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Didi Global Inc. (DIDIY)
:DIDIY
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DiDi Global (DIDIY) Risk Factors

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Public companies are required to disclose risks that can affect the business and impact the stock. These disclosures are known as “Risk Factors”. Companies disclose these risks in their yearly (Form 10-K), quarterly earnings (Form 10-Q), or “foreign private issuer” reports (Form 20-F). Risk factors show the challenges a company faces. Investors can consider the worst-case scenarios before making an investment. TipRanks’ Risk Analysis categorizes risks based on proprietary classification algorithms and machine learning.

DiDi Global disclosed 109 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. DiDi Global reported the most risks in the “Finance & Corporate” category.

Risk Overview Q4, 2023

Risk Distribution
109Risks
37% Finance & Corporate
27% Legal & Regulatory
11% Production
11% Ability to Sell
9% Tech & Innovation
6% Macro & Political
Finance & Corporate - Financial and accounting risks. Risks related to the execution of corporate activity and strategy
This chart displays the stock's most recent risk distribution according to category. TipRanks has identified 6 major categories: Finance & corporate, legal & regulatory, macro & political, production, tech & innovation, and ability to sell.

Risk Change Over Time

S&P500 Average
Sector Average
Risks removed
Risks added
Risks changed
DiDi Global Risk Factors
New Risk (0)
Risk Changed (0)
Risk Removed (0)
No changes from previous report
The chart shows the number of risks a company has disclosed. You can compare this to the sector average or S&P 500 average.

The quarters shown in the chart are according to the calendar year (January to December). Businesses set their own financial calendar, known as a fiscal year. For example, Walmart ends their financial year at the end of January to accommodate the holiday season.

Risk Highlights Q4, 2023

Main Risk Category
Finance & Corporate
With 40 Risks
Finance & Corporate
With 40 Risks
Number of Disclosed Risks
109
+2
From last report
S&P 500 Average: 31
109
+2
From last report
S&P 500 Average: 31
Recent Changes
2Risks added
0Risks removed
3Risks changed
Since Dec 2023
2Risks added
0Risks removed
3Risks changed
Since Dec 2023
Number of Risk Changed
3
-11
From last report
S&P 500 Average: 3
3
-11
From last report
S&P 500 Average: 3
See the risk highlights of DiDi Global in the last period.

Risk Word Cloud

The most common phrases about risk factors from the most recent report. Larger texts indicate more widely used phrases.

Risk Factors Full Breakdown - Total Risks 109

Finance & Corporate
Total Risks: 40/109 (37%)Below Sector Average
Share Price & Shareholder Rights22 | 20.2%
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 1
Added
The voting rights of holders of ADSs are limited by the terms of the deposit agreement, and you may not be able to exercise your right to direct how the Class A ordinary shares which are represented by your ADSs are voted.
Holders of ADSs do not have the same rights as our shareholders. As a holder of our ADSs, you will not have any direct right to attend general meetings of our shareholders or to cast any votes at such meetings. As an ADS holder, you will only be able to exercise the voting rights carried by the underlying Class A ordinary shares which are represented by your ADSs indirectly, by giving voting instructions to the depositary in accordance with the provisions of the deposit agreement. Under the deposit agreement, you may vote only by giving voting instructions to the depositary. Upon receipt of your voting instructions, the depositary will try, as far as is practicable, to vote the underlying Class A ordinary shares represented by your ADSs in accordance with your instructions. If we ask for your instructions, then upon receipt of your voting instructions, the depositary will try to vote the underlying Class A ordinary shares in accordance with these instructions. If we do not instruct the depositary to ask for your instructions, the depositary may still vote in accordance with instructions you give, but it is not required to do so. You will not be able to directly exercise your right to vote with respect to the underlying Class A ordinary shares unless you withdraw the shares and become the registered holder of such shares prior to the record date for the general meeting. Under our memorandum and articles of association, the minimum notice period required to be given by our company to our registered shareholders to convene a general meeting will be ten calendar days. When a general meeting is convened, you may not receive sufficient advance notice of the meeting to withdraw the shares underlying your ADSs and become the registered holder of such shares to allow you to attend the general meeting and to vote directly with respect to any specific matter or resolution to be considered and voted upon at the general meeting. In addition, under our memorandum and articles of association, for the purposes of determining those shareholders who are entitled to attend and vote at any general meeting, our directors may close our register of members and/or fix in advance a record date for such meeting, and such closure of our register of members or the setting of such a record date may prevent you from withdrawing the underlying Class A ordinary shares represented by your ADSs and becoming the registered holder of such shares prior to the record date, so that you would not be able to attend the general meeting or to vote directly. If we ask for your instructions, the depositary will notify you of the upcoming vote and will arrange to deliver our voting materials to you. We have agreed to give the depositary notice of shareholder meetings sufficiently in advance of such meetings. Nevertheless, we cannot assure you that you will receive the voting materials in time to ensure that you can instruct the depositary to vote the underlying Class A ordinary shares represented by your ADSs. In addition, the depositary and its agents are not responsible for failing to carry out voting instructions or for their manner of carrying out your voting instructions. This means that you may not be able to exercise your right to direct how the shares underlying your ADSs are voted and you may have no legal remedy if the shares underlying your ADSs are not voted as you requested. In addition, in your capacity as an ADS holder, you will not be able to call a shareholders' meeting. Except in limited circumstances, the depositary for our ADSs will give us a discretionary proxy to vote the underlying Class A ordinary shares represented by your ADSs if you do not vote at shareholders' meetings, which could adversely affect your interests.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 2
Added
We cannot guarantee that any share repurchase program will be fully consummated or that any share repurchase program will enhance long-term shareholder value, and share repurchases could increase the volatility of the price of our securities and could diminish our cash reserves.
On November 11, 2023, our board of directors authorized a share repurchase program, under which we may repurchase up to US$1 billion of our shares during the 24 months after the date of the program's adoption. Under this program, we may make share repurchases from time to time through legally permissible means, depending on market conditions and in accordance with applicable rules and regulations. The program does not obligate us to repurchase any specific dollar amount or to acquire any specific number of ADSs. See Item 16.E for quantitative information about the shares we have repurchased pursuant to this program. Our board of directors will periodically review this share repurchase program, and may authorize adjustments to its terms and size. Our board of directors may also authorize additional share repurchase programs in the future. We cannot guarantee that our share repurchase program will enhance long-term shareholder value. Our share repurchase program could affect the price of our securities and increase volatility and may be suspended or terminated at any time, which may result in a decrease in the trading price of our securities. Furthermore, share repurchases could diminish our cash reserves.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 3
We have granted and may continue to grant options and other types of awards under our share incentive plan, which may result in increased share-based compensation expenses.
We adopted our 2017 Equity Incentive Plan in December 2017. The 2017 Equity Incentive Plan was subsequently amended and restated. In June 2021, we adopted our 2021 Share Incentive Plan, effective as of June 29, 2021, for the same purpose. Under the 2017 Equity Incentive Plan, we are authorized to grant options and other types of awards. The maximum aggregate number of ordinary shares that may be issued under the 2017 Equity Incentive Plan is 195,127,549 shares. The maximum aggregate number of ordinary shares which may be issued under the 2021 Share Incentive Plan is initially 116,906,908 shares, subject to annual increase. See "Item 6. Directors, Senior Management and Employees-B. Compensation-Share Incentive Plans." As of February 29, 2024, awards to purchase 38,272,076 ordinary shares that were granted under the 2017 Equity Incentive Plan remained outstanding and awards to purchase 31,140,304 ordinary shares that were granted under the 2021 Share Incentive Plan remained outstanding. As a result, we have incurred and expect to continue to incur substantial share-based compensation expenses in the future. We believe the granting of share-based awards is of significant importance to our ability to attract and retain key personnel and employees, and we will continue to grant share-based awards to employees, directors and consultants in the future. As a result, our expenses associated with share-based awards may increase, which may have an adverse effect on our results of operations. We may re-evaluate the vesting schedules, exercise prices or other key terms applicable to the grants under our currently effective share incentive plan from time to time. If we choose to modify the key terms, we may experience substantial change in our share-based compensation charges in the future.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 4
We have limited influence over our minority-owned affiliates, which subjects us to substantial risks, including potential loss of value or restrictions on our operations in certain markets.
Our ownership in our minority-owned affiliates involves significant risks that are outside our control. We do not participate in the day-to-day management of our minority-owned affiliates or have a controlling influence on their boards. As a result, the boards of directors or management team of our minority-owned affiliates may make decisions or take actions with which we disagree or that may be harmful to the value of our ownership. Additionally, these companies have expanded their offerings, and we expect them to continue to expand their offerings in the future, to compete with us in various markets throughout the world. While this could enhance the value of our ownership interest in these companies, our business, financial condition and operating results would be adversely affected by such expansion into markets in which we operate. Furthermore, any material decline in the business of our minority-owned affiliates would adversely affect the value of our assets and our financial results, and we may never realize the value of these assets relative to the contributions we made to its businesses. In addition, we may from time to time enter into business arrangements in connection with our minority investments which restrict our operations in certain markets. For example, in connection with our investment in Grab Holdings Inc., we previously entered into a non-compete obligation under a shareholders' agreement where we agreed we would not engage in, or own any interest in, any other ride hailing business in Southeast Asia. Although this agreement is no longer in effect, we may enter into similar business arrangements in the future in connection with other future minority investments.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 5
The contractual arrangements with the VIEs and their shareholders may not be as effective as direct ownership in providing operational control.
We have to rely on the contractual arrangements with the VIEs and their shareholders to operate the business in areas where foreign ownership is restricted, including provision of ride hailing services. These contractual arrangements, however, may not be as effective as direct ownership in providing us with control over the VIEs. For example, the VIEs and their shareholders could breach their contractual arrangements with us by, among other things, failing to conduct the operations of the VIEs in an acceptable manner or taking other actions that are detrimental to our interests. If we had direct ownership of the VIEs in China, we would be able to exercise our rights as a shareholder to effect changes in the board of directors of the VIEs, which in turn could implement changes, subject to any applicable fiduciary obligations, at the management and operational level. However, under the current contractual arrangements, we rely on the performance by the VIEs and their shareholders of their obligations under the contracts to direct activities of and receive economic benefits from the VIEs and their subsidiaries. The shareholders of the VIEs may not act in the best interests of our company or may not perform their obligations under these contracts. If any dispute relating to these contracts remains unresolved, we will have to enforce our rights under these contracts through the operations of PRC law and arbitration, litigation and other legal proceedings and therefore will be subject to uncertainties in the PRC legal system. See "-Any failure by the VIEs or their shareholders to perform their obligations under our contractual arrangements with them would have a material and adverse effect on our business."
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 6
Any failure by the VIEs or their shareholders to perform their obligations under our contractual arrangements with them would have a material and adverse effect on our business.
If the VIEs or their shareholders fail to perform their respective obligations under the contractual arrangements, we may have to incur substantial costs and expend additional resources to enforce such arrangements. We may also have to rely on legal remedies under PRC law, including seeking specific performance or injunctive relief, and contractual remedies, which we cannot assure you will be sufficient or effective under PRC law. For example, if the shareholders of the VIEs were to refuse to transfer their equity interests in the VIEs to us or our designee if we exercise the purchase option pursuant to these contractual arrangements, or if they were otherwise to act in bad faith toward us, then we may have to take legal actions to compel them to perform their contractual obligations. In addition, if any third parties claim any interest in such shareholders' equity interests in the VIEs, our ability to exercise shareholders' rights or foreclose the share pledge according to the contractual arrangements may be impaired. If these or other disputes between the shareholders of the VIEs and third parties were to impair our ability to direct activities of and receive economic benefits from the VIEs and their subsidiaries, our ability to consolidate the financial results of the VIEs would be affected, which would in turn result in a material adverse effect on our business, operations and financial condition. All the agreements under our contractual arrangements are governed by PRC law and provide for the resolution of disputes through arbitration in China. Accordingly, these contracts would be interpreted in accordance with PRC law and any disputes would be resolved in accordance with PRC legal procedures. Uncertainties regarding the interpretation and enforcement of the relevant PRC laws and regulations could limit our ability to enforce these contractual arrangements. See "-Risks Relating to Doing Business in China-Uncertainties associated with change in or development of PRC legal system could adversely affect us." Meanwhile, there are very few precedents and little formal guidance as to how contractual arrangements in the context of a consolidated VIE should be interpreted or enforced under PRC law. There remain significant uncertainties regarding the ultimate outcome of such arbitration should legal action become necessary. In addition, under PRC law, rulings by arbitrators are final, parties cannot appeal the arbitration results in courts, and if the losing parties fail to carry out the arbitration awards within a prescribed time limit, the prevailing parties may only enforce the arbitration awards in PRC courts through arbitration award recognition proceedings, which would require additional expenses and delay. In the event we are unable to enforce these contractual arrangements, or if we suffer significant delay or other obstacles in the process of enforcing these contractual arrangements, we may not be able to direct activities of and receive economic benefits from the VIEs and their subsidiaries, and our ability to conduct our business may be negatively affected.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 7
The shareholders of the VIEs may have actual or potential conflicts of interest with us, which may adversely affect our business and financial condition.
The shareholders of the VIEs may have actual or potential conflicts of interest with us. See "Item 4. Information on the Company-C. Organizational Structure-Contractual Arrangements with the Variable Interest Entities." The shareholders of the principal VIE include Mr. Will Wei Cheng, who is the chairman of our board of directors and our chief executive officer, as well as senior management of our company or an affiliate of our company in addition to one shareholder who is an investor representative. These shareholders may breach, or cause the VIEs to breach, or refuse to renew, the existing contractual arrangements we have with them and the VIEs, which would have a material and adverse effect on our ability to direct activities of and receive economic benefits from the VIEs and their subsidiaries. For example, the shareholders may be able to cause our agreements with the VIEs to be performed in a manner adverse to us by, among other things, failing to remit payments due under the contractual arrangements to us on a timely basis. We cannot assure you that when conflicts of interest arise any or all of these shareholders will act in the best interests of our company or such conflicts will be resolved in our favor. Currently, we do not have any arrangements to address potential conflicts of interest between these shareholders and our company, except that we could exercise our purchase option under the exclusive call option agreements with these shareholders to request them to transfer all of their equity interests in the VIEs to a PRC entity or individual designated by us, to the extent permitted by PRC law. We cannot assure you that this method, or any other methods that we may explore, will be effective in resolving the potential conflicts of interest between these shareholders and our company. The shareholders of the VIEs have executed powers of attorney to appoint our respective PRC subsidiaries to vote on their behalf and exercise voting rights as shareholders of the VIEs. If we cannot resolve any conflict of interest or dispute between us and the shareholders of the VIEs, we would have to rely on legal proceedings, which could result in disruption of our business and subject us to substantial uncertainty as to the outcome of any such legal proceedings. The shareholders of the VIEs may be involved in personal disputes with third parties or other incidents that may have an adverse effect on their respective equity interests in the VIEs and the validity or enforceability of our contractual arrangements with the VIEs and their shareholders. For example, in the event that any of the individual shareholders divorces his or her spouse, the spouse may claim that the equity interest of the VIEs held by that shareholder is part of their community property and should be divided between that shareholder and his or her spouse. If that claim is supported by the court, a portion of that shareholder's equity interest may be transferred to that shareholder's spouse or another third party who is not subject to obligations under our contractual arrangements, which could render us unable to direct the activities of and receive economic benefits from the VIEs and their subsidiaries. Similarly, if any of the equity interests of the VIEs is inherited by a third party who is not bound by the current contractual arrangements, we may be unable to direct the activities of and receive economic benefits from the VIEs and their subsidiaries, or have to do so by incurring significant and unpredictable costs, which could cause material disruptions to our business and operations and harm our financial condition and results of operations. Under our current contractual arrangements, (i) the spouses of some of the shareholders of the VIEs have executed a spousal consent letter under which that spouse agrees not to assert any rights over the equity interest in the VIEs, and (ii) the shareholders of the VIEs may not assign any of their respective rights or obligations with respect to their equity interests in the VIEs to any third party without the prior written consent of our PRC subsidiaries. Nevertheless, we cannot assure you that these the shareholders or their spouses will comply with these undertakings and arrangements, or that these contractual arrangements will be effectively enforced. Instituting legal proceedings to enforce these contractual arrangements could disrupt our business and divert our management's attention, and we cannot assure you that any proceedings would be successful. If a court ultimately finds the contractual arrangements to be unenforceable, or if they are unenforceable for any other reason, our business, operations, financial condition and results of operations would be materially and adversely harmed.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 8
The PCAOB had historically been unable to inspect our auditor in relation to their audit work performed for our financial statements and the inability of the PCAOB to conduct inspections of our auditor in the past has deprived our investors with the benefits of such inspections.
Our auditor, the independent registered public accounting firm that issues the audit report included elsewhere in this annual report, as a firm registered with the PCAOB, is subject to laws in the United States pursuant to which the PCAOB conducts regular inspections to assess its compliance with the applicable professional standards. The auditor is located in mainland China a jurisdiction where the PCAOB was historically unable to conduct inspections and investigations completely before 2022. As a result, we and investors in the ADSs were deprived of the benefits of such PCAOB inspections. The inability of the PCAOB to conduct inspections of auditors in China in the past has made it more difficult to evaluate the effectiveness of our independent registered public accounting firm's audit procedures or quality control procedures as compared to auditors outside of China that are subject to the PCAOB inspections. On December 15, 2022, the PCAOB issued a report that vacated its December 16, 2021 determination and removed mainland China and Hong Kong from the list of jurisdictions where it is unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms. However, if the PCAOB determines in the future that it no longer has full access to inspect and investigate completely accounting firms in mainland China and Hong Kong, and we use an accounting firm headquartered in one of these jurisdictions to issue an audit report on our financial statements filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, we and investors in our ADSs would be deprived of the benefits of such PCAOB inspections again, which could cause investors and potential investors in the ADSs to lose confidence in our audit procedures and reported financial information and the quality of our financial statements.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 9
The delisting of our ADSs from NYSE may continue to have a material adverse effect on the trading and price of our ADSs, and we cannot assure you that our ADSs will be relisted on any other internationally recognized stock exchange, or that if they are ever relisted, they will remain listed.
On May 23, 2022, we held an extraordinary general meeting to vote on the voluntary delisting of our ADSs from the NYSE and obtained shareholder approval for delisting. On June 13, 2022, our ADSs were delisted from the NYSE. The delisting of our ADSs from the NYSE has had and may continue to have a material adverse effect on us by, among other things, causing investors to dispose of our ADSs and limiting the ADSs' liquidity, the ADSs's market price, the number of potential investors, the availability of trading information, the number of broker-dealers and our ability to obtain financing. The lack of an active trading market may limit the liquidity of an investment in our ADSs, meaning at times you may not be able to sell our ADSs at prices attractive to you, or at all. Any of these factors may materially and adversely affect the price of our ADSs. In addition, we may be subject to shareholder lawsuits and regulatory proceedings in the United States, Cayman Islands and elsewhere, that arise from our decision to delist our ADS from the NYSE. Our reputation and credibility may be harmed and we may have to incur significant expenses to defend ourselves in any legal or regulatory proceeding brought against us, the outcome of which is uncertain and may have material and adverse impact on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 10
The trading price of our ADSs is likely to be volatile, which could result in substantial losses to investors.
The trading price of our ADSs has declined since our initial public offering in the United States, when our ADSs were listed on the NYSE, and the trading price is likely to be volatile. This may happen because of broad market and industry factors, including the performance and fluctuation of the market prices of other companies with business operations located mainly in China that have listed their securities in the United States. The securities of some of these companies have experienced significant volatility since their initial public offerings, including, in some cases, substantial price declines in their trading prices. The trading performance of the securities of these Chinese companies may affect the attitudes of investors toward Chinese companies listed in the United States in general and consequently may impact the trading performance of our ADSs, regardless of our actual operating performance. On May 23, 2022, we held an extraordinary general meeting to vote on the voluntary delisting of our ADSs from the NYSE and obtained shareholder approval for our delisting. On June 2, 2022, we filed a Form 25 Notification of Delisting and our ADSs were delisted from the NYSE on June 13, 2022. Our ADSs have been quoted on OTC Pink under the symbol "DIDIY" since June 2022. The OTC Market is a significantly more limited market than NYSE. The quotation of our ADSs on the OTC Market may result in a less liquid market available for existing and potential stockholders to trade our ADSs, could depress the trading price of our ADSs and could have a long-term adverse impact on our ability to raise capital in the future. In addition to market and industry factors, the price and trading volume for our ADSs may be highly volatile due to factors specific to our own company, including the following: - our delisting from the NYSE;- actual or anticipated variations in our revenues, earnings, cash flow, or key operating metrics;- financial projections we may provide to securities analysts and/or the public, any changes in those projections and any failure to meet those projections;- announcements of new investments, acquisitions, strategic partnerships or joint ventures by us or our competitors;- announcements of new services, solutions, products by us or our competitors;- changes in financial projections or targets published or otherwise provided to investors by securities analysts or any failure by us to meet those targets or the expectations of investors;- detrimental adverse publicity about us, our services or our industry;- announcements of new regulations, rules or policies relevant to our business;- additions or departures of key personnel;- sales of additional equity securities; and - potential or actual litigation or regulatory investigations. These or other factors may result in large and sudden changes in the volume and price at which our ADSs will trade.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 11
You may face difficulties in protecting your interests, and your ability to protect your rights through U.S. courts may be limited, because we are incorporated under Cayman Islands law.
We are an exempted company with limited liability incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands. Our corporate affairs are governed by our memorandum and articles of association, as amended from time to time, the Companies Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands, or the Companies Act, and the common law of the Cayman Islands. The rights of shareholders to take action against our directors, actions by our minority shareholders and the fiduciary duties of our directors owed to us under Cayman Islands law are to a large extent governed by the common law of the Cayman Islands. The common law of the Cayman Islands is derived in part from comparatively limited judicial precedent in the Cayman Islands as well as from the common law of England, the decisions of whose courts are of persuasive authority, but are not binding, on a court in the Cayman Islands. The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary duties of our directors owed to us under Cayman Islands law are not as clearly established as they would be under statutes or judicial precedent in some jurisdictions in the United States. In particular, the Cayman Islands has a less developed body of securities laws than the United States. Some U.S. states, such as Delaware, have more fully developed and judicially interpreted bodies of corporate law than the Cayman Islands. Shareholders of Cayman Islands exempted companies like us have no general rights under Cayman Islands law to inspect corporate records (other than copies of the memorandum and articles of association, the register of mortgages and charges, any special resolutions passed by our shareholders, and a list of our current directors) or to obtain copies of lists of shareholders of these companies. Our directors have discretion under our memorandum and articles of association to determine whether or not, and under what conditions, our corporate records may be inspected by our shareholders, but are not obliged to make them available to our shareholders. This may make it more difficult for you to obtain the information needed to establish any facts necessary for a shareholder motion or to solicit proxies from other shareholders in connection with a proxy contest. As a result of all of the above, our public shareholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests in the face of actions taken by management, members of our board of directors or controlling shareholders than they would as public shareholders of a company incorporated in the United States. For a discussion of significant differences between the provisions of the Companies Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands and the laws applicable to companies incorporated in the United States and their shareholders, see "Item 10. Additional Information-B. Memorandum and Articles of Association-Differences in Corporate Law."
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 12
If the custodians or authorized users of controlling non-tangible assets of our company, including our corporate chops and seals, fail to fulfill their responsibilities, or misappropriate or misuse these assets, our business and operations could be materially and adversely affected.
Under PRC law, legal documents for corporate transactions are executed using the chops or seal of the signing entity or with the signature of a legal representative whose designation is registered and filed with the relevant branch of the Administration for Market Regulation. Although we usually utilize chops to enter into contracts, the designated legal representatives of our PRC subsidiaries, the VIEs and their subsidiaries have the apparent authority to enter into contracts on behalf of these entities without chops and bind the entities. The designated legal representatives of our PRC entities have signed employment agreements with us or these PRC entities under which they agree to abide by various duties. In order to maintain the physical security of our chops and chops of our PRC entities, we generally store these items in secured locations accessible only by the authorized personnel in the administrative department of each of our subsidiaries. Although we monitor such authorized personnel, there is no assurance such procedures will prevent all instances of abuse or negligence. Accordingly, if any of our authorized personnel misuse or misappropriate our corporate chops or seals, we could encounter difficulties in maintaining control over the entities and experience significant disruption to our operations. If a designated legal representative obtains control of the chops in an effort to obtain control over our PRC entities, we or our PRC entities would need to pass a new shareholder or board resolution to designate a new legal representative and we would need to take legal action to seek the return of the chops, apply for new chops with the authorities, or otherwise seek legal redress for the violation of the representative's fiduciary duties to us, which could involve significant time and resources and divert management attention away from our regular business. In addition, the affected entities may not be able to recover corporate assets that are sold or transferred out of our control in the event of such a misappropriation if a transferee relies on the apparent authority of the representative and acts in good faith.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 13
The market price and trading volume for our ADSs may be adversely affected by the decisions of securities or industry analysts.
The trading market for our ADSs will be influenced by the research that securities or industry analysts publish about us or our business. If analysts do not establish or maintain research coverage of us, or if analysts downgrade our ADSs or publish unfavorable research about our business, the market price for our ADSs would likely decline. If analysts cease coverage of our company or fail to publish research on us regularly, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which, in turn, could cause the market price or trading volume for our ADSs to decline.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 14
Our dual-class voting structure will limit your ability to influence corporate matters and could discourage others from pursuing any change of control transactions that holders of our Class A ordinary shares and ADSs may view as beneficial.
Our authorized share capital is divided into Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares (with certain shares remaining undesignated, with power for our directors to designate and issue such classes of shares as they think fit). Holders of Class A ordinary shares are entitled to one vote per share, while holders of Class B ordinary shares are entitled to ten votes per share. Each Class B ordinary share is convertible into one Class A ordinary share at any time by the holder thereof, while Class A ordinary shares are not convertible into Class B ordinary shares under any circumstances. The holders of Class B ordinary shares have the ability to control most matters requiring shareholders' approval. Any future issuances of Class B ordinary shares may be dilutive to the voting power of holders of Class A ordinary shares. Any conversions of Class B ordinary shares into Class A ordinary shares may dilute the percentage ownership of the existing holders of Class A ordinary shares within their class of ordinary shares. Such conversions may increase the aggregate voting power of the existing holders of Class A ordinary shares. If certain of the holders of Class B ordinary shares convert their Class B ordinary shares into Class A ordinary shares, the remaining holders who retain their Class B ordinary shares may experience increases in their relative voting power. As of April 8, 2024, Mr. Will Wei Cheng and Ms. Jean Qing Liu beneficially own, either directly or through certain entities, all of our issued Class B ordinary shares. These Class B ordinary shares constitute 8.1% of our total issued and outstanding share capital and 46.7% of the aggregate voting power of our total issued and outstanding share capital as of April 8, 2024 due to the disparate voting powers associated with our dual-class share structure. As a result of the dual-class share structure and the concentration of ownership, holders of Class B ordinary shares have considerable influence over matters such as decisions regarding mergers and consolidations, election of directors and other significant corporate actions. Such holders may take actions that are not in our best interests or the best interests of our other shareholders. This concentration of ownership may discourage, delay or prevent a change in control of our company, which could have the effect of depriving our other shareholders of the opportunity to receive a premium for their shares as part of a sale of our company and may reduce the price of our ADSs. This concentrated control will limit your ability to influence corporate matters and could discourage others from pursuing any potential merger, takeover or other change of control transactions that holders of Class A ordinary shares and ADSs may view as beneficial.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 15
Our memorandum and articles of association contain anti-takeover provisions that could have a material adverse effect on the rights of holders of our ordinary shares and ADSs.
Our memorandum and articles of association contain certain provisions to limit the ability of others to acquire control of our company or cause us to engage in change-of-control transactions, including a provision that grants authority to our board of directors to establish and issue from time to time one or more series of preferred shares without action by our shareholders and to determine, with respect to any series of preferred shares, the terms and rights of that series, any or all of which may be greater than the rights associated with our Class A ordinary shares in the form of ADSs. These provisions could have the effect of depriving our shareholders of the opportunity to sell their shares at a premium over the prevailing market price by discouraging third parties from seeking to obtain control of our company in a tender offer or similar transactions.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 16
Forum selection provisions in our memorandum and articles of association and our deposit agreement with the depositary bank could limit the ability of holders of our Class A ordinary shares, ADSs, or other securities to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us, our directors and officers, the depositary bank, and potentially others.
Our memorandum and articles of association provide that the federal district courts of the United States are the exclusive forum within the United States (or, if the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York lacks subject matter jurisdiction over a particular dispute, the state courts in New York County, New York) for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action arising out of or relating in any way to the federal securities laws of the United States, regardless of whether such legal suit, action, or proceeding also involves parties other than us. Our deposit agreement with the depositary bank also provides that the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (or, if the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York lacks subject matter jurisdiction over a particular dispute, the state courts in New York County, New York) will have jurisdiction to hear and determine any suit, action, or proceeding and to settle any dispute between the depositary bank and us that does not involve any other person or party that may arise out of or relate in any way to the deposit agreement, including claims under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act. Holders and beneficial owners of our ADSs, by holding an ADS or an interest therein, understand and irrevocably agree that any legal suit, action, or proceeding against or involving us or the depositary bank arising out of or related in any way to the deposit agreement, ADSs, or the transactions contemplated thereby or by virtue of ownership thereof, including without limitation claims under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, may only be instituted in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (or, if the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York lacks jurisdiction or such designation of the exclusive forum is, or becomes, invalid, illegal, or unenforceable, in the state courts of New York County, New York). However, the enforceability of similar federal court choice of forum provisions has been challenged in legal proceedings in the United States, and it is possible that a court could find this type of provision to be inapplicable, unenforceable, or inconsistent with other documents that are relevant to the filing of such lawsuits. If a court were to find the federal choice of forum provision contained in our memorandum and articles of association or our deposit agreement with the depositary bank to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions. If upheld, the forum selection clause in our memorandum and articles of association, as well as the forum selection provisions in the deposit agreement, may limit a security holder's ability to bring a claim against us, our directors and officers, the depositary bank, and potentially others in his or her preferred judicial forum, and this limitation may discourage such lawsuits. In addition, the Securities Act provides that both federal and state courts have jurisdiction over suits brought to enforce any duty or liability under the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. Accepting or consent to this forum selection provision does not constitute a waiver by you of compliance with federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. You may not waive compliance with federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. The exclusive forum provision in our memorandum and articles of association will not operate so as to deprive the courts of the Cayman Islands from having jurisdiction over matters relating to our internal affairs.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 17
We are a foreign private issuer within the meaning of the rules under the Exchange Act, and as such we are exempt from certain provisions applicable to United States domestic public companies.
Because we qualify as a foreign private issuer under the Exchange Act, we are exempt from certain provisions of the securities rules and regulations in the United States that are applicable to U.S. domestic issuers, including: - the rules under the Exchange Act requiring the filing of quarterly reports on Form 10-Q or current reports on Form 8-K with the SEC;- the sections of the Exchange Act regulating the solicitation of proxies, consents, or authorizations in respect of a security registered under the Exchange Act;- the sections of the Exchange Act requiring insiders to file public reports of their stock ownership and trading activities and liability for insiders who profit from trades made in a short period of time;- the selective disclosure rules governing the release of material nonpublic information under Regulation FD; and - certain audit committee independence requirements in Rule 10A-3 of the Exchange Act. We are required to file an annual report on Form 20-F within four months of the end of each fiscal year. However, the information we are required to file with or furnish to the SEC will be less extensive and less timely compared to that required to be filed with the SEC by U.S. domestic issuers. As a result, you may not be afforded the same protections or information that would be made available to you were you investing in a U.S. domestic issuer.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 18
As an exempted company incorporated in the Cayman Islands and not listed on any stock exchange, our corporate governance practices may differ significantly from those of companies incorporated in Delaware or in other states in the United States or those of companies listed on a stock exchange, and these practices may afford less protection to shareholders.
We are an exempted company with limited liability incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands and not currently listed on any stock exchange. As a Cayman Islands exempted company, we are subject to the Companies Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands, which to a large extent is modeled after the older Companies Acts of England but does not follow recent English statutory enactments. See "Item 10. Additional Information-B. Memorandum and Articles of Association-Differences in Corporate Law" for a summary of certain significant differences between the provisions of the Companies Act applicable to us and the laws applicable to companies incorporated in the state of Delaware and their shareholders. In addition, as an exempted company, we are exempted from certain requirements of the Companies Act, including the requirement to hold an annual general meeting. See "Item 10. Additional Information-B. Memorandum and Articles of Association-Ordinary Shares-Differences in Corporate Law-Exempted Company." Furthermore, as we are not currently listed on any stock exchange, we are not subject to any listing rules or listing standards. To the extent that we continue to follow the NYSE corporate governance listing standards that were previously applicable to us, we may stop following any or all of those listing standards at any time at the discretion of our board of directors or management, as the case may be. Our corporate governance practices may afford shareholders less protection than they would otherwise enjoy under Delaware law or under the corporate governance listing standards of the NYSE, the Nasdaq Stock Market or other stock exchanges.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 19
We are entitled to amend the deposit agreement and to change the rights of ADS holders under the terms of such agreement, or to terminate the deposit agreement, without the prior consent of the ADS holders.
We are entitled to amend the deposit agreement and to change the rights of the ADS holders under the terms of the agreement, without the prior consent of the ADS holders. We and the depositary may agree to amend the deposit agreement in any way we decide is necessary or advantageous to us. Amendments may reflect, among other things, operational changes in the ADS program, legal developments affecting ADSs or changes in the terms of our business relationship with the depositary. In the event that the terms of an amendment impose or increase fees or charges (other than in connection with foreign exchange control regulations, taxes and other governmental charges, and delivery and other such expenses) or materially prejudice an existing substantial right of the ADS holders, ADS holders will only receive 30 days' advance notice of the amendment, and no prior consent of the ADS holders is required under the deposit agreement for the amendment to take effect. Furthermore, we may decide to terminate the deposit agreement and thus the ADS facility at any time for any reason. For example, we may terminate the ADS facility if we decide to list our shares on a non-U.S. securities exchange and determine not to continue to sponsor an ADS facility or if we become the subject of a takeover or a going-private transaction. If the ADS facility will terminate, ADS holders will receive at least 90 days' prior notice, but no prior consent is required from the ADS holders. Under circumstances where we decide to make an amendment to the deposit agreement that is disadvantageous to ADS holders or terminate the deposit agreement, the ADS holders may choose to sell their ADSs or surrender their ADSs and become direct holders of the underlying Class A ordinary shares, but they will have no right to any compensation whatsoever.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 20
ADSs holders may not be entitled to a jury trial with respect to claims arising under the deposit agreement, which could result in less favorable outcomes to the plaintiff(s) in any such action.
The deposit agreement governing the ADSs representing our ordinary shares provides that, to the fullest extent permitted by law, ADS holders waive the right to a jury trial of any claim they may have against us or the depositary arising out of or relating to our shares, the ADSs or the deposit agreement, including any claim under the U.S. federal securities laws. If we or the depositary opposed a jury trial demand based on the waiver, the court would determine whether the waiver was enforceable based on the facts and circumstances of that case in accordance with the applicable state and federal law. To our knowledge, the enforceability of a contractual pre-dispute jury trial waiver in connection with claims arising under the federal securities laws has not been finally adjudicated by the United States Supreme Court. However, we believe that a contractual pre-dispute jury trial waiver provision is generally enforceable, including under the laws of the State of New York, which govern the deposit agreement. In determining whether to enforce a contractual pre-dispute jury trial waiver provision, courts will generally consider whether a party knowingly, intelligently and voluntarily waive the right to a jury trial. We believe that this is the case with respect to the deposit agreement and the ADSs. It is advisable that you consult legal counsel regarding the jury waiver provision before entering into the deposit agreement. If you or any other holders or beneficial owners of ADSs bring a claim against us or the depositary in connection with matters arising under the deposit agreement or the ADSs, including claims under federal securities laws, you or such other holder or beneficial owner may not be entitled to a jury trial with respect to such claims, which may have the effect of limiting and discouraging lawsuits against us or the depositary, lead to increased costs to bring a claim, limited access to information and other imbalances of resources between such holder and us, or limit such holder's ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that such holder finds favorable. If a lawsuit is brought against us or the depositary under the deposit agreement, it may be heard only by a judge or justice of the applicable trial court, which would be conducted according to different civil procedures and may result in different outcomes than a trial by jury would have had, including results that could be less favorable to the plaintiff(s) in any such action. Nevertheless, if this jury trial waiver provision is not permitted by applicable law, an action could proceed under the terms of the deposit agreement with a jury trial. No condition, stipulation or provision of the deposit agreement or ADSs shall relieve us or the depositary from our respective obligations to comply with the Securities Act and the Exchange Act nor serve as a waiver by any holder or beneficial owner of ADSs of compliance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 21
An ADS holder's right to pursue claims against the depositary is limited by the terms of the deposit agreement.
Under the deposit agreement, the United States District Court of the Southern District of New York (or, if the United States District Court of the Southern District of New York lacks subject matter jurisdiction over a particular dispute, the state courts of New York County, New York) will have jurisdiction to hear and determine any suit, action, or proceeding and to settle any dispute between the depositary bank and us that does not involve any other person or party that may arise out of or relate in any way to the deposit agreement, including claims under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act. Holders and beneficial owners of our ADSs, by holding an ADS or an interest therein, understand and irrevocably agree that any legal suit, action, or proceeding against or involving us or the depositary, arising out of or related in any way to the deposit agreement, ADSs, or the transactions contemplated thereby or by virtue of ownership thereof, including without limitation claims under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, may only be instituted in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (or, if the Southern District of New York lacks jurisdiction or such designation of the exclusive forum is, or becomes, invalid, illegal, or unenforceable, in the state courts of New York County, New York), and a holder of our ADSs will have irrevocably waived any objection which such holder may have to the laying of venue of any such proceeding, and irrevocably submitted to the exclusive jurisdiction of such courts in any such suit, action, or proceeding. However, the enforceability of similar federal court choice of forum provisions in other companies' organizational documents has been challenged in legal proceedings in the United States, and it is possible that a court could find this type of provision to be inapplicable or unenforceable. Accepting or consenting to this forum selection provision does not represent you are waiving compliance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. Furthermore, investors cannot waive compliance with the U.S. federal securities laws and rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. The depositary may, in its sole discretion, require that any dispute or difference arising from the relationship created by the deposit agreement, our shares, the ADSs, or the transactions contemplated thereby be referred to and finally settled by an arbitration conducted under the terms described in the deposit agreement, while to the extent there are specific federal securities law violation aspects to any claims against us and/or the depositary brought by any holder or beneficial owner of ADSs, the federal securities law violation aspects of such claims may, at the option of such holders or beneficial owners, remain in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (or, if the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York lacks subject matter jurisdiction over a particular dispute or such designation of the exclusive forum is, or becomes, invalid, illegal, or unenforceable, in the state courts of New York County in New York). We believe that a contractual arbitration provision, especially when excluding matters relating to federal securities law violation, is generally enforceable, including under the laws of the State of New York, which govern the deposit agreement.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 22
The depositary for the ADSs will give us a discretionary proxy to vote the Class A ordinary shares underlying the ADSs if the ADS holders do not vote at shareholders' meetings, except in limited circumstances, which could adversely affect your interests.
Under the deposit agreement for the ADSs, if an ADS holder does not vote, the depositary will give us a discretionary proxy to vote the ordinary shares underlying the ADSs at shareholders' meetings unless: - we have instructed the depositary that we do not wish a discretionary proxy to be given;- we have informed the depositary that there is substantial opposition as to a matter to be voted on at the meeting;- a matter to be voted on at the meeting may have a material adverse impact on shareholders; or - the voting at the meeting is to be made on a show of hands. The effect of this discretionary proxy is that if you do not vote at shareholders' meetings, you cannot prevent our ordinary shares underlying your ADSs from being voted, except under the circumstances described above. This may make it more difficult for shareholders to influence the management of our company. Holders of our ordinary shares are not subject to this discretionary proxy.
Accounting & Financial Operations7 | 6.4%
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 1
You may not receive cash dividends if the depositary decides it is impractical to make them available to you.
The depositary will pay cash dividends on the ADSs only to the extent that we decide to distribute dividends on our ordinary shares or other deposited securities, and we do not have any plans to pay any cash dividends on our ordinary shares in the foreseeable future. To the extent that there is a distribution, the depositary of our ADSs has agreed to pay you the cash dividends or other distributions that it or the custodian receives on our ordinary shares or other deposited securities after deducting its fees and expenses. You will receive these distributions in proportion to the number of ordinary shares your ADSs represent. However, the depositary may, at its discretion, decide that it is inequitable or impractical to make a distribution available to any holders of ADSs. For example, the depositary may determine that the value of certain distributions may be less than the cost of mailing them. In these cases, the depositary may decide not to distribute such property to you.
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 2
We currently do not expect to pay dividends in the foreseeable future and you must rely on price appreciation of our ADSs for return on your investment.
We currently intend to retain most, if not all, of our available funds and any future earnings to fund the development and growth of our business. As a result, we do not expect to pay any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Therefore, you should not rely on an investment in our ADSs as a source for any future dividend income. Our board of directors has complete discretion as to whether to distribute dividends, subject to certain requirements of Cayman Islands law. In addition, our shareholders may by ordinary resolution declare a dividend, but no dividend may exceed the amount recommended by our directors. Under Cayman Islands law, a Cayman Islands company may pay a dividend out of either profit or share premium account, provided that in no circumstances may a dividend be paid if this would result in the company being unable to pay its debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business. Even if our board of directors decides to declare and pay dividends, the timing, amount and form of future dividends, if any, will depend on our future results of operations and cash flow, our capital requirements and surplus, the amount of distributions, if any, received by us from our subsidiaries, our financial condition, contractual restrictions and other factors deemed relevant by our board of directors. Accordingly, the return on your investment in our ADSs will likely depend entirely upon any future price appreciation of our ADSs. There is no guarantee that our ADSs will appreciate in value or even maintain their value. You may not realize a return on your investment in our ADSs and you may even lose your entire investment in our ADSs.
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 3
Our reported financial results may be adversely affected by changes in accounting principles.
The accounting for our business is complicated, particularly in the area of revenue recognition, and is subject to change based on the evolution of our business model, interpretations of accounting principles, enforcement of existing or new regulations, and changes in SEC or other agency policies, rules, regulations, and interpretations, of accounting regulations. Changes to our business model and accounting methods could result in changes to our financial statements, including changes in revenues and expenses in any period, or in certain categories of revenues and expenses moving to different periods, may result in materially different financial results, and may require that we change how we process, analyze, and report financial information and our financial reporting controls.
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 4
We are obligated to develop and maintain proper and effective internal controls over financial reporting, and any failure to maintain the adequacy of these internal controls may adversely affect investor confidence in our company and, as a result, the value of our ADSs.
We are required, pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, to furnish a report by management on, among other things, the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. Our management, with the participation of our chief executive officer and chief financial officer, has conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our company's internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2023. Based on this evaluation, we did not note or identify any deficiencies that we believe to be material weaknesses as of December 31, 2023. In addition, our independent registered public accounting firm must attest to and report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. Our independent registered public accounting firm has issued an attestation report, in which it has concluded that as of December 31, 2023, our internal control over financial reporting was effective. We are required to disclose changes in internal control over financial reporting that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting on an annual basis. Our compliance with Section 404 requires that we incur substantial accounting expense and expend significant management efforts. In addition, as our business continues to grow in size and complexity, we are improving our processes and infrastructure to help ensure we can prepare financial reporting and disclosures within the timeline required. We may need to hire additional accounting and financial staff with appropriate experience and technical accounting knowledge to compile the system and process documentation necessary to perform the evaluation needed to comply with Section 404. In addition, prior to completing our internal control assessment under Section 404, we may become aware of and disclose material weaknesses that will require timely remediation. Due to our significant growth, we face challenges in timely and appropriately designing controls in response to evolving risks of material misstatement. During the evaluation and testing process of our internal controls, if we identify one or more material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting, we will be unable to assert that our internal control over financial reporting is effective. We cannot assure you that there will not be material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting in the future. Any failure to maintain internal control over financial reporting could severely inhibit our ability to accurately report our financial condition or operating results. If we are unable to conclude that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, or if our independent registered public accounting firm determines we have a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting, we could lose investor confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports, the market price of our ADSs could decline, and we could be subject to sanctions or investigations by the SEC or other regulatory authorities.
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 5
The goodwill relating to our China Mobility segment may become impaired, resulting in a material expense.
We test goodwill for impairment annually during the fourth quarter, or when an event occurs or circumstances change that indicate the asset may be impaired. We assess qualitative factors such as industry and market conditions, overall financial performance of the reporting unit, and other specific information related to the operations to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount. If a qualitative assessment identifies a possible impairment or we believe that the assets of a reporting unit are impaired, a quantitative goodwill impairment test is performed. If the carrying value of the reporting unit is above fair value, an impairment loss is recognized in an amount equal to the excess. We had RMB46.4 billion (US$6.5 billion) of goodwill as of December 31, 2023, representing 32.2% of our total assets as of that date. Most of this goodwill is attributable to our acquisitions of Kuaidi and Uber China. We recognized RMB8.4 billion in goodwill in our China Mobility segment in connection with the acquisition of Kuaidi in 2015 and RMB37.9 billion in goodwill in our China Mobility segment in connection with the acquisition of Uber China in 2016. We performed a qualitative impairment assessment for the goodwill in China Mobility at the end of 2023 and concluded that there was no impairment of goodwill as of December 31, 2023. See "Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects-E. Critical Accounting Estimates" for details. However, the key assumptions could change in the future, reducing the fair value of reporting unit to a level that would result in an impairment of goodwill. We may incur a material loss if we determine that part or all of the goodwill in our China Mobility segment is impaired.
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 6
Changed
Our relatively limited operating history and our evolving business make it difficult to evaluate our future prospects and the risks and challenges we may encounter.
We have offered online taxi services since 2012 and ride hailing services since 2014, and our business continues to evolve. For example, we began to develop autonomous driving solutions in 2016 and launched our energy and vehicle services in 2018. We also began expanding outside of China in 2018 and introduced bike and e-bike sharing services in China during the same year. We regularly introduce new platform features, offerings, services and pricing methodologies. Our relatively limited operating history and evolving business make it difficult to evaluate our future prospects and the risks and challenges we may encounter. These risks and challenges include our ability to: - forecast our revenues and budget for and manage our expenses;- attract new drivers and consumers and retain existing drivers and consumers in a cost-effective manner;- comply with existing and new laws and regulations applicable to our business;- anticipate and respond to macroeconomic changes and changes in the markets in which we operate;- maintain and enhance the value of our reputation and brand;- effectively manage our growth;- successfully expand our geographic reach and overcome challenges particular to new geographical markets;- hire, integrate and retain talented people at all levels of our organization; and - successfully develop new platform features, offerings and services to enhance the experience of consumers. If we fail to address the risks and difficulties that we face, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected. Further, because we have limited historical financial data and operate in a rapidly evolving market, any predictions about our future revenues and expenses may not be as accurate as they would be if we had a longer operating history or operated in a more predictable market. We have encountered in the past, and will continue to encounter in the future, risks and uncertainties frequently experienced by growing companies with limited operating histories in rapidly changing industries. If our assumptions regarding these risks and uncertainties, which we use to plan and operate our business, are incorrect or change, or if we do not address these risks successfully, our results of operations could differ materially from our expectations and our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 7
Changed
We have incurred significant losses from operations since inception, and we may not achieve or maintain operating profit.
We have incurred losses from operations for each fiscal year since our inception. We incurred losses from operations of RMB48.4 billion, RMB17.8 billion and RMB5.7 billion (US$0.8 billion) in 2021, 2022 and 2023, respectively. We may not be able to achieve or maintain operating profit in the future. Our expenses will likely increase in the future as we develop and launch new offerings and technologies, expand in existing and new markets, and continue to invest in our platform. These efforts may be more costly than we expect and may not result in increased revenues or growth in our business. Any failure to increase our revenues sufficiently to keep pace with our investments and other expenses could prevent us from achieving or maintaining operating profit or positive operating cash flow on a consistent basis. If we are unable to successfully address these risks and challenges as we encounter them, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.
Debt & Financing6 | 5.5%
Debt & Financing - Risk 1
We will require additional capital to support the growth of our business, and this capital might not be available on reasonable terms or at all.
To continue to effectively compete, we will require additional funds to support the growth of our business and allow us to invest in new products, offerings, and markets. If we raise additional funds through further issuances of equity or convertible debt securities, our existing shareholders may suffer significant dilution. If we raise funds for a specific project by selling a share of the equity interests in the entity that is developing a project, we and our shareholders will not reap all of the benefits of any future success of those projects. For example, the entities engaged in our community group buying, bike and e-bike sharing, autonomous driving and intra-city freight businesses have each issued equity interests in their share capital in the course of their independent financings. We may cease to be the controlling shareholder of these subsidiaries as a result of such financings, which may result in the deconsolidation of their businesses. In addition, pursuant to the terms of such subsidiary financings, we have granted exit rights to certain investors which allow them to request us to repurchase their shares in these subsidiaries with cash or shares of our company under certain circumstances. Neither the amount of cash nor the number of our shares that may be paid or issued upon the investors' exercise of such exit rights is determinable at this time and will depend on many factors which are out of our control. We may be obliged to issue a large number of shares in our company to the investors, which may significantly dilute the interests of existing shareholders or, if we need to pay large sums of cash to repurchase those investors' shares, our liquidity and financial conditions may be materially and adversely affected. See "Item 4. Information on the Company-A. History and Development of the Company-Subsidiary Financings." If we incur debt to finance our business, we may be required to use a substantial portion of our cash flows from operations to pay interest and principal on our indebtedness. Such payments would reduce the funds available to us for working capital, capital expenditures, and other corporate purposes and limit our ability to obtain additional financing for working capital, capital expenditures, expansion plans, and other investments. Additional fundraising may also subject us to operating and financing covenants that may restrict our business and operations. Finally, our delisting from the NYSE would make it more difficult for us to raise capital by making our shares less attractive to potential investors, which could force us to rely on ways of raising capital that are less favorable than those normally available to listed companies. As a result, we may be less able to implement our business strategy, more vulnerable to downturns in our business, the industry, or in the general economy, have less flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business and the industry, and be unable to take advantage of business opportunities as they arise.
Debt & Financing - Risk 2
We may rely on dividends and other distributions on equity paid by our PRC subsidiaries to fund any cash and financing requirements we may have, and any limitation on the ability of our PRC subsidiaries to make payments to us could have a material and adverse effect on our ability to conduct our business.
We are a Cayman Islands holding company and we rely principally on dividends and other distributions on equity from our PRC subsidiary for our cash requirements, including the funds necessary to pay dividends and other cash distributions to our shareholders for services of any debt we may incur. If our PRC subsidiary incurs debt on its own behalf in the future, the instruments governing the debt may restrict its ability to pay dividends or make other distributions to us. Under PRC laws and regulations, our PRC subsidiary, which is a foreign-owned enterprise, may pay dividends only out of its respective accumulated profits as determined in accordance with PRC accounting standards and regulations. In addition, a foreign-owned enterprise is required to set aside at least 10% of its accumulated after-tax profits each year, if any, to fund a certain statutory reserve fund, until the aggregate amount of such fund reaches 50% of its registered capital. Such reserve funds cannot be distributed to us as dividends. Some of our subsidiaries are required to allocate general risk reserves prior to the distribution of dividends. Our PRC subsidiaries generate essentially all of their revenues in Renminbi, which is not freely convertible into other currencies. As a result, any restriction on currency exchange may limit the ability of our PRC subsidiary to use their Renminbi revenues to pay dividends to us. The PRC government may continue to strengthen its capital controls, and more restrictions and a more substantial vetting process may be put forward by SAFE for cross-border transactions falling under either or both the current account and the capital account. To the extent cash or assets in our business are held in the PRC or by a PRC entity, the funds or assets may not be available to fund operations or for other use outside of the PRC due to the imposition of restrictions and limitations by the PRC government. Although currently there are no equivalent or similar limitations in Hong Kong on cash transfers to or from our Hong Kong entities (including currency conversion), if certain limitations in the PRC were to become applicable to cash transfers to or from Hong Kong entities (including currency conversion) in the future, the funds in our Hong Kong entities, likewise, may not be available to meet our currency demand. See "Item 3. Key Information-Cash and Asset Flows through Our Organization." Any limitation on the ability of our PRC subsidiary to pay dividends or make other kinds of payments to us could materially and adversely limit our ability to grow, make investments or acquisitions that could be beneficial to our business, pay dividends, or otherwise fund and conduct our business. In addition, the Enterprise Income Tax Law and its implementation rules provide that a withholding tax rate of up to 10% will be applicable to dividends payable by Chinese companies to non-PRC-resident enterprises unless otherwise exempted or reduced according to treaties or arrangements between the PRC central government and governments of other countries or regions where the non-PRC-resident enterprises are incorporated.
Debt & Financing - Risk 3
The interests of the DiDi Partnership may conflict with your interests on certain matters and you may be disadvantaged.
The interests of the DiDi Partnership may not always align with your interests. The partnership committee of the DiDi Partnership may make determinations about, among other things, the allocation of the bonus pool among all partners, subject to approval of the compensation committee if such allocations are to partners who are executive officers or directors of our company. These allocations may not be entirely aligned with the interest of shareholders who are not partners. Because the partners may be largely comprised of members of our management team, the DiDi Partnership and its executive director nominees may focus on managerial strategies and decisions and operational and financial targets that may differ from the expectations and desires of shareholders. To the extent that the interests of the DiDi Partnership differ from your interests on certain matters, you may be disadvantaged.
Debt & Financing - Risk 4
We may lose the ability to use and enjoy assets held by the VIEs that are critical to the operation of our business if the VIEs declare bankruptcy or become subject to a dissolution or liquidation proceeding.
The VIEs hold certain assets that may be critical to the operation of our business. If the shareholders of the VIEs breach the contractual arrangements and voluntarily liquidate the VIEs, or if the VIEs declare bankruptcy and all or part of their assets become subject to liens or rights of third-party creditors or are otherwise disposed of without our consent, we may be unable to continue some or all of our business activities, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, if any of the VIEs undergoes an involuntary liquidation proceeding, third-party creditors may claim rights to some or all of its assets, thereby hindering our ability to operate our business, which could materially or adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Debt & Financing - Risk 5
We face uncertainties with respect to indirect transfers of equity interests in PRC resident enterprises by their non-PRC holding companies.
We face uncertainties regarding the reporting on and consequences of previous private equity financing transactions involving the transfer and exchange of shares in our company by non-resident investors. In February 2015, the State Administration of Taxation issued the Bulletin on Issues of Enterprise Income Tax on Indirect Transfers of Assets by Non-PRC Resident Enterprises or SAT Bulletin 7. Pursuant to SAT Bulletin 7, an "indirect transfer" of PRC assets, including a transfer of equity interests in an unlisted non-PRC holding company of a PRC resident enterprise, by non-PRC resident enterprises may be re-characterized and treated as a direct transfer of the underlying PRC assets, if such arrangement does not have a reasonable commercial purpose and was established for the purpose of avoiding payment of PRC enterprise income tax. As a result, gains derived from such indirect transfer may be subject to PRC enterprise income tax, and the transferee or other person who is obligated to pay for the transfer is obligated to withhold the applicable taxes, currently at a rate of 10% for the transfer of equity interests in a PRC resident enterprise. On October 17, 2017, the State Administration of Taxation issued the Announcement of the State Administration of Taxation on Issues Concerning the Withholding of Non-resident Enterprise Income Tax at Source, or SAT Bulletin 37, which came into effect on December 1, 2017. SAT Bulletin 37 further clarifies the practice and procedure of the withholding of non-resident enterprise income tax. We face uncertainties on the reporting and consequences of past or future private equity financing transactions, share exchanges or other transactions involving the transfer of shares in our company by investors that are non-PRC resident enterprises. The PRC tax authorities may pursue such non-resident enterprises with respect to a filing or the transferees with respect to withholding obligation, and request our PRC subsidiaries to assist in the filing. As a result, we and non-resident enterprises in such transactions may become at risk of being subject to filing obligations or being taxed under SAT Bulletin 7 and SAT Bulletin 37, and may be required to expend valuable resources to comply with these bulletins or to establish that we and our non-resident enterprises should not be taxed under these bulletins, which may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. The PRC tax authorities have the discretion under SAT Bulletin 7 to make adjustments to the taxable capital gains based on the difference between the fair value of the taxable assets transferred and the cost of investment. If the PRC tax authorities make adjustments to the taxable income of the transactions under SAT Bulletin 7, our income tax costs associated with such transactions will be increased, which may have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. We cannot assure you that the PRC tax authorities will not, at their discretion, adjust any capital gains and impose tax return filing obligations on us or require us to provide assistance to them for the investigation of any transactions we were involved in. Heightened scrutiny over acquisition transactions by the PRC tax authorities may have a negative impact on potential acquisitions we may pursue in the future.
Debt & Financing - Risk 6
You may be subject to limitations on transfer of your ADSs.
Your ADSs are transferable on the books of the depositary. However, the depositary may close its books at any time or from time to time when it deems expedient in connection with the performance of its duties. The depositary may close its books from time to time for a number of reasons, including in connection with corporate events such as a rights offering, during which time the depositary needs to maintain an exact number of ADS holders on its books for a specified period. The depositary may also close its books in emergencies, and on weekends and public holidays. The depositary may refuse to deliver, transfer or register transfers of the ADSs generally when our share register or the books of the depositary are closed, or at any time if we or the depositary thinks it is advisable to do so because of any requirement of law or of any government or governmental body, or under any provision of the deposit agreement, or for any other reason.
Corporate Activity and Growth5 | 4.6%
Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 1
The DiDi Partnership and its related arrangements will impact your ability to appoint executive directors and nominate certain executive officers of the company.
Our memorandum and articles of association allows the DiDi Partnership to appoint executive directors and nominate and recommend candidates for certain executive officer positions of our company. An executive director candidate duly nominated by the DiDi Partnership will be appointed by our board of directors, after which he or she will serve as an executive director of our company until expiry of his or her term, subject to removal or termination in accordance with our then-effective memorandum and articles of association. Our board of directors may, but is not obligated to, appoint candidates that the DiDi Partnership nominates for the executive officer positions with respect to which the DiDi Partnership holds nomination and recommendation rights. If our board of directors does not appoint an executive officer candidate, the DiDi Partnership may nominate replacement nominees until the board appoints one of those nominees to the executive officer position, provided that if the board decides not to appoint more than three consecutive candidates nominated by the DiDi Partnership, the board of directors may nominate and appoint any person to serve in the executive position after consulting the DiDi Partnership. See "Item 6. Directors, Senior Management and Employees-A. Directors and Senior Management-DiDi Partnership." This governance structure will limit your ability to influence corporate matters, including certain matters determined at the board level.
Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 2
Our strategic investments and acquisitions involve inherent risks, and any businesses we invest in or acquire may not perform as expected or be successfully integrated.
As part of our business strategy, we have entered into, and expect to continue to enter into, agreements to invest in or acquire companies, form joint ventures, divest portions or aspects of our business, sell minority stakes in portions or aspects of our business, and acquire complementary assets or technologies. For example, in August 2023, we entered into a strategic partnership with XPeng Inc. to accelerate the adoption of smart electric vehicles and technologies. As part of this transaction, we sold an electric vehicle development business to XPeng Inc. in consideration of class A ordinary shares issued by XPeng Inc., and we also agreed to cooperate with XPeng Inc. until August 2028 in a number of areas, including research & development and marketing. We cannot predict whether this or any other any strategic investment, acquisition, partnership or transaction will be successful. In addition, competition within our industry for investments in and acquisitions of businesses, technologies, and assets is intense. Even if we are able to identify a target for investment or acquisition, we may not be able to complete the transaction on commercially reasonable terms, we may not be able to receive approval under anti-monopoly and competition laws, or the target may choose to enter into a transaction with another party, which could be our competitor. Businesses we invest in or acquire may not perform as well as we expect. In 2021. 2022 and 2023, we recorded impairment losses of nil, RMB18.5 million and RMB127.8 million (US$18.0 million), respectively, for equity investments that were accounted for using the measurement alternative. One of our equity investees, Chengxin Technology Inc., or Chengxin, was a company engaged in the community group buying business which we deconsolidated after March 30, 2021. We also recorded downward fair value changes of RMB21.3 billion for our investments in Chengxin in 2021. As described in Note 4 to our consolidated financial statements, RMB1.2 billion was recognized in the consolidated statement of comprehensive loss in 2022 upon Chengxin's distribution of our share of its assets in July 2022. Failure to manage and successfully integrate acquired businesses and technologies, including managing any privacy or data security risks associated with such acquisitions, may harm our operating results and expansion prospects. The process of integrating an acquired company, business, or technology or acquired personnel into our company, as well as the performance of an acquired company, business, or technology or acquired personnel, are subject to various risks and challenges, including: - diverting management time and focus from operating our business;- disrupting our ongoing business operations;- whether consumers will accept the acquired company's offerings;- whether we will successfully implement or remediate the controls, procedures, and policies of the acquired company;- effectively integrating the acquired business onto our systems and ensuring the acquired business meets our financial reporting requirements and timelines;- retaining and integrating acquired employees, including aligning incentives between acquired employees and existing employees, as well as managing costs associated with eliminating redundancies or transferring employees on acceptable terms with minimal business disruption;- maintaining important business relationships and contracts of the acquired business;- liability for pre-acquisition activities of the acquired company;- litigation or other claims or liabilities arising in connection with the acquired company;- impairment charges associated with goodwill, investments, and other acquired intangible assets; and - other unforeseen operating difficulties and expenditures. We cannot predict whether any strategic investment, acquisition or partnership will be accretive to the value of our ordinary shares. It is also possible that any of our past, pending or future strategic transactions could be viewed negatively by the press, investors, consumers or regulators, or subject to regulatory inquiries or proceedings, which may adversely affect our reputation, business, financial condition and prospect.
Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 3
Termination or deterioration of our partnerships may adversely affect our business.
We have established strategic cooperation relationships with certain business partners. For example, we collaborate with certain business partners to obtain information technology platform services, payment processing services, colocation services and cloud communication services for our business. The contracts that we have entered into with these business partners are ordinary course of business contracts relating to the specific services that these partners provide to us. The duration of these contracts varies depending on the nature of the services and these contracts typically contain standard termination provisions that allow either party to terminate the contracts by serving prior notice to the other party. If we fail to maintain such relationships, or these business partners choose to terminate our relationships, we may need to source other alternative partners to provide such services, which may divert significant management attention from existing business operations. We may not be able to find alternative partners on favorable terms or at all, and our business may be negatively affected until we are able to find alternative partners.
Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 4
Our company culture has contributed to our success and if we cannot maintain this culture as we grow, our business could be harmed.
We believe that our company culture has been critical to our success. We face a number of challenges that may affect our ability to sustain our corporate culture, including: - any failure to effectively identify, attract, reward and retain people in leadership positions in our organization who share and further our culture and values;- the increasing size and geographic diversity of our workforce as we expand into new cities and countries;- competitive pressures to move in directions that may divert us from our vision and values;- the increasing need to develop expertise in new areas of business that affect us;- negative perception of our treatment of employees or our response to employee sentiment or actions of management; and - the integration of new personnel and businesses from acquisitions. If we are not able to maintain our culture, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.
Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 5
If we fail to effectively manage our growth or implement our business strategies across our multiple segments, our business and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.
Since our inception, we have experienced rapid growth in our business, the number of drivers and consumers on our platform and our geographic reach, and we expect to continue to experience growth in the future. We have operations in China and 14 other countries through our platforms or our partnerships across the world as of December 31, 2023. This growth has placed, and may continue to place, significant demands on our management and our operational and financial infrastructure. Our ability to manage our growth effectively and to integrate new employees, technologies and acquisitions into our existing business will require us to continue to expand our operational and financial infrastructure and to continue to retain, attract, train, motivate and manage employees. Continued growth could strain our ability to develop and improve our operational, financial and management controls, enhance our reporting systems and procedures, recruit, train and retain highly skilled personnel and maintain user satisfaction. Additionally, if we do not effectively manage the growth of our business and operations, the quality of our offerings could suffer, which could negatively affect our reputation and brand, business, financial condition and results of operations. Our growth strategies may evolve and change from time to time. For instance, some of the businesses in our International segment, including in Latin America, and in our Other Initiatives segment are developing rapidly, and therefore we may decide to accelerate our investment and increase our spend in such businesses based on dynamic and constantly changing market conditions. If such increased investments and spend do not lead to the growth of our business as planned, our results of operations and financial condition may be materially adversely affected.
Legal & Regulatory
Total Risks: 29/109 (27%)Above Sector Average
Regulation21 | 19.3%
Regulation - Risk 1
The PRC has adopted new regulations governing the use of algorithms. If new or existing regulations restrict our ability to use algorithms in our business, our financial performance and prospects would be adversely impacted.
We use AI algorithms extensively in our operations. For example, we use AI to predict and identify fluctuations in supply and demand, such as during peak hours or between residential and commercial areas. In response to such fluctuations, our systems will dynamically adjust incentives, as well as provide direct recommendations to drivers on our platform, leading drivers to move away from low-demand areas and toward high-demand areas. We also utilize our AI and deep learning systems to match individual drivers and riders efficiently, taking into account factors such as distance, wait times, and driver and passenger preferences. We rely on our matching algorithms to reduce pickup waiting times for customers and idle driving times for drivers, with the goal of satisfying customer demands and maximizing driver income. In addition to shared mobility, we are able to implement this matching technology for other offerings, such as intra-city freight, optimizing allocation and improving efficiency for each business line. The PRC has adopted regulations governing the use of algorithms. On August 17, 2021, the State Administration for Market Regulation issued a discussion draft of the Provisions on the Prohibition of Unfair Competition on the Internet, under which business operators should not use data or algorithms to hijack traffic or influence users' choices, or use technical means to illegally capture or use other business operators' data. On September 17, 2021, the CAC, together with certain other governmental authorities, jointly issued the Guidelines on Strengthening the Comprehensive Regulation of Algorithm for Internet Information Services, which provide that regulators must monitor, on a daily basis, how data is used and the effects of algorithms. These regulators must also conduct security assessments of algorithms. The guidelines also establish a filing system for algorithms, as well as promote the classified security management of algorithms. On December 31, 2021, the CAC and other PRC governmental authorities promulgated the Provisions on the Administration of Algorithm Recommendation for Internet Information Services, which took effect from March 1, 2022. Under these provisions, algorithmic recommendation service providers must inform users in a conspicuous manner about their provision of algorithmic recommendation services, and publicize the basic principles, purposes, and main operating mechanisms of algorithmic recommendation services in an appropriate manner. For more information about PRC laws and regulations relating to algorithms, see "Item 4. Information on the Company-B. Business Overview-Regulation-PRC Regulations-Regulations Relating to Algorithms." We have a technology and data advantage due to our large driver and consumer base, significant transaction volume, and fleet of shared mobility vehicles. This allows us to analyze data to power and improve our technology. If new or existing regulations restrict our ability to use algorithms in our business, we may be unable to leverage this competitive advantage to the same extent, and our financial performance and prospects would be adversely impacted.
Regulation - Risk 2
We are subject to laws, regulations and regulatory policies that are being continuously amended and improved, and the interpretation and implementation of newly established policies may remain uncertain, which could have an adverse impact on our business and future prospects.
We have operations in China and 14 other countries through our platforms or our partnerships across the world as of December 31, 2023. We are subject to differing and sometimes conflicting laws and regulations in the various jurisdictions where we provide our offerings. As the shared mobility industry is still at a relatively early stage of development, new laws and regulations may be adopted from time to time to address new issues that come to the authorities' attention. For example, on September 7, 2021, the General Office of the Ministry of Transport of the PRC promulgated the Notice on Maintaining Fair Competition Market Order and Accelerating the Standardization of Online Ride Hailing, which provides that local transportation departments should urge online ride hailing platform enterprises to operate in accordance with laws and regulations, and that these enterprises must accelerate the removal of non-compliant drivers and vehicles from their platforms. In addition, any illegal and irregular behaviors, such as low-price dumping, big data-enabled price discrimination against existing customers and inducement of fraud will be strictly punished in order to maintain a fair and competitive market. In addition, since some of the existing laws and regulations governing our business activities have only been recently promulgated, how they will be interpreted or implemented depends on the implementation rules to be promulgated by the regulators. If we fail to comply with these new regulatory requirements, we may be subject to new legal risks. For example, we generally treat drivers as independent contractors, but that determination may be challenged. See "-Our business would be adversely affected if drivers were classified as employees, workers or quasi-employees." A large number of proposals are before various national, regional, and local legislative bodies and regulatory entities regarding issues related to our industry or our business model. As we expand into new cities or countries or as we add new products and services to our platform, we may become subject to additional laws and regulations that we are not subject to now. Existing or new laws, regulations and regulatory policies are being continuously amended and improved, and the interpretation and implementation of newly established policies may remain uncertain, which could expose us to substantial liability, including expenses necessary to comply with such laws and regulations, and could dampen the growth and usage of our platform, which could adversely affect our business and results of operations.
Regulation - Risk 3
If we or drivers or vehicles on our platform fail to obtain and maintain the licenses, permits or approvals required by the jurisdictions where we operate, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely impacted.
The mobility industry is highly regulated in many jurisdictions. However, considerable uncertainties exist with respect to the applicability of existing licensing requirements to our business activities. We or drivers or vehicles on our platform may be required to obtain licenses, permits or approvals that we or they currently do not possess, and we cannot assure you that we or they will be able to timely obtain or maintain all the required licenses, permits or approvals or make all the necessary filings in the future. For example, we are required to obtain ride hailing business permits in the cities in China and in certain other jurisdictions where we operate our ride hailing business. In addition, specific licenses and permits are also required for drivers and vehicles on our platform engaged in ride hailing business in China, subject to satisfaction of certain conditions. See "Item 4. Information on the Company-B. Business Overview-Regulation-PRC Regulations-Regulation Relating to Online Ride Hailing Services" for a description of the required licenses and permits. We have had administrative penalties imposed on us for these types of non-compliance and we cannot assure you that we will not be subject to further fines, penalties or more severe administrative actions or proceedings in the future. If we or drivers or vehicles on our platform fail to obtain or maintain any required licenses, permits or approvals or make any necessary filings in a timely matter or at all, we may be subject to a variety of penalties, including fines or potentially being forced to suspend, terminate or significantly reduce our operations in the city or jurisdiction. Any such penalties may disrupt our business operations and materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Regulation - Risk 4
In certain jurisdictions, we allow consumers to pay for rides and food delivery using cash, which raises numerous regulatory, operational, and safety concerns. If we do not successfully manage those concerns, we could become subject to adverse regulatory actions and suffer reputational harm or other adverse financial and accounting consequences.
In certain jurisdictions, including Brazil and Mexico, we allow consumers to use cash to pay drivers the entire fare of rides and cost of food delivery (including our service fee from such rides and food delivery). The use of cash raises numerous regulatory, operational, and safety concerns. For example, many jurisdictions have specific regulations regarding the use of cash for ride hailing and certain jurisdictions prohibit the use of cash for ride hailing. Failure to comply with these regulations could result in the imposition of significant fines and penalties and could result in a regulator requiring that we suspend operations in those jurisdictions. In addition to these regulatory concerns, the use of cash can increase safety and security risks for drivers and riders, including potential robbery, assault, violent or fatal attacks, and other criminal acts. Serious safety incidents resulting in robberies and violent, fatal attacks on drivers while using our platform have been reported. If we are not able to adequately address any of these concerns, we could suffer significant reputational harm, which could adversely impact our business. In addition, establishing the proper infrastructure to ensure that we receive the correct service fee on cash trips is complex, and has in the past meant and may continue to mean that we cannot collect the entire service fee for certain of our cash-based trips. We have created systems for drivers to collect and deposit the cash received for cash-based trips and deliveries, as well as systems for us to collect, deposit, and properly account for the cash received, some of which are not always effective, convenient, or widely adopted by drivers. Creating, maintaining, and improving these systems requires significant effort and resources, and we cannot guarantee these systems will be effective in collecting amounts due to us. Further, operating a business that uses cash raises compliance risks with respect to a variety of laws and regulations, including anti-money laundering laws. If drivers fail to pay us under the terms of our agreements or if our collection systems fail, we may be adversely affected by both the inability to collect amounts due and the cost of enforcing the terms of our contracts, including litigation. Such collection failure and enforcement costs, along with any costs associated with a failure to comply with applicable rules and regulations, could, in the aggregate, impact our financial performance.
Regulation - Risk 5
Our business is subject to extensive government regulation and oversight relating to the provision of payment and financial services.
Jurisdictions in which we operate have laws that govern payment and financial services activities. Regulators may determine that certain aspects of our business are subject to these laws and could require us to obtain licenses to continue to operate in such jurisdictions. In some countries, it is not clear whether we are required to be licensed as a payment services provider where we rely on local payment providers to disburse payments. Were local regulators to determine that such arrangements require us to be so licensed, such regulators may block payments to drivers, restaurants, shippers or carriers. Such regulatory actions, or the need to obtain regulatory approvals, could impose significant costs and involve substantial delay in payments we make in certain local markets, any of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, or operating results. In addition, laws relating to money transfers and online payments are evolving, and changes in such laws could affect our ability to provide payment processing on our platform in the same form and on the same terms as we have historically, or at all. Our business operations, including our payments to drivers, may not always comply with these financial laws and regulations. Non-compliance with these laws or regulations could result in criminal and civil lawsuits, penalties, forfeiture of significant assets, or other enforcement actions. Costs associated with fines and enforcement actions, as well as reputational harm, changes in compliance requirements, or limits on our ability to expand our product offerings, could harm our business. Furthermore, in August 2017, we obtained approval from the Chongqing Yubei District Financial Supervision and Administration Bureau for DiDi (HK) Science and Technology Limited to establish a micro-loan company. The approval permits the micro-loan company to conduct business in a variety of areas, including loans, bill discounting, asset transfer, and investment activities carried out with its own funds. The micro-loan company is also permitted to carry out its loan business across China through the DiDi Chuxing platform. In November 2020, the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission, which has been merged into the National Financial Regulatory Administration, and the People's Bank of China promulgated a draft of Interim Measures for the Administration of Online Micro-Loan Business for public comments, which set out additional requirements for establishing micro-loan companies. Under the interim measures, the controlling shareholder of a micro-loan company must meet the following conditions: its main business must be to provide products or services suitable for online micro-loan business; it must be in good financial standing and have been profitable with cumulative total tax payments of not less than RMB12 million (using consolidated financial statement standards) during the past two fiscal years; and its capital contribution to the micro-loan company must not have exceeded 35% of its net assets for the previous fiscal year. In addition, the internet platform used for the online micro-loan business must meet the following conditions: the operator of the internet platform must hold more than 5% of equity interest of the micro-loan company; the registration place of the internet platform operator and the registration place of the micro-loan company must be in the same province, autonomous region, or municipality directly under the central government; and the registered capital of a micro-loan company operating the online micro-loan business across provincial administrative regions must not be less than RMB5 billion, which must be fully paid up in one installment in currency. In addition, the draft measures require that a micro-loan company approved by the authorities to engage in online micro-loan business before the implementation of these measures shall fully meet the requirements under these measures within one year from the date of implementation of these measures. As of the date of this annual report, the above measures have not been formally adopted, and uncertainties still exist with respect to the enactment timetable, final content, interpretation and implementation of these measures and how they will affect our business operation.
Regulation - Risk 6
Our bikes are currently subject to operating restrictions or caps in certain cities and municipalities.
Many cities in which we provide our bike and e-bike sharing services, including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, have adopted policies to restrict the operations or limit the aggregate number of bikes that may operate in that city. Subject to city-by-city variations, such restrictions generally may require us to register and obtain licenses for our bikes, limit the areas in which our bikes can operate, or limit the total number of bikes we can provide in a given city. Inability to expand the number of our bikes or the geographic area in which they operate could harm our business, financial condition, and operating results. We were and may continue to be subject to penalties if we are found to be in violation of local rules on bike and e-bike sharing.
Regulation - Risk 7
We have operations in countries known to experience high levels of corruption and are subject to territorial anti-corruption laws in these jurisdictions as well as extra-territorial anti-corruptions laws, including the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
We have operations in, and have business relationships with, entities in countries known to experience high levels of corruption. We are subject to anti-corruption laws in the jurisdictions in which we operate that prohibit improper payments or offers of payments to foreign governments, their officials, and political parties for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. We are also subject to the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and will remain so for so long as we remain a reporting company under section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Regulators continue to focus on the enforcement of these laws, and we may be subject to additional compliance requirements to identify criminal activity and payments to sanctioned parties. Our activities in certain countries with high levels of corruption enhance the risk of unauthorized payments or offers of payments by drivers, consumers, employees, consultants, or business partners in violation of various anti-corruption laws, even though the actions of these parties are often outside our control.
Regulation - Risk 8
If the PRC government finds that the agreements that establish the structure for operating some of our operations in China do not comply with PRC regulations governing the relevant industries, or if these regulations or the interpretation of existing regulations change in the future, we could be subject to severe penalties or need to relinquish our interests in those operations.
PRC laws and regulations impose restrictions on foreign ownership and investment in certain internet-based businesses. We are an exempted company incorporated in the Cayman Islands and our PRC subsidiaries are considered foreign-invested enterprises. To comply with PRC laws, regulations and regulatory requirements, we set up a series of contractual arrangements entered into among some of our PRC subsidiaries, the VIEs and their shareholders to conduct some of our operations in China. For a detailed description of these contractual arrangements, see "Item 4. Information on the Company-C. Organizational Structure-Contractual Arrangements with the Variable Interest Entities." As a result of these contractual arrangements, we consolidate the operating results of the VIEs and their subsidiaries in our financial statements under U.S. GAAP. In the opinion of our PRC legal counsel, based on their understanding of PRC laws and regulations, except as disclosed in this annual report, (i) the ownership structure of our principal variable interest entity, Xiaoju Technology, and our PRC subsidiary, Beijing DiDi, currently does not and will not result in any violation of the applicable PRC laws or regulations currently in effect; and (ii) the agreements under the contractual arrangement among Beijing DiDi, Xiaoju Technology and Xiaoju Technology's shareholders are currently valid, binding and enforceable in accordance with their terms and the applicable PRC laws or regulations currently in effect, and do not result in any violation of the applicable PRC laws or regulations currently in effect. However, we have been further advised by our PRC legal counsel that uncertainty remains as to how current PRC laws and regulations will be interpreted or implemented by the regulators, and further, that there are uncertainties due to possible future changes in PRC laws and regulations. Thus, the PRC government may ultimately take a view contrary to the opinion of our PRC legal counsel. If the PRC government otherwise find that we are in violation of any existing or future PRC laws or regulations or lack the necessary permits or licenses to operate our business, the governmental authorities would have discretion in dealing with such violation, including, without limitation: - revoking the business licenses and/or operating licenses of our PRC entities;- imposing fines on us;- confiscating any of our income that they deem to be obtained through illegal operations, or imposing other requirements with which we or the VIEs may not be able to comply;- discontinuing or placing restrictions or onerous conditions on our operations;- placing restrictions on our right to collect revenues;- shutting down our servers or blocking our mobile app;- requiring us to restructure our ownership structure or operations, including terminating the contractual arrangements with the VIEs and deregistering the equity pledges of the VIEs, which in turn would affect our ability to consolidate the financial results of and derive economic interests from the VIEs and their subsidiaries;- restricting or prohibiting our use of the proceeds from our financing activities to finance the business and operations of the VIEs and their subsidiaries; or - taking other regulatory or enforcement actions that could be harmful to our business. Any of these events could cause significant disruption to our business operations and severely damage our reputation, which would in turn have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. If occurrences of any of these events results in our inability to direct the activities of the VIEs and their subsidiaries that most significantly impact their economic performance, and/or our failure to receive the economic benefits and residual returns from the VIEs and their subsidiaries, and we are not able to restructure our ownership structure and operations in a satisfactory manner, we may not be able to consolidate the financial results of the VIEs and their subsidiaries in our consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP. In addition, if the PRC government deems that our contractual arrangements with the VIEs do not comply with PRC regulatory restrictions on foreign investment in the relevant industries, or if these regulations or the interpretation of existing regulations change in the future, we could be subject to severe penalties or need to relinquish our interests in those operations. This in turn would likely result in a material change in our operations and our securities may decline significantly in value or become worthless.
Regulation - Risk 9
We may be subject to pricing regulations, as well as related litigation, regulatory inquiries or investigations.
Our revenues are dependent on the pricing model we use to calculate user fares and driver earnings. Our pricing model has been, and will likely continue to be, challenged, banned, limited in emergencies, subject to regulatory inquiries or investigations, or capped in certain jurisdictions or in some of the cities where we operate. Any claim or challenge against us on our pricing model and any related litigation, regulatory inquiries, investigations or other legal proceedings could increase our operating costs and adversely affect our business and reputation. As a result, we may be forced to enter into settlement arrangements or change our pricing model in certain jurisdictions or those cities where we operate, which could be time consuming, costly, and require significant amounts of management time and corporate resources and could harm our business, financial condition, and operating results.
Regulation - Risk 10
Failure to comply with PRC laws and regulations on leased property may expose us to potential fines and negatively affect our ability to use the properties we lease.
Some of our leasehold interests in leased properties have not been registered with the PRC government authorities as required by PRC law, which may expose us to potential fines if we fail to take the appropriate remedial measures after receiving notice from the PRC government authorities. Furthermore, a few of our lessors have mortgaged the properties that we are renting. In the event that these properties are foreclosed on due to the lessors' failure to perform their obligations to the creditors, we may not be able to continue to use such leased properties and may incur additional expenses for relocation. Our lessors are required to comply with various laws and regulations to enable them to have effective titles of their properties to lease for our use. For instance, properties used for business operations and the underlying land should be approved for commercial use purposes by competent government authorities. Failure to do so may subject the lessors to monetary fines or other penalties and may lead to the invalidation or termination of our leases by competent government authorities, and therefore may adversely affect our ability to use the leased properties. In addition, certain lessors of our leased properties have not provided us with valid property ownership certificates or any other documentation proving their right to lease those properties to us. If our lessors are not the owners of the properties or they have not obtained consents from the owners or their lessors or permits from the government authorities, our leases could be invalidated. If any of our leases is terminated as a result of challenges by third parties or governmental authorities for lack of title certificates or proof of authorization to lease, we do not expect to be subject to any fines or penalties, but we may be forced to relocate the affected offices and incur additional expenses relating to such relocation.
Regulation - Risk 11
Our ADSs may be prohibited from trading in the United States under the HFCAA in the future if the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely auditors located in China. A prohibition on the trading of the ADSs, or the threat of a prohibition on trading, may materially and adversely affect the value of your investment.
Pursuant to the HFCAA, if the SEC determines that we have filed audit reports issued by a registered public accounting firm that has not been subject to inspections by the PCAOB for two consecutive years, the SEC will prohibit our shares or ADSs from being traded in the over-the-counter trading market in the United States. On December 16, 2021, the PCAOB issued a report to notify the SEC of its determination that the PCAOB was unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong and our auditor was subject to that determination. In June 2022, the SEC conclusively listed us as a Commission-Identified Issuer under the HFCAA following the filing of our annual report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021. On December 15, 2022, the PCAOB removed mainland China and Hong Kong from the list of jurisdictions where it is unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms. For this reason, we were not identified as a Commission-Identified Issuer under the HFCAA after we filed the annual report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022 and do not expect to be so identified after we file this annual report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023. Each year, the PCAOB will determine whether it can inspect and investigate completely audit firms in mainland China and Hong Kong, among other jurisdictions. If the PCAOB determines in the future that it no longer has full access to inspect and investigate completely accounting firms in mainland China and Hong Kong and we use an accounting firm headquartered in one of these jurisdictions to issue an audit report on our financial statements filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, we would be identified as a Commission-Identified Issuer following the filing of the annual report on Form 20-F for the relevant fiscal year. In accordance with the HFCAA, our securities would be prohibited from being traded in the United States if we are identified as a Commission-Identified Issuer for two consecutive years in the future. If that happens and we are unable or have not yet listed on a non-U.S. exchange and a market does not develop outside of the United States, your ability to sell or purchase our securities when you wish to do so would be substantially impaired, which would have a negative impact on the price of our securities. Also, these circumstances would significantly affect our ability to raise capital on terms acceptable to us, or at all, which would have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and prospects.
Regulation - Risk 12
Claims and/or regulatory actions against us related to anti-monopoly and/or other aspects of our business may result in our being subject to fines, constraints on or modification of our business practice, damage to our reputation, and material adverse impact on our financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
The State Administration for Market Regulation, which is the anti-monopoly enforcement agency in the PRC, has in recent years strengthened enforcement under the Anti-monopoly Law, including conducting investigations and levying significant fines with respect to concentration of undertakings, cartel activity, monopoly agreements and abusive behavior by companies with market dominance. The State Administration for Market Regulation has recently imposed administrative penalties on various companies, including us, for failing to duly make filings as to their transactions subject to merger control review. In the past, we were fined for certain transactions where we did not obtain prior merger control clearance. In the future we may be subject to further fines, and may be required to make divestures or be subject to other administrative penalties if regulators determine that we have failed to make the required filings in relation to any of our historical investments and acquisitions or that any other aspects of our business practice have constituted a violation of the Anti-monopoly Law. As a result of the government's focus on anti-monopoly and anticipated enhanced regulation of platform enterprises, our business practice and expansion strategy may be subject to heightened regulatory scrutiny. In addition, on February 7, 2021, the Anti-monopoly Committee of the State Council promulgated the Anti-monopoly Guidelines for the Internet Platform Economy Sector, which provide further guidance on complying with the Anti-monopoly Law for companies operating in the internet industry. The guidelines expressly stipulate that any merger or acquisitions involving variable interest entities falls within the scope of merger control review if the filing thresholds are met. Under these guidelines, examples of abuse of dominance include unreasonably locking in merchants with exclusive agreements and targeting specific customers with unreasonable big-data and algorithm-driven tailored pricing. On August 17, 2021, the State Administration for Market Regulation issued a discussion draft of Provisions on the Prohibition of Unfair Competition on the Internet, under which business operators should not use data or algorithms to hijack traffic or influence users' choices, or use technical means to illegally capture or use other business operators' data. Furthermore, business operators are not allowed to (i) fabricate or spread misleading information to damage the reputation of competitors, or (ii) employ marketing practices such as fake reviews or use coupons or "red envelopes" to entice positive ratings. On June 24, 2022, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China decided to amend the Anti-monopoly Law. The amendment took effect on August 1, 2022. Compared with the previous Anti-monopoly Law, the amendment further provides that operators must not abuse data, algorithms, technology, capital advantages and platform rules to engage in monopolistic behaviors that are prohibited by the Anti-monopoly Law and further emphasizes that operators with dominant market position shall not abuse their dominant market position by these means. In addition, the amendment increases the fines for illegal conclusion and implementation of monopoly agreements and introduces different fines for illegal concentration of business operators under different circumstances. Following this, on March 10, 2023, the State Administration for Market Regulation promulgated the Provisions on Prohibiting Monopoly Agreements, the Provisions on Prohibiting Abuse of Dominant Market Positions, the Provisions on the Examination of Concentrations of Undertakings and the Provisions on Prohibiting the Acts of Eliminating or Restricting Competition by Abuse of Administrative Power, all of which came into effect on April 15, 2023. These provisions specify and refine the provisions of the Anti-monopoly Law. For example, these provisions specify the conditions for suspending the review period for calculating the concentration of undertakings, clarify the judgment factors of "control" and "implementation of concentration" in the review of concentration of undertakings, optimize the calculation of turnover of undertakings involved in concentration, etc. Besides, these provisions further emphasize that operators with dominant market positions shall not utilize data, algorithms, technologies and rules of the platform, among others, to conduct acts of abusing their dominant market positions as stipulated thereunder. For more details, see "Item 4. Information on the Company-B. Business Overview-Regulation-PRC Regulations-Regulations Relating to Anti-Monopoly." As these provisions came into effect recently, their interpretation, implementation and enforcement remain uncertain. In order to comply with existing anti-monopoly and other laws and regulations and new anti-monopoly and other laws and regulations that may be enacted in the future, we may need to devote significant resources and efforts, including restructuring affected businesses, changing our business practices and adjusting our investment activities, which may materially and adversely affect our business, growth prospects and reputation. For example, in April 2021, the State Administration for Market Regulation, together with the CAC and the State Administration of Taxation, held a meeting with more than 30 major internet companies in China, including us. All companies that participated in the meeting were required to conduct a self-inspection within one month to identify and correct possible violations of anti-monopoly, anti-unfair competition, tax and other related laws and regulations and submit their compliance commitments for public supervision. We have completed the self-inspection and the governmental authorities have conducted onsite inspections of our company. Our self-inspection uncovered a number of areas which could be deemed problematic from a compliance perspective, including potential anti-competitive practices in ancillary services such as electric vehicle charging, disclosure of driver income and related policies, inaccurate marketing and promotional materials, potentially unfair pricing in the community group buying business, and failure to make filings of certain transactions subject to merger control review. We have made efforts to correct or improve the above areas to ensure compliance to the extent we can. However, we cannot assure you that we will not be subject to any penalty with respect to any violations of anti-monopoly, anti-unfair competition, pricing, advertisement, privacy protection, food safety, product quality, tax and other related laws and regulations. We expect that these areas will receive greater and continued attention and scrutiny from regulators and the general public going forward. As a result, we may be subject to additional inspections and/or investigations and may incur additional costs and expenses, devote more of our management's attention and allocate additional resources to comply with laws, regulations and other requirements of the governmental authorities. If we are required to take any rectifying or remedial measures or are subject to any penalty, our reputation and business operations may be materially and adversely affected. Further, on May 14, 2021, the Ministry of Transport and several other regulators convened a meeting with multiple transport-related platforms in China including us, in which the regulators required those platforms to review their business practice in the areas of driver income, pricing, and related mechanisms and make rectifications to ensure transparency and fairness to platform participants, including passengers and drivers. Specifically, for the sake of transparency and fairness, the regulators required us to share information with the drivers on our platform about their income. We have been making efforts to meet the latest guidance from regulators, including issuing public letters to drivers to explain our future periodic statements to each driver setting forth details of the driver's income with us, beginning from July 2021. We will review and modify our business practice continually to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and guidance. However, we cannot assure you that regulators will not have further requirements, nor that the regulators will not require us to make additional changes to various aspects of our business practice. Claims or regulatory actions against us related to various aspects of our business practice may result in our being subject to fines, constraints on or modification of our business practice, damage to our reputation, and material adverse impact on our financial condition, results of operations and prospects. Any lawsuits, regulatory investigations or administrative proceedings relating to anti-monopoly, anti-unfair competition, pricing, advertisement, privacy protection or other matters initiated against us could also result in our being subject to regulatory actions and constraints on our completed or future investments and acquisitions, which could include forced termination of any agreements or transactions that may be determined by governmental authorities to be in violation of anti-monopoly laws or the filing requirements, required divestitures, limitations on certain pricing and business practices and/or significant fines. As a result, we may be subject to significant difficulties in operating our current business and pursuing our investment and acquisition strategy. Any of the above circumstances could materially and adversely affect our business, operations, reputation and brand.
Regulation - Risk 13
The PRC government has jurisdiction over our business operations and may exercise discretion pursuant to PRC laws and regulations. If we fail to comply with applicable PRC laws, regulations or regulatory requirements, our operations and the value of our securities may be materially affected.
We conduct our business primarily through our PRC subsidiaries, the VIEs and their subsidiaries in China. Our operations and business development are governed by PRC laws and regulations. The PRC government has jurisdiction over our business operations and may exercise discretion pursuant to PRC laws and regulations. If we fail to comply with applicable PRC laws, regulations or regulatory requirements, our operations and value of our securities may be materially affected. See "-Risks Relating to Our Business and Industry-If we or drivers or vehicles on our platform fail to obtain and maintain the licenses, permits or approvals required by the jurisdictions where we operate, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely impacted" and "-Claims and/or regulatory actions against us related to anti-monopoly and/or other aspects of our business may result in our being subject to fines, constraints on or modification of our business practice, damage to our reputation, and material adverse impact on our financial condition, results of operations and prospects." The PRC government has also recently proposed and in some cases promulgated new laws and regulations to exert further oversight and control over offerings that are conducted overseas and/or foreign investment in China-based issuers. See "-Risks Relating to Our Business and Industry-New cybersecurity and data security measures and regulations could impose further compliance requirements on our business, cause us to incur new expenses for compliance, or expose us to new legal risks in the event we fail to comply with these regulatory requirements" and "-We may be required to obtain approval or subject to filing or other requirements from the CSRC or other PRC governmental authorities for any future listing or other financing activities." As such, we may be required to obtain approval and complete filings or other administrative procedures with the PRC government for any future offshore offerings that we may conduct. However, we may be unable to obtain such approval or complete such filings or other administrative procedures in a timely manner, and therefore face adverse consequences under laws and regulations. We have undergone a cybersecurity review in China in the past. From July 2021 to January 2023, we were required to suspend new user registration in China and 26 of the apps that we operate in China were taken down from app stores. We fully cooperated with the PRC government authorities on the cybersecurity review and rectification measures. On January 16, 2023, with the approval of the Cybersecurity Review Office, we resumed the registration of new users on DiDi Chuxing. See "Item 3. Key Information-Permissions Required from the PRC Authorities for Our Securities Offerings and Operations-Past Cybersecurity Review and Rectification." However, there are uncertainties with respect to whether we will become subject to any new cybersecurity review in the future. If we are unable to complete any new review and implement any required rectification measures, the growth and usage of our platform in China may decline, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. Any such circumstance could significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to continue to offer securities to investors and cause the value of such securities to significantly decline or be worthless. In addition, there may be changes or developments in PRC laws, regulations and policies or in the interpretation and application of existing laws, regulations and policies applicable to our industry. As a result, investors in our company and our business may face uncertainties.
Regulation - Risk 14
Uncertainties associated with change in or development of PRC legal system could adversely affect us.
The PRC legal system is evolving rapidly. The PRC governmental authorities may continue to promulgate new laws and regulations regulating our business. Moreover, developments in our industry may lead to further amendments and improvements in PRC laws, regulations and policies, and uncertainty remains concerning the interpretation and implementation of newly promulgated laws, regulations and policies. As a result, we may be required by the regulators to upgrade the licenses or permits we have obtained, to obtain additional licenses, permits, approvals, to complete additional filings or registrations for the services we provide, or to modify our business practices. Any failure to upgrade, obtain or maintain such licenses, permits, filings or approvals or requirement to modify our business practices may subject us to various penalties, including, among others, the confiscation of revenues and imposition of fines. We cannot assure you that our business operations would not be deemed to violate any existing or future PRC laws or regulations, which in turn may limit or restrict us, and could materially and adversely affect our business and operations. From time to time, we may have to resort to administrative and court proceedings to enforce our legal rights. However, since PRC judicial and administrative authorities have certain discretion in interpreting and implementing statutory and contractual terms, it may be difficult to predict the outcome of a judicial or administrative proceeding. These uncertainties may impede our ability to enforce the contracts we have entered into and could materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations.
Regulation - Risk 15
It may be difficult for overseas regulators to conduct investigation or collect evidence within China.
Shareholder claims or regulatory investigations that are common in the United States generally are difficult to pursue as a matter of law or practicality in China. For example, in China, there are significant legal and other obstacles to providing information needed for regulatory investigations or litigation initiated outside China. Although the authorities in China may establish a regulatory cooperation mechanism with the securities regulatory authorities of another country or region to implement cross-border supervision and administration, such cooperation with the securities regulatory authorities in the Unities States may not be efficient in the absence of mutual and practical cooperation mechanisms. Furthermore, according to Article 177 of the PRC Securities Law, which became effective in March 2020, no overseas securities regulator is allowed to directly conduct investigations or collect evidence within the territory of the PRC. Furthermore, on February 24, 2023, the CSRC and several other Chinese authorities promulgated the Provisions on Strengthening Confidentiality and Archives Administration of Overseas Securities Offering and Listing by Domestic Companies, which provide that where an overseas securities regulator and a competent overseas authority requests to inspect, investigate or collect evidence from a PRC domestic company concerning overseas offering and listing, or to inspect, investigate, or collect evidence from the PRC domestic securities companies and securities service providers that undertake relevant businesses for such PRC domestic companies, such inspection, investigation and evidence collection shall be conducted under a cross-border regulatory cooperation mechanism, and the CSRC or other competent Chinese authorities will provide necessary assistance pursuant to bilateral and multilateral cooperation mechanisms. The PRC domestic company, securities companies and securities service providers shall first obtain approval from the CSRC or other competent Chinese authorities before cooperating with the inspection and investigation by the overseas securities regulator or competent overseas authority, or providing documents and materials requested in such inspection and investigation. Accordingly, the inability for an overseas securities regulator to directly conduct investigations or collect evidence within China may further increase difficulties faced by you in protecting your interests. See also "-You may face difficulties in protecting your interests, and your ability to protect your rights through U.S. courts may be limited, because we are incorporated under Cayman Islands law" for risks associated with investing in us as a Cayman Islands company.
Regulation - Risk 16
Uncertainties exist with respect to the interpretation and implementation of the PRC Foreign Investment Law and other foreign investment related laws and regulations and how they may impact our current corporate structure, corporate governance and operations.
The variable interest entity structure has been adopted by many companies which have operations in China, including us, to obtain necessary licenses and permits in the industries that are currently subject to foreign investment restrictions in China. The status of this variable entity structure under the PRC Foreign Investment Law remains uncertain. In January 2015, the Ministry of Commerce published a discussion draft of the proposed Foreign Investment Law. In this discussion draft, variable interest entities that are controlled via contractual arrangements would also be deemed as foreign-invested entities, if they are ultimately "controlled" by foreign investors. Subsequently, in March 2019, the National People's Congress promulgated the Foreign Investment Law, and in December 2019, the State Council promulgated implementing rules to further clarify and elaborate the provisions of the Foreign Investment Law. Both the law and the implementing rules became effective from January 1, 2020. Under the Foreign Investment Law, "foreign investments" are investment activities conducted by foreign investors (including foreign natural persons, foreign enterprises or other foreign organizations) directly or indirectly in the PRC. Unlike the 2015 discussion draft, the as-adopted Foreign Investment Law and its implementing rules do not use the concept of "control" to determine whether a company is a foreign-invested enterprise, and they are silent on whether the variable interest entity structure is a means of foreign investment. However, the definition of "foreign investment" in the Foreign Investment Law is subject to a catch-all provision, under which any investment by a foreign investor in any method that may be stipulated by laws, administrative regulations or the provisions of the State Council would constitute a "foreign investment" under the Foreign Investment Law. As the PRC government authorities may promulgate more laws, regulations or rules on the interpretation and implementation of the Foreign Investment Law, it is possible that, in the future, entities that are "controlled" within the meaning of that term as used in the 2015 draft of the Foreign Investment Law or entities that are part of a variable interest entity structure may be deemed to be "foreign investments" under the Foreign Investment Law. If under future laws our consolidated VIEs were deemed to be foreign-invested enterprises, and any of the businesses that we operate are of a type in which foreign investment is restricted or prohibited, we would therefore need to take actions to comply with the law, which may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Furthermore, if future laws, administrative regulations or rules mandate further actions to be taken by companies with respect to existing contractual arrangements, we may face substantial uncertainties as to whether we can complete such actions in a timely manner, or at all. Failure to take timely and appropriate measures to cope with any of these or similar regulatory compliance challenges could materially and adversely affect our current corporate structure, business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, the Administrative Regulations on Foreign-Invested Telecommunications Enterprises were recently amended by the State Council on April 7, 2022. The amendments took effect on May 1, 2022 and removed the requirement that the primary foreign investor in a foreign invested value-added telecommunications enterprise have a good track record and operational experience in the value-added telecommunications industry. Given this new regulatory development, we may need to restructure the ownership structures of our consolidated VIEs for the purpose of having better power to direct activities of and receive economic benefits from the VIEs, or, if we decide to pursue listing on another internationally recognized stock exchange, satisfying the requirements of such stock exchange. Such restructuring will be subject to a number of uncertainties, including adjusting the contractual arrangements with the VIEs, registration of the transfer of the equity interests of the VIEs and their subsidiaries, registration of the new equity pledges, and obtaining additional operating permits or making amendments to our current operating permits, including the VATS Licenses. If we are unable to successfully complete the procedures involved in restructuring the ownership structure of our consolidated VIEs, or if these procedures are subsequently challenged, we may not be able to complete a future listing on another internationally recognized stock exchange as we expect, and any of these events could also cause significant disruption to our business operations, which would in turn have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Regulation - Risk 17
PRC regulation of loans to and direct investment in PRC entities by offshore holding companies and governmental control of currency conversion may delay or prevent us from using our cash and cash equivalents to make loans or additional capital contributions to our PRC subsidiary, the VIEs and their subsidiaries, which could materially and adversely affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business.
We are an offshore holding company conducting our operations in China through our PRC subsidiaries, the VIEs and their subsidiaries. To finance those operations, we may make loans to our PRC subsidiaries, the VIEs and their subsidiaries, or we may make additional capital contributions to our PRC subsidiaries, or we may establish new PRC subsidiaries and make capital contributions to these new PRC subsidiaries, or we may acquire offshore entities with business operations in China in an offshore transaction. Most of these methods are subject to PRC regulations and approvals or registration. For example, loans by us to our wholly owned PRC subsidiary to finance its activities cannot exceed statutory limits and must be registered with the local counterpart of SAFE. If we decide to finance our wholly owned PRC subsidiary by means of capital contributions, these capital contributions must be registered with the State Administration for Market Regulation or its local branch, reported as foreign investment information to the Ministry of Commerce, or registered with other governmental authorities in China. Due to the restrictions imposed on loans in foreign currencies extended to PRC domestic companies, we are not likely to make such loans to the VIEs, which are PRC domestic companies. Further, we are not likely to finance the activities of the VIEs by means of capital contributions due to regulatory restrictions on foreign investment in PRC domestic enterprises engaged in certain businesses. SAFE promulgated the Notice of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on Reforming the Administration of Foreign Exchange Settlement of Capital of Foreign-invested Enterprises, or SAFE Circular 19, effective June 2015. Pursuant to SAFE Circular 19, the flow and use of the RMB capital converted from foreign currency-denominated registered capital of a foreign-invested company is regulated. In particular, this kind of RMB capital may not be used for the issuance of RMB entrusted loans, the repayment of inter-enterprise loans or the repayment of banks loans that have been transferred to a third party. Although SAFE Circular 19 allows RMB capital converted from foreign currency-denominated registered capital of a foreign-invested enterprise to be used for equity investments within China, RMB converted from the foreign currency-denominated capital of a foreign-invested company may not be directly or indirectly used for purposes beyond its business scope. SAFE subsequently issued several circulars in the following years to provide additional guidelines on the use by foreign invested enterprises of the income under their capital accounts generated from their capital, foreign debt and overseas listing. However, the interpretation and enforcement of SAFE Circular 19 and other circulars remain subject to uncertainty and potential future policy changes from SAFE. In light of the various requirements imposed by PRC regulations on loans to and direct investment in PRC entities by offshore holding companies, we cannot assure you that we will be able to complete the necessary government registrations or obtain the necessary government approvals on a timely basis, or at all, with respect to future loans to our PRC subsidiaries or the VIEs or future capital contributions by us to our PRC subsidiaries. As a result, uncertainties exist as to our ability to provide prompt financial support to our PRC subsidiaries or the VIEs when needed. If we fail to complete such registrations or obtain such approvals, our ability to use our cash and cash equivalents and to capitalize or otherwise fund our PRC operations may be negatively affected, which could materially and adversely affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business.
Regulation - Risk 18
PRC regulations relating to offshore investment activities by PRC residents may limit our PRC subsidiary's ability to increase their registered capital or distribute profits to us or otherwise expose us or our PRC resident beneficial owners to liability and penalties under PRC law.
In July 2014, SAFE promulgated the Circular on Relevant Issues Concerning Foreign Exchange Control on Domestic Residents' Offshore Investment and Financing and Roundtrip Investment Through Special Purpose Vehicles, or SAFE Circular 37. SAFE Circular 37 requires PRC residents (including PRC individuals and PRC corporate entities, as well as foreign individuals that are deemed to be PRC residents for foreign exchange administration purposes) to register with SAFE or its local branches in connection with their direct or indirect offshore investment activities. SAFE Circular 37 further requires registrants to amend their registrations with SAFE if the offshore special purpose vehicle experiences material changes, such as a (i) change in name, (ii) change in the composition of its PRC shareholders, (iii) increase or decrease in capital contributions, (iv) share transfer or exchange, or (v) merger or division. SAFE Circular 37 is applicable to our shareholders who are PRC residents and may be applicable to any offshore acquisitions that we make in the future. According to the Notice on Further Simplifying and Improving Policies for the Foreign Exchange Administration of Direct Investment released on February 13, 2015 by SAFE, local banks will examine and handle foreign exchange registration for overseas direct investment, including the initial foreign exchange registration and amendment registration, under SAFE Circular 37 from June 1, 2015. PRC residents must, by themselves or entrusting accounting firms or banks, file with the online information system designated by SAFE with respect to its existing rights under offshore direct investment each year prior to the requisite time. We may not be fully informed of the identities of all the PRC residents or entities holding direct or indirect interest in our company, nor can we compel our shareholders or beneficial owners to comply with SAFE's registration requirements. We cannot assure you that all of our shareholders or beneficial owners who are PRC residents or entities have complied with, and will in the future make, obtain or update any applicable registrations or approvals required by, SAFE's regulations. The failure or inability of such shareholders or beneficial owners to comply with SAFE regulations, or failure by us to amend the foreign exchange registrations of our PRC subsidiary, could subject us to fines or legal sanctions, restrict our overseas or cross-border investment activities, limit our PRC subsidiary's ability to make distributions or pay dividends to us or affect our ownership structure. As a result, our business operations and our ability to distribute profits to you could be materially and adversely affected.
Regulation - Risk 19
The M&A Rules and certain other PRC regulations may make it more difficult for us to pursue growth through acquisitions in China.
The Regulations on Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Companies by Foreign Investors, or the M&A Rules, adopted by six PRC regulatory agencies in 2006 and amended in 2009, and some other regulations and rules concerning mergers and acquisitions established complex procedures and requirements for acquisition of Chinese companies by foreign investors, including requirements in some instances that the Ministry of Commerce of the PRC be notified in advance of any change-of-control transaction in which a foreign investor takes control of a PRC domestic enterprise. The Anti-monopoly Law promulgated by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress requires that transactions which are deemed concentrations and involve parties with specified turnover thresholds must be cleared by the anti-monopoly enforcement agency before they can be completed. The Measures for the Security Review of Foreign Investment promulgated by the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Commerce in December 2020 specify that foreign investments in military, national defense-related areas or in locations in proximity to military facilities, or foreign investments that would result in acquiring the actual control of assets in certain key sectors, such as critical agricultural products, energy and resources, equipment manufacturing, infrastructure, transport, cultural products and services, information technology, internet products and services, financial services and technology sectors, are required to obtain approval from designated governmental authorities in advance. In the future, we may pursue potential strategic acquisitions that are complementary to our business and operations. Complying with the requirements of the above-mentioned regulations and other rules to complete such transactions could be time-consuming, and any required approval processes may delay or inhibit our ability to complete such transactions, which could affect our ability to expand our business or maintain our market share. Furthermore, according to the M&A Rules, if a PRC entity or individual plans to merge or acquire its related PRC entity through an overseas company legitimately incorporated or controlled by such entity or individual, such a merger and acquisition will be subject to examination and approval by the Ministry of Commerce. There is a possibility that the PRC regulators may promulgate new rules or explanations requiring that we obtain the approval of the Ministry of Commerce or other PRC governmental authorities for our completed or ongoing mergers and acquisitions. There is no assurance that we can obtain such approval from the Ministry of Commerce or any other PRC governmental authorities for our mergers and acquisitions, and if we fail to obtain those approvals, we may be required to suspend our acquisition and be subject to penalties. Any uncertainties regarding such approval requirements could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and corporate structure.
Regulation - Risk 20
We may be required to obtain approval or subject to filing or other requirements from the CSRC or other PRC governmental authorities for any future listing or other financing activities.
Pursuant to the M&A Rules, an offshore special purpose vehicle that was formed for listing purposes through the acquisition of PRC domestic companies and is controlled by PRC persons or entities must obtain the approval of the CSRC before it can list its securities on an overseas stock exchange. However, the application of the M&A Rules remains unclear. Furthermore, on February 17, 2023, the CSRC promulgated the Trial Administrative Measures of the Overseas Securities Offering and Listing by Domestic Companies, or the Overseas Listing Trial Measures, and five related guidelines, which became effective on March 31, 2023. Under these new rules, PRC domestic companies that seek to offer and list securities in overseas markets (including the circumstance where a PRC domestic company intends to reissue and list overseas after delisting from an overseas exchange, including where the delisting results in the trading of that company's securities on the over-the-counter market), either directly or indirectly, are required to complete the filing procedures with the CSRC and report the required information. As the Overseas Listing Trial Measures and the related guidelines were newly promulgated, there remain uncertainty regarding their implementation and interpretation and we cannot predict whether or how these new rules may impact our company in the future.
Regulation - Risk 21
Any failure to comply with PRC regulations regarding the registration requirements for employee stock incentive plans may subject the PRC plan participants or us to fines and other legal or administrative sanctions.
Pursuant to the Notice on Issues Concerning the Foreign Exchange Administration for Domestic Individuals Participating in Stock Incentive Plan of Overseas Publicly Listed Company, issued by SAFE in February 2012, employees, directors, supervisors and other senior management participating in any stock incentive plan of an overseas publicly listed company who are PRC citizens or who are non-PRC citizens residing in China for a continuous period of not less than one year, subject to a few exceptions, are required to register with SAFE through a domestic qualified agent, which could be a PRC subsidiary of such overseas listed company, and complete certain other procedures. We and our directors, executive officers and other employees who are PRC citizens or who reside in the PRC for a continuous period of not less than one year and who have been granted share-based awards are subject to these regulations. Failure to complete the registrations with SAFE may subject them to fines and legal sanctions and may also limit our ability to contribute additional capital into our wholly foreign-owned subsidiaries in China and limit these subsidiaries' ability to distribute dividends to us. We also face regulatory uncertainties that could restrict our ability to adopt additional incentive plans for our directors and employees under PRC law. In addition, the State Administration of Taxation has issued certain circulars concerning employee share options and restricted shares. Under these circulars, our employees working in China who exercise share options or are granted restricted shares will be subject to PRC individual income tax. Our PRC subsidiary has obligations to file documents related to employee share options or restricted shares with the tax authorities and to withhold individual income taxes of those employees who exercise their share options or are granted restricted share. If our employees fail to pay or we fail to withhold their income taxes according to the laws and regulations, we may face sanctions imposed by the tax authorities or other PRC government authorities.
Litigation & Legal Liabilities3 | 2.8%
Litigation & Legal Liabilities - Risk 1
You may experience difficulties in effecting service of legal process, enforcing foreign judgments or bringing actions in China against us or our management named in this annual report based on foreign laws.
We are an exempted company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands. However, we conduct the vast majority of our operations in China. In addition, all of our directors and senior executive officers reside within China for at least a significant portion of the time. As a result, it may be difficult for you to effect service of process upon us or our management residing in China. It may also be difficult for you to enforce in U.S. courts of the judgments obtained in U.S. courts based on the civil liability provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws against us and our officers and directors. In addition, there is uncertainty as to whether the courts of the Cayman Islands or the PRC would recognize or enforce judgments of U.S. courts against us or such persons predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the United States or any state. The recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments are provided for under the Civil Procedures Law. PRC courts may recognize and enforce foreign judgments in accordance with the requirements of the Civil Procedures Law based either on treaties between China and the country where the judgment is made or on principles of reciprocity between jurisdictions. China does not have any treaties or other forms of written arrangement with the United States that provide for the reciprocal recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments. In addition, according to the Civil Procedures Law, the PRC courts will not enforce a foreign judgment against us or our directors and officers if they decide that the judgment violates the basic principles of PRC laws or national sovereignty, security or public interest. As a result, it is uncertain whether and on what basis a PRC court would enforce a judgment rendered by a court in the United States.
Litigation & Legal Liabilities - Risk 2
Adverse litigation judgments or settlements resulting from legal proceedings or investigations in which we may be involved could expose us to monetary damages or limit our ability to operate our business.
We are regularly subject to legal proceedings by drivers, consumers, employees, commercial partners, competitors, government agencies, and other persons, as well as investigations and other administrative or regulatory proceedings by government agencies. In the ordinary course of our business, various parties claim that we are liable for damages related to accidents or other incidents involving drivers, consumers or other third parties on our platform. We are also subject to contractual disputes with drivers and other third parties. We are currently named as a defendant in a number of matters related to accidents or other incidents involving drivers, consumers and other third parties, and in matters related to contract disputes. Furthermore, we are involved in disputes with third parties asserting, among other things, alleged infringement of their intellectual property rights. Starting in July 2021, we and certain of our officers and directors were named as defendants in several putative securities class actions filed in federal court in New York and California. These actions alleged, in sum and substance, that the registration statement and prospectus we prepared for our June 30, 2021 initial public offering contained material misstatements and omissions in violation of the Securities Act of 1933, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder. Separately, in December 2021, we and certain of our officers and directors were named as defendants in a putative securities class action filed in state court in New York, which similarly alleges that the registration statement and prospectus we prepared for our initial public offering contained material misstatements and omissions. This state court action remains in its preliminary stage. We cannot predict the timing, outcome or consequences of these actions, and there is no basis to conclude at this point whether these actions will be successful or whether the Company will be subject to any damages and, if so, how much. We have undergone a cybersecurity review in China in the past. From July 2021 to January 2023, we were required to suspend new user registration in China and 26 of the apps that we operate in China were taken down from app stores. We fully cooperated with the PRC government authorities on the cybersecurity review and rectification measures. On January 16, 2023, with the approval of the Cybersecurity Review Office, we resumed the registration of new users on DiDi Chuxing. See "Item 8. Financial Information-A. Consolidated Statements and Other Financial Information-Legal and Administrative Proceedings" for more details. The results of any such litigation, investigations and legal proceedings are inherently unpredictable, and defending against them is expensive. Any claims against us, whether meritorious or not, could be time consuming, costly, and harmful to our reputation, and could require significant amounts of management time and corporate resources. If any of these legal proceedings were to be determined adversely to us, or if we were to enter into a settlement arrangement, we could suffer monetary damages or be forced to change the way in which we operate our business, which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results.
Litigation & Legal Liabilities - Risk 3
We may be required to defend or insure against product liability claims.
We may experience claims arising from or related to misuse or claimed failures of such new technologies that we are pioneering and using. For example, the battery packs that we use in our e-bikes use lithium-ion cells that may, under rare circumstances, ignite nearby materials or other lithium-ion cells. Furthermore, we may face the risk of product liability claims by consumers in connection with our bike and e-bike sharing services as well. Any product liability claim may subject us to lawsuits and substantial monetary damages, product recalls or redesign efforts, and even a meritless claim may require us to defend it, all of which may generate negative publicity and be expensive and time-consuming. We generally do not purchase third-party insurance to protect us against the risk of product liability claims, meaning that any successful product liability claims against us will likely have to be paid from our own funds, rather than by insurance.
Taxation & Government Incentives4 | 3.7%
Taxation & Government Incentives - Risk 1
Contractual arrangements in relation to the VIEs may be subject to scrutiny by the PRC tax authorities and they may determine that we or the VIEs owe additional taxes, which could negatively affect our financial condition and the value of your investment.
The PRC tax authorities may audit or challenge arrangements or transactions among related parties. We could face material and adverse tax consequences if the PRC tax authorities determine that the contractual arrangements in relation to the VIEs were not entered into on an arm's length basis in such a way as to result in an impermissible reduction in taxes under applicable PRC laws, rules and regulations, and adjust the taxable income of the VIEs in the form of a transfer pricing adjustment. A transfer pricing adjustment could, among other things, reduce the expense deductions recorded by the VIEs for PRC tax purposes, which could in turn increase their tax liabilities without reducing our PRC subsidiaries' tax expenses. In addition, the PRC tax authorities may impose late payment fees and other penalties on the VIEs for the adjusted but unpaid taxes according to the applicable regulations. Our financial position could be materially and adversely affected if the VIEs' tax liabilities increase or if they are required to pay late payment fees and other penalties.
Taxation & Government Incentives - Risk 2
The discontinuation of the preferential income tax treatment currently available to us in the PRC could have a material and adverse effect on our result of operations and financial condition.
Pursuant to the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law, as further clarified by subsequent implementing tax regulations, foreign-invested enterprises and domestic enterprises are subject to enterprise income tax at a uniform rate of 25%. Certain enterprises may benefit from a preferential tax rate of 15% under the Enterprise Income Tax Law if they qualify as "High and New Technology Enterprises strongly supported by the state," subject to certain general factors described in the Enterprise Income Tax Law and the related regulations. One of our subsidiaries, Beijing DiDi Infinity Technology and Development Co., Ltd., which we refer to as Beijing DiDi, is entitled to enjoy a preferential tax rate of 15%, due to its qualification as a High and New Technology Enterprise. This status will expire in 2025 unless renewed. The High and New Technology Enterprise qualification is re-assessed by the authorities every three years, and if the subsidiary fails to renew its High and New Technology Enterprise qualification, the enterprise income tax rate applicable to it will increase to 25%. See "Item 5. Operating And Financial Review and Prospects-A. Operating Results-Taxation-China." The discontinuation of the above-mentioned preferential income tax treatment currently available to us in the PRC could have a material and adverse effect on our result of operations and financial condition. We cannot assure you that we will be able to maintain our current effective tax rate in the future.
Taxation & Government Incentives - Risk 3
If we are classified as a PRC resident enterprise for PRC income tax purposes, such classification could result in unfavorable tax consequences to us and our non-PRC shareholders or ADS holders.
Under the Enterprise Income Tax Law and its implementation rules, an enterprise established outside of the PRC with a "de facto management body" within the PRC is considered a PRC resident enterprise and will be subject to the enterprise income tax on its global income at the rate of 25%. The implementation rules define the term "de facto management body" as the body that exercises full and substantial control over and overall management of the business, productions, personnel, accounts and properties of an enterprise. In 2009, the State Administration of Taxation issued a circular, known as Circular 82, which provides certain specific criteria for determining whether the "de facto management body" of a PRC-controlled enterprise that is incorporated offshore is located in China. Although Circular 82 only applies to offshore enterprises controlled by PRC enterprises or PRC enterprise groups, not those controlled by PRC individuals or foreigners like us, the criteria set forth in the circular may reflect the State Administration of Taxation's general position on how the "de facto management body" test should be applied in determining the tax resident status of all offshore enterprises. According to Circular 82, an offshore incorporated enterprise controlled by a PRC enterprise or a PRC enterprise group will be regarded as a PRC tax resident by virtue of having its "de facto management body" in China and will be subject to PRC enterprise income tax on its global income only if all of the following conditions are met: (i) the primary location of the day-to-day operational management is in the PRC; (ii) decisions relating to the enterprise's financial and human resource matters are made or are subject to approval by organizations or personnel in the PRC; (iii) the enterprise's primary assets, accounting books and records, company seals, and board and shareholder resolutions, are located or maintained in the PRC; and (iv) at least 50% of voting board members or senior executives habitually reside in the PRC. We believe that none of our entities outside of China is a PRC resident enterprise for PRC tax purposes. However, the tax resident status of an enterprise is subject to determination by the PRC tax authorities and uncertainties remain with respect to the interpretation of the term "de facto management body." If the PRC tax authorities determine that we are a PRC resident enterprise for enterprise income tax purposes, we will be subject to the enterprise income tax on our global income at the rate of 25% and we will be required to comply with PRC enterprise income tax reporting obligations. In addition, dividends that we pay and gains realized on the sale or other disposition of our ADSs or ordinary shares may be subject to PRC tax, at a rate of 10% in the case of non-PRC enterprises or 20% in the case of non-PRC individuals (in each case, subject to the provisions of any applicable tax treaty), if such dividends or gains are deemed to be from PRC sources. It is unclear whether non-PRC shareholders of our company would be able to claim the benefits of any tax treaties between their country of tax residence and the PRC in the event that we are treated as a PRC resident enterprise. Any such tax may reduce the returns on your investment in the ADSs.
Taxation & Government Incentives - Risk 4
There can be no assurance that we will not be a passive foreign investment company, or PFIC, for United States federal income tax purposes, for any taxable year, which could subject United States investors in our ADSs or ordinary shares to significant adverse United States federal income tax consequences.
A non-U.S. corporation, such as our company, will be classified as a passive foreign investment company, or PFIC, for any taxable year if either (1) at least 75% of its gross income for such year consists of certain types of "passive" income; or (2) at least 50% of the value of its assets (generally determined on the basis of a quarterly average) during such year is attributable to assets that produce passive income or are held for the production of passive income (the "asset test"). Although the law in this regard is not entirely clear, we treat the VIEs and their subsidiaries as being owned by us for U.S. federal income tax purposes because we consolidate their results of operations in our consolidated U.S. GAAP financial statements as we have the power to direct activities of the VIEs that most significantly impact their economic performance and the right to receive economic benefits from the VIEs that could potentially be significant to them. If it were determined, however, that we are not the owner of the VIEs and their subsidiaries for U.S. federal income tax purposes, we may be treated as a PFIC for the current taxable year and any subsequent taxable year. Assuming that we are the owner of the VIEs and their subsidiaries for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and based on the value of our assets and the composition of our income and assets, including goodwill and other unbooked intangibles, and taking into account (i) the "fair market value" method in accordance with the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code"), (ii) the working capital exception under proposed U.S. Treasury Regulations and (iii) the look-through rule under the Code, our company does not appear to be a PFIC for our taxable year ended December 31, 2023. There can be no assurance that we will not be a PFIC, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, for any taxable year because the determination of whether we are or will become a PFIC for any taxable year is a fact-intensive determination made annually that depends, in part, upon the composition and classification of our income and assets. Fluctuations in the market price of our ADSs may cause us to be or become a PFIC for the current or subsequent taxable years because the value of our assets for purposes of the asset test, including the value of our goodwill and other unbooked intangibles, may be determined by reference to the market price of our ADSs from time to time (which may be volatile). The composition of our income and assets may also be affected by how, and how quickly, we use our liquid assets. If we determine not to deploy significant amounts of cash or other passive assets for active purposes, our risk of being a PFIC for the current or subsequent taxable years may substantially increase. Because there are uncertainties in the application of the rules (including the working capital exception under proposed U.S. Treasury Regulations), it is also possible that the Internal Revenue Service may challenge our classification of certain assets as non-passive, which may result in our company being or becoming a PFIC, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, for any taxable year. If we were to be or become a PFIC for any taxable year during which a U.S. Holder (as defined in "Item 10. Additional Information-E. Taxation-United States Federal Income Tax Considerations") holds our ADSs or ordinary shares, certain adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences could apply to such U.S. Holder. Further, if we are a PFIC for any year during which a U.S. Holder holds our ADSs or ordinary shares, we generally will continue to be treated as a PFIC for all succeeding years during which such U.S. Holder holds our ADSs or ordinary shares, unless we were to cease to be a PFIC and the U.S. Holder were to make a "deemed sale" election with respect to the ADSs or ordinary shares. For more information, see "Item 10. Additional Information-E. Taxation-United States Federal Income Tax Considerations-Passive Foreign Investment Company Considerations" and "Item 10. Additional Information-E. Taxation-United States Federal Income Tax Considerations-Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules."
Environmental / Social1 | 0.9%
Environmental / Social - Risk 1
New cybersecurity and data security measures and regulations could impose further compliance requirements on our business, cause us to incur new expenses for compliance, or expose us to new legal risks in the event we fail to comply with these regulatory requirements.
We receive, transmit and store personally identifiable information and other data on our platform, and we are subject to numerous laws and regulations that address privacy, data protection and the collection, storing, sharing, use, disclosure and protection of certain types of data in various jurisdictions. The PRC government has proposed or promulgated a number of new measures and regulations in recent years regarding cybersecurity and data security, such as the Cybersecurity Law promulgated by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress in November 2016, which came into effect in June 2017, the Data Security Law promulgated by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress in June 2021, which came into effect in September 2021, the Personal Information Protection Law promulgated by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress in August 2021, effective in November 2021. These regulatory developments impose more specific and comprehensive requirements with respect to data security and privacy protection. For more information about these PRC laws and regulations, see "Item 4. Information on the Company-B. Business Overview-Regulation-PRC Regulations-Regulations Relating to Cybersecurity and Information Security" and "Item 4. Information on the Company-B. Business Overview-Regulation-PRC Regulations-Regulations Relating to Privacy Protection." On December 28, 2021, the CAC, together with certain other PRC governmental authorities, promulgated the Revised Cybersecurity Review Measures, which took effect from February 15, 2022. Pursuant to these measures, the purchase of network products and services by an operator of critical information infrastructure or the data processing activities of a network platform operator that affect or may affect national security will be subject to cybersecurity review. In addition, any online platform operator possessing over one million users' individual information must apply for a cybersecurity review before listing abroad. The competent governmental authorities may also initiate a cybersecurity review against an operator if the authorities believe that the network product or service or data processing activities of the operator affects or may affect national security. Article 10 of the Revised Cybersecurity Review Measures also set out certain national security risk factors to be considered and assessed under the cybersecurity review. See "Item 4. Information on the Company-B. Business Overview-Regulation-PRC Regulations-Regulations on Cybersecurity and Information Security." As of the date of this annual report, no regulator has promulgated any detailed implementation rules, the specific scope of "operators of critical information infrastructure" is subject to the discretion of the regulators and the specific rules regarding whether an activity "will or may affect national security" have not yet been promulgated. As such, how the Revised Cybersecurity Review Measures will be interpreted or implemented depends on the implementation rules to be promulgated by the regulators. If we fail to comply with these new regulatory requirements, we may be subject to new legal risks. We intend to closely monitor regulatory developments and take any necessary measures in a timely manner to protect user privacy and data security. For example, after these new laws and regulations were promulgated, to ensure our compliance with them, we (i) enhanced the ability of our internal departments to protect information and maintain data security; (ii) supplemented and refined our policies for data security and personal information protection; (iii) enhanced our assessment and approval procedures for data processing activities, and created personal information protection assessments regarding processing of sensitive information; (iv) refined our mechanisms for responding to user rights requests to ensure a timely and adequate response; and (v) further enhanced our technical measures relating to data security. On November 14, 2021, the CAC promulgated the draft Regulations on the Administration of Cyber Data Security for public comment, pursuant to which data processors conducting the following activities must apply for cybersecurity review: (i) a merger, reorganization or division of internet platform operators that have acquired a large number of data resources related to national security, economic development or public interests affects or may affect national security; (ii) an overseas listing of a data processor that processes the personal information of more than one million users; (iii) a listing in Hong Kong that affects or may affect national security; or (iv) other data processing activities that affect or may affect national security. To date, these draft regulations have not yet become effective, but if they were promulgated in their current form, and if we are required to apply for a new cybersecurity review but are unable to complete that review, our business operations may be materially and adversely impacted. In addition, the draft Regulations on the Administration of Cyber Data Security set out a full set of compliance requirements with respect to the processing of important data and impose regulatory requirements on the governance of internet platform operators' data. Since our mobility services may involve the collection and usage of important data, if this draft is finalized in its current form, we would need to enhance our internal data governance to comply with the compliance requirements. These laws, rules or regulations, together with the rules promulgated by the CSRC regarding overseas listing by PRC domestic companies, may further affect our business and any future securities offerings given factors such as our various networks, platforms, types of data collected, number of users, among others. See "Item 3. Key Information-D. Risk Factors-Risks Relating to Doing Business in China-We may be required to obtain approval or subject to filing or other requirements from the CSRC or other PRC governmental authorities for any future listing or other financing activities" for more details regarding the rules promulgated by the CSRC regarding overseas listing by PRC domestic companies. In the meantime, the PRC regulatory authorities have also enhanced the supervision and regulation of cross-border data transfer. For example, the CAC promulgated the Measures for the Security Assessment of Cross-Border Data Transfer, which took effect on September 1, 2022. These measures require data processors providing data to overseas recipients to apply for a security assessment of cross-border data transfer by the national cybersecurity authority through its local counterpart under certain circumstances. The CAC also promulgated the Measures on the Standard Contract for Cross-border Transfer of Personal Information, which became effective on June 1, 2023. These measures require personal information processors providing personal information to overseas recipients by entering into standard contracts to file with the local counterpart of the CAC under certain circumstances. Furthermore, on March 22, 2024, the CAC promulgated the Provisions on Promoting and Standardizing Cross-Border Data Transfer, which further set forth the circumstances that are exempted from, and thresholds for, performing the security assessment or filing procedures for cross-border data transfer under these measures. We have incurred, and will continue to incur, significant expenses in our efforts to comply with cybersecurity and information security standards and protocols imposed by law, regulation, industry standards or contractual obligations. Changes in existing laws or regulations or adoption of new laws and regulations relating to cybersecurity and information security, particularly any new or modified laws or regulations that require enhanced protection of certain types of data or new obligations with regard to data retention, transfer or disclosure, could greatly increase the cost to us of providing our service offerings, or require significant changes to our operations. The regulatory authorities have the power, based on statutes and regulations, to carry out inspections or cybersecurity reviews of us. If any of our behavior has violated statutes or regulations, we may incur heavy fines or negative publicity, and we may need to change our business practices, which may increase our expenses and materially affect our business, prospects, financial condition and operational results. For example, in accordance with the requirements of the PRC Cybersecurity Law, a cyberspace operator or a cyberspace product or service provider which infringes upon the legal rights of individuals' personal information in violation of the provisions under the Cybersecurity Law may be ordered by a competent authority to make rectifications, and depending on the seriousness of the case, it may be subject to warnings, confiscation of illegal gains, and/or monetary fines. In serious cases, the competent authorities may require us to suspend operations, shut down our websites and apps or revoke our business permits and licenses. We have undergone a cybersecurity review in China in the past. See "Item 8. Financial Information-A. Consolidated Statements and Other Financial Information-Legal and Administrative Proceedings" for more details. In addition, if in the future, we are subject to business restrictions resulting from new regulatory reviews, or if we violate any PRC statutes or regulations and incur any penalty or punishment, the growth or use of our platform in China may decline, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, operations and prospects. Despite our efforts to comply with applicable laws, regulations and other obligations relating to privacy, data protection and information security, we cannot assure you that our practices, offerings or platform meet all of the requirements imposed on us by such laws, regulations or obligations. Any failure on our part to comply with applicable laws or regulations or any other obligations relating to privacy, data protection or information security, or any compromise of security that results in unauthorized access, use or release of personally identifiable information or other data, or the perception or allegation that any of the foregoing types of failure or compromise has occurred, could damage our reputation, discourage new and existing drivers, riders and other users from using our platform or result in investigations, fines, suspension of one or more of our apps, or other penalties by government authorities and private claims or litigation, any of which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. If there is a perception of privacy concerns, it may harm our reputation and brand and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Production
Total Risks: 12/109 (11%)Below Sector Average
Manufacturing1 | 0.9%
Manufacturing - Risk 1
Illegal, improper or otherwise inappropriate activity of drivers, consumers or other users, whether or not occurring while utilizing our platform, could expose us to liability and harm our business, brand, financial condition and results of operations.
Illegal, improper or otherwise inappropriate activities by drivers, consumers or other users, including the activities of individuals who may have previously engaged with our platform but are not then receiving or providing services offered through it, or individuals who are intentionally impersonating users of our platform, could adversely affect our brand, business, financial condition and results of operations. These activities may include assault, abuse, theft and other misconduct. While we have implemented various measures intended to anticipate, identify and address the risk of these types of activities, these measures may not adequately address or prevent all illegal, improper or otherwise inappropriate activities by these parties. Such conduct could expose us to liability or adversely affect our brand or reputation. At the same time, if the measures we have taken to guard against these illegal, improper or otherwise inappropriate activities are too restrictive and inadvertently prevent or discourage drivers, consumers or other users from remaining engaged on our platform, or if we are unable to implement and communicate these measures fairly and transparently or are perceived to have failed to do so, the growth and retention of the number of drivers, consumers and other users on our platform and their utilization of our platform could be negatively impacted. Further, any negative publicity related to the foregoing, whether such incident occurred on our platform or on our competitors' platforms, could adversely affect our reputation and brand or public perception of ride hailing and other mobility services in general, which could negatively affect demand for platforms like ours, and potentially lead to increased regulatory or litigation exposure. Any of the foregoing risks could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Employment / Personnel5 | 4.6%
Employment / Personnel - Risk 1
Our business depends on retaining and attracting high-quality personnel, and failure to retain, attract or maintain such personnel could adversely affect our business.
Our success depends in large part on our ability to attract and retain high-quality management, operations, engineering, and other personnel. These personnel are in high demand, are often subject to competing employment offers, and are attractive recruiting targets for our competitors. The loss of qualified executives and employees, or an inability to attract, retain, and motivate high-quality executives and employees required for the planned expansion of our business, may harm our operating results and impair our ability to grow. In addition, we depend on the continued services and performance of our key personnel, including our chairman and chief executive officer, Will Wei Cheng, and our director and president, Jean Qing Liu. To attract and retain key personnel, we use equity incentives, among other measures. These measures may not be sufficient to attract and retain the personnel we require to operate our business effectively. If we are unable to attract and retain high-quality management and operating personnel, our business, financial condition, and operating results could be adversely affected.
Employment / Personnel - Risk 2
Our business would be adversely affected if drivers were classified as employees, workers or quasi-employees.
The classification of drivers on platforms like ours is being challenged in courts, by legislators and by government agencies in a number of jurisdictions. We may become involved in legal proceedings, including lawsuits, demands for arbitration, charges and claims before administrative agencies, and investigations or audits by labor, social security, and tax authorities that claim that drivers should be treated as our employees (or as workers or quasi-employees where those statuses exist), rather than as independent contractors. We generally treat drivers as independent contractors. However, we may not be successful in defending the classification of drivers in some or all jurisdictions where it is challenged. Furthermore, the costs associated with defending, settling, or resolving pending and future lawsuits (including demands for arbitration) relating to the classification of drivers have been and may continue to be material to our business. In addition, even if we prevail under current law, the law may be changed in the future in ways that are unfavorable to us. Reclassification of drivers as employees, workers or quasi-employees where those statuses exist could require us to fundamentally change our business model, with repercussions that are difficult to anticipate. Among other things, reclassification could subject us to vicarious liability for any misconduct of drivers, require us to pay them wages, make social insurance contributions or provide other benefits, or reduce our attractiveness to drivers given the loss of flexibility under an employee model. In December 2021, media reported that China plans to amend laws to allow ride-hailing drivers and food delivery workers to form unions. Representation of ride-hailing drivers and food delivery worker on our platform in China by unions may complicate our relationship with them and our supply of drivers may be affected adversely. On November 8, 2023, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security promulgated three guidelines regarding workers engaged in new forms of employment, namely (i) the Guidelines on Protecting the Rights and Interests of Rest and Remuneration for Workers Engaged in New Forms of Employment, (ii) the Guidelines on the Publicity of Labor Rules for Workers Engaged in New Employment Forms, and (iii) the Service Guidelines for the Maintenance of Rights and Interests of Workers Engaged in New Forms of Employment. These guidelines provide that, among other things, workers engaged in new forms of employment have the right to join labor unions and existing labor unions shall actively encourage such workers to join them. If a platform enterprise (or a partner of the platform enterprise who provides the platform with workers) violates the laws, regulations and policies that protect the rights and interests of workers in new forms of employment, the labor unions shall issue opinions or require the platform enterprise (or its partner) to rectify the violations. For details, see "Item 3. Key Information-D. Risk Factors-Risks Relating to Doing Business in China-Increases in labor costs and enforcement of stricter labor laws and regulations in China may adversely affect our business and our profitability." Reclassification could also impact our current financial statement presentation relating to our International segment, including the calculation of our revenues, cost of revenues and expenses, as further described in our significant and critical accounting policies in Note 3 to our consolidated financial statements. See also "-Risks Relating to Doing Business in China-Increases in labor costs and enforcement of stricter labor laws and regulations in China may adversely affect our business and our profitability."
Employment / Personnel - Risk 3
Increases in labor costs and enforcement of stricter labor laws and regulations in China may adversely affect our business and our profitability.
The average wage in China has increased in recent years and is expected to continue to grow. The average wage level for our employees has also increased in recent years. We expect that our labor costs, including wages and employee benefits, will continue to increase. Unless we are able to pass on these increased labor costs to those who pay for our services, our profitability and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected. Furthermore, if the drivers on our platform believe that their earnings on our platform are not competitive with wages that they can earn elsewhere, either with competitors or in other lines of work, we may have to increase their earnings to ensure an adequate supply of drivers on our platform, and we may be unable to pass that cost on to riders. In addition, if drivers on our platform are reclassified as employees instead of independent contractors, our labor costs will be substantially increased, which could adversely affect our business and results of operations. See also "-Risk Relating to Our Business-Our business would be adversely affected if drivers were classified as employees, workers or quasi-employees." In addition, we are subject to regulatory requirements on entering into labor contracts with our employees and paying various statutory employee benefits, including pensions, housing fund, medical insurance, work-related injury insurance, unemployment insurance and maternity insurance to designated government agencies for the benefit of our employees. Pursuant to the Labor Contract Law and its implementation rules, employers are subject to requirements in terms of signing labor contracts, minimum wages, paying remuneration and statutory benefits, determining the term of employee's probation and unilaterally terminating labor contracts. In addition, enterprises are forbidden to force laborers to work beyond prescribed time limits and employers must pay laborers for overtime work in accordance with the law. In the event that we decide to terminate some of our employees or otherwise change our employment or labor practices, the Labor Contract Law and its implementation rules may limit our ability to effect those changes in a desirable or cost-effective manner, which could adversely affect our business and results of operations. To date, inflation in China has not materially impacted our results of operations. According to the National Bureau of Statistics of China, the year-over-year percent changes in the consumer price index for December 2021, 2022 and 2023 were an increase of 1.5%, an increase of 1.8% and a decrease of 0.3%, respectively. Although we have not been materially affected by inflation in the past, we may be affected by higher rates of inflation in China in the future, particularly if it affects labor costs. We engage independent third-party service providers to recruit third-party workers, such as customer service professionals, at our request and to settle the payment of service fees to these third-party service providers for us. However, we cannot preclude the possibility that the workers supplied by third-party service providers may be classified as "dispatched workers" by PRC courts, arbitration tribunals or government agencies. In December 2012, the Labor Contract Law was amended and in January 2014, the Interim Provisions on Labor Dispatch were promulgated, imposing more stringent requirements on the use of employees of temporary employment agencies, who are known in China as "dispatched workers." Among other restrictions, the number of dispatched workers hired by a company may not exceed a certain percentage of the total number of employees at that company, and those dispatched workers may only engage in temporary, auxiliary or substitutable work. If we are found to be in violation of any requirements under the Labor Contract Law, the Interim Provisions on Labor Dispatch or their related rules and regulations, we may be ordered by the labor authority to rectify the non-compliance by entering into written employment contracts with the deemed "dispatched workers," or be subject to regulatory penalty, other sanction or liability or be subject to labor disputes. Furthermore, on July 16, 2021, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Transport, together with several other governmental authorities jointly promulgated Guiding Opinions on Safeguarding the Rights and Interests of Workers Engaged in New Forms of Employment, which require, among other things, that platform enterprises who have adopted labor outsourcing and other cooperative labor methods must take responsibility in accordance with laws and regulations for any harm to workers' rights and interests. The guiding opinions also call for organizing and launching pilot programs for occupational injury protection of flexible employment personnel, with a focus on platform enterprises in industries such as mobility, takeout, instant delivery and intra-city freight, and encourage platform enterprises to improve the protection for flexible employment personnel on the platform by purchasing personal accident, employer liability and other commercial insurances. On November 17, 2021, the Ministry of Transport, the National Development and Reform Commission, the CAC and certain other governmental authorities jointly promulgated the Opinions on Strengthening the Protection of the Rights and Interests of Workers in New Forms of Transportation Industry, which provide that the governmental departments shall urge online ride hailing platform enterprises to announce pricing rules and income distribution rules to interested parties such as drivers and passengers. The total amount paid by the passengers and the remuneration of the driver, and the ratio of the difference between the aforementioned amounts to the total amount paid by the passengers must be displayed to the drivers. In addition, these opinions aim to strengthen the occupational injury protection of online ride hailing drivers, encourage online ride hailing platform to actively participate in the occupational injury protection pilot, and urge online ride hailing platform to pay social insurance for drivers who meet the labor relationship conditions in accordance with the law, and guide and support drivers who do not fully meet the conditions for establishing labor relations with online ride hailing platform enterprises to participate in corresponding social insurance. These opinions also emphasize to safeguard the rights of the drivers to have reasonable remuneration and rest, among others. On November 8, 2023, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security promulgated three guidelines regarding workers engaged in new forms of employment, namely (i) the Guidelines on Protecting the Rights and Interests of Rest and Remuneration for Workers Engaged in New Forms of Employment, (ii) the Guidelines on the Publicity of Labor Rules for Workers Engaged in New Employment Forms, and (iii) the Service Guidelines for the Maintenance of Rights and Interests of Workers Engaged in New Forms of Employment. These guidelines provide, among other things, that platforms must set limits on how long workers engaged in new forms of employment (such as ride-hailing drivers) can work in a day, as well as the total continuous period of time that these workers may accept orders. These platforms must also supervise their partners who provide them with workers so that the latter pays workers on time and in full. Platforms must disclose to workers engaged in new forms of employment the rules and regulations, standard contract terms, algorithmic rules and operations mechanisms that are directly related to the basic rights and interests of those workers. If new rules on the platform are established or existing rules are changed, resulting in a material impact on workers' rights and interests, platforms must perform a risk assessment about the impact of the new rules and report the new rules to the local administrative department of human resources and social security and the relevant competent department seven days in advance. As the interpretation and implementation of labor-related laws and regulations are still evolving, we cannot assure you that our employment practices do not and will not violate labor-related laws and regulations in China, which may subject us to labor disputes or government investigations. We cannot assure you that we have complied or will be able to comply with all labor-related law and regulations. If we are deemed to have violated labor laws and regulations, we could be required to provide additional compensation to our employees and our business, financial condition and results of operations will be adversely affected.
Employment / Personnel - Risk 4
Failure to make adequate contributions to various employee benefit plans and withhold individual income tax on employees' salaries as required by PRC regulations or comply with laws and regulations on other employment practices may subject us to penalties.
Companies operating in China are required to participate in various government sponsored employee benefit plans, including social insurance, housing funds and other welfare-oriented payment obligations, and contribute to the plans in amounts equal to certain percentages of salaries, including bonuses and allowances, of their employees up to a maximum amount specified by the local government from time to time at locations where we operate our businesses. Local governments in China have not consistently implemented the employee benefit plan requirements, given the different levels of economic development in different areas. We cannot assure you that our practices will be deemed to be in compliance with the abovementioned employee benefit plan requirements in all aspects. For example, certain of our PRC subsidiaries and the VIEs engage third-party human resources agencies to make social insurance and housing fund contributions for some of their employees, and there is no assurance that these third-party agencies have made or will make those contributions in a full or in a timely manner. The authorities may require us to pay, or in the case of any shortfalls, to cover, the required social insurance and housing fund contributions. We may also become subject to fines and legal sanctions due to any failure to make social insurance and housing fund contributions for our employees. Companies operating in China are also required to withhold individual income tax on employees' salaries based on the actual salary of each employee upon payment. With respect to the underpaid employee benefits, we may be required to complete registrations, make up the contributions for these plans as well as to pay late fees and fines. With respect to the under-withheld individual income tax, we may be required to make up sufficient withholding and pay late fees and fines. If we are subject to late fees or fines in relation to the underpaid employee benefits and under-withheld individual income tax, our financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected. We may also be subject to regulatory investigations and other penalties if our other employment practices are deemed to be in violation of PRC laws and regulations.
Employment / Personnel - Risk 5
Misconduct and errors by our employees could harm our business and reputation.
We operate in an industry in which integrity and the confidence of our consumers and drivers are of critical importance. We are subject to the risk of errors, misconduct and illegal activities by our employees. Errors, misconduct and illegal activities by our employees, or even unsubstantiated allegations of them, could result in a material adverse effect on our reputation and our business. It is not always possible to identify and deter misconduct or errors by employees, and the precautions we take to detect and prevent this activity may not be effective in controlling unknown or unmanaged risks or losses. If any of our employees engages in illegal or suspicious activities or other misconduct, we could suffer economic losses and may be subject to regulatory sanctions and significant legal liability, and our financial condition or ability to attract new consumers and drivers may be adversely affected as a result. If any sanction was imposed against an employee during his or her employment with us, even for matters unrelated to us, we may be subject to negative publicity which could adversely affect our brand, public image and reputation, as well as cause investigations or claims against us. We could also be perceived to have facilitated or participated in the illegal activities or misconduct, and therefore be subject to civil or criminal liability.
Supply Chain4 | 3.7%
Supply Chain - Risk 1
We rely on third parties for elements of the payment processing infrastructure underlying our platform. If these third-party elements become unavailable or unavailable on favorable terms, our business could be adversely affected.
The convenient payment mechanisms provided by our platform are key factors contributing to the development of our business. We rely on third parties for elements of our payment-processing infrastructure to collect payments from consumers and to remit payments to drivers using our platform, and these third parties may refuse to renew our agreements with them on commercially reasonable terms or at all. If these companies become unwilling or unable to provide these services to us on acceptable terms or at all, our business may be disrupted.
Supply Chain - Risk 2
We rely on third parties maintaining open marketplaces to distribute our mobile apps and to provide the software we use in certain of our service and product offerings. If such third parties interfere with the distribution of our service and product offerings or with our use of such software, our business would be adversely affected.
Our platform relies on third parties maintaining open marketplaces, including the Apple App Store and Google Play, which make applications available for download. We cannot assure you that such marketplaces will not charge us fees to list our applications for download. We rely upon certain third parties to provide software for our service and product offerings. We do not control all mapping functions employed by our platform or drivers using our platform, and it is possible that such mapping functions may not be reliable. If such third parties cease to provide access to the third-party software that we and drivers use, do not provide access to such software on terms that we believe to be attractive or reasonable, or do not provide us with the most current version of such software, we may be required to seek comparable software from other sources, which may be more expensive or inferior, or may not be available at all, any of which would adversely affect our business.
Supply Chain - Risk 3
If we are unable to manage supply chain risks related to new services offerings, product offerings and advanced technologies, our operations may be disrupted.
We have developed new service and product offerings, and we are developing advanced technologies for autonomous driving. These service and product offerings require and rely on hardware and other components that we source from third-party suppliers. The continued development of these new service and product offerings and advanced technologies depends on our ability to implement and manage supply chain logistics to secure the necessary components and hardware. We have limited experience in managing supply chain risks. It is possible that we may not be able to obtain a sufficient supply of the necessary components and hardware in a timely manner, or at all. Events that could disrupt our supply chain include the imposition of export control or other trade laws or regulations, foreign currency fluctuations, theft and restrictions on the transfer of funds, and natural disasters, public health crises, political crises or other unexpected events. The occurrence of any of the foregoing could materially delay our progress towards introducing autonomous driving onto our platform, all of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, operating results, and prospects.
Supply Chain - Risk 4
Techniques employed by short sellers may drive down the market price of our ADSs.
Short selling is the practice of selling securities that the seller does not own but rather has borrowed from a third party with the intention of buying identical securities back at a later date to return to the lender. The short seller hopes to profit from a decline in the value of the securities between the sale of the borrowed securities and the purchase of the replacement shares, as the short seller expects to pay less in that purchase than it received in the sale. As it is in the short seller's interest for the price of the security to decline, many short sellers publish, or arrange for the publication of, negative opinions regarding the issuer and its business prospects in order to create negative market momentum and generate profits for themselves after selling a security short. These short attacks have, in the past, led to selling of shares in the market. Public companies that have substantially all of their operations in China have been the subject of short selling. Much of the scrutiny and negative publicity has centered on allegations of a lack of effective internal control over financial reporting resulting in financial and accounting irregularities and mistakes, inadequate corporate governance policies or a lack of adherence thereto and, in many cases, allegations of fraud. As a result, many of these companies are now conducting internal and external investigations into the allegations and, in the interim, are subject to shareholder lawsuits and/or SEC enforcement actions. It is not clear what effect such negative publicity could have on us. If we were to become the subject of any unfavorable allegations, whether such allegations are proven to be true or untrue, we could have to expend a significant amount of resources to investigate such allegations and/or defend ourselves. While we would strongly defend against any such short seller attacks, we may be constrained in the manner in which we can proceed against the short seller by principles of freedom of speech, applicable state law or issues of commercial confidentiality. Such a situation could be costly and time-consuming, and could distract our management from growing our business. Even if such allegations are ultimately proven to be groundless, allegations against us could severely impact our business operations, and any investment in the ADSs could be greatly reduced or even rendered worthless.
Costs2 | 1.8%
Costs - Risk 1
Increases in fuel, food, labor, energy, and other costs could adversely affect our operating results.
Factors such as inflation, increased fuel prices, and increased vehicle purchase, rental, or maintenance costs may increase the costs incurred by drivers when providing services on our platform. Many of the factors affecting driver costs are beyond their control. In many cases, these increased costs may cause drivers to spend less time providing services on our platform or to seek alternative sources of income. A decreased number of drivers on our platform would decrease our network liquidity, which could harm our business and operating results.
Costs - Risk 2
Our business depends heavily on insurance coverage for drivers and on other types of insurance for additional risks related to our business.
We require drivers on our platform to carry automobile insurance. If insurance carriers change the terms of their policies in a manner not favorable to us or the drivers, our or the drivers' insurance costs could increase. Further, if the insurance coverage we maintain is not adequate to cover losses that occur, we could be liable for significant additional costs. We may be subject to claims of significant liability based on traffic accidents, injuries, or other incidents that are alleged to have been caused by drivers on our platform. As we expand to include more offerings on our platform, our insurance needs will likely extend to those additional offerings, including intra-city freight, autonomous driving, and bike and e-bike sharing. As a result, our insurance policies may not cover all potential claims related to traffic accidents, injuries, or other incidents that are claimed to have been caused by drivers who use our platform, and may not be adequate to indemnify us for all liability that we could face. Even if these claims do not result in liability, we could incur significant costs in investigating and defending against them. If we are subject to claims of liability relating to the acts of drivers or others using our platform, we may be subject to negative publicity and incur additional expenses, which could harm our business, financial condition, and operating results. In addition, we are subject to local laws, rules, and regulations relating to insurance coverage which could result in proceedings or actions against us by governmental entities or others. Any failure, or perceived failure, by us to comply with local laws, rules, and regulations or contractual obligations relating to insurance coverage could result in proceedings or actions against us by governmental entities or others. These lawsuits, proceedings, or actions may subject us to significant penalties and negative publicity, require us to increase our insurance coverage, increase our costs, and disrupt our business.
Ability to Sell
Total Risks: 12/109 (11%)Below Sector Average
Competition2 | 1.8%
Competition - Risk 1
The shared mobility industry is highly competitive, and we may be unable to compete effectively.
Our industry is highly competitive. We face significant competition from existing, well-established, and low-cost alternatives, and in the future we expect to face competition from new market entrants. In addition, within each of the markets where we offer our services, the cost to switch between service providers is low. Consumers have a propensity to shift to the lowest-cost or highest-quality provider, and drivers have a propensity to shift to the platform with the highest earnings potential. As we and our competitors introduce new products and services, and as existing services and products evolve, we expect to become subject to additional competition. In addition, our competitors may adopt features of our offerings, which would reduce our ability to differentiate our offerings from those of our competitors, or they may adopt innovations that drivers and consumers value more highly than ours, which would render our offerings less attractive. The markets in which we compete have attracted significant investments from a wide range of funding sources. Certain of our shareholders have made substantial investments in companies that compete with us. Some of our competitors are subsidiaries or affiliates of large global companies which may subsidize their losses or provide them with additional resources to compete with us. As a result, many of our competitors are well capitalized and have the resources to offer discounted services, driver incentives and consumer promotions, as well as to develop innovative offerings and alternative pricing models which may be more attractive to consumers than those that we offer. Further, some of our current or potential competitors have, and may in the future continue to have, greater resources and access to larger driver and consumer bases in a particular geographic market. In addition, our competitors in certain geographic markets enjoy substantial competitive advantages such as greater brand recognition, longer operating histories, better localized knowledge, and more supportive regulatory regimes. As a result, such competitors may be able to respond more quickly and effectively than us in such markets to new or changing opportunities, technologies, consumer preferences, regulations, or standards, which may render our offerings less attractive. In addition, future competitors may share the benefit of any regulatory or governmental approvals and litigation victories we may achieve, without having to incur the costs we have incurred to obtain such benefits. For all of these reasons, we may not be able to compete successfully against our current and future competitors. Our inability to compete effectively would harm our business, financial condition, and operating results.
Competition - Risk 2
To remain competitive in certain markets, we may continue to offer driver incentives and consumer discounts, which may adversely affect our financial performance.
To remain competitive in certain markets and generate network scale and liquidity, we sometimes lower fares or service fees, offer significant driver incentives and offer other consumer discounts and promotions. We may engage in these practices to try to gain a leading position in a market or to try to protect a leading position against competitors. We may continue to offer these discounts and incentives on a large scale for an indefinite period of time if we feel it is necessary. We cannot assure you that these practices would be successful in achieving their goals of attracting or maintaining the engagement of drivers and consumers, or that the positive impact of achieving those goals would outweigh the negative impact of these practices on our financial performance. If we fail to develop and successfully commercialize autonomous driving or fail to develop such technologies before our competitors, or if such technologies fail to perform as expected or are inferior to those of our competitors, our financial performance and prospects would be adversely impacted.
Demand1 | 0.9%
Demand - Risk 1
We generate a significant percentage of our transactions from certain major cities. If our operations in these cities are negatively affected, our financial results and future prospects would be adversely impacted.
We generate a significant percentage of our transactions from certain major cities. We experience greater competition in large cities than we do in other markets in which we operate, which has led us to offer significant driver incentives and consumer discounts and promotions in these cities. As a result of our geographic concentration, our business and financial results are susceptible to economic, social, weather, and regulatory conditions or other circumstances in each of these cities. For example, travel restrictions and other limitations imposed in Guangdong province in early 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic adversely affected our operating performance and results of operations for the three months ended June 30, 2021, including in terms of China Mobility GTV and Platform Sales. Outbreaks of contagious diseases or other viruses such as the COVID-19 pandemic could lead to a sustained decline in the desirability of living, working and congregating in the cities in which we operate. Any short-term or long-term shifts in the travel patterns of consumers away from cities, due to health concerns regarding epidemics or pandemics, could have an adverse impact on our GTV from these areas. An economic downturn, increased competition, or regulatory obstacles in any of these cities would adversely affect our business, financial condition, and operating results to a much greater degree than would the occurrence of similar events in other areas. In addition, any changes to local laws or regulations within these cities that affect our ability to operate or increase our operating expenses in these markets would have an adverse effect on our business. Furthermore, if we are unable to renew existing licenses or do not receive new licenses in the major cities where we operate or such licenses are terminated, any inability to operate in such urban area, as well as the publicity concerning any such termination or non-renewal, could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and operating results. Further, we expect that we will continue to face challenges operating in non-urban areas, where our network is smaller and our presence is smaller. If we are not successful operating in non-urban areas, or if we are unable to operate in certain key cities in the future, our ability to serve what we consider to be our total addressable market would be limited, and our business, financial condition, and operating results would suffer.
Sales & Marketing6 | 5.5%
Sales & Marketing - Risk 1
If drivers are not satisfied with our energy and vehicle services, including those provided through third parties, our business and growth prospects may be materially and adversely affected.
We provide a wide range of energy and vehicle services, including leasing, charging and refueling, that are intended to serve drivers on our platform. We provide a large proportion of these energy and vehicle services through third parties which we do not control. The convenience and cost savings afforded to drivers by these energy and vehicle services is a key part of our strategy to attract and retain drivers on our platform. If these solutions do not appeal to drivers, or if they are unavailable when drivers need them, or if the prices at which we offer them are not more attractive than the prices of comparable services available in the open market or through our competitors, we may be less able to attract and retain drivers, which could materially and adversely affect our business and growth prospects.
Sales & Marketing - Risk 2
We rely on merchants on our platform for aspects of our food delivery services, and to the extent they fail to maintain their service levels or they increase the prices they charge consumers on our platform, our business would be adversely affected.
We provide food delivery services in select markets outside of China, namely Mexico, Costa Rica, Colombia and Peru. We rely upon merchants on our platform, including small and local independent restaurants, to provide quality food to our consumers at expected price points. If these merchants experience difficulty servicing consumer demand, producing quality food at affordable prices, or meeting our other requirements or standards, or experience problems with their point-of-sale or other technologies, our reputation and brand could be damaged. Moreover, an increase in merchant operating costs could cause merchants on our platform to raise prices, renegotiate commission rates, or cease operations, which could in turn adversely affect our operational costs and efficiency, and if merchants on our platform were to cease operations, temporarily or permanently, we may not be able to provide consumers with sufficient merchant selection, which we expect would reduce the number of consumers on our platform. Many of the factors affecting merchant operating costs, including off-premise costs and prices, are beyond the control of merchants and include inflation, costs associated with the goods provided, labor and employee benefit costs, rent costs, and energy costs. If merchants pass along these increased operating costs and increase prices on our platform, order volume may decline. Additionally, some merchants choose to charge higher prices on our platform relative to their in-store prices. This practice can negatively affect consumer perception of our platform and could result in a decline in consumers or order volume, or both, which would adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.
Sales & Marketing - Risk 3
If we fail to ensure the safety of consumers and drivers, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected.
We rely heavily on our ability to maintain a high level of safety of our services, as well as public perception that our platform has a high level of safety, to attract and retain consumers and drivers. In the past, there have been safety incidents on our platform, such as injuries or deaths caused by traffic accidents or crimes committed by drivers or riders while they were using our services or products. These cases have attracted public attention, harmed our reputation, invited government scrutiny, and led to demands for restrictions to be placed on our business or the shared mobility industry more generally. We emphasize the importance of safety in our business and have implemented various methods to ensure the safety of riders and drivers. For example, after two riders were killed in separate incidents in 2018 when they were using our hitch service, we suspended that service for over a year until we could develop protocols and procedures to better protect the riders and drivers who participate in it. More generally, we have enhanced our driver screening and background check procedures to better identify and screen out those who have criminal records or records of safety incidents, and where permitted by local laws, we have installed video cameras in ride hailing vehicles as a safety measure. Although the rate of safety incidents on our platform has declined, incidents still occur from time to time, including serious incidents. Our screening procedures may fail, or the databases on which we rely to identify past problematic behavior may be incorrect or incomplete, or safety incidents may be caused by drivers or riders with no past history of problematic behavior. Deaths or injuries, whether the result of accidents or crimes, may have an impact on public perception that is disproportionate to their statistical likelihood compared to other means of transportation. Furthermore, public perception and regulatory scrutiny of the safety of ride hailing or other shared mobility services in general may be influenced by safety incidents that occur on other platforms unrelated to ours, which may divert our management's time and attention from our business operations and adversely impact our reputation. In addition, we may be involved and found liable in lawsuits claiming for damages caused by safety incidents on our platform from time to time, which may generate negative publicity and be costly and time-consuming. In the event that we are not able to prevent or mitigate safety incidents, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected.
Sales & Marketing - Risk 4
If we are unable to attract or retain consumers, our platform will become less appealing to drivers and businesses, and our business and financial results may be materially and adversely impacted.
Our success in a given geographic market significantly depends on our ability to maintain or increase the scale of our network in that geographic market by attracting riders and other consumers to our platform and by keeping them engaged on our platform. If riders choose to use other mobility services, we may not generate sufficient opportunities for drivers to earn competitive income, which may reduce the perceived utility of our platform. An insufficient supply of consumers would decrease our network activity and adversely affect our revenues and financial results. If our service quality diminishes or our competitors' services and products achieve greater market adoption, we might lose consumers to our competitors, which may diminish our network effect. The number of consumers on our platform or how often they use our platform could materially decline or fluctuate as a result of many factors. Negative publicity related to our brand, including as a result of safety incidents, may cause the number of our consumers to decline, as may dissatisfaction with one or more aspects of the operation our platform, including the price of fares, the quality of service provided by drivers, the quality of user support, the treatment of drivers, or our service and product offerings in general. Activity on our platform may also fluctuate due to seasonality. In addition, if we are unable to provide effective support to consumers or respond to reported incidents, including safety incidents, in a timely and appropriate manner, our ability to attract and retain consumers could be adversely affected. If riders and other consumers do not establish or maintain active accounts with us, if we fail to provide high-quality support and services, or if we cannot otherwise attract and retain a large number of riders and other consumers, our revenues would decline significantly.
Sales & Marketing - Risk 5
If we are unable to attract or retain drivers, our platform will become less appealing to consumers, and our business and financial results may be materially and adversely impacted.
Our success in a given geographic market significantly depends on our ability to maintain or increase the scale of our network in that geographic market by attracting and retaining drivers on our platform. We have experienced and expect to continue to experience driver supply constraints in certain geographic markets in which we operate. To the extent that we experience driver supply constraints in a given market, we may need to increase or may not be able to reduce the driver incentives that we offer without adversely affecting the liquidity network effect that we experience in that market. The number of drivers on our platform or how often they use our platform could materially decline or fluctuate as a result of a number of factors, including laws and regulations limiting our service and product offerings in the markets in which we operate, dissatisfaction with our brand or reputation, pricing model (including potential reductions in incentives), ability to prevent safety incidents, the availability of competing platforms, or other aspects of our business. We take measures to help increase safety, prevent privacy and security breaches, and protect against fraud which may make our platform less convenient or accessible for some drivers and discourage or diminish their use of our platform. Any reduction in the number or availability of drivers would likely lead to a reduction in platform usage by consumers, which in turn would make our platform less attractive to drivers. Any decline in the number of drivers or consumers using our platform would reduce the value of our network and would harm our future results of operations. The means we use to onboard and attract drivers may be challenged by competitors, government regulators, or individual plaintiffs. We may use third-party service providers to recruit drivers for our platform and we cannot ensure that the advertisements they use are in strict compliance with advertising and other laws and regulations. In addition, changes in driver qualification and background check requirements may increase our costs and reduce our ability to onboard additional drivers to our platform. Our driver qualification and background check procedure varies by jurisdiction. Any changes in the legal requirements for the qualification, screening, and background check procedure could reduce the number of drivers in those markets or extend the time required to recruit new drivers to our platform, which would adversely impact our business and growth.
Sales & Marketing - Risk 6
The sale or availability for sale of substantial amounts of our ADSs could adversely affect their market price.
Sales of substantial amounts of our ADSs in the public market, or the perception that these sales could occur, could adversely affect the market price of our ADSs and could materially impair our ability to raise capital through equity offerings in the future. We cannot predict what effect, if any, market sales of securities held by our significant shareholders or any other shareholder or the availability of these securities for future sale will have on the market price of the ADSs.
Brand / Reputation3 | 2.8%
Brand / Reputation - Risk 1
Maintaining and enhancing our brand and reputation is critical to our business prospects. We have been subject to negative publicity at various times, and failure to maintain our brand and reputation will cause our business to suffer.
Maintaining and enhancing our brand and reputation is critical to our ability to attract new consumers, drivers and partners to our platform, to preserve and deepen the engagement of our existing consumers, drivers and partners and to mitigate the risk of legislative or regulatory scrutiny, litigation, government investigations and adverse public sentiment. Negative publicity, whether or not justified, can spread rapidly through social media. To the extent that we are unable to respond timely and appropriately to negative publicity, our reputation and brand can be harmed. We have received negative media coverage in the past which has adversely affected our brand and reputation and fueled distrust of our company, in particular, the killing of two riders using our hitch service in separate incidents in 2018. We have also received significant negative publicity since our initial public offering closed at the beginning of July 2021, relating to our decision to list our ADSs on the New York Stock Exchange, or the NYSE, and to investigations of our data security measures. This and other negative publicity we have faced in the past from time to time have adversely affected our brand and reputation. Negative publicity makes it more difficult for us to attract and retain consumers, reduces confidence in and use of our products and offerings, invites legislative and regulatory scrutiny, and results in litigation and governmental investigations. Our brand and reputation might also be harmed by events that do not occur on our platform. For example, we may be associated with the actions of DiDi drivers even at times when they are not performing services on our platform. If drivers on our platform are involved in accidents or other incidents or otherwise violate the law, we may receive unfavorable press coverage and our reputation and business may be harmed. The successful maintenance of our brand will depend largely on maintaining a good reputation, minimizing the number of safety incidents, maintaining a high quality of service, and continuing our marketing and public relations efforts. Our brand promotion, reputation building, and media strategies have involved significant costs and may not be successful. If we fail to successfully maintain our brand in the current or future competitive environment, our brand and reputation would be further damaged and our business may suffer.
Brand / Reputation - Risk 2
Changed
Litigation and negative publicity surrounding China-based companies listed in the United States may negatively impact the trading price of our ADSs.
We believe that litigation and negative publicity surrounding companies with operations in China that are listed in the United States have negatively impacted the stock prices of these companies. Certain politicians in the United States have publicly warned investors to shun China-based companies listed in the United States. The SEC and the PCAOB also issued a joint statement on April 21, 2020, reiterating the disclosure, financial reporting and other risks involved in the investments in companies that are based in emerging markets as well as the limited remedies available to investors who might take legal action against such companies. Furthermore, various equity-based research organizations have published reports on China-based companies after examining their corporate governance practices, related party transactions, sales practices and financial statements, and these reports have led to special investigations and listing suspensions on U.S. national exchanges. Any similar scrutiny on us, regardless of its lack of merit, could cause the market price of our ADSs to fall, divert management resources and energy, cause us to incur expenses in defending ourselves against rumors, and increase the premiums we pay for director and officer insurance.
Brand / Reputation - Risk 3
We may experience a negative impact on our reputation due to any quality or health issues with the food products distributed through our platform, which could have an adverse impact on our operating results.
Businesses that involve food products have inherent risks of product liability claims, product recall and the resulting negative publicity. Food products containing contaminants could be inadvertently distributed through our platform and, if these contaminants are not eliminated by the time of consumption, they could cause illness or death. We cannot assure you that product liability claims will not be asserted against us or that we will not be obligated to perform product recalls or be held liable for such incidents in the future. Any loss in confidence on the part of our customers would be difficult and costly to reestablish. Any such adverse impact could significantly reduce our brand value, and have a material and adverse impact on our sales and operating results.
Tech & Innovation
Total Risks: 10/109 (9%)Below Sector Average
Innovation / R&D3 | 2.8%
Innovation / R&D - Risk 1
We are making investments in new offerings and technologies, and expect to continue such investments in the future. These new initiatives are inherently risky, and we may not realize the expected benefits from them.
We have made substantial investments to develop new offerings and technologies, including autonomous driving, and we intend to continue investing significant resources in developing new technologies, services, products and offerings. For example, we have incurred significant research and development expenses for the development of autonomous driving technologies. We may increase our investments in these new initiatives in the near term. If we do not spend our development budget efficiently on commercially successful and innovative technologies, we may not realize the expected benefits of our strategy. Our new initiatives also have a high degree of risk, as each involves newly emerging industries and unproven business strategies and technologies with which we may have limited or no prior development or operating experience. Because such offerings and technologies are new, they will likely involve expenses, regulatory challenges, and other risks, some of which we do not currently anticipate. There can be no assurance that demand for such initiatives will exist or be sustained at the levels that we anticipate, or that any of these initiatives will gain sufficient traction or market acceptance to generate sufficient revenues to offset any new expenses or liabilities associated with these new investments. It is also possible that service and product offerings developed by others will render our service and product offerings non-competitive or obsolete. Further, our development efforts with respect to new products, offerings and technologies could distract management from current operations, and will divert capital and other resources from our more established products, offerings and technologies. Even if we are successful in developing new products, offerings or technologies, regulatory authorities may subject us to new rules or restrictions in response to our innovations that could increase our expenses or prevent us from successfully commercializing new products, offerings or technologies. If we do not realize the expected benefits of our investments, our business, financial condition, operating results, and prospects may be harmed.
Innovation / R&D - Risk 2
If we are unable to introduce or manage new or upgraded services, products or technologies that drivers and consumers recognize as valuable, we may fail to retain and attract drivers and consumers to our platform and our operating results would be adversely affected.
To continue to attract and retain drivers and consumers to our platform, we have invested and will need to continue to invest in the development of new or upgraded services, products and technologies that add value for them and that differentiate us from our competitors, such as the various service offerings that are included in or may be added to our Other Initiatives segment. Developing and delivering these new or upgraded services, products, and technologies is costly, and the success of such services, products, and technologies depends on several factors, including the timely completion, introduction, government regulation and market acceptance of those services, products, and technologies. Moreover, any of these new or upgraded services, products, or technologies may not work as intended or may not provide the intended value to drivers or consumers. In addition, we may not be able to provide upgrades at all if app stores are prohibited from allowing our apps to be downloaded. If we are unable to continue to develop or manage new or upgraded services, products and technologies, or if drivers or consumers do not value them or perceive the benefit in them, then drivers or consumers may choose not to use our platform, which would adversely affect our operating results. In addition, we may also lose our investments in connection with our development of these new or upgraded services, products and technologies. For example, we acquire assets necessary for some of our new or upgraded services, such as bikes and e-bikes, which in 2023 constituted the largest component of our property and equipment in the ordinary course of our business. We have incurred, and in the future may incur, additional impairment charges, asset write-offs and/or other losses related to these assets, based in part on our management's judgment in light of new and evolving business developments from time to time. For example, we incurred an impairment charge on bikes and e-bikes of RMB2.2 billion during the third quarter of 2021 which was mainly caused by the adverse change in the operating and financial performance of our bike and e-bike sharing business. Our financial condition and results of operations may be materially adversely affected if we are unable to introduce or manage new or upgraded services, products and technologies or if we lose our investments in connection with development of these services, products and technologies.
Innovation / R&D - Risk 3
If we fail to develop and successfully commercialize autonomous driving or fail to develop such technologies before our competitors, or if such technologies fail to perform as expected or are inferior to those of our competitors, our financial performance and prospects would be adversely impacted.
We have invested, and we expect to continue to invest, substantial amounts in autonomous driving technologies. We believe that autonomous driving will be instrumental in further reducing the costs of mobility and will help us achieve the ultimate standards in transportation safety. However, the development of such technology is expensive and time-consuming and may not be successful. Several other companies around the world are also developing autonomous driving technologies, and we expect that they will use such technology to further compete with us in the mobility industry. In the event that our competitors bring autonomous vehicles to market before we do, or their technology is or is perceived to be superior to ours, they may be able to leverage such technology to compete more effectively with us, which would adversely impact our financial performance and our prospects. Autonomous driving technologies involve significant risks and liabilities. The safety of such technologies depends in part on rider interaction and riders who may not be accustomed to using or adapting to such technologies, as well as other drivers on the roadways. Failures of our autonomous driving technologies or crashes involving autonomous vehicles using our technology would generate substantial liability for us, create additional negative publicity about us, or result in regulatory scrutiny, all of which would have an adverse effect on our reputation, brand, business, prospects, and operating results. We expect that governments will develop regulations that are specifically designed to apply to autonomous vehicles. These regulations could include requirements that significantly delay or narrowly limit the commercialization of autonomous vehicles, limit the number of autonomous vehicles that we can manufacture or use on our platform, or impose significant liabilities on manufacturers or operators of autonomous vehicles or developers of autonomous vehicle technologies. If regulations of this nature are implemented, we may not be able to commercialize our autonomous vehicle technologies in the manner we expect, or at all. Further, if we are unable to comply with existing or new regulations or laws applicable to autonomous vehicles, we could become subject to substantial fines or penalties.
Trade Secrets2 | 1.8%
Trade Secrets - Risk 1
If we are unable to protect our intellectual property, or if third parties are successful in claiming that we are misappropriating the intellectual property of others, we may incur significant expense and our business may be adversely affected.
Our intellectual property includes the content of our websites, mobile applications, registered domain names, software code, firmware, hardware and hardware designs, registered and unregistered trademarks, trademark applications, copyrights, trade secrets, inventions (whether or not patentable), patents, and patent applications. We believe that our intellectual property is essential to our business and affords us a competitive advantage in the markets in which we operate. If we do not adequately protect our intellectual property, our brand and reputation may be harmed, drivers and consumers could devalue our service and product offerings, and our ability to compete effectively may be impaired. To protect our intellectual property, we rely on a combination of copyright, trademark, patent, and trade secret laws, contractual provisions, end-user policies, and disclosure restrictions. Upon discovering any potential infringement of our intellectual property, we promptly take action to protect our rights as appropriate. We also enter into confidentiality agreements and invention assignment agreements with our employees and consultants and seek to control access to, and distribution of, our proprietary information in a commercially prudent manner. The efforts we have taken to protect our intellectual property may not be sufficient or effective. For example, effective intellectual property protection may not be available in every jurisdiction in which we currently operate or in the future will operate. In addition, it may be possible for other parties to copy or reverse-engineer our service and product offerings or obtain and use the content of our website without authorization. Further, we may be unable to detect infringement of our intellectual property rights, and even if we detect such violations and decide to enforce our intellectual property rights, we may not be successful, and may incur significant expenses, in such efforts. Any failure to protect or any loss of our intellectual property may have an adverse effect on our ability to compete and may adversely affect our business, financial condition, or operating results. Intellectual property protection may not be sufficient in the jurisdictions in which we operate. Confidentiality and non-compete agreements may be breached by counterparties, and there may not be adequate remedies available to us for any such breach. Accordingly, we may not be able to effectively protect our intellectual property rights or to enforce our contractual rights. In addition, we cannot be certain that our operations or any other aspects of our business do not or will not infringe upon or otherwise violate trademarks, copyrights or other intellectual property rights held by third parties. We have been, and from time to time in the future may be, subject to legal proceedings and claims relating to the intellectual property rights of others. If we are found to have violated the intellectual property rights of others, we may be subject to liability for our infringement activities or may be prohibited from using such intellectual property, and we may incur licensing fees or be forced to develop alternatives of our own. Defending against these claims and proceedings is costly and time consuming and may divert management's time and other resources from our business and operations, and the outcome of many of these claims and proceedings cannot be predicted. If a judgment, a fine or a settlement involving a payment of a material sum of money were to occur, or injunctive relief were issued against us, it may result in significant monetary liabilities and may materially disrupt our business and operations by restricting or prohibiting our use of the intellectual property in question, and our business, financial position and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.
Trade Secrets - Risk 2
You may experience dilution of your holdings due to inability to participate in rights offerings.
We may from time to time distribute rights to our shareholders, including rights to acquire securities. However, we cannot make such rights available to you in the United States unless we register both the rights and the securities to which the rights relate under the Securities Act or an exemption from the registration requirements is available. Under the deposit agreement, the depositary will not distribute rights to holders of ADSs unless the distribution and sale of rights and the securities to which these rights relate are either exempt from registration under the Securities Act with respect to all holders of ADSs or are registered under the provisions of the Securities Act. The depositary may, attempt to sell these undistributed rights to third parties, but it is not required to do so, and it may allow the rights to lapse. We may be unable to establish an exemption from registration under the Securities Act, and we are under no obligation to file a registration statement with respect to such rights or underlying securities or to endeavor to have a registration statement declared effective. Accordingly, holders of ADSs may be unable to participate in our rights offerings and may experience dilution of their holdings as a result.
Cyber Security1 | 0.9%
Cyber Security - Risk 1
Computer malware, viruses, spamming, and phishing attacks could harm our reputation, business, and operating results.
We rely heavily on information technology systems across our operations. Our information technology systems, including mobile and online platforms, mobile payment systems and administrative functions, and the information technology systems of our third-party business partners and service providers contain proprietary or confidential information related to business and sensitive personal data, including personally identifiable information, entrusted to us by drivers, consumers, businesses, employees, and job candidates. Computer malware, viruses, spamming, and phishing attacks have become more prevalent in our industry, have occurred on our systems in the past, and may occur on our systems in the future. Various other factors may also cause system failures, including power outages, catastrophic events, inadequate or ineffective redundancy, issues with upgrading or creating new systems or platforms, flaws in third-party software or services, errors by our employees or third-party service providers, or breaches in the security of these systems or platforms. If we cannot resolve these issues in an effective manner, they could adversely impact our business operations and our financial results. Because of our prominence, the number of platform users, and the types and volume of personal data on our systems, we may be a particularly attractive target for such attacks. Although we have developed systems and processes that are designed to protect our data and that of platform users, and to prevent data loss, undesirable activities on our platform, and security breaches, we cannot assure you that such measures will provide absolute security. Our efforts on this front may be unsuccessful as a result of, for example, software bugs or other technical malfunctions, employee, contractor, or vendor error or malfeasance, or the appearance of new threats that we did not anticipate or guard against, and we may incur significant costs in protecting against or remediating cyber-attacks. Any actual or perceived failure to maintain the performance, reliability, security, and availability of our products, offerings, and technical infrastructure to the satisfaction of platform users and government regulators would likely harm our reputation and result in loss of revenues from the adverse impact to our reputation and brand, disruption to our business, and our decreased ability to attract and retain drivers and consumers.
Technology4 | 3.7%
Technology - Risk 1
Our platform is highly technical, and any undetected errors could adversely affect our business.
Our platform is a complex system composed of many interoperating components and incorporates software that is highly complex. Our business is dependent upon our ability to prevent system interruption on our platform. Our software may now or in the future contain undetected errors, bugs, or vulnerabilities. Some errors in our software code may only be discovered after the code has been released. Bugs in our software, misconfigurations of our systems, and unintended interactions between systems could result in our failure to comply with certain national or regional reporting obligations, or could cause downtime that would impact the availability of our service to platform users. We have from time to time found defects or errors in our system and may discover additional defects in the future that could result in platform unavailability or system disruption. In addition, we have experienced outages on our platform in the past. If sustained or repeated, any of these outages could reduce the attractiveness of our platform to platform users. In addition, our release of new software in the past has inadvertently caused, and may in the future cause, interruptions in the availability or functionality of our platform. Any errors, bugs, or vulnerabilities discovered in our code or systems after release could result in an interruption in the availability of our platform or a negative experience for drivers and consumers, and could also result in negative publicity and unfavorable media coverage, damage to our reputation, loss of platform users, loss of revenues or liability for damages, regulatory inquiries, or other proceedings, any of which could adversely affect our business and financial results.
Technology - Risk 2
Our business depends upon the interoperability of our platform across devices, operating systems, and third-party applications that we do not control.
One of the most important features of our platform is its broad interoperability with a range of devices, operating systems, and third-party applications. Our platform is accessible from the web and from devices running various operating systems such as iOS and Android. We depend on the accessibility of our platform across third-party operating systems and applications that we do not control. Moreover, third-party services and products are constantly evolving, and we may not be able to modify our platform to assure its compatibility with that of other third parties following development changes. The loss of interoperability, whether due to actions of third parties or otherwise, could adversely affect our business.
Technology - Risk 3
Our use of third-party open source software could adversely affect our ability to offer our service and product offerings and subjects us to possible litigation.
We use third-party open source software in connection with the development of our platform. From time to time, companies that use third-party open source software have faced claims challenging the use of such open source software and their compliance with the terms of the applicable open source license. We may be subject to suits by parties claiming ownership of what we believe to be open source software, or claiming non-compliance with the applicable open source licensing terms. While we employ practices designed to monitor our compliance with the licenses of third-party open source software and protect our valuable proprietary source code, we may inadvertently use third-party open source software in a manner that exposes us to claims of non-compliance with the applicable terms of such license, including claims for infringement of intellectual property rights or for breach of contract. Furthermore, there are more and more types of open-source software licenses, almost none of which have been tested in a court of law, resulting in a dearth of guidance regarding the proper legal interpretation of such licenses. If we were to receive a claim of non-compliance with the terms of any of our open source licenses, we may be required to publicly release certain portions of our proprietary source code or expend substantial time and resources to re-engineer some or all of our software. In addition, the use of third-party open source software typically exposes us to greater risks than the use of third-party commercial software because open-source licensors generally do not provide warranties or controls on the functionality or origin of the software. Use of open source software may also present additional security risks because the public availability of such software may make it easier for hackers and other third parties to determine how to compromise our platform. Additionally, because any software source code that we contribute to open source projects becomes publicly available, our ability to protect our intellectual property rights in such software source code may be limited or lost entirely, and we would be unable to prevent our competitors or others from using such contributed software source code. Any of the foregoing could be harmful to our business, financial condition, or operating results and could help our competitors develop service and product offerings that are similar to or better than ours.
Technology - Risk 4
The successful operation of our business depends upon the performance and reliability of internet, mobile, and other infrastructures that are not under our control.
Our business depends on the performance and reliability of internet, mobile, and other infrastructures that are not under our control. Disruptions in internet infrastructure or GPS signals or the failure of telecommunications network operators, cloud service providers and other third-party providers of network services that provide us with the bandwidth we need to provide our service and product offerings could interfere with the performance and availability of our platform. If our platform is unavailable when consumers attempt to access it, or if our platform does not load as quickly as consumers expect, consumers may not return to our platform as often in the future, or at all. In addition, we have no control over the costs of the services provided by national telecommunications operators. If mobile internet access fees or other charges to internet users increase, consumer traffic may decrease, which may in turn cause our revenues to significantly decrease. Almost all access to the internet in China is maintained through state-owned telecommunication operators under the administrative control and regulatory supervision of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. We primarily rely on a limited number of telecommunication service providers to provide us with data communications capacity through local telecommunications lines and internet data centers to host our servers. We have limited access to alternative networks or services in the event of disruptions, failures or other problems with China's internet infrastructure or the fixed telecommunications networks provided by telecommunication service providers. With the expansion of our business, we may be required to upgrade our technology and infrastructure to keep up with the increasing traffic on our platform. We cannot assure you that the internet infrastructure and the fixed telecommunications networks in China will be able to support the demands associated with the continued growth in internet usage. Our business also depends on the efficient and uninterrupted operation of mobile communications systems. The occurrence of power outages, telecommunications delays or failures, security breaches, or computer viruses could result in delays or interruptions to our products, offerings, and platform, as well as business interruptions for us and for drivers, consumers and other users. Any of these events could damage our reputation, significantly disrupt our operations, and subject us to liability, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and operating results.
Macro & Political
Total Risks: 6/109 (6%)Below Sector Average
Economy & Political Environment2 | 1.8%
Economy & Political Environment - Risk 1
Heightened tensions in international relations, particularly between the United States and China, may adversely impact our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Recently there have been heightened tensions in international relations, particularly between the United States and China. In addition, the Russia - Ukraine conflict, the Hamas - Israel conflict, and the attacks on shipping in the Red Sea have heightened geopolitical tensions across the world. The impact of the Russia - Ukraine conflict on Ukraine food exports has contributed to increases in food prices and thus to inflation more generally. There have also been concerns about the relationship between China and other countries. In particular, there is significant uncertainty about the future relationship between the United States and China with respect to a wide range of issues including trade policies, treaties, government regulations and tariffs. Heightened tensions between the United States and China could reduce levels of trade, investments, technological exchanges, and other economic activities between the two major economies. The existing tensions and any further deterioration in the relationship between the United States and China may have a negative impact on the general, economic, political, and social conditions in both countries and, given our reliance on the Chinese market, adversely impact our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Economy & Political Environment - Risk 2
Changes and developments in China's economy, social conditions or government policies could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial conditions and results of operations.
A large majority of our operations are located in China. Accordingly, our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations may be affected to a significant degree by the economy, social conditions and changes in government policies in China generally. While the Chinese economy has experienced significant growth over the past decades, growth has been uneven, both geographically and among various sectors of the economy. The Chinese government has implemented various measures due to the pressure of economic growth. Some of these measures may benefit the overall Chinese economy, but may have a negative effect on us. For example, our financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected by government restrictions on capital investments or changes in tax regulations that are applicable to us. In addition, any prolonged slowdown in the Chinese economy may reduce the demand for our products and services and materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations.
International Operations1 | 0.9%
International Operations - Risk 1
If we are unable to manage the risks presented by our international expansion, our financial results and future prospects will be adversely impacted.
We have operations in China and 14 other countries through our platforms or our partnerships across the world as of December 31, 2023. We began expanding into international markets in 2018 and have limited experience operating in many jurisdictions outside of China. We have made, and expect to continue to make, significant investments to expand our international operations and compete with local competitors. Such investments may not be successful and may negatively affect our operating results. Our International segment had adjusted EBITA losses of RMB5.8 billion, RMB4.0 billion and RMB2.3 billion (US$0.3 billion) in 2021, 2022 and 2023, respectively. Conducting our business internationally, particularly in countries in which we have limited experience, subjects us to risks that we do not face to the same degree in China. These risks include, among others: - operational and compliance challenges caused by distance, language, and cultural differences;- the resources required to build a local management team in each new market and to localize our service offerings to appeal to drivers and consumers in that market;- compliance challenges caused by unfamiliar laws and regulations;- competition with businesses that understand local markets better than we do, that have pre-existing relationships with potential consumers in those markets, or that are favored by government or regulatory authorities in those markets;- international geopolitical tensions;- political, social and economic instability in any jurisdiction where we operate;- international export controls and economic and trade sanctions;- legal uncertainty regarding our liability for the actions of drivers, consumers and other third parties, including uncertainty resulting from unique local laws or a lack of clear legal precedent;- fluctuations in currency exchange rates;- managing operations in markets in which cash transactions are favored over credit or debit cards;- adverse tax consequences, including the complexities of foreign value added tax systems, and restrictions on the repatriation of earnings;- increased financial accounting and reporting burdens, and complexities associated with implementing and maintaining adequate internal controls;- difficulties in implementing and maintaining the financial systems and processes needed to enable compliance across multiple offerings and jurisdictions; and - reduced or varied protection for intellectual property rights in some markets. These risks could adversely affect our international operations, which could in turn adversely affect our business, financial condition, and operating results.
Natural and Human Disruptions1 | 0.9%
Natural and Human Disruptions - Risk 1
Our business may be adversely affected by natural disasters, public health matters, political crises, economic downturns or other unexpected events.
Any unforeseen public health matters, such as pandemics, epidemics or other outbreaks of contagious diseases, could adversely affect our operations or the economies of the markets where we operate. For example, from 2020 through 2022, outbreaks of COVID-19 resulted in the temporary closure of many corporate offices, retail stores, and manufacturing facilities across China. The demand for our mobility offerings, as well as the supply of drivers, decreased drastically under those conditions. Outbreaks of other similar contagious diseases may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations in the current and future years. In addition, a significant natural disaster, such as an earthquake, fire, hurricane, tornado, flood or significant power outage, could disrupt our operations, mobile networks, the internet or the operations of our third-party technology providers. Political crises, such as terrorist attacks, war and other political instability, or other catastrophic events, whether in China or abroad, could adversely affect our operations or the economies of the markets where we operate. The impact of any natural disaster, act of terrorism or other disruption to us or our third-party providers' abilities could result in decreased demand for our offerings or a delay in the provision of our offerings, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. All of the aforementioned risks may be further increased if our disaster recovery plans prove to be inadequate. Disruptions or downturns in global or national or local economic conditions may cause discretionary spending and demand for ride hailing and other mobility services to decline. An economic downturn resulting in a prolonged recessionary period would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and operating results.
Capital Markets2 | 1.8%
Capital Markets - Risk 1
Fluctuations in exchange rates could have a material and adverse effect on our results of operations and the value of your investment.
The conversion of Renminbi into foreign currencies, including U.S. dollars, is based on rates set by the People's Bank of China. The Renminbi has fluctuated against the U.S. dollar, at times significantly and unpredictably. The value of Renminbi against the U.S. dollar and other currencies is affected by changes in China's political and economic conditions and by China's foreign exchange policies, among other things. We cannot assure you that Renminbi will not appreciate or depreciate significantly in value against the U.S. dollar in the future. It is difficult to predict how market forces or government policies may impact exchange rates in the future. Any significant appreciation or depreciation of Renminbi may materially and adversely affect our revenues, earnings and financial position, and the value of dividends payable on, our ADSs in U.S. dollars. For example, to the extent that we need to convert U.S. dollars we receive into Renminbi to pay our operating expenses, appreciation of Renminbi against the U.S. dollar would have an adverse effect on the RMB amount we would receive from the conversion. Conversely, a significant depreciation of Renminbi against the U.S. dollar may significantly reduce the U.S. dollar equivalent of our earnings, which in turn could adversely affect the price of our ADSs. A large majority of our revenues is denominated in Renminbi, while we hold much of our cash and cash equivalents and time deposits in currencies other than Renminbi, including particularly the U.S. dollar. Fluctuations in the exchange rate between the Renminbi and other currencies, particularly the U.S. dollar, will affect the relative purchasing power in Renminbi of our cash and cash equivalents. Fluctuations in the exchange rate may also cause us to incur foreign exchange losses and affect the relative value of any dividend issued by our subsidiaries in China. In addition, appreciation or depreciation in the value of the Renminbi relative to the U.S. dollar would affect our financial results in U.S. dollar terms without giving effect to any underlying change in our business or results of operations. Limited hedging options are available in China to reduce our exposure to exchange rate fluctuations. While we have entered into certain insignificant hedging transactions to reduce our exposure to foreign currency exchange risk and may decide to enter into additional hedging transactions in the future, the availability and effectiveness of these hedges may be limited and we may not be able to adequately hedge our exposure or at all. In addition, our currency exchange losses may be magnified by PRC exchange control regulations that restrict our ability to convert Renminbi into foreign currency. As a result, fluctuations in exchange rates may have a material adverse effect on your investment.
Capital Markets - Risk 2
Governmental control of currency conversion may limit our ability to utilize our revenues effectively and affect the value of your investment.
The PRC government imposes controls on the convertibility of the RMB into foreign currencies and, in certain cases, the remittance of currency out of China. We receive a large majority of our revenues in RMB. Under our current corporate structure, our holding company in the Cayman Islands may rely on dividend payments from our PRC subsidiary to fund any cash and financing requirements we may have. Under existing PRC foreign exchange regulations, payments of current account items, such as profit distributions and trade and service-related foreign exchange transactions, can be made in foreign currencies without prior approval from SAFE by complying with certain procedural requirements. Therefore, our wholly foreign-owned subsidiaries in China are able to pay dividends in foreign currencies to us without prior approval from SAFE, subject to the condition that the remittance of such dividends outside of the PRC complies with certain procedures under PRC foreign exchange regulation, such as the overseas investment registrations by our shareholders or the ultimate shareholders of our corporate shareholders who are PRC residents. But approval from or registration with appropriate government authorities or delegated banks is required where RMB is to be converted into foreign currency and remitted out of China to pay capital expenses such as the repayment of loans denominated in foreign currencies. The PRC government may also restrict access in the future to foreign currencies for current account transactions when it deems necessary. If the foreign exchange control system prevents us from obtaining sufficient foreign currencies to satisfy our foreign currency demands, we may not be able to pay dividends in foreign currencies to our shareholders, including holders of our ADSs.
See a full breakdown of risk according to category and subcategory. The list starts with the category with the most risk. Click on subcategories to read relevant extracts from the most recent report.

FAQ

What are “Risk Factors”?
Risk factors are any situations or occurrences that could make investing in a company risky.
    The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requires that publicly traded companies disclose their most significant risk factors. This is so that potential investors can consider any risks before they make an investment.
      They also offer companies protection, as a company can use risk factors as liability protection. This could happen if a company underperforms and investors take legal action as a result.
        It is worth noting that smaller companies, that is those with a public float of under $75 million on the last business day, do not have to include risk factors in their 10-K and 10-Q forms, although some may choose to do so.
          How do companies disclose their risk factors?
          Publicly traded companies initially disclose their risk factors to the SEC through their S-1 filings as part of the IPO process.
            Additionally, companies must provide a complete list of risk factors in their Annual Reports (Form 10-K) or (Form 20-F) for “foreign private issuers”.
              Quarterly Reports also include a section on risk factors (Form 10-Q) where companies are only required to update any changes since the previous report.
                According to the SEC, risk factors should be reported concisely, logically and in “plain English” so investors can understand them.
                  How can I use TipRanks risk factors in my stock research?
                  Use the Risk Factors tab to get data about the risk factors of any company in which you are considering investing.
                    You can easily see the most significant risks a company is facing. Additionally, you can find out which risk factors a company has added, removed or adjusted since its previous disclosure. You can also see how a company’s risk factors compare to others in its sector.
                      Without reading company reports or participating in conference calls, you would most likely not have access to this sort of information, which is usually not included in press releases or other public announcements.
                        A simplified analysis of risk factors is unique to TipRanks.
                          What are all the risk factor categories?
                          TipRanks has identified 6 major categories of risk factors and a number of subcategories for each. You can see how these categories are broken down in the list below.
                          1. Financial & Corporate
                          • Accounting & Financial Operations - risks related to accounting loss, value of intangible assets, financial statements, value of intangible assets, financial reporting, estimates, guidance, company profitability, dividends, fluctuating results.
                          • Share Price & Shareholder Rights – risks related to things that impact share prices and the rights of shareholders, including analyst ratings, major shareholder activity, trade volatility, liquidity of shares, anti-takeover provisions, international listing, dual listing.
                          • Debt & Financing – risks related to debt, funding, financing and interest rates, financial investments.
                          • Corporate Activity and Growth – risks related to restructuring, M&As, joint ventures, execution of corporate strategy, strategic alliances.
                          2. Legal & Regulatory
                          • Litigation and Legal Liabilities – risks related to litigation/ lawsuits against the company.
                          • Regulation – risks related to compliance, GDPR, and new legislation.
                          • Environmental / Social – risks related to environmental regulation and to data privacy.
                          • Taxation & Government Incentives – risks related to taxation and changes in government incentives.
                          3. Production
                          • Costs – risks related to costs of production including commodity prices, future contracts, inventory.
                          • Supply Chain – risks related to the company’s suppliers.
                          • Manufacturing – risks related to the company’s manufacturing process including product quality and product recalls.
                          • Human Capital – risks related to recruitment, training and retention of key employees, employee relationships & unions labor disputes, pension, and post retirement benefits, medical, health and welfare benefits, employee misconduct, employee litigation.
                          4. Technology & Innovation
                          • Innovation / R&D – risks related to innovation and new product development.
                          • Technology – risks related to the company’s reliance on technology.
                          • Cyber Security – risks related to securing the company’s digital assets and from cyber attacks.
                          • Trade Secrets & Patents – risks related to the company’s ability to protect its intellectual property and to infringement claims against the company as well as piracy and unlicensed copying.
                          5. Ability to Sell
                          • Demand – risks related to the demand of the company’s goods and services including seasonality, reliance on key customers.
                          • Competition – risks related to the company’s competition including substitutes.
                          • Sales & Marketing – risks related to sales, marketing, and distribution channels, pricing, and market penetration.
                          • Brand & Reputation – risks related to the company’s brand and reputation.
                          6. Macro & Political
                          • Economy & Political Environment – risks related to changes in economic and political conditions.
                          • Natural and Human Disruptions – risks related to catastrophes, floods, storms, terror, earthquakes, coronavirus pandemic/COVID-19.
                          • International Operations – risks related to the global nature of the company.
                          • Capital Markets – risks related to exchange rates and trade, cryptocurrency.
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