 1C.

We compete based on factors such as investment performance, range of services, innovation, reputation, and price. Our global presence means we often face competitors with more experience and established relationships in local markets, potentially hindering our expansion. If we fail to maintain or improve our investment performance, client flows may suffer, making competition more challenging. Increased competition could reduce the demand for our products and services, adversely affecting on our financial condition, results of operations and business prospects. For more information regarding competitive factors, see "Competition" in Item 1.

We derive most of our revenues from investment advisory and services fees, typically calculated as a percentage of the value of AUM on a specified date or as an average over a billing period. These fees vary based on the type of service, account size, and total assets managed for a client. Several factors can adversely affect our AUM and composition, including: - Market Factors: Our AUM remain sensitive to global financial market volatility, such as the inflationary pressures and interest rate increases in 2022 and 2023, followed by interest rate decreases and renewed inflationary concerns in 2024. Continued global economic uncertainty may lead to market volatility, potentially reducing our revenues and net income. Interconnected global economies mean that instability in one region can impact others. Political, social, or economic instability, wars (e.g., Ukraine and the Middle East), terrorism, health crises (e.g., COVID-19), natural disasters, and other unforeseen events can significantly affect financial markets and our AUM, revenues, and net income. Market volatility and reduced margin financing availability can limit liquidity, making it difficult to sell certain securities at their true value. While liquidity was stable in 2024, future deterioration could adversely affect our AUM, revenues, and net income. - Geographic and Geopolitical Factors: Our clients and our AUM are geographically diverse as approximately 27% of our clients' domicile is outside the US (primarily Europe, Asia, and the Americas) and approximately 38% of our AUM by Investment Services are non-US. Local or regional events including political, social, or economic instability, wars (e.g., Ukraine and the Middle East), challenges to currently recognized international borders (such as those made by China toward Taiwan), terrorism, health crises (e.g., COVID-19), natural disasters, and other unforeseen events can significantly affect our clients' demand for our services, local and regional financial markets, and our AUM, revenues, and net income. Specifically, our clients and the investment funds we manage in mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, as well as any of our investment services with a regional investment focus in this geographic area, may be significantly impacted by a China/Taiwan conflict. The disputed status of Taiwan and the possibility of military conflict with China is a significant geopolitical risk that could materially impact our business in Taiwan. - Client Preferences: Clients can withdraw their assets at any time with short notice. Shifts in market dynamics and investment trends, such as a move towards less risky investments by defined benefit plan sponsors and a shift to lower-fee passive services, may reduce interest in our investment products. Loss or decrease in AUM reduces our advisory and services fees and revenues. - Our Investment Performance: Our success in achieving investment returns that match or exceed those of similar asset classes and competing services is crucial for retaining clients and attracting new ones. If our investment performance is poor, either in absolute terms or compared to peers and benchmarks, clients may redeem their assets, and potential clients might choose other investment firms. - Investing Trends: The fees we charge for our various investment products and services can vary widely. Our overall fee income changes as clients move their assets between accounts or products with different fee structures. For more details on our fee rates, see "Net Revenues" in Item 7). - Service Changes: We might need to lower our fees, change our fee structures, or adjust the services we offer due to factors like new regulations, advancements in asset management technology (such as algorithmic strategies and new financial technologies), court rulings, and competitive pressures. Lowering our fees would decrease our revenue. - Interest Rate Changes: Changes in interest rates, especially rapid and significant increases, can negatively impact investor interest in and the value of our fixed income and multi-asset investment portfolios. A decrease in the value or amount of our AUM, an adverse mix shift in our AUM, or a reduction in our fee levels would negatively impact our investment advisory fees and revenues. Reduced revenues, without a corresponding decrease in expenses, would adversely affect our operating results.

We generate most of our revenue through written investment management agreements with institutional investors, mutual funds, private wealth clients, and selling and distribution agreements with financial intermediaries that distribute AB Funds, including our active ETFs. These agreements, including those with EQH and its subsidiaries, can generally be terminated at any time or with short notice by either party. The investment management agreements for U.S. Funds must be reviewed and approved annually by the Funds' boards of directors, most of whom are independent. There is no guarantee that these boards will approve the agreements each year or that they won't impose unfavorable terms. Additionally, investors in AB Funds can redeem their investments without notice. Termination or non-renewal of a significant number of these agreements, or a substantial increase in redemption rates, could negatively impact our operations and business prospects. Similarly, our selling and distribution agreements with securities firms, brokers, banks, and other financial intermediaries can be terminated by either party with notice (usually 30 days) and do not require the intermediaries to sell a specific amount of fund shares. These intermediaries often offer competing investment products. Some institutional investors rely on consultants to choose investment advisers, and our services may not always be recommended by these consultants. This could lead to clients moving their assets to other advisers, resulting in significant net outflows. Lastly, our Private Wealth Services depend on referrals from financial planners, registered investment advisers, and other professionals. We cannot be certain that we will continue to receive these referrals. Losing access to these referrals could adversely affect our operations and business prospects.

Our business relies on the trust and confidence of our clients. Damage to our reputation, such as from poor or inconsistent investment performance, can significantly reduce our AUM and hinder our ability to maintain or grow our business.

War, terrorist attacks, political unrest, power failures, climate change, natural disasters, and pandemics (such as COVID-19) could disrupt our operations by: - decreasing investor confidence and making investment products less attractive;- causing loss of life;- triggering technology failures or delays;- breaching our information and cyber security infrastructure; and - requiring substantial capital expenditures and operating expenses to remediate damage and restore operations. Climate change may increase the severity and frequency of disasters, affect our investment portfolio, and influence investor sentiment. It may also lead to regulatory changes impacting the companies in which we invest. Despite our contingency plans, including system security measures, information backup, and disaster recovery processes, disruptions in infrastructure (electrical, communications, transportation) in key business centers (Nashville, New York City, San Antonio, London, Hong Kong, and India) could adversely affect our operations. If employees cannot access offices or communicate and travel, our business with clients may suffer, and contingency plans may fail. Unauthorized access, system failures, or data loss could lead to legal proceedings, regulatory penalties, operational disruptions, and reputational damage. Loss of experienced staff or inadequate work facilities could also disrupt operations, affecting our financial condition and business prospects. Our property and business interruption insurance may not cover all potential losses.

Although much of our net revenues, expenses, and AUM are currently denominated in U.S. dollars, we have subsidiaries and clients outside the U.S. with different functional currencies. A weakening of these currencies relative to the U.S. dollar reduces the U.S. dollar value of our revenues and AUM denominated in those currencies. Consequently, fluctuations in U.S. dollar exchange rates impact our AUM, revenues, and reported financial results. Our efforts to hedge against these fluctuations may not be successful, potentially negatively affecting our revenues and financial results.