On March 30, 2022, the SEC issued proposed rules (the "SPAC Rule Proposals"), relating, among other things, to circumstances in which special purpose acquisition companies ("SPACs") such as us could potentially be subject to the Investment Company Act and the regulations thereunder. The SPAC Rule Proposals would provide a safe harbor for such companies from the definition of "investment company" under Section 3(a)(1)(A) of the Investment Company Act, provided that a SPAC satisfies certain criteria. To comply with the duration limitation of the proposed safe harbor, a SPAC would have a limited time period to announce and complete a de-SPAC transaction. Specifically, to comply with the safe harbor, the SPAC Rule Proposals would require a company to file a report on Form 8-K announcing that it has entered into an agreement with a target company for an initial business combination no later than 18 months after the effective date of the registration statement for its initial public offering. The company would then be required to complete its initial business combination no later than 24 months after the effective date of the registration statement for its initial public offering. As indicated above, we completed our initial public offering on December 14, 2021 and have operated as a blank check company searching for a target business with which to consummate an initial business combination since such time (or approximately 15 months after the effective date of our initial public offering, as of the date of this Form 10-K).
There is currently uncertainty concerning the applicability of the Investment Company Act to a SPAC. It is possible that a claim could be made that we have been operating as an unregistered investment company, including under the subjective test of Section 3(a)(1)(A) of the Investment Company Act, based on the current views of the SEC. If we were deemed to be an investment company for purposes of the Investment Company Act, we might be forced to abandon our efforts to complete an initial business combination and instead be required to liquidate the Company. If we are required to liquidate the Company, our investors would not be able to realize the benefits of owning shares in a successor operating business, including the potential appreciation in the value of our shares and warrants or rights following such a transaction, and our warrants or rights would expire worthless.
The funds in the Trust Account have, since our initial public offering, been held only in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds investing solely in U.S. government treasury obligations and meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act. As of December 31, 2022, amounts held in Trust Account included approximately $3,696,659 of accrued interest. To mitigate the risk of us being deemed to have been operating as an unregistered investment company under the Investment Company Act, we may, in our discretion, on or prior to the 24-month anniversary of the effective date of the registration statement relating to our initial public offering (assuming that we are to amend our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation to extend the amount of time we have to complete our initial business combination beyond the 18 months from the closing of our initial public offering currently available), or December 9, 2023, instruct Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, the trustee with respect to the Trust Account, to liquidate the U.S. government treasury obligations or money market funds held in the Trust Account and thereafter to hold all funds in the Trust Account in cash (i.e., in one or more bank accounts) until the earlier of the consummation of a business combination or our liquidation. Following such liquidation of the assets in our Trust Account, we would likely receive minimal interest, if any, on the funds held in the Trust Account, which would reduce the dollar amount our public stockholders would otherwise receive upon any redemption or liquidation of the Company if the assets in the Trust Account had remained in U.S. government securities or money market funds. This means that the amount available for redemption may not increase in the future.
In addition, even prior to the 24-month anniversary of the effective date of the registration statement relating to our initial public offering, we may be deemed to be an investment company. The longer that the funds in the Trust Account are held in short-term U.S. government securities or in money market funds invested exclusively in such securities, even prior to the 24-month anniversary, there is a greater risk that we may be considered an unregistered investment company, in which case we may be required to liquidate. For so long as the funds in the Trust Account are held in short-term U.S. government securities or in money market funds invested exclusively in such securities, the risk that we may be considered an unregistered investment company and required to liquidate is greater than that of a special purpose acquisition company that has elected to liquidate such investments and to hold all funds in its Trust Account in cash (i.e., in one or more bank accounts). Accordingly, we may determine, in our discretion, to liquidate the securities held in the Trust Account at any time, even prior to the 24-month anniversary, and instead hold all funds in the Trust Account in cash, which would further reduce the dollar amount our public stockholders would receive upon any redemption or our liquidation.