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Fangdd Network Group Ltd Sponsored ADR (DUO)
NASDAQ:DUO
Risk Overview Q4, 2023
Risk Distribution
40% Finance & Corporate
28% Legal & Regulatory
10% Tech & Innovation
8% Macro & Political
7% Production
7% Ability to Sell
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
Fangdd Network Group 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.
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 35 Risks
Finance & Corporate
With 35 Risks
Number of Disclosed Risks
88
-3
From last reportS&P 500 Average: 31
88
-3
From last reportS&P 500 Average: 31
Recent Changes
0Risks added
3Risks removed
3Risks changed
Since Dec 2023
0Risks added
3Risks removed
3Risks changed
Since Dec 2023
Number of Risk Changed
3
-6
From last reportS&P 500 Average: 2
3
-6
From last reportS&P 500 Average: 2
See the risk highlights of Fangdd Network Group 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 88
Finance & Corporate
Total Risks: 35/88 (40%)Below Sector Average
Share Price & Shareholder Rights20 | 22.7%
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 1
You may not receive distributions on ordinary shares or any value for them if it is illegal or impractical to make them available to you.Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 2
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 plaintiffs in any such action.The deposit agreement governing the ADSs representing our Class A 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, by a federal or state court in the City of New York, which has non-exclusive jurisdiction over matters arising under 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 waived 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 and the depositary. If a lawsuit is brought against either or both of us and 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, including results that could be less favorable to the plaintiffs 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 serves as a waiver by any holder or beneficial owner of ADSs or by us or the depositary of compliance with any substantive provision of the U.S. federal securities laws and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 3
The depositary for the ADSs will give us a discretionary proxy to vote our Class A ordinary shares underlying your ADSs if you do not vote at shareholders' meetings, except in limited circumstances, which could adversely affect your interests.Under the deposit agreement for the ADSs, if you do not vote, the depositary will give us a discretionary proxy to vote our Class A ordinary shares underlying your ADSs at shareholders' meetings if:
- we have timely provided the depositary with notice of meeting and related voting materials; and - we confirm to the depositary that we reasonably do not know of any substantial shareholder opposition to a particular question and the particular question is not materially adverse to the interests of shareholders.
The effect of this discretionary proxy is that if you do not vote at shareholders' meetings, you cannot prevent our Class A 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.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 4
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 such 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 may prejudice a substantial existing right of 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. At the time an amendment becomes effective, ADS holders are considered, by continuing to hold their ADSs, to have agreed to the amendment and to be bound by the amended deposit agreement. Furthermore, we may decide to terminate the ADS facility at any time for any reason. For example, terminations may occur when we decide to list our shares on a non-U.S. securities exchange and determine not to continue to sponsor an ADS facility, when we become the subject of a takeover or a going-private transaction, or when we incur the insolvency event. If the ADS facility terminates, ADS holders will receive at least 90 days' prior notice, but no prior consent is required from them. The depositary may also terminate the deposit agreement if the depositary has told us that it would like to resign and we have not appointed a new depositary within 60 days. Under the circumstances that we decide to make an amendment to the deposit agreement that may prejudice a substantial existing right of ADS holders or terminate the deposit agreement, the ADS holders' choices will be limited to selling their ADSs or surrendering their ADSs and becoming direct holders of the underlying Class A ordinary shares, but will have no right to any compensation whatsoever. No assurance can be given that a sale of ADSs could be made at a price satisfactory to the holder in such circumstances.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 5
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 registered shareholders. As a holder of the ADSs, you will not have any direct right to attend general meetings of our shareholders or to cast any votes at such meetings. You will only be able to exercise the voting rights which are carried by the underlying Class A ordinary shares 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. If we instruct the depositary to ask for your instructions, then upon receipt of your voting instructions, the depositary will try, as far as practicable, to vote the underlying Class A ordinary shares which are represented by your ADSs, in accordance with your 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 represented by your ADSs unless you cancel and withdraw such shares and become the registered holder of such shares prior to the record date for the general meeting. Under our currently effective memorandum and articles of association, the minimum notice period required for convening a general meeting is ten calendar days. When a general meeting is convened, you may not receive sufficient advance notice of the meeting to withdraw the underlying Class A ordinary shares represented by your ADSs 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 currently effective 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 prior notice of shareholder 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 underlying Class A ordinary shares represented by your ADSs are voted and you may have no legal remedy if the underlying Class A ordinary shares represented by your ADSs are not voted as you requested.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 6
Judgments obtained against us by our shareholders may not be enforceable in our home jurisdiction.We are an exempted company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands, we conduct substantially all of our operations in China and substantially all of our assets are located in China. In addition, all our senior executive officers reside within China for a significant portion of the time and most are PRC nationals. As a result, it may be difficult for our shareholders to effect service of process upon us or those persons inside mainland China. In addition, China does not have treaties providing for the reciprocal recognition and enforcement of judgments of courts with the Cayman Islands and many other countries and regions. Therefore, recognition and enforcement in China of judgments of a court in any of these non-PRC jurisdictions in relation to any matter not subject to a binding arbitration provision may be difficult or impossible.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 7
Since shareholder rights under Cayman Islands law differ from those under U.S. law, you may have difficulty protecting your shareholder rights.We are an exempted company limited by shares incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands. Our corporate affairs are governed by our memorandum and articles of association, the Companies Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands 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 responsibilities of our directors 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 responsibilities of our directors 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. In addition, Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to initiate a shareholder derivative action in a federal court of the United States.
Shareholders of Cayman Islands exempted companies like us have no general rights under Cayman Islands law to inspect corporate records (other than the Memorandum and Articles of Association, the Register of Mortgages and Charges and special resolutions of our shareholders) or to obtain copies of lists of shareholders of these companies. Our directors have discretion under our currently effective 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.
Certain corporate governance practices in the Cayman Islands, which is our home country, differ significantly from requirements for companies incorporated in other jurisdictions such as the United States. Since we have chosen to follow certain home country practice, our shareholders may be afforded less protection than they otherwise would enjoy under the Nasdaq corporate governance listing standards applicable to U.S. domestic issuers. See "-As a foreign private issuer, we are permitted to, and we have elected to, rely on exemptions from certain Nasdaq corporate governance standards applicable to U.S. issuers, including the requirement that a majority of an issuer's directors consist of independent directors. This may afford less protection to holders of our Class A ordinary shares and ADSs."
As a result of all of the above, public shareholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests in the face of actions taken by our management, members of our board of directors or our controlling shareholders than they would as public shareholders of a company incorporated in the United States.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 8
The concentration of our share ownership among our directors and executive officers will likely limit your ability to influence corporate matters and could discourage others from pursuing any change of control transaction that holders of our Class A ordinary shares and ADSs may view as beneficial.As of March 31, 2024, our directors and executive officers and their affiliated entities together beneficially own approximately 1.5% of our total issued and outstanding ordinary shares, representing 67.9% of our total voting rights. As a result of the concentration of voting power, these directors and executive officers will have considerable influence over matters such as decisions regarding mergers, consolidations and the sale of all or substantially all of our assets, election of directors and other significant corporate actions. 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 the 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 9
As a foreign private issuer, we are permitted to, and we have elected to, rely on exemptions from certain Nasdaq corporate governance standards applicable to U.S. issuers, including the requirement that a majority of an issuer's directors consist of independent directors. This may afford less protection to holders of our Class A ordinary shares and ADSs.As a Cayman Islands exempted company listed on the Nasdaq Global Market, we are subject to the Nasdaq corporate governance listing standards. For example, Rule 5605 of the Nasdaq Stock Market Rules requires listed companies to have, among other things, a majority of its board members to be independent, and to have independent director oversight of executive compensation and nomination of directors.
However, Nasdaq rules permit a foreign private issuer like us to follow the corporate governance practices of its home country. Certain corporate governance practices in the Cayman Islands, which is our home country, may differ significantly from the Nasdaq corporate governance listing standards. For example, under Cayman Islands law we are not required to (i) have a majority of independent directors serve on our board of directors, (ii) have a compensation committee composed entirely of independent directors, (iii) have a nominating committee composed entirely of independent directors, and (iv) hold annual meeting of shareholders within one year after the end of a fiscal year. With respect to the foregoing corporate governance requirements, we have elected to follow home country practice. See "Item 16G. Corporate Governance." As a majority of our board of directors are currently not independent directors, fewer board members will be exercising independent judgment and the level of board oversight on the management of our Company may decrease as a result. Since we have chosen to follow certain home country practice, our shareholders may be afforded less protection than they otherwise would enjoy under the Nasdaq corporate governance listing standards applicable to U.S. domestic issuers.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 10
If securities or industry analysts cease to publish research or reports about our business, or if they adversely change their recommendations regarding the ADSs, the market price for the ADSs and trading volume could decline.The trading market for the ADSs will depend in part on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us or our business. If research analysts do not establish and maintain adequate research coverage or if one or more of the analysts who covers us downgrades the ADSs or publishes inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, the market price for the ADSs would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of our company or fail to publish reports on us regularly, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which, in turn, could cause the market price or trading volume for the ADSs to decline.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 11
Our triple-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 ordinary share capital consists of Class A ordinary shares, Class B ordinary shares and Class C ordinary shares. Holders of Class A ordinary shares, Class B ordinary shares and Class C ordinary shares shall vote together as one class on all resolutions submitted to a vote by the shareholders. In respect of matters requiring the votes of shareholders, holders of Class A ordinary shares are entitled to one vote per share, while (i) holders of Class B ordinary shares are entitled to ten votes per share and (ii) holders of Class C ordinary shares are entitled to 10,000 votes per share, except that we shall only amend, alter, modify or change the rights, restrictions, preferences or privileges of Class C ordinary shares with the written consent of the holders holding a majority of the issued and outstanding Class C ordinary shares or with the sanction of a special resolution passed at a separate meeting of the holders of the issued and outstanding Class C ordinary shares.
Each Class B ordinary share or Class C ordinary share is convertible into one Class A ordinary share at any time at the option of the holder thereof, or subject to automatic and immediate conversion into one Class A ordinary share once certain conditions are met, while neither Class A ordinary shares nor Class C ordinary shares are convertible into Class B ordinary shares under any circumstances, neither Class A ordinary shares nor Class B ordinary shares are convertible into Class C ordinary shares under any circumstances.
Due to the disparate voting powers attached to these three classes, holders of our Class B ordinary shares and Class C ordinary shares have significant voting power over matters requiring shareholders' approval. 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 12
The sale or availability for sale of substantial amounts of the ADSs or ordinary shares could adversely affect their market price.Sales of substantial amounts of the ADSs or ordinary shares in the public market, or the perception that these sales could occur, could adversely affect the market price of the ADSs. As of March 31, 2024, we had 36,354,249,496 ordinary shares outstanding, comprising of (i) 35,856,759,709 Class A ordinary shares (excluding 643,016,250 Class A ordinary shares issued to depositary bank for ADSs reserved for future issuances upon the exercise or vesting of awards granted under our share incentive plans and upon the exercise of warrants issued on July 19, 2023), (ii) 490,418,360 Class B ordinary shares, and (iii) 7,071,427 Class C ordinary shares. As of March 31, 2024, 35,728,220,900 Class A ordinary shares of our company represented by approximately 6,351,683 ADSs were freely transferable without restriction or additional registration under the Securities Act. The remaining Class A ordinary shares outstanding and Class A ordinary shares converted from the Class B ordinary shares or the Class C ordinary shares will be available for sale, subject to volume and other restrictions as applicable under Rules 144 and 701 under the Securities Act. Certain holders of our ordinary shares may cause us to register under the Securities Act the sale of their shares. Sales of these registered shares in the form of ADSs in the public market could adversely affect the market price of the ADSs.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 13
The market price movement of the ADSs may be volatile.The trading prices of the ADSs are likely to be volatile and could fluctuate widely due to factors beyond our control. This may happen because of broad market and industry factors, like the performance and fluctuation in the market prices or the underperformance or deteriorating financial results of other listed companies based in China. The securities of some of these companies have experienced significant volatility since their initial public offerings, including, in some cases, substantial price declines in the trading prices of their securities. The trading performances of other Chinese companies' securities after their offerings, including Internet companies, online retail and mobile commerce platforms and consumer finance service providers, may affect the attitudes of investors toward Chinese companies listed in the United States, which consequently may impact the trading performance of the ADSs, regardless of our actual operating performance. In addition, any negative news or perceptions about inadequate corporate governance practices or fraudulent accounting, corporate structure or matters of other Chinese companies may also negatively affect the attitudes of investors towards Chinese companies in general, including us, regardless of whether we have conducted any inappropriate activities. Furthermore, securities markets may from time to time experience significant price and volume fluctuations that are not related to our operating performance, such as the large decline in share prices in the United States, China and other jurisdictions in late 2008, early 2009, the second half of 2011, 2015, 2021 and 2022, which may have a material and adverse effect on the trading price of the ADSs.
In addition to the above factors, the price and trading volume of the ADSs may be highly volatile due to multiple factors, including the following:
- regulatory developments affecting us or our industry;- announcements of studies and reports relating to the quality of our service offerings or those of our competitors;- changes in the economic performance or market valuations of other real estate service providers;- actual or anticipated fluctuations in our quarterly results of operations and changes or revisions of our expected results;- changes in financial estimates by securities research analysts;- conditions in the market for real estate services;- announcements by us or our competitors of new product and service offerings, acquisitions, strategic relationships, joint ventures, capital raisings or capital commitments;- additions to or departures of our senior management;- fluctuations of exchange rates between the Renminbi and the U.S. dollar; and - release or expiry of lock-up or other transfer restrictions on our outstanding shares or ADSs, and sales or perceived potential sales of additional ordinary shares or ADSs.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 14
We may be unable to comply with the applicable continued listing requirements of Nasdaq.ADSs representing our Class A ordinary shares are currently listed on Nasdaq. In order to maintain this listing, we must satisfy minimum financial and other continued listing requirements and standards. On January 4, 2022, we received a notice from Nasdaq, notifying that we were not in compliance with the minimum bid price requirement set forth under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5450(a)(1) because the bid price of our ADSs closed below US$1.00 per ADS for the 30 consecutive trading days from November 19, 2021 to January 3, 2022. We were granted a grace period of 180 calendar days, expiring on July 5, 2022, in which to regain compliance. In order to regain compliance with the minimum bid price requirement, we changed the ratio of our ADSs representing Class A ordinary shares from one (1) ADS representing twenty five (25) Class A ordinary shares to one (1) ADS representing three hundred seventy-five (375) Class A ordinary shares. The change became effective on June 7, 2022. On June 22, 2022, Nasdaq confirmed in a compliance notice that for the ten consecutive trading days, from June 7 through June 21, 2022, the closing bid price of our ADSs had been at $1.00 per share or greater. Accordingly, we regained compliance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5450(a)(1), and the matter was closed.
On October 20, 2022, we received another notice from Nasdaq, stating that we were not in compliance with the Nasdaq listing requirement to maintain a minimum market value of publicly held shares, or MVPHS, of at least US$5 million for a period of 30 consecutive trading days, as required under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5450(b)(1)(C). We were provided 180 calendar days, or until April 18, 2023, to regain compliance with the MVPHS requirement. On March 24, 2023, based on our company's MVPHS for a period of 11 consecutive trading days, from March 9 to March 23, 2023, Nasdaq confirmed that our company's MVPHS had been greater than US$5 million. Accordingly, we regained compliance with the MVPHS requirement and this matter was closed.
On June 22, 2023, we were informed by Nasdaq that we were not in compliance with the minimum bid price requirement under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5450(a)(1) and were granted a grace period of 180 calendar days till December 19, 2023 to cure the deficiency. To regain compliance with the minimum bid price requirement, we effected a reverse ADS split on August 4, 2023, changing the ratio of the ADSs representing Class A ordinary shares from one (1) ADS representing three hundred seventy-five (375) Class A ordinary shares to one (1) ADS representing five thousand six hundred and twenty-five (5,625) Class A ordinary shares. On August 21, 2023, Nasdaq confirmed that we regained compliance with the Nasdaq Listing Rule 5450(a)(1), as the closing bid price of the ADSs representing our Class A ordinary shares had been at US$1.00 per share or above from August 4 through August 17, 2023.
We received another notification from Nasdaq on December 13, 2023, notifying us that we are currently not in compliance with the minimum bid price requirement and that we have been granted 180 calendar days until June 10, 2024 to regain compliance. If we were unable to regain compliance within the grace period for this requirement or any other applicable listing requirements of Nasdaq, our ADSs would be subject to delisting. In the event that our ADSs are delisted from Nasdaq and are not eligible for quotation or listing on another market or exchange, trading of our ADSs could be conducted only in the over-the-counter market established for unlisted securities such as OTC Markets. In such event, it could become more difficult to dispose of, or obtain accurate price quotations for our ADSs, which could cause the price of our ADSs to decline further.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 15
Our memorandum and articles of association contain anti-takeover provisions that could adversely affect the rights of holders of our ordinary shares and ADSs.Our current memorandum and articles of association contain 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 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 an opportunity to sell their shares at a premium over prevailing market prices by discouraging third parties from seeking to obtain control of our company in a tender offer or similar transaction. For example, our board of directors has the authority, without further action by our shareholders, to issue preferred shares in one or more series and to fix their designations, powers, preferences, privileges, and relative participating, optional or special rights and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions, including dividend rights, conversion rights, voting rights, terms of redemption and liquidation preferences, any or all of which may be greater than the rights associated with our Class A ordinary shares, in the form of ADS, or otherwise. Preferred shares could be issued quickly with terms calculated to delay or prevent a change in control of our company or make removal of management more difficult. If our board of directors decides to issue preferred shares, the price of the ADSs may fall and the voting and other rights of the holders of our Class A ordinary shares and ADSs may be materially and adversely affected.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 16
Any unauthorized use of indicia of corporate power or authority would have a material adverse effect on our business.In China, a company chop or seal serves as the legal representation of the company towards third parties even when unaccompanied by a signature. Each legally registered company in China is required to maintain a company chop, which must be registered with the local Public Security Bureau. In addition to this mandatory company chop, companies may have several other chops which can be used for specific purposes. The chops of our PRC subsidiaries, the VIE and its subsidiaries are generally held securely by personnel designated or approved by us in accordance with our internal control procedures. To the extent those chops are not kept safe, are stolen or are used by unauthorized persons or for unauthorized purposes, the corporate governance of these entities could be severely and adversely compromised and those corporate entities may be bound to abide by the terms of any documents so chopped, even if they were chopped by an individual who lacked the requisite power and authority to do so.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 17
Any failure by the VIE or its shareholders to perform their obligations under our contractual arrangements with them would have a material and adverse effect on our business.We refer to the shareholders of the VIE as its nominee shareholders because although they are the holders on record of equity interest in the VIE, pursuant to the terms of the relevant power of attorney, each such shareholder has irrevocably authorized Xi Zeng to exercise his or her rights as a shareholder of the VIE. However, if the VIE or its 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 claiming damages, which we cannot assure will be effective under PRC law. For example, if the shareholders of the VIE refuse to transfer their equity interest in the VIE to us or our designee when we exercise the purchase option pursuant to these contractual arrangements, or if they otherwise act in bad faith toward us, then we may have to take legal actions to compel them to perform their contractual obligations.
All of the agreements under our contractual arrangements are governed by PRC law and provide for the resolution of disputes through arbitration or litigation. Accordingly, these contracts would be interpreted in accordance with PRC law and any disputes would be resolved through arbitration in Hong Kong or litigation in PRC. The legal system in the PRC is not as developed as in some other jurisdictions, such as the United States. As a result, uncertainties in the PRC legal system could limit our ability to enforce these contractual arrangements. See "-Risks Related to Doing Business in China-The PRC legal system contains uncertainties, which could limit the legal protections available to you and us." Meanwhile, there are very few precedents and little formal guidance as to how contractual arrangements in the context of a 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, 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 delays or other obstacles in the process of enforcing these contractual arrangements, we may not be able to exert effective control over the VIE, and our ability to conduct our business may be negatively affected.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 18
The shareholders of the VIE may have potential conflicts of interest with us, which may materially and adversely affect our business and financial condition.Shareholders of the VIE include Xi Zeng, Yi Duan, Wei Zhang, Li Zhou, Jiaorong Pan, and Ying Lu, holding 46.62%, 31.95%, 9.00%, 8.88%, 2.66%, and 0.90%, respectively, of the equity interest in the VIE. Xi Zeng and Yi Duan are our co-founders. Jiaorong Pan is our director and chief operating officer. However, we cannot assure you that these shareholders would not have potential conflicts of interest with us. If they breach, or cause the VIE to breach, or refuse to renew, the existing contractual arrangements we have with them and the VIE, our ability to effectively control the VIE and receive economic benefits from the VIE and its subsidiaries would be materially and adversely affected. For example, the shareholders may be able to cause our agreements with the VIE 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. For the shareholders who are also our directors and executive officers, we rely on them to abide by the laws of the Cayman Islands and China, which provide that the directors owe a fiduciary duty to the company that requires them to act in good faith and in what they believe to be the best interests of the company and not to use their position for personal gain. There is currently no specific and clear guidance under PRC laws that address any conflict between PRC law and Cayman Islands law in respect of any conflict relating to corporate governance. If we cannot resolve any conflict of interest or dispute between us and the shareholders of the VIE, 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.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 19
We rely on contractual arrangements with the VIE and its shareholders to exercise control over our business, which may not be as effective as direct ownership in providing operational control.Since the applicable PRC laws, rules and regulations restrict foreign ownership in the value-added telecommunications services, we conduct our online real estate service and derive related revenues through the contractual arrangements with the VIE. We rely on contractual arrangements with the VIE and its shareholders for our business operations, and these contractual arrangements may not be as effective as direct ownership in providing us with control over the VIE. We rely on the performance by the VIE and its shareholders of their obligations under the contracts to exercise control over the VIE. The shareholders of the VIE may not act in the best interests of us or may not perform their obligations under these contracts. Such risks exist throughout the period in which we intend to operate certain portion of our business through the contractual arrangements with the VIE. As we have no direct or indirect ownership interest in the VIE, these contractual arrangements, including the voting proxies granted to us, may not be as effective in providing us with control over these companies as direct or indirect ownership. If we were the controlling shareholder of the VIE with direct or indirect ownership, we would be able to exercise our rights as shareholders to effect changes in the board of directors, which in turn could effect change, subject to any applicable fiduciary obligations, at the management level. Since we control the VIE through contractual arrangements, if the VIE or its shareholders fail to perform their obligations under these contractual arrangements, we may be forced to (i) incur substantial costs and resources to enforce such arrangements, including the voting proxies, and (ii) rely on legal remedies available under PRC law, including exercising our call option right over the equity interest in the VIE or the assets of the VIE, seeking specific performance or injunctive relief, and claiming monetary damages. See "-Any failure by the VIE or its shareholders to perform their obligations under our contractual arrangements with them would have a material and adverse effect on our business." In the event that we are unable to enforce these contractual arrangements, or if we suffer significant time delays or other obstacles in the process of enforcing these contractual arrangements, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.
The equity and asset transfer and foreclosure of pledge in accordance with our contractual arrangements shall be subject to procedures required by relevant PRC authorities. In addition, the equity and asset transfer price may be subject to review and tax adjustment by the relevant tax authority.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 20
We have granted, and may continue to grant, share options and other forms of share-based incentive awards, which will adversely affect our results of operations and you will incur immediate and substantial dilution.We adopted the 2018 Share Incentive Plan, or the 2018 Plan, in December 2018 and amended it in September 2019. Under the 2018 Plan, as amended, the maximum aggregate number of shares that may be issued pursuant to all awards is 356,514,660 ordinary shares. As of March 31, 2024, awards to purchase 65,936,250 ordinary shares were granted and outstanding under the 2018 Plan.
In 2023, we incurred RMB105.0 thousand (US$14.7 thousand) share-based compensation expenses relating to awards granted under the 2018 Plan. We believe the granting of share incentive awards is critical to our ability to attract and retain employees and promote the success of our business, and we will continue to grant share incentive awards in the future. As a result, our expenses associated with the grant of share-based incentive awards may increase, which will have an adverse effect on our results of operations. In addition, issuance of ordinary shares underlying the outstanding awards will cause you to experience an immediate and substantial dilution of your shareholding.
Accounting & Financial Operations6 | 6.8%
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 1
We have a history of losses and negative cash flows from operating activities, and we may not achieve profitability in the future.Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 2
If our estimates relating to our allowance for doubtful accounts prove to be wrong, our financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.Our allowance for doubtful accounts increased to RMB201.9 million (US$28.4 million) in 2023 from a negative RMB67.6 million in 2022. We increased our allowance for doubtful accounts due to our estimates of reduced collectability of our accounts receivable from real estate developers and decreased deposits recorded in prepayments and other assets. Factors influencing our adjustment include: (i) the persistent financial strain on real estate developers, leading them to default on aged accounts receivable despite preferential policies aimed at stimulating the Chinese real estate market, and (ii) credit defaults affecting deposits recorded in prepayments and other assets in the current real estate market conditions. There remains uncertainty as to the effects of preferential policies on real estate developers in repaying debts and our company in collecting accounts receivable when they become due. If our estimates relating to the allowance for doubtful accounts prove to be wrong, our financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.
We have been taking measures to protect our accounts receivable. For accounts receivable that are seriously overdue, we have pursued lawsuits and sought for injunctive relief. We enhance credit risk management by periodically reviewing the credit status of real estate developers and discontinuing coordination with real estate developers with poor credit conditions, ensuring the collectability of our accounts receivable. If we fail to collect our accounts receivable on time or if real estate developers fail to satisfy their financial obligations towards us, our business and results of operations may be materially adversely affected and we may face liquidity constraints as a result.
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 3
We have a limited operating history, and we may not be able to effectively implement our business strategies.We have a limited operating history, which makes it difficult to assess our future prospects or forecast our future results of operations. In 2023, our total revenue increased to RMB285.0 million (US$40.1 million) from RMB245.9 million in 2022. The increase was influenced by various factors, including modest stimulation in the Chinese real estate market spurred by a series of preferential policies, such as greater access to credit and funding for real estate developers, mortgage interest rate cuts and lower down payments for home buyers, and relaxed restrictions on secondhand housing sales and purchases. In addition, our growth was supported by strategic decisions such as discontinuing business partnerships with high credit risk developers to mitigate losses and focusing on developers with strong credit profiles to sustain our property transaction services. We also actively explored opportunities in other real estate related services. We may fail to regain our historical growth rates or achieve profitability in the future. You should not consider our historical growth and financial performance as indicative of our future financial performance. You should consider our future operations in light of the challenges and uncertainties that we may encounter. These risks and challenges include our ability to, among other things:
- attract and retain real estate agents who conduct closed-loop transactions in our marketplace and who subscribe to our products and services;- strengthen our cooperation with high-quality real estate developers, municipal investment companies and other asset providers and secure accounts receivable in light of the heightened credit risks of real estate developers;- obtain timely, authentic and accurate property listing information and enhance our property database;- develop and deploy new products and services and improve our real estate transaction digitalization capabilities;- increase the number of real estate buyers and other market participants using our website and mobile applications;- successfully compete with other companies that are currently in, or may in the future enter, the business of providing residential real estate information and facilitating real estate transactions online and on mobile applications, as well as with companies that provide this information and services offline;- successfully manage our exclusive selling business;- effectively implement our business strategies;- control costs and expenses associated with our business, including agents' commission, sales and marketing expenses and salaries and benefits;- navigate an uncertain and evolving regulatory environment and adjust our business to the changing real estate market condition; and - maintain our regional coverage and expand geographically.
If the demand for online residential real estate transaction services does not develop as we expect, or if we fail to continue to address the needs of real estate agents, real estate sellers, real estate buyers and other market participants or attract additional marketplace users, our business and financial conditions may be materially adversely affected.
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 4
Dividends we receive from our subsidiaries located in the PRC may be subject to PRC withholding tax, which could materially and adversely affect the amount of dividends, if any, we may pay our shareholders.The PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law classifies enterprises as resident enterprises and non-resident enterprises. The PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law provides that an income tax rate of 20% may be applicable to dividends payable to non-resident investors, which (i) do not have an establishment or place of business in the PRC, or (ii) have an establishment or place of business in the PRC but the relevant income is not effectively connected with the establishment or place of business, to the extent such dividends are derived from sources within the PRC. The State Council of the PRC reduced such rate to 10% through the implementation regulations of the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law. Further, pursuant to the Double Tax Avoidance Arrangement between Hong Kong and Mainland China, or the Double Tax Avoidance Arrangement, and the Notice on Certain Issues with Respect to the Enforcement of Dividend Provisions in Tax Treaties issued in February 2009 by the State Administration of Taxation of the PRC, or the SAT, if a Hong Kong resident enterprise owns more than 25% of the equity interest in a company in China at all times during the 12-month period immediately prior to obtaining a dividend from such company, the 10% withholding tax on dividends is reduced to 5% provided certain other conditions and requirements under the Double Tax Avoidance Arrangement and other applicable PRC laws are satisfied at the discretion of relevant PRC tax authority.
If our Cayman Islands holding company and our Hong Kong subsidiary are considered as non-resident enterprises and our Hong Kong subsidiary is considered as a Hong Kong resident enterprise under the Double Tax Avoidance Arrangement and is determined by the competent PRC tax authority to have satisfied relevant conditions and requirements, then the dividends paid to our Hong Kong subsidiary by its PRC subsidiaries may be subject to the reduced income tax rate of 5% under the Double Tax Avoidance Arrangement. However, based on the Notice on Certain Issues with Respect to the Enforcement of Dividend Provisions in Tax Treaties, if the relevant PRC tax authorities determine, in their discretion, that a company benefits from such reduced income tax rate due to a structure or arrangement that is primarily tax-driven, such PRC tax authorities may adjust the preferential tax treatment. In addition, based on the Announcement on Certain Issues Concerning the Recognition of Beneficial Owners in Tax Treaties issued on February 3, 2018 by SAT, comprehensive analysis shall be conducted based on the factors listed and the actual circumstances of the specific cases to recognize the "beneficial owner." If we fail to be recognized as beneficial owner, we will not be entitled to the abovementioned reduced income tax rate of 5% under the Double Tax Avoidance Arrangement. If we are required under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law to pay income tax for any dividends we receive from our subsidiaries in China, or if our Hong Kong subsidiary is determined by PRC government authority as receiving benefits from reduced income tax rate due to a structure or arrangement that is primarily tax-driven, it would materially and adversely affect the amount of dividends, if any, we may pay to our shareholders.
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 5
We have identified a material weakness in internal control over financial reporting, and we cannot assure you that additional material weaknesses will not be identified in the future. Our failure to implement and maintain effective internal control over financial reporting could result in failure to accurately report our financial results or prevent fraud, or result in material misstatements in our financial statements which could cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information and have a negative effect on the price of the ADSs.We are subject to reporting obligations under the U.S. securities laws. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, as required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, adopted rules requiring every public company to include a management report on such company's internal control over financial reporting in its annual report, which contains management's assessment of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. However, we were not subject to the requirement to provide attestation by our independent registered public accounting firm on effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting for the year ended December 31, 2023 as we qualified as an "emerging growth company," as defined in the JOBS Act, as of December 31, 2023. Once we cease to be an "emerging growth company," our independent registered public accounting firm must attest to and report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, unless we qualify for other exemptions.
Our management, with the participation of our chief executive officer and financial controller, has performed an evaluation of the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) under the Exchange Act) as of the end of the period covered by this report, as required by Rule 13a-15(b) under the Exchange Act. Based upon that evaluation, our management has concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was ineffective as of December 31, 2023 due to one "material weakness" in our internal control over financial reporting. As defined in the standards established by the U.S. Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, or PCAOB, a "material weakness" is a deficiency, or combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.
The material weakness identified related to the lack of sufficient financial reporting and accounting personnel with appropriate understanding of U.S. GAAP to implement formal period-end financial reporting policies and procedures, to address complex U.S. GAAP technical accounting issues, and to prepare and review our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures in accordance with U.S. GAAP and financial reporting requirements set forth by the SEC. Following the identification of the material weakness, we have taken measures and plan to continue to take measures to remedy these deficiencies. For details of these remedies, see "Item 15. Controls and Procedures." However, the implementation of these measures may not fully address the material weakness and deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting, and we cannot conclude that they have been fully remedied. Our failure to correct the material weakness and other control deficiencies or our failure to discover and address any other material weakness could result in inaccuracies in our financial statements and could also impair our ability to comply with applicable financial reporting requirements and related regulatory filings on a timely basis. As a result, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects, as well as the trading price of our ADSs, may be materially and adversely affected. Additionally, ineffective internal control over financial reporting could expose us to increased risk of fraud or misuse of corporate assets and subject us to potential delisting from the stock exchange on which we list, regulatory investigations and civil or criminal sanctions.
In addition, once we cease to be an "emerging growth company" as such term is defined in the JOBS Act, our independent registered public accounting firm must attest to and report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. Even if our management concludes that our internal control over financial reporting is effective in the future, our independent registered public accounting firm, after conducting its own independent testing, may issue a report that is qualified if it is not satisfied with our internal controls or the level at which our controls are documented, designed, operated or reviewed, or if it interprets the relevant requirements differently from us.
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 6
Because we do not expect to pay dividends in the foreseeable future, you must rely on price appreciation of the 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 the 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 restrictions under Cayman Islands law, namely that our company may only pay dividends out of profits or share premium, and provided always that in no circumstances may a dividend be paid if this would result in our company being unable to pay its debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business. In addition, our shareholders may by ordinary resolution declare a dividend, but no dividend may exceed the amount recommended by our board of directors. 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, among other things, 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 the ADSs will likely depend entirely upon any future price appreciation of the ADSs. There is no guarantee that the ADSs will appreciate in value or even maintain the price at which you purchased the ADSs. You may not realize a return on your investment in the ADSs and you may even lose your entire investment in the ADSs.
Debt & Financing7 | 8.0%
Debt & Financing - Risk 1
We may need additional capital, and the sale of additional ADSs or other equity securities could result in additional dilution to our shareholders, while the incurrence of debt may impose restrictions on our operations.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 make investments or acquisitions, pay dividends or otherwise fund our business.We are a holding company, and we may rely on dividends from our subsidiaries in China for our cash requirements, including any debt we may incur. Current PRC regulations permit our subsidiaries to pay dividends to us only out of their accumulated profits, if any, determined in accordance with Chinese accounting standards and regulations. In addition, each of our subsidiaries in China is required to set aside a certain amount of its after-tax profits each year, if any, to fund certain statutory reserves. These reserves are not distributable as cash dividends. Furthermore, if our subsidiaries in China incur debt on their own behalf in the future, the instruments governing the debt may restrict their ability to pay dividends or make other payments to us. In addition, the PRC tax authorities may require us to adjust our taxable income under the contractual arrangements we currently have in place in a manner that would materially and adversely affect our subsidiaries' ability to pay dividends and other distributions to us. Any limitation on the ability of our subsidiaries to distribute dividends or other payments to us could materially and adversely limit our ability to grow, make investments or acquisitions that could be beneficial to our businesses, pay dividends, or otherwise fund and conduct our business.
Debt & Financing - Risk 3
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 it 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.
Debt & Financing - Risk 4
There can be no assurance that we were not a passive foreign investment company, or PFIC, for 2023 or that we will not be a PFIC for 2024 or any other taxable year, which could result in adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences to U.S. investors in the ADSs or ordinary shares.Changed
A non-United States corporation will be a PFIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes for any taxable year if either (i) at least 75% of its gross income for such year is passive income or (ii) at least 50% of the value of its assets (based on a weighted quarterly average) during such year is attributable to assets that produce or are held for the production of passive income. A separate determination must be made after the close of each taxable year as to whether a non-United States corporation is a PFIC for that year. Although the law in this regard is unclear, we intend to treat the VIE (and its subsidiaries) as being owned by us for U.S. federal income tax purposes, not only because we direct the activities of the VIE (and its subsidiaries) that most significantly impact the economic performance of such entities but also because we are entitled to substantially all of their economic benefits, and, as a result, we consolidate their results of operations in our consolidated financial statements. Assuming that we are treated as the owner of the VIE (and its subsidiaries) for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and based upon our current and expected income and assets, including goodwill and other unbooked intangibles, and the market value of the ADSs), we do not believe we were a PFIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes for the taxable year ended December 31, 2023.
The determination of our PFIC status is a fact-intensive determination made on an annual basis and the applicable law is subject to varying interpretation. The value of our assets for purposes of the asset test may be determined by reference to the market price of the ADSs, fluctuations in the market price of the ADSs may cause us to become a PFIC for the current or subsequent taxable years. In addition, the composition of our income and assets will also be affected by how, and how quickly, we use our liquid assets and the cash raised in our initial public offering. If we determine not to deploy significant amounts of cash for active purposes or if it were determined that we do not own the stock of the VIE for U.S. federal income tax purposes, our risk of being a PFIC may substantially increase. In light of the foregoing, there can be no assurance that we were not, or will not be, a PFIC for any taxable year, and our U.S. counsel expresses no opinion with respect to our PFIC status for any prior, current or future taxable year.
If we are a PFIC for any taxable year during which a U.S. Holder (as defined in "Item 10. Additional Information-E. Taxation-U.S. Federal Income Taxation) holds the ADSs or ordinary shares, certain adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences could apply to such U.S. Holder. See "Item 10. Additional Information-E. Taxation-U.S. Federal Income Taxation-Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules."
Debt & Financing - Risk 5
We and our shareholders face uncertainty with respect to indirect transfers of equity interests in PRC resident enterprises, assets attributed to a PRC establishment of a non-PRC company or immovable properties located in China owned by non-PRC companies.In February 2015, SAT issued a Public Notice Regarding Certain Corporate Income Tax Matters on Indirect Transfer of Properties by Non-Tax Resident Enterprises, or SAT Public Notice 7. SAT Public Notice 7 extends its tax jurisdiction to transactions involving transfer of other taxable assets through offshore transfer of a foreign intermediate holding company. In addition, SAT Public Notice 7 provides clear criteria for assessment of reasonable commercial purposes and has introduced safe harbors for internal group restructurings and the purchase and sale of equity through a public securities market. SAT Public Notice 7 also brings challenges to both foreign transferor and transferee (or other person who is obligated to pay for the transfer) of taxable assets. In October 2017, SAT 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. The Bulletin 37 further clarifies the practice and procedure of the withholding of non-resident enterprise income tax. Where a non-resident enterprise transfers taxable assets indirectly by disposing of the equity interest of an overseas holding company, which is an indirect transfer, the non-resident enterprise as either transferor or transferee, or the PRC entity that directly owns the taxable assets, may report such Indirect Transfer to the relevant tax authority. Using a "substance over form" principle, the PRC tax authority may disregard the existence of the overseas holding company if it lacks a reasonable commercial purpose and was established for the purpose of reducing, avoiding or deferring PRC tax. As a result, gains derived from such indirect transfer other than transfer of Shares of ADSs acquired and sold on public markets 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 interest in a PRC resident enterprise. Both the transferor and the transferee may be subject to penalties under PRC tax laws if the transferee fails to withhold the taxes and the transferor fails to pay the taxes.
We face uncertainties as to the reporting and other implications of certain past and future transactions that involve PRC taxable assets, such as offshore restructuring, sale of the shares in our offshore subsidiaries and investments. Our company may be subject to filing obligations or taxed if our company is transferor in such transactions, and may be subject to withholding obligations if our company is transferee in such transactions, under SAT Public Notice 7 or Bulletin 37, or both.
Debt & Financing - Risk 6
We may lose the ability to utilize assets held by the VIE that are important to the operation of our business if the VIE goes bankrupt or becomes subject to a dissolution or liquidation proceeding.Our WFOE is considered foreign-invested enterprise in China and is, therefore, not permitted under the current PRC laws, rules and regulations to hold the ICP license that are critical to our operations. The VIE, therefore, holds the ICP License required for operating our website and our mobile applications in China. Under our contractual arrangements, the shareholders of the VIE may not approve the VIE to sell, transfer, mortgage or dispose of its assets or legal or beneficial interests in the business in any manner without our prior consent. However, in the event that the shareholders breach this obligation and voluntarily liquidate the VIE, or the VIE declares bankruptcy, or all or part of its assets become subject to liens or rights of third-party creditors, we may be unable to continue some or all of our operations, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Furthermore, if the VIE or its subsidiaries undergo a voluntary or involuntary liquidation proceeding, its shareholders or unrelated third-party creditors may claim rights to some or all of its assets, hindering our ability to operate our business, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Debt & Financing - Risk 7
Our outstanding and future indebtedness may adversely affect our available cash flow and our ability to operate our business. In addition, we may not be able to obtain additional capital when desired, on favorable terms or at all.As of December 31, 2023, our short-term debt obligations amounted to RMB513.0 million (US$72.3 million), and our long-term debt obligations amounted to RMB28.7 million (US$4.0 million). Our current level of indebtedness raises the risk that we might not be unable to pay the principal amount of our indebtedness and other obligations when they come due. Our short-term and long-term debts, combined with our other financial obligations and contractual commitments, could have negative consequences on our business and financial condition.
We believe that our cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash on hand will be sufficient to meet our current and anticipated needs for general corporate purposes for at least the next 12 months. However, we need to make continued investments in facilities, hardware, software and technological systems, and to retain talents to remain competitive. Due to the unpredictable nature of the capital markets and our industry, there can be no assurance that we will be able to raise additional capital on terms favorable to us, or at all, if and when required, especially if we experience disappointing operating results. If adequate capital is not available to us as required, our ability to fund our operations, take advantage of unanticipated opportunities, develop or enhance our infrastructure or respond to competitive pressures could be significantly limited. If we do raise additional funds through the issuance of equity or convertible debt securities, the ownership interests of our shareholders could be significantly diluted. These newly issued securities may have rights, preferences or privileges senior to those of existing shareholders.
Corporate Activity and Growth2 | 2.3%
Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 1
Potential strategic investments, acquisitions or new business initiatives may disrupt our ability to manage our business effectively.Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 2
We will incur increased costs as a result of being a public company, particularly after we cease to qualify as an "emerging growth company."Our independent registered public accounting firm has not conducted an audit of our internal control over financial reporting. It is possible that, had our independent registered public accounting firm conducted an audit of our internal control over financial reporting, such firm might have identified additional material weaknesses and deficiencies. We are subject to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as well as rules subsequently implemented by the SEC and Nasdaq, which impose various requirements on the corporate governance practices of public companies. As a company with less than US$1.235 billion in revenues for our last fiscal year, we qualify as an "emerging growth company" pursuant to the JOBS Act. An emerging growth company may take advantage of specified reduced reporting and other requirements that are otherwise applicable generally to public companies. These provisions include exemption from the auditor attestation requirement under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or Section 404, in the assessment of the emerging growth company's internal control over financial reporting. The JOBS Act also permits an emerging growth company to delay adopting new or revised accounting standards until such time as those standards apply to private companies.
We expect these rules and regulations to increase our legal and financial compliance costs and to make some corporate activities more time-consuming and costly. After we are no longer an "emerging growth company," we expect to incur significant expenses and devote substantial management effort toward ensuring compliance with the requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the other rules and regulations of the SEC. For example, as a public company, we will need to increase the number of independent directors and adopt policies regarding internal controls and disclosure controls and procedures. In addition, we will incur additional costs associated with our public company reporting requirements. It may also be more difficult for us to find qualified persons to serve on our board of directors or as executive officers. We are currently evaluating and monitoring developments with respect to these rules and regulations, and we cannot predict or estimate with any degree of certainty the amount of additional costs we may incur or the timing of such costs.
Legal & Regulatory
Total Risks: 25/88 (28%)Above Sector Average
Regulation15 | 17.0%
Regulation - Risk 1
Regulatory uncertainties relating to real estate-related financial services in China could harm our business, financial condition and results of operation.Regulation - Risk 2
We are subject to changing laws and regulations regarding regulatory matters, corporate governance and public disclosure that have increased both our costs and the risk of non-compliance.We are subject to rules and regulations by various governing bodies, including, for example, the SEC, which is charged with the protection of investors and the oversight of companies whose securities are publicly traded, and the various regulatory authorities in China and the Cayman Islands, and to new and evolving regulatory measures under applicable law. Our efforts to comply with new and changing laws and regulations have resulted in and are likely to continue to result in, increased general and administrative expenses and a diversion of management time and attention from revenue-generating activities to compliance activities. Moreover, because these laws, regulations and standards are subject to varying interpretations, their application in practice may evolve over time as new guidance becomes available. This evolution may result in continuing uncertainty regarding compliance matters and additional costs necessitated by ongoing revisions to our disclosure and governance practices. If we fail to address or comply with these regulations or any subsequent changes, we may be subject to penalty and our business may be harmed.
Regulation - Risk 3
If we fail to obtain or keep licenses, permits or approvals applicable to the various real estate services provided by us, we may incur significant financial penalties and other government sanctions.The internet information service industries in China are highly regulated by the PRC government. We are required to obtain a value-added telecommunication license in order to provide internet information services. Fangdd Network is currently holding such license for the operations of internet content services that was issued by Guangdong Communications Administration in January, 2024. The regulations related to value-added telecommunication licenses provide that a value-added telecommunication license holder must first obtain approvals from, or make filings with, competent counterparts of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, or the MIIT, in connection with subsequent updates to its shareholding structure or certain other matters relating to such value-added telecommunication license holder. We cannot assure you that Fangdd Network will be able to successfully keep its value-added telecommunication license or complete the updating and renewal of the filing records of its value-added telecommunication license with local MIIT counterparts on a timely basis.
Pursuant to the relevant regulations regarding real estate agents and brokerage businesses, a company active in the real estate brokerage business is required to make a filing with the real estate administrative authority within 30 days after the issuance of its business license. The requirements of the local real estate administrative authorities for such filings may vary in different cities and we cannot assure you that, if we are required to complete such filings, we will be able to do so in a timely manner or at all. In addition, we may be required to obtain additional licenses. For example, the provision of real estate market news on our platform may be viewed as providing internet news information services, which could require us to obtain an internet news information license. If we are required to apply for such licenses, we can provide no assurance that we will procure and maintain such additional licenses.
One of our subsidiaries is a small loan company permitted to operate an online small loan lending business. Its operations are subject to the inspections and examinations of relevant government authorities from time to time. Depending on the inspection results, these local regulatory authorities may require the online small loan companies they inspected to take rectification measures within specified periods of time, may revoke the operation approvals of non-compliant companies and may order non-compliant companies to cease business operations. We cannot assure you that we will be able to obtain all the licenses, permits or approvals required to conduct our online small loan business in China or maintain our existing licenses, permits and approvals. Any failure or significant delay to obtain or renew, or any suspension or revocation, of these licenses, permits and approvals, may have a material adverse impact on our online small loan lending businesses and results of operations.
Under applicable PRC laws, rules and regulations, the failure to obtain and/or maintain the licenses and permits required to conduct our business may subject us to various penalties, including confiscation of revenues, imposition of fines and/or restrictions on their business operations, or the discontinuation of their operations. Any such disruption in our business operations or the consolidated VIE could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Regulation - Risk 4
If the PRC government deems that our contractual arrangements with the VIE 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 be forced to relinquish our interests in those operations.Foreign ownership in the business involving value-added telecommunications service (except for e-commerce, domestic conferencing, store-and-forward, and call center services), including internet real estate services, is subject to significant restrictions under current PRC laws, rules and regulations. Our holding company is a Cayman Islands company, and one of its wholly owned subsidiaries in PRC, Shenzhen Fangdd, which we refer to as our WFOE, is considered a foreign-invested enterprise. Since our business involves provision of the value-added telecommunications service, we conduct our business in China, including our online business for new and resale properties transaction services, our rental services, and other services, primarily through Fangdd Network, and its subsidiaries. We have gained control over Fangdd Network through a series of contractual arrangements by and between our WFOE, Fangdd Network and its shareholders, and we refer to Fangdd Network as the VIE. The VIE and its subsidiaries have the licenses, approvals or fillings with relevant authorities that are essential for our business operations.
We have entered into, through our WFOE, a series of contractual arrangements with the VIE and its shareholders. These contractual arrangements enable us to (i) direct the activities that most significantly affect the economic performance of the VIE and its subsidiaries; (ii) receive substantially all of the economic benefits from the VIE and its subsidiaries in consideration for the services provided by the WFOE; and (iii) have an exclusive option to purchase all or part of the equity interest in the VIE or to all or part of the assets of the VIE, when and to the extent permitted by PRC law, or request any existing shareholder of the VIE to transfer all or part of the equity interest in the VIE to another PRC person or entity designated by us at any time in our discretion.
These agreements make us their "primary beneficiary" for accounting purposes under U.S. GAAP. For descriptions of these contractual arrangements, see "Item 4. Information on the Company-C. Organizational Structure-Contractual Agreements with the VIE and its Shareholders." We believe that our corporate structure and contractual arrangements comply with the current applicable PRC laws and regulations. Our PRC legal counsel, based on its understanding of the relevant laws and regulations, is of the opinion that each of the contracts among our WFOE, the consolidated VIE and the VIE's shareholders is valid, binding and enforceable in accordance with its terms. However, our PRC legal counsel has also advised us that there are substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of PRC laws and regulations, including the Foreign Investment Law (2019), Regulations on Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investors, or the M&A Rules and the Telecommunications Regulations and the relevant regulatory measures concerning the telecommunications industry. Accordingly, the PRC regulatory authorities may take a view that is contrary to the opinion of our PRC legal counsel. There can be no assurance that the PRC government authorities, such as the Ministry of Commerce, or the MOFCOM, the MIIT, or other authorities that regulate our business and other participants in the telecommunications industry, would agree that our corporate structure or any of the above contractual arrangements comply with PRC licensing, registration or other regulatory requirements, with existing policies or with requirements or policies that may be adopted in the future. PRC laws and regulations governing the validity of these contractual arrangements are uncertain and the relevant government authorities have broad discretion in interpreting these laws and regulations.
We believe that our corporate structure and contractual arrangements comply with the current applicable PRC laws and regulations. As of the date of this annual report, based on the opinion of our PRC legal counsel, we believe that our WFOE and the VIE are not subject to permission requirements from the CSRC, CAC, nor any other entity to approve these contractual arrangements. However, PRC laws and regulations governing the approval of these contractual arrangements are uncertain and the relevant government authorities have broad discretion in interpreting these laws and regulations. Accordingly, the PRC regulatory authorities may take a view that is contrary to the view of our PRC counsel. There can be no assurance that the PRC government authorities such as the Ministry of Commerce, or the MOFCOM, the MIIT, or other authorities that regulate our business and other participants in the telecommunications industry, would agree that our corporate structure or any of the above contractual arrangements comply with PRC licensing, registration or other regulatory requirements, with existing policies or with requirements or policies that may be adopted in the future. PRC laws and regulations governing the approval of these contractual arrangements are uncertain and the relevant government authorities have broad discretion in interpreting these laws and regulations. As of the date of this annual report, we have not received any inquiry, notice, warning, or sanctions regarding our corporate structure and contractual arrangements from the CSRC, CAC or any other PRC government authorities. If we inadvertently conclude that approvals are not required, or if these regulations change or are interpreted differently and we are required to obtain approval in the future, our shares may decline in value or become worthless if we are unable to assert our contractual control rights over the assets of the VIE and its subsidiaries that conduct all or substantially all of our operations. If the PRC government determines that these contractual arrangements do not comply with its restrictions on foreign investment in the internet business, if these regulations or the interpretation of existing regulations change or are interpreted differently in the future, or if the PRC government otherwise finds that we, the VIE, or any of its subsidiaries is in violation of PRC laws or regulations or lack the necessary permits or licenses to operate our business, the relevant PRC regulatory authorities, including but not limited to the MIIT, which regulates internet information service companies, would have broad discretion in dealing with such violations, including:
- revoking our business and operating licenses;- discontinuing or restricting our operations;- imposing fines or confiscating any of our income that they deem to have been obtained through illegal operations;- requiring us, our PRC subsidiaries and the VIE and its subsidiaries to restructure the relevant ownership structure or operations;- placing restrictions on our right to collect revenues;- restricting or prohibiting our use of the proceeds from our initial public offering to finance the business and operations of the VIE; and - taking other regulatory or enforcement actions that could be harmful to our business.
The imposition of any of these penalties could have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. If any of these penalties results in our inability to direct the activities of the VIE that most significantly impact its economic performance, and/or our failure to receive the economic benefits from the VIE, we may not be able to consolidate the financial results of the VIE and its subsidiaries in our consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP. In addition, our shares may decline in value or become worthless if we are unable to assert our contractual control rights over the assets of the VIE and its subsidiaries that conduct all or substantially all of our operations.
Regulation - Risk 5
The M&A Rules and certain other PRC regulations establish complex procedures for some acquisitions of PRC companies by foreign investors, which could make it more difficult for us to pursue growth through acquisitions in China.The M&A Rules and relevant regulations and rules concerning mergers and acquisitions established additional procedures and requirements that could make merger and acquisition activities by foreign investors more time consuming and complex. The M&A Rules require that the MOFCOM be notified in advance of any change-of-control transaction in which a foreign investor takes control of a PRC domestic enterprise, if (i) any important industry is concerned, (ii) such transaction involves factors that have or may have impact on the national economic security; or (iii) such transaction will lead to a change in control of a domestic enterprise which holds a famous trademark or PRC time-honored brand. The approval from MOFCOM shall be obtained in circumstances where overseas companies established or controlled by PRC enterprises or residents acquire affiliated domestic companies.
The Anti-Monopoly Law, or the AML, promulgated by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, which became effective in August 2008, requires that when a concentration of undertakings occurs and reaches statutory thresholds, the undertakings concerned shall file a prior notification with MOFCOM. Without the clearance from MOFCOM, no concentration of undertakings shall be implemented and effected. Mergers, acquisitions or contractual arrangements that allow one market player to take control of or to exert decisive impact on another market player must also be notified in advance to the MOFCOM when the threshold under the Provisions on Thresholds for Prior Notification of Concentrations of Undertakings, or the Prior Notification Rules, issued by the State Council in August 2008 is triggered. If such prior notification is not obtained, MOFCOM may order the concentration to cease its operations, dispose of shares or assets, transfer the business of the concentration within a time limit, take any other necessary measures to restore the situation as it was before the concentration, and may impose administrative fines.
In addition, the Implementing Rules Concerning Security Review on the Mergers and Acquisitions by Foreign Investors of Domestic Enterprises, issued by the MOFCOM in August 2011, specify that mergers and acquisitions by foreign investors involved in "an industry related to national security" are subject to strict review by the MOFCOM, and prohibit any activities attempting to bypass such security review, including by structuring the transaction through a proxy or contractual control arrangement. In the future, we may grow our business by acquiring complementary businesses. Complying with the requirements of the above-mentioned regulations and other relevant rules to complete such transactions could be time consuming, and any required approval processes, including obtaining approval from the MOFCOM or its local counterparts may delay or inhibit our ability to complete such transactions.
We cannot preclude the possibility that the MOFCOM or other government agencies may publish explanations contrary to our understanding or broaden the scope of such security reviews in the future, in which case our future acquisitions in the PRC, including those by way of entering into contractual control arrangements with target entities, may be closely scrutinized or prohibited. Our ability to expand our business or maintain or expand our market share through future acquisitions would as such be materially and adversely affected.
Regulation - Risk 6
Failure to comply with PRC regulations regarding the registration requirements for employee stock ownership plans or share option plans may subject the PRC plan participants or us to fines and other legal or administrative sanctions.Under the applicable regulations and SAFE rules, PRC citizens who participate in an employee stock ownership plan or a stock option plan in an overseas publicly listed company are required to register with SAFE and complete certain other procedures. In February 2012, SAFE promulgated the Notices on Issues concerning the Foreign Exchange Administration for Domestic Individuals Participating in Stock Incentive Plans of Overseas Publicly-Listed Companies, or the Stock Option Rules, which replaced the Application Procedures of Foreign Exchange Administration for Domestic Individuals Participating in Employee Stock Ownership Plan or Stock Option Plans of Overseas Publicly-Listed Companies issued by SAFE in March 2007. Pursuant to the Stock Option Rules, if a PRC resident participates in any stock incentive plan of an overseas publicly-listed company, a qualified PRC domestic agent must, among other things, file on behalf of such participant an application with SAFE to conduct the SAFE registration with respect to such stock incentive plan and obtain approval for an annual allowance with respect to the purchase of foreign exchange in connection with the exercise or sale of stock options or stock such participant holds. Such participating PRC residents' foreign exchange income received from the sale of stock and dividends distributed by the overseas publicly-listed company must be fully remitted into a PRC collective foreign currency account opened and managed by the PRC agent before distribution to such participants. We and our PRC resident employees who have been granted stock options or other share-based incentives of our Company are subject to the Stock Option Rules. If we or our PRC resident participants fail to comply with these regulations, we and/or our PRC resident participants may be subject to fines and legal sanctions. See "Item 4. Information on the Company-B. Business Overview-Regulation-Regulations Related to Stock Incentive Plans."
Regulation - Risk 7
The PRC legal system contains uncertainties, which could limit the legal protections available to you and us.In 1979, the PRC government began to promulgate a comprehensive system of laws and regulations governing economic matters in general. The overall effect of legislation over the past four decades has significantly enhanced the protections afforded to various forms of foreign investment in China. These PRC subsidiaries are subject to laws and regulations applicable to foreign-invested enterprises in China. In particular, they are subject to PRC laws, rules and regulations governing foreign companies' ownership and operation of Internet information services as well as of the real estate sector. Such laws and regulations are subject to change, and their interpretation and enforcement involve uncertainties, which could limit the legal protections available to us and our investors. In addition, we cannot predict the effect of future developments in the PRC legal system, including the promulgation of new laws, changes to existing laws or the interpretation or enforcement of such laws, or the preemption of local regulations by PRC laws, rules and regulations.
Moreover, China has a civil law system based on written statutes, which, unlike common law systems, is a system in which decided judicial cases have little precedential value. Furthermore, interpretation of statutes and regulations may be subject to government policies reflecting domestic political changes. The relative inexperience of China's judiciary in many cases creates additional uncertainty as to the outcome of litigation. In addition, enforcement of existing laws or contracts based on existing laws may be uncertain and sporadic, and it may be difficult to obtain swift and equitable enforcement within China. All such uncertainties could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Regulation - Risk 8
The approval of and the filing with the CSRC, CAC or other PRC governmental authorities may be required in connection with our future offshore offerings under PRC law and if required, we cannot predict whether or how soon we will be able to obtain such approval or complete such filing.On February 17, 2023, the CSRC promulgated a set of new regulations, including the Trial Administrative Measures of Overseas Securities Offerings and Listings by Domestic Companies, or the Trial Measures, and five supporting guidelines. The regulations came into effect on March 31, 2023. The Trial Measures refine the regulatory system by subjecting both direct and indirect overseas offering and listing activities to the CSRC filing-based administration. Requirements for filing entities, time points and procedures are specified. Where a PRC domestic company indirectly offers and lists securities in overseas markets, the issuer shall designate a major domestic operating entity to file with the CSRC. Companies, like us, that are already listed overseas as of March 31, 2023 are not required to make an immediate filing with the CSRC until a subsequent offering, in which case a filing should be made with the CSRC within the timeframe required by the Trial Measures. We submitted a filing to the CSRC on July 24, 2023 for our registered offering conducted on July 18, 2023 and closed on July 19, 2023. The filing is currently under the CSRC's review as of the date of this annual report. We are uncertain whether the status of the previous filing will affect our filing application for a future offering. Failure to complete the filing required by the Trial Measures may result in a warning and a fine between RMB1 million and RMB10 million as for the domestic entity. However, uncertainty remains as to the interpretation and implementation of the Trial Measures and five supporting guidelines upon promulgation.
The Regulations on Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investors, or the M&A Rules, among other things, requires offshore special purpose vehicles formed for the purpose of an overseas listing and controlled by PRC companies or individuals, to obtain the CSRC approval prior to listing their securities on an overseas stock exchange. The interpretation and application of the regulations remain unclear. Our PRC legal counsel has advised us that, based on their understanding of the current PRC laws, the CSRC approval is not required under the M&A Rules for our offshore offerings because the ownership structures of our PRC subsidiaries and VIE were not established through acquisition of equity interest or assets of any PRC domestic company by foreign entities as defined under the M&A Rules. However, we have been advised by our PRC legal counsel that there are uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of the PRC law, and there can be no assurance that the PRC government will ultimately take a view that is not contrary to the above opinion of our PRC legal counsel. If it is determined that the CSRC approval is required for our offshore offerings, we may face sanctions by the CSRC or other PRC regulatory agencies for failure to seek the CSRC approval for such offerings.
Furthermore, relevant PRC governmental authorities promulgated the Opinions on Strictly Cracking Down Illegal Securities Activities, which provided that the administration and supervision of overseas-listed China-based companies will be strengthened, and the special provisions of the State Council on overseas issuance and listing of shares by such companies will be revised, clarifying the responsibilities of domestic industry competent authorities and regulatory authorities. However, the Opinions on Strictly Cracking Down Illegal Securities Activities were only issued recently, leaving uncertainties regarding the interpretation and implementation of these opinions. It is possible that any new rules or regulations may impose additional requirements on us.
The draft Regulations for the Administration of Cyber Data Security, or the Draft Data Security Regulations, published by the CAC on November 14, 2021 for public comments until December 13, 2021 require that a data processor who processes personal information of more than 1 million individuals shall (i) go through the cyber security review if it intends to be listed in a foreign country; (ii) report to the local CAC within 15 working days once identifying any important data. Where data processors conduct merger, reorganization separation, or otherwise, the data recipient shall continue to perform its data security protection obligations, and the data processor shall report to the local competent department if personal information of more than one million people is involved. The Draft Data Security Regulations also require a data processor processing important data or being listed outside China shall carry out data security assessment annually by itself or through a third-party data security service provider and submit assessment report to local agency of the CAC. As no detailed rules or implementation of the Draft Data Security Regulations have been issued, the CAC and the PRC governmental authorities may have wide discretion in the interpretation and enforcement of these regulations. It also remains uncertain whether the future regulatory changes would impose additional restrictions on companies like us. If the enacted version of the Draft Data Security Regulations requires any clearance of cybersecurity review and other specific actions to be completed by companies like us, we face uncertainties as to whether such clearance can be timely obtained, or at all. On December 28, 2021, the CAC and 12 other regulatory authorities jointly issued the Cyber Security Review Measures. The Cyber Security Review Measures provide, among others, (i) the purchase of cyber products and services by critical information infrastructure operators that affects or may affect national security and the data processing activities engage in by network platform operators that affect or may affect national security shall be subject to the cybersecurity review by the Cybersecurity Review Office, the department which is responsible for the implementation of cybersecurity review under the CAC; and (ii) the network platform operators with personal information data of more than one million users that seek for listing in a foreign country are obliged to apply for a cybersecurity review by the Cybersecurity Review Office. However, the Cyber Security Review Measures do not provide any explanation or interpretation of "affect or may affect national security", and Chinese government may have broad discretion in interpreting and enforcing these laws and regulations. We cannot predict the impact of the Cyber Security Review Measures, if any, at this stage, and we will closely monitor and assess the statutory developments in this regard. As of the date of this annual report, we have not received any inquiry, notice, warning, or sanctions regarding offshore offering from the CAC or any other PRC governmental authorities.
If it is determined in the future that a filing with the CSRC or other procedural requirements are required to be met for and prior to an offering, it is uncertain whether we can or how long it will take us to complete such filing or procedures and any such filing could be rescinded. Any failure to obtain or delay in obtaining such filing or completing such procedures for an offering, or a rescission of any such filing, may subject us to sanctions by the relevant PRC governmental authorities. The governmental authorities may impose restrictions and penalties on our operations in China that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects, as well as the trading price of the ADSs. The PRC governmental authorities may also take actions requiring us, or making it advisable for us, to halt an offering before settlement and delivery of the ADSs offered hereby. Consequently, if you engage in market trading or other activities in anticipation of and prior to settlement and delivery, you do so at the risk that settlement and delivery may not occur. In addition, if the PRC governmental authorities later promulgate new rules or explanations requiring that we obtain their approvals for filings, registrations or other kinds of authorizations for an offering, we cannot assure you that we can obtain the approval, authorizations, or complete required procedures or other requirements in a timely manner, or at all, or obtain a waiver of the requisite requirements if and when procedures are established to obtain such a waiver.
Regulation - Risk 9
The PRC government's significant oversight over our business operation could result in a material adverse change in our operations and the value of our ADSs.We conduct our business in China primarily through our PRC subsidiaries and the VIE. Our operations in China are governed by PRC laws and regulations. The PRC government's significant oversight over our business operation could result in a material adverse change in our operations and the value of our ADSs. The Chinese government may intervene or influence our operations at any time, or may exert more control over offerings conducted overseas and/or foreign investment in China-based issuers, which could result in a material change in our operations and/or the value of our ADSs. Any actions by the Chinese government to exert more oversight and control over offerings that are conducted overseas and/or foreign investment in China-based issuers could significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors and cause the value of such securities to significantly decline or become worthless.
There are substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of PRC laws and regulations, including, but not limited to, the laws and regulations governing our and the VIE's business, or the enforcement and performance of our contractual arrangements with the VIE. These laws and regulations may be subject to change, the enforcement of laws and regulations in China could be uncertain and the rules and policies in China may change quickly with little advance notice, which could result in a material adverse change in our operations and the value of our ADSs. New laws and regulations that affect existing and proposed future businesses may also be applied retroactively. Due to the uncertainty and complexity of the regulatory environment, we cannot assure you that we and the VIE would always be in full compliance with applicable laws and regulations, the violation of which may have an adverse effect on our and the VIE's business and our reputation. Also, the PRC government has recently indicated an intent to exert more oversight over offerings that are conducted overseas and/or foreign investment in China-based issuers. Any such action could significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors. In addition, implementation of industry-wide regulations directly targeting our operations could cause our securities to significantly decline in value or become worthless. Therefore, investors of our company face potential uncertainty from actions taken by the PRC government affecting our business.
Regulation - Risk 10
Substantial uncertainties exist with respect to the interpretation and implementation of the Foreign Investment Law (2019) and how they may impact the viability of our current corporate structure, corporate governance and operations.The value-added telecommunications services that we conduct through the VIE and its subsidiaries are subject to foreign investment restrictions set forth in the Special Management Measures (Negative List) for the Access of Foreign Investment issued by MOFCOM and the National Development and Reform Commission, effective January 2022.
On March 15, 2019, the National People's Congress promulgated the Foreign Investment Law, or the Foreign Investment Law (2019), which became effective on January 1, 2020 and replaced the Sino-Foreign Equity Joint Venture Enterprise Law, the Sino-Foreign Cooperative Joint Venture Enterprise Law and the Wholly Foreign-Owned Enterprise Law to become the legal foundation for foreign investment in the PRC. The Foreign Investment Law (2019) mainly focuses on foreign investment promotion, foreign investment protection and foreign investment management. The Foreign Investment Law (2019) does not mention the concept of "actual control,", nor does it specify the regulation on controlling via contractual arrangements. However, since it is relatively new, uncertainties still exist in relation to its interpretation and implementation. For instance, under the Foreign Investment Law (2019), "foreign investment" refers to the investment activities directly or indirectly conducted by foreign individuals, enterprises or other entities in China. Though it does not explicitly classify contractual arrangements as a form of foreign investment, there is no assurance that foreign investment via contractual arrangements would not be interpreted as a type of indirect foreign investment activities in the future. In addition, the definition of foreign investment contains a catch-all provision that includes investments made by foreign investors through other means stipulated in laws, administrative regulations or provisions of the State Council. Therefore, it still leaves leeway for future laws, administrative regulations or provisions promulgated by the State Council to provide for contractual arrangements as a form of foreign investment. In any of these cases, it will be uncertain whether our contractual arrangements will be deemed to be in violation of the market access requirements for foreign investment under the PRC laws and regulations. If further actions shall be taken under future laws, administrative regulations or provisions of the State Council, we may face substantial uncertainties as to whether we can complete such actions. Failure to do so could materially and adversely affect our current corporate structure, corporate governance and operations.
Regulation - Risk 11
We qualify as a foreign private issuer and, as a result, we are not subject to U.S. proxy rules and are subject to Exchange Act reporting obligations that permit less detailed and frequent reporting than that of a U.S. domestic public company.We report under the Exchange Act as a non-U.S. company with foreign private issuer status. Because we qualify as a foreign private issuer under the Exchange Act, we are exempt from certain provisions of the Exchange Act that are applicable to U.S. domestic public companies, including (i) the sections of the Exchange Act regulating the solicitation of proxies, consents or authorizations in respect of a security registered under the Exchange Act; (ii) 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; and (iii) the rules under the Exchange Act requiring the filing with the SEC of quarterly reports on Form 10-Q containing unaudited financial and other specified information, or current reports on Form 8-K upon the occurrence of specified significant events. In addition, foreign private issuers are not required to file their annual report on Form 20-F until 120 days after the end of each fiscal year, while U.S. domestic issuers that are accelerated filers are required to file their annual report on Form 10-K within 75 days after the end of each fiscal year. Foreign private issuers are also exempt from Regulation FD, aimed at preventing issuers from making selective disclosures of material information. As a result of the above, you may not have the same protections afforded to shareholders of companies that are not foreign private issuers.
If we lose our status as a foreign private issuer, we would be required to comply with the Exchange Act reporting and other requirements applicable to U.S. domestic issuers, which are more detailed and extensive than the requirements for foreign private issuers. We may also be required to make changes in our corporate governance practices in accordance with various SEC and Nasdaq rules. The regulatory and compliance costs to us under U.S. securities laws if we are required to comply with the reporting requirements applicable to a U.S. domestic issuer may be significantly higher than the cost we would incur as a foreign private issuer. As a result, we expect that a loss of foreign private issuer status would increase our legal and financial compliance costs and would make some activities highly time-consuming and costly. These rules and regulations could also make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified members of our board of directors.
Regulation - Risk 12
PRC regulation of loans and direct investment by offshore holding companies to PRC entities may delay or prevent us from making loans or additional capital contributions to our PRC operating subsidiaries.As an offshore holding company of our PRC operating subsidiaries, we may make loans to our PRC subsidiaries, the VIE and the VIE's subsidiaries, or may make additional capital contributions to our PRC subsidiaries, subject to satisfaction of applicable governmental registration and approval requirements.
Any loans we extend to our PRC subsidiaries, which are treated as foreign-invested enterprises under PRC law, cannot exceed the statutory limit and must be registered with the local counterpart of the SAFE.
We may also decide to finance our PRC subsidiaries by means of capital contributions. According to the relevant PRC regulations on foreign-invested enterprises in China, these capital contributions are subject to registration with or approval by the MOFCOM or its local counterparts. In addition, the PRC government also restricts the convertibility of foreign currencies into Renminbi and use of the proceeds. On March 30, 2015, SAFE promulgated Circular 19, which took effect and replaced certain previous SAFE regulations from June 1, 2015. SAFE further promulgated Circular 16, effective on June 9, 2016, which, among other things, amend certain provisions of Circular 19. According to SAFE Circular 19 and SAFE Circular 16, the flow and use of the Renminbi capital converted from foreign currency denominated registered capital of a foreign-invested company is regulated such that Renminbi capital may not be used for business beyond its business scope or to provide loans to persons other than affiliates unless otherwise permitted under its business scope. On October 23, 2019, SAFE issued the Circular to Further Promote Cross-border Trade and Investment to further ease cross-border trade and investment, according to which foreign non-investment enterprises are allowed to carry out domestic equity investment provided that such investment will not violate applicable special administrative measures (negative list) for foreign investment access and the investment projects shall be authentic and legitimate. Violations of the applicable circulars and rules may result in severe penalties, including substantial fines as set forth in the Foreign Exchange Administration Regulations. If the VIE requires financial support from us or our wholly owned subsidiaries in the future and we find it necessary to use foreign currency-denominated capital to provide such financial support, our ability to fund the VIE's operations will be subject to statutory limits and restrictions, including those described above. These circulars may limit our ability to transfer the net proceeds from our initial public offering to the VIE and our PRC subsidiaries, and we may not be able to convert the net proceeds from our initial public offering into Renminbi to invest in or acquire any other PRC companies in China. Despite the restrictions under these SAFE circulars, our PRC subsidiaries may use their income in Renminbi generated from their operations to finance the VIE through entrustment loans to the VIE or loans to the VIE's shareholders for the purpose of making capital contributions to the VIE. In addition, our PRC subsidiaries can use Renminbi funds converted from foreign currency registered capital to carry out any activities within their normal course of business and business scope, including to purchase or lease servers and other relevant equipment and fund other operational needs in connection with their provision of services to the relevant VIE under the applicable exclusive technical support agreements.
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, if at all, with respect to future loans to our PRC subsidiaries or the VIE or future capital contributions by us to our PRC subsidiaries. If we fail to complete such registrations or obtain such approvals, our ability to use the proceeds we expect to receive from our initial public offering and to 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 13
PRC regulations related to offshore investment activities by PRC residents and enterprises may increase our administrative burden and restrict our overseas and cross-border investment activity. If our PRC resident and enterprise shareholders fail to make any required applications and filings under such regulations, we may be unable to distribute profits to such shareholders and may become subject to liability 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, which replaces the previous SAFE Circular 75. SAFE Circular 37 requires PRC residents, including PRC individuals and PRC corporate entities, to register with SAFE or its local branches in connection with their direct or indirect offshore investment activities. SAFE Circular 37 is applicable to our shareholders who are PRC residents and may be applicable to any offshore acquisitions that we may make in the future.
Under SAFE Circular 37, PRC residents who make, or have prior to the implementation of SAFE Circular 37 made, direct or indirect investments in offshore special purpose vehicles are required to register such investments with SAFE or its local branches. In addition, any PRC resident who is a direct or indirect shareholder of an SPV, is required to update its registration with the local branch of SAFE with respect to that SPV, to reflect any material change. Moreover, any subsidiary of such SPV in China is required to urge the PRC resident shareholders to update their registration with the local branch of SAFE to reflect any material change. If any PRC resident shareholder of such SPV fails to make the required registration or to update the registration, the subsidiary of such SPV in China may be prohibited from distributing its profits or the proceeds from any capital reduction, share transfer or liquidation to the SPV, and the SPV may also be prohibited from making additional capital contributions into its subsidiaries in China. In February 2015, SAFE promulgated a Notice on Further Simplifying and Improving Foreign Exchange Administration Policy on Direct Investment, or SAFE Notice 13. Under SAFE Notice 13, applications for foreign exchange registration of inbound foreign direct investments and outbound direct investments, including those required under SAFE Circular 37, must be filed with qualified banks instead of SAFE. Qualified banks should examine the applications and accept registrations under the supervision of SAFE.
We may not be aware of the identities of all of our beneficial owners who are PRC residents+. We do not have control over our beneficial owners and there can be no assurance that all of our PRC resident beneficial owners will comply with SAFE Circular 37 and subsequent implementation rules, and there is no assurance that any required registration under SAFE Circular 37 and any amendment will be completed in a timely manner, or at all. The failure of our beneficial owners who are PRC residents to register or amend their foreign exchange registrations in a timely manner pursuant to SAFE Circular 37 and subsequent implementation rules, or the failure of future beneficial owners of our Company who are PRC residents to comply with the registration procedures set forth in SAFE Circular 37 and subsequent implementation rules, may subject such beneficial owners or our PRC subsidiaries to fines and legal sanctions. Failure to register or comply with relevant requirements may also limit our ability to contribute additional capital to our PRC subsidiaries and limit our PRC subsidiaries' ability to distribute dividends to us. These risks may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Furthermore, as these foreign exchange and outbound investment related regulations are relatively new and their interpretation and implementation has been constantly evolving, it is unclear how these regulations, and any future regulation concerning offshore or cross-border investments and transactions, will be interpreted, amended and implemented by the relevant government authorities. For example, we may be subject to a more stringent review and approval process with respect to our foreign exchange activities, such as remittance of dividends and foreign-currency-denominated borrowings, which may adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. We cannot assure you that we have complied or will be able to comply with all applicable foreign exchange and outbound investment related regulations. In addition, if we decide to acquire a PRC domestic company, we cannot assure you that we or the owners of such company, as the case may be, will be able to obtain the necessary approvals or complete the necessary filings and registrations required by the foreign exchange regulations. This may restrict our ability to implement our acquisition strategy and could adversely affect our business and prospects.
Regulation - Risk 14
It may be difficult for overseas regulators to conduct investigations or collect evidence within China.Shareholder claims or regulatory investigation 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, or Article 177, which became effective in March 2020, no overseas securities regulator is allowed to directly conduct investigation or evidence collection activities within the territory of the PRC. While detailed interpretations of or implementation rules under Article 177 are yet to be promulgated, the inability for an overseas securities regulator to directly conduct investigation or evidence collection activities within China may further increase difficulties you may face in protecting your interests.
Regulation - Risk 15
Our ADSs may be prohibited from trading in the United States under the HFCA Act in the future if the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely auditors located in China. The delisting of our ADSs, or the threat of their being delisted, may materially and adversely affect the value of your investment.Pursuant to the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, or the HFCA Act, if the SEC determines that a company retains a foreign accounting firm that cannot be subject to inspections by the PCAOB for two consecutive years, the SEC will prohibit its securities from being traded on a national securities exchange or in the over-the-counter trading market in the United States. On December 16, 2021, the PCAOB issued a report relaying to the SEC its determinations that the board was unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms in Mainland China and Hong Kong. In March 2022, the SEC issued its first "Conclusive list of issuers identified under the HFCA Act" indicating that those companies were formally subject to the delisting provisions. In May 2022, we were conclusively identified by the SEC under the HFCA Act due to the fact that our previous auditor was located in Mainland China and could not be inspected by the PCAOB.
On August 26, 2022, the PCAOB signed with the CSRC and the Ministry of Finance of the PRC a Statement of Protocol, which gives the PCAOB sole discretion to select the firms, audit engagements and potential violations it inspects and investigates and put in place procedures for PCAOB inspectors and investigators to view complete audit work papers with all information included and for the PCAOB to retain information as needed. 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 was unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms. Each year, the PCAOB will determine whether it can inspect and investigate completely audit firms in Mainland China and Hong Kong, among other jurisdictions.
Our company's current auditor, as the independent registered public accounting firm that issues the audit report included elsewhere in this annual report, can be inspected under the PCAOB requirements. 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, it may create uncertainty about the ability of our current auditor to fully cooperate with the PCAOB's request for audit work papers. Such lack of inspection could cause trading in our securities to be prohibited under the HFCA Act and ultimately result in a determination by a securities exchange to delist our securities. If our shares and ADSs are prohibited from trading in the United States, there is no certainty that we will be able to list on a non-U.S. exchange or that a market for our shares will develop outside of the United States. Such a prohibition would substantially impair your ability to sell or purchase our ADSs when you wish to do so, and the risk and uncertainty associated with delisting would cause our ADSs to significantly decline in value or become worthless. Also, such a prohibition 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.
Litigation & Legal Liabilities5 | 5.7%
Litigation & Legal Liabilities - Risk 1
The PCAOB had historically been unable to inspect our former auditor in relation to their audit work.Litigation & Legal Liabilities - Risk 2
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. We conduct substantially all of our operations in China and a substantial portion of our assets are located in China. In addition, many of our senior executive officers and directors reside within China for a significant portion of the time and some of them are PRC nationals. As a result, it may be difficult for you to effect service of process upon us or those persons inside China. It may also be difficult for you to enforce in U.S. courts 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, the courts of the Cayman Islands or the PRC are unlikely to (i) recognize or enforce judgments of U.S. courts against us or our directors or officers that are predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the United States or any state in the United States, or (ii) entertain original actions brought in the Cayman Islands or the PRC to impose liabilities against us or our directors or officers that are predicated upon the federal securities laws of the United States or the securities laws of any state in the United States so far as the liabilities imposed by those provisions are penal in nature.
The recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments are provided for under the PRC Civil Procedures Law. PRC courts may recognize and enforce foreign judgments in accordance with the requirements of the PRC Civil Procedures Law and other applicable laws, regulations and interpretations 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 PRC 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 the 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 3
You may experience difficulties in effecting service of legal process, enforcing foreign judgments or bringing original actions based on United States or other foreign laws against us or our management.We are an exempted company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands. Our corporate affairs are governed by our memorandum and articles of association, the Companies Act of the Cayman Islands (As Revised) 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 responsibilities of our directors 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 responsibilities of our directors 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. In addition, Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to initiate a shareholder derivative action in a federal court of the United States.
Litigation & Legal Liabilities - Risk 4
We have been and may continue to be subject to legal and administrative proceedings from time to time. If the outcomes of these proceedings are adverse to us, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.We have been, and may from time to time in the future, be subject to various legal and administrative proceedings arising in the ordinary course of our business. As we routinely enter into business contracts with real estate developers, sellers, agencies and agents, housing buyers, and other marketplace participants, we have been and may continue to be involved in legal proceedings arising from contract disputes. In response to the heightened credit risks of real estate developers amid the downturn status of China's real estate market in recent years, we have initiated an increased number of lawsuits against real estate developers to protect our accounts receivable. In the meantime, as commissions are payable to real estate agencies by us after we have collected payments from real estate developers, we have also seen an increased number of lawsuits initiated by real estate agencies against us. We believe these lawsuits are immaterial to our company on an individual basis or a collective basis. However, regardless of the outcome, litigations or other legal or administrative proceedings may result in substantial costs and diversion of management resources and attention.
In addition, we may also receive formal and informal inquiries from government authorities and regulators regarding our compliance with laws and regulations, many of which are evolving and subject to interpretation. Claims arising out of actual or alleged violations of law could be asserted against us by developers and real estate sellers, agents, real estate buyers, competitors, or governmental entities in civil or criminal investigations and proceedings or by other entities. These claims could be asserted under a variety of laws in different jurisdictions, including but not limited to internet information services laws, intellectual property laws, unfair competition laws, data protection and privacy laws, labor and employment laws, securities laws, real estate laws, tort laws, contract laws, property laws and employee benefit laws.
There is no guarantee that we will be successful in defending ourselves in legal and administrative actions or in asserting our rights under various laws. Even if we are successful in our attempt to defend ourselves in legal and administrative actions or to assert our rights under various laws, enforcing our rights against the various parties involved may be expensive, time-consuming and ultimately futile. These actions could expose us to negative publicity and to substantial monetary damages and legal defense costs, injunctive relief and criminal and civil fines and penalties, including but not limited to suspension or revocation of licenses to conduct business.
Litigation & Legal Liabilities - Risk 5
We are exposed to potential liabilities for information in our marketplace and for services sold over the internet and we may incur significant costs and suffer from reputational damage as a result of defending against such potential liabilities.We source content from third party sources and list them in our marketplace, including the information collected and processed from other third parties' websites, on our websites such as real estate listings. In certain circumstances, we do not have the authorization from owners of listed properties in our marketplace. According to relevant PRC laws and regulations, a real estate agency shall not publish information on properties without the prior written authorization of the owner. We may be exposed to liability with respect to such third-party information or the products and services sold through our website or mobile applications. Among other things, we may face allegations that, by directly or indirectly providing such third-party content, we should be liable for defamation, negligence, copyrights, trademark infringement, unfair competition or other actions by parties providing such content. We may be subject to fines or legal sanctions according to the Anti-Unfair Competition Law or other PRC laws. We may also face allegations that content on our websites, including statistics or other data we compile internally, contains false information, errors or omissions, and real estate buyers and other marketplace users could seek damages for losses incurred as a result of their reliance upon or otherwise relating to incorrect information. We may also be subject to fines and other sanctions by the PRC government for publication of information without prior written authorization or incorrect information. In addition, our websites could be used as a marketplace for fraudulent transactions. We have adopted a rigorous listing verification process that includes owner verification and cross-agent verification to ensure the listings posted in our marketplace are authentic. However, we cannot assure you that the measures we take to guard against liability for third-party content or information will be adequate to protect us from relevant civil and other liabilities. Any such claims, with or without merit, could be time-consuming to defend and result in litigation and significant diversion of management's attention and resources. Even if these claims do not result in liability to us, we could incur significant costs in investigating and defending against these claims and suffer damage to our reputation. We currently do not maintain insurance policies covering potential claims to which we are exposed to.
Taxation & Government Incentives3 | 3.4%
Taxation & Government Incentives - Risk 1
Our results of operations are susceptible to fluctuations due to changes of, significant reduction in or discontinuation of government grants.Taxation & Government Incentives - Risk 2
If we are classified as a "resident enterprise" of China under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law, we and our non-PRC shareholders could be subject to unfavorable tax consequences, and our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.Under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law and its implementation rules, an enterprise established outside the PRC with "de facto management body" within the PRC is considered a "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 and overall management over the business, productions, personnel, accounts and properties of an enterprise. In 2009, SAT issued a circular, known as SAT 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 this circular only applies to offshore enterprises controlled by PRC enterprises or PRC enterprise groups, not those controlled by PRC individuals or foreigners, the criteria set forth in the circular may reflect the SAT's general position on how the "de facto management body" text should be applied in determining the tax resident status of all offshore enterprises. According to SAT 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 board members with voting rights or senior executives habitually reside in the PRC.
We believe that our Cayman Islands holding company, Fangdd Cayman, is not 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 our Cayman Islands holding company is a PRC resident enterprise for enterprise income tax purposes, we may be required to withhold a 10% tax from dividends we pay to our shareholders that are non-resident enterprises, including the holders of the ADSs. In addition, non-resident enterprise shareholders, including our ADS holders, may be subject to PRC tax at a rate of 10% on gains realized on the sale or other disposition of ADSs or ordinary shares, if such income is treated as sourced from within the PRC. Furthermore, if we are deemed a PRC resident enterprise, dividends paid to our non-PRC individual shareholders, including our ADS holders, and any gain realized on the transfer of ADSs or ordinary shares by such shareholders may be subject to PRC tax at a rate of 20% which in the case of dividends may be withheld at source. Any PRC tax liability may be reduced by an applicable tax treaty. However, 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 or ordinary shares.
In addition to the uncertainty as to the application of the "resident enterprise" classification, we cannot assure you that the PRC government will not amend or revise the taxation laws, rules and regulations to impose stricter tax requirements or higher tax rates. Any of such changes could materially and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.
Taxation & Government Incentives - Risk 3
Our contractual arrangements with the VIE may be subject to scrutiny by the PRC tax authorities and they may determine that we or the VIE owe additional taxes, which could negatively affect our financial condition and the value of your investment.Pursuant to applicable PRC laws and regulations, arrangements and transactions among related parties may be subject to audit or challenge by the PRC tax authorities within ten years after the taxable year when the transactions are conducted. Under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law effective as of January 1, 2008, every enterprise in China must submit its annual enterprise income tax return together with a report on transactions with its related parties to the relevant tax authorities. The PRC tax authorities may impose reasonable adjustments on taxation if they have identified any related party transactions that are inconsistent with arm's length principles and we may face material and adverse tax consequences. If the PRC tax authorities determine that the contractual arrangements between our WFOE, the VIE and its shareholders were not entered into on an arm's-length basis in such a way resulting in an impermissible reduction in taxes, they may adjust the VIE' income in the form of a transfer pricing adjustment. A transfer pricing adjustment could, among other things, reduce expense deductions recorded by the VIE for PRC tax purposes, which could, in turn, increase its tax liabilities without reducing the WFOE' tax expenses. In addition, if the WFOE requests the VIE's shareholders to transfer their equity interest in VIE at nominal or no value, or the WFOE requests the VIE to transfer its assets at nominal or no value pursuant to the contractual agreements, such transfer could be viewed as a gift and subject the WFOE to PRC income tax. Furthermore, the PRC tax authorities may impose late payment fees and other penalties on the VIE for the adjusted but unpaid taxes according to the applicable regulations. Our financial position and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected if the VIE' tax liabilities increase or if they are required to pay late payment fees and other penalties.
Environmental / Social2 | 2.3%
Environmental / Social - Risk 1
Regulation and censorship of information disseminated over the internet in China may adversely affect our business, and we may be liable for information displayed on, retrieved from or linked to our websites and mobile applications.Environmental / Social - Risk 2
Actual or alleged failure to comply with data privacy and protection laws and regulations could have a serious adverse effect on our reputation, and discourage current and potential clients from doing business with us.Concerns about our practice of accessing, storing, processing and using the data from platform users, as well as collecting and processing the personal information published on other third parties' websites, even if unfounded, could damage our reputation, business and results of operations. The data or information we collect primarily consists of personal mobile numbers and information on the housing unit for-sale or for-rent. We are subject to various data privacy and protection laws and regulations in China, including, without limitation, the PRC Cyber Security Law. To protect personal information, these laws and regulations regulate data collection, storage, use, processing, disclosure and transfer of personal information. Pursuant to these laws and regulations, an internet service provider is required to obtain a user's consent to collect the user's personal information, and is prohibited from gathering personal information that is unrelated to the services it provides, and the internet information service provider must also inform the user of the purposes, the means and the scope of the information collection and uses. The Civil Code of the PRC stipulates that: (i) natural persons' personal information shall be protected by law; (ii) any organizations and individuals who need to obtain personal information of others shall obtain such information in accordance with the law and shall ensure the confidentiality of such information; and (iii) organizations and individuals are not allowed to illegally collect, use, process or transfer the personal information of others. It is illegal to buy and sell, supply or publish the personal information of others. The PRC Cyber Security Law also prohibits individuals or entities from obtaining personal information through theft or other illegal ways or selling or otherwise illegally disclosing personal information. The PRC Criminal Law prohibits entities and their employees from selling or otherwise illegally disclosing a citizen's personal information or obtaining personal information through theft or other illegal ways in serious circumstances. See "Item 4. Information on the Company-B. Business Overview-Regulation-Regulation on Information Security and Privacy Protection."
The PRC Data Security Law, which was promulgated by the Standing Committee of PRC National People's Congress, or the SCNPC, on June 10, 2021 and became effective on September 1, 2021, outlines the main system framework of data security protection. On August 20, 2021, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China promulgated the Personal Information Protection Law, which integrates the scattered rules with respect to personal information rights and privacy protection and took effect in November 2021. The draft Regulations for the Administration of Cyber Data Security, or the Draft Data Security Regulations, published by the CAC on November 14, 2021 for public comments until December 13, 2021 require that a data processor who processes personal information of more than 1 million individuals shall (i) go through the cyber security review if it intends to be listed in a foreign country; (ii) report to the local CAC within 15 working days once identifying any important data. Where data processors conduct merger, reorganization separation, or otherwise, the data recipient shall continue to perform its data security protection obligations, and the data processor shall report to the local competent department if personal information of more than one million people is involved. The Draft Data Security Regulations also require a data processor processing important data or being listed outside China shall carry out data security assessment annually by itself or through a third-party data security service provider and submit assessment report to local agency of the CAC. On December 28, 2021, the CAC and 12 other PRC regulatory authorities jointly issued the Cyber Security Review Measures. The Cyber Security Review Measures provide, among others, (i) the purchase of cyber products and services by critical information infrastructure operators that affects or may affect national security and the data processing activities engaged in by network platform operators that affect or may affect national security shall be subject to the cybersecurity review by the Cybersecurity Review Office, the department which is responsible for the implementation of cybersecurity review under the CAC; and (ii) the network platform operators with personal information data of more than one million users that seek for listing in a foreign country are obliged to apply for a cybersecurity review by the Cybersecurity Review Office. However, the Cyber Security Review Measures do not provide any explanation or interpretation of "affect or may affect national security", and the Chinese government may have broad discretion in interpreting and enforcing these laws and regulations. We cannot predict the impact of the Cyber Security Review Measures, if any, at this stage, and we will closely monitor and assess the statutory developments in this regard. Nonetheless, given that the aforementioned draft measures or draft regulations were released for public comment only or the laws and regulations were recently promulgated or issued, their interpretation, application and enforcement are subject to substantial uncertainties and the CAC or other PRC governmental authorities may have wide discretion in the interpretation and enforcement of these laws and regulations. It also remains uncertain whether the future regulatory changes would impose additional restrictions on companies like us. We may be required to make further adjustments to our business practices to comply with the data privacy and protection laws and regulations. If the enacted version of the Draft Data Security Regulations requires any clearance of cybersecurity review and other specific actions to be completed by companies like us, we face uncertainties as to whether such clearance can be timely obtained, or at all. If we are not able to comply with the data privacy and protection requirements in a timely manner, or at all, we may be subject to government enforcement actions and investigations, fines, penalties, or suspension of our non-compliant operations, among other sanctions, which could materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations. As of the date of this annual report, we have not been involved in any investigations on cybersecurity review made by the Cyberspace Administration of China on such basis, and we have not received any inquiry, notice, warning, or sanctions in such respect.
Our mobile apps and websites only collect basic user personal information that is necessary to provide the corresponding services. We do not collect any sensitive personal information or other excessive personal information that is not related to the corresponding services. We update our privacy policies from time to time to meet the latest regulatory requirements of Cyberspace Administration of China and other authorities and adopt technical measures to protect data and ensure cybersecurity in a systematic way. While we have taken these measures to comply with all applicable data privacy and protection laws and regulations in China, we cannot guarantee their effectiveness. The activities of third parties such as business partners are beyond our control. If our business partners violate the PRC Cyber Security Law and related laws and regulations related to the protection of personal information, or fail to fully comply with the service agreements with us, or if any of our employees fail to comply with our internal control measures and misuse the information, we may be subject to penalties. For further information, see "Item 4. Information on the Company-B. Business Overview-Regulation-Regulation on Information Security and Privacy Protection." Any failure or perceived failure to comply with all applicable data privacy and protection laws and regulations, or any failure or perceived failure of our business partners to do so, or any failure or perceived failure of our employees to comply with our internal control measures, may result in negative publicity and legal proceedings or regulatory actions against us, and could damage our reputation, discourage current and potential agents, real estate sellers and real estate buyers from using our services and subject us to fines and damages, which could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
Furthermore, the interpretation and application of data privacy and protection laws and regulations and standards are still uncertain and evolving. We cannot assure you that relevant governmental authorities will not interpret or implement the laws or regulations in ways that negatively affect us. In addition, it is possible that we may become subject to additional or new laws and regulations regarding the protection of personal information or privacy-related matters in connection with the data we have access to. Complying with additional or new regulatory requirements could force us to incur substantial costs or require us to change our business practices. In addition to the regulatory requirements, user attitudes towards data privacy are also evolving, and user concerns about the extent to which personal information is accessible to, used by or shared with agents or other platform users may adversely affect our ability to gain access to data. Any occurrence of the abovementioned circumstances may negatively affect our business and results of operations.
Tech & Innovation
Total Risks: 9/88 (10%)Above Sector Average
Innovation / R&D1 | 1.1%
Innovation / R&D - Risk 1
Our initiatives to develop new products and services, introduce new technologies and improve existing products and services may not succeed, which may limit our future growth.Trade Secrets3 | 3.4%
Trade Secrets - Risk 1
Any failure to protect our trademarks and other intellectual property rights could have a negative impact on our business.Trade Secrets - Risk 2
We may be subject to intellectual property infringement or misappropriation claims by third parties, which may force us to incur substantial legal expenses and, if determined adversely against us, could materially disrupt our business.We cannot be certain that our services and information provided on our website do not or will not infringe patents, copyrights or other intellectual property rights held by third parties. From time to time, we may be subject to legal proceedings and claims alleging infringement of patents, trademarks or copyrights, or misappropriation of creative ideas or formats, or other infringement of proprietary intellectual property rights.
The validity, enforceability and scope of intellectual property rights protection in internet-related industries, particularly in China, are uncertain and still evolving. For example, as we face increasing competition and as litigation is more frequently used to resolve disputes in China, we face a higher risk of being the subject of intellectual property infringement claims. Pursuant to relevant laws and regulations, internet service providers may be held liable for damages if such providers have reason to know that the works uploaded or linked infringe the copyrights of others. Any such proceeding could result in significant costs to us and divert our management's time and attention from the operation of our business, as well as potentially adversely impact our reputation, even if we are ultimately absolved of all liability.
Trade Secrets - Risk 3
You may not be able to participate in rights offerings and may experience dilution of your holdings.We may, from time to time, distribute rights to our shareholders, including rights to acquire securities. 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, but is not required to, attempt to sell these undistributed rights to third parties, and 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 these 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 Security2 | 2.3%
Cyber Security - Risk 1
Any significant cybersecurity incident or disruption of our information technology systems or those of third-party partners could materially damage our user relationships and subject us to significant reputational, financial, legal and operational consequences.Cyber Security - Risk 2
Historically there have been occurrences of unexpected network interruptions and security breaches, including "hacking" or computer virus attacks. Such disruptions in the future would cause delays or interruptions of service, damage our reputation and result in a loss of users of our products, which could harm our business, operating results, and financial condition.Our business depends heavily on the performance and reliability of China's internet infrastructure, the continued accessibility of bandwidth and servers on our service providers' networks and the continuing performance, reliability and availability of our technology platform. We have in the past and are likely again in the future to be subject to unexpected interruptions and security breaches, although to date no such attack has resulted in any material damages or remediation costs. Any failure to maintain the satisfactory performance, reliability, security and availability of our computer and hardware systems may cause significant harm to our reputation and our ability to attract and maintain platform users and visitor traffic. Major risks related to our network infrastructure include:
- any breakdown or system failure resulting in a sustained shutdown of our servers, including failures which may be attributable to sustained power shutdowns, or efforts to gain unauthorized access to our systems causing loss or corruption of data or malfunctions of software or hardware;- any disruption or failure in the national network infrastructure, which would prevent our platform users from accessing our website;- any damage from fire, flood, earthquake and other natural disasters; and - computer viruses, hackings and similar events.
Computer viruses and hacking attacks may cause delays or other service interruptions and could result in significant damage to our hardware, software systems and databases, disruptions to our business activities, such as to our e-mail and other communication systems, breaches of security and inadvertent disclosure of confidential or sensitive information, inadvertent transmissions of computer viruses and interruptions of access to our website through the use of denial-of-service or similar attacks. In addition, the inadvertent transmission of computer viruses could expose us to a material risk of loss or litigation and possible liability. Any hacking, security breach or other system disruption or failure which occurs in between our backup procedures could disrupt our business or cause us to lose, and be unable to recover, data such as real estate listings, contact information and other important transaction-related information.
We also do not maintain insurance policies covering losses relating to our systems and do not have business interruption insurance.
Technology3 | 3.4%
Technology - Risk 1
The successful operation of our business depends upon the performance and reliability of the internet infrastructure and telecommunications networks in China.Technology - Risk 2
We use internet search engines, WeChat, and other social media to direct traffic to our website and application. If we fail to successfully implement these initiatives, our traffic would decline and our business would be adversely affected.We use internet search engines, WeChat, and other social media to direct traffic to our website and application. For example, when a user types a physical address into a search engine, we rely on a high organic search ranking of our webpages in these search results to refer the user to our website. However, our ability to maintain high organic search result rankings through internet search engines is not within our control. Our competitors' search engine optimization, or SEO, efforts may result in their websites receiving a higher search result ranking than ours, or internet search engines could revise their methodologies in a way that would adversely affect our search result rankings. If internet search engines modify their search algorithms in ways that are detrimental to us, or if our competitors' SEO efforts are more successful than ours, overall growth in our user base could slow. Search engine providers could provide listings and other real estate information directly in search results or choose to align with our competitors. Our website has experienced fluctuations in search result rankings in the past, and we anticipate similar fluctuations in the future.
In addition, we integrate our platform with WeChat and other social media applications to help drive traffic to our website and mobile applications, and promote our brand and products. WeChat and other social media may make changes to their policies, which could hinder or impede audiences from being directed to our platform. Any reduction in the number of visitors directed to our website and apps through WeChat and other social media could also harm our business and operating results.
Technology - Risk 3
Our services and solutions and internal systems rely on software that is highly technical, and if it contains undetected errors or we fail to properly maintain or promptly upgrade our technology, our results of operations and financial condition may be materially and adversely affected.Our platform and internal systems rely on software that is highly technical and complex. In addition, our platform and internal systems depend on the ability of such software to store, retrieve, process and manage immense amounts of data. The software on which we rely has contained, and may now or in the future contain, undetected errors or bugs. Errors or other design defects within the software on which we rely may result in a negative experience for our platform users, delay introductions of new features or enhancements, result in errors or compromise our ability to protect user data or our intellectual property. Any errors, bugs or defects discovered in the software on which we rely could result in harm to our reputation, loss of platform users or investors or liability for damages, any of which could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Macro & Political
Total Risks: 7/88 (8%)Above Sector Average
Economy & Political Environment3 | 3.4%
Economy & Political Environment - Risk 1
A severe or prolonged downturn in the Chinese or global economy could materially and adversely affect our business and financial condition.Economy & Political Environment - Risk 2
The Chinese economy differs from the economies of most developed countries in many respects, including a higher level of government involvement, the ongoing development of a market-oriented economy, a higher level of control over foreign exchange, and a less efficient allocation of resources.While the PRC economy has experienced significant growth since the late 1970s, growth has been uneven, both geographically and among various sectors of the economy. The PRC government has implemented various measures to encourage economic growth and guide the allocation of resources. These measures are intended to benefit the overall PRC economy, but may also have a negative effect on us. For example, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected by PRC government control over capital investments or changes in tax regulations that are applicable to us.
The PRC economy has been transitioning from a centrally-planned economy to a more market-oriented economy. Although the PRC government has implemented measures since the late 1970s which emphasize the utilization of market forces for economic reform, the PRC government continues to play a significant role in regulating industry development by imposing industrial policies. The PRC government also exercises significant control over China's economic growth through the allocation of resources, controlling payment of foreign currency-denominated obligations, setting monetary policy and providing preferential treatment to particular industries or companies.
Economy & Political Environment - Risk 3
Changes in PRC government policies or political or social conditions could have a material adverse effect on the overall economic growth in China, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.Our business and operations are primarily conducted in China. Accordingly, our financial condition and results of operations have been, and are expected to continue to be, affected by the economic, political and social developments in relation to the internet, online marketing and real estate industries in China. A slowdown of economic growth in China could reduce sales of real estate and related products and services, which in turn could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, the increased global focus on social, ethical and environmental issues may lead to China's adoption of more stringent standards in these areas, which may adversely impact the operations of China-based companies including us. See "-Risks Related to Our Business and Industry-Our business is susceptible to fluctuations in China's real estate market, its overall economic growth and government measures aimed at China's real estate industry." for more information.
Natural and Human Disruptions2 | 2.3%
Natural and Human Disruptions - Risk 1
In addition to COVID-19, we face risks related to other health epidemics and natural disasters, which could significantly disrupt our operations and adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operation.Natural and Human Disruptions - Risk 2
The COVID-19 coronavirus has had and may continue to have adverse impact on our business, financial condition and prospects.Since December 2019, a novel strain of coronavirus, COVID-19, has led to a global pandemic. The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic caused the Chinese government to take unprecedented measures to contain the virus, such as lock-down of cities, nationwide travel restrictions and compulsory quarantine requirements. In late 2022, China began easing its COVID-19 policies by lifting the travel restrictions and quarantine requirements. Future lockdowns or other restrictive measures previously imposed if ever reinitiate could have a material impact on our operations and financial condition. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic as well as other factors such as the continued downturn status of China's real estate market, we observed a significant drop in real estate transactions completed in our marketplace, and suffered a fall in our financial results. There remains uncertainty as to the residual impact of the virus and the potential effect on our financial results. The real estate industry is affected by all of the factors that affect the economy in general. To the extent the COVID-19 pandemic adversely affects our business and financial results, it may also have the effect of heightening many of the other risks described in this "Risk Factors" section, such as those relating to our high level of indebtedness, our need to generate sufficient cash flows to service our indebtedness.
Capital Markets2 | 2.3%
Capital Markets - Risk 1
Fluctuation in exchange rates could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and the value of your investment.Capital Markets - Risk 2
Governmental control of currency conversion may affect the value of your investment.Currently, the Renminbi cannot be freely converted into any foreign currency. The PRC government imposes controls on the convertibility of RMB into foreign currencies and, in certain cases, the remittance of currency out of China. We receive substantially all of our revenues in RMB. Under our current structure, our income will be primarily derived from dividend payments from our PRC subsidiaries. Shortages in the availability of foreign currency may restrict the ability of our PRC subsidiaries and our affiliated entity to remit sufficient foreign currency to pay dividends or other payments to us, or otherwise satisfy their foreign currency dominated obligations. Under existing PRC foreign exchange regulations, payments of current account items, including profit distributions, interest payments and expenditures from trade-related transactions, can be made in foreign currencies without prior approval from the PRC State Administration of Foreign Exchange, or SAFE, by complying with certain procedural requirements. However, for most capital account items, approval from or registration with appropriate government authorities 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 bank loans denominated in foreign currencies. The PRC government may also at its discretion restrict access in the future to foreign currencies for current account transactions. If the foreign exchange control system prevents us from obtaining sufficient foreign currency to satisfy our currency demands, we may not be able to pay dividends in foreign currencies to our shareholders, including holders of the ADSs.
Production
Total Risks: 6/88 (7%)Below Sector Average
Employment / Personnel3 | 3.4%
Employment / Personnel - Risk 1
Enforcement of stricter labor laws and regulations and increases in labor costs in the PRC may adversely affect our business and our profitability.Employment / Personnel - Risk 2
Failure to attract and retain qualified personnel at a reasonable cost could jeopardize our competitive position. We also depend on the continued efforts of our senior management. If one or more of our key executives were unable or unwilling to continue in their present positions, our business may be severely disrupted.Our industry is characterized by high demand and intense competition for talent. As a result, we may need to offer higher compensation and other benefits in order to attract and retain quality sales, technical and other operational personnel in the future. We compete with other companies engaged in online real estate services and internet-related businesses for qualified personnel. We have, from time to time in the past, experienced, and we expect in the future to continue to experience, difficulty in hiring and retaining highly skilled employees with appropriate qualifications. There may be a limited supply of qualified individuals in some of the cities in China where we have operations and other cities into which we intend to expand. We must hire and train qualified managerial and other employees on a timely basis to meet our business needs while maintaining consistent quality of services across our operations in various geographic locations. We must also provide continued training, through our various training programs, to our managerial and other employees so that they are equipped with up-to-date knowledge of various aspects of our operations and can meet our demand for high-quality services. If we fail to do so, the quality of our services may decline in one or more of the markets where we operate, which in turn, may cause a negative perception of our brand and adversely affect our business. We cannot assure you that we will be able to attract or retain the quality personnel that we need to achieve our business objectives.
In addition, we place substantial reliance on the real estate industry experience and knowledge of our senior management team as well as their relationships with other industry participants. We do not carry key person insurance on any member of our senior management team. The loss of one or more members of our senior management team, in particular if any of them joins our competitors, could hinder our ability to effectively manage our business and implement our growth strategies. Finding suitable replacements for our current senior management could be difficult as competition for such talent is intense.
If we fail to successfully attract new personnel, retain and motivate our current personnel, or retain our senior management, we may lose competitiveness and our results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.
Employment / Personnel - Risk 3
If we are unable to retain and attract real estate professionals or fail to continue to develop and promote our marketplace, service offerings and features, and develop the technologies that cater to their needs, our business and operating results would be harmed.As we generate a substantial portion of our revenues from sharing commission fees with real estate agents who complete transactions in our marketplace, our business relies heavily on the total number of active agents. Our ability to attract and retain real estate professionals depends on a number of factors, including:
- the size, accuracy and timeliness of our listings;- the number and quality of services that we provide to our agents;- the efficiency of our sales and marketing efforts;- the competition for real estate professionals from various online real estate agent service platforms;- the number of real estate buyers using our website and mobile applications; and - the strength of the real estate market.
If we fail to attract and retain active agents in our marketplace, our revenue may not grow and our business as well as operating results could suffer materially.
We have invested, and will need to continue to dedicate, significant time, efforts and resources to advertising and market promotion initiatives. Historically, our sales and marketing expenses fluctuated from quarter to quarter based on our advertising and marketing plans and due to the seasonality we experienced. We may need to devote a greater portion of our resources to continue to attract listings and strengthen our brand recognition, which may impact our profitability. We cannot guarantee that our marketing efforts will ultimately be successful, as it is affected by numerous factors, including our level of investment in, and the effectiveness of, our sales and marketing campaigns, our ability to provide consistent, high quality products and services, customer satisfaction with our products, as well as supports and services we provide, among others.
Costs3 | 3.4%
Costs - Risk 1
Our reliance on a limited number of property developers may materially and adversely affect us.Costs - Risk 2
We are subject to risks relating to our leased properties.Currently, most of our offices are on leased premises. We may not be able to successfully maintain, extend or renew our leases upon the expiration of the current term on commercially reasonable terms or at all, and may therefore be forced to relocate to new offices.
In addition, we have entered into certain lease agreements with parties who have not provided evidence of proper legal title to the leased premises or authorization from the legal owners for sublease of the premises. If such parties are not the legal owners, or if they have not obtained the proper authorization from the legal owners of the premises, we might be forced to relocate. We also have not registered certain of our lease agreements with the relevant government authorities. Under the relevant PRC laws and regulations, we may be required to register and file executed leases with the relevant government authority. Failure to register the lease agreements for our leased properties will not affect the validity of these lease agreements, but housing authorities may order us to register the lease agreements in a prescribed period of time and impose a fine ranging from RMB1,000 to RMB10,000 for each non-registered lease if we fail to complete the registration within the prescribed timeframe.
Costs - Risk 3
We have limited insurance coverage which could expose us to significant costs and business disruption.The insurance industry in China is still in an early stage of development and PRC insurance companies offer only limited business insurance products. We only maintain limited insurance policies to safeguard against risks and unexpected accidents, we do not maintain business interruption insurance or litigation insurance coverage for our operations in China. Any business disruption, litigation or natural disaster may cause us to incur substantial costs and result in the diversion of our resources, as well as significantly disrupt our operations, and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position and results of operations. Moreover, to improve our performance and to prevent disruption of our services, we may have to make substantial investments to deploy additional servers or create one or more copies of our website to mirror our online resources, either of which could increase our expenses and reduce our net income.
Ability to Sell
Total Risks: 6/88 (7%)Above Sector Average
Competition1 | 1.1%
Competition - Risk 1
We may fail to compete effectively with existing and new industry players, which could significantly reduce our market share and materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.Demand2 | 2.3%
Demand - Risk 1
Our results of operations and cash flows may fluctuate due to seasonal variations in the real estate market, the non-recurring nature of our real estate transactions, billing cycles and unpredictable development cycles.Demand - Risk 2
Our business is susceptible to fluctuations in China's real estate market, its overall economic growth and frequent changes in government measures aimed at China's real estate industry.Changed
We conduct our real estate services business primarily in China. Our business depends substantially on conditions in China's real estate industry. Demand for private residential real estate in China has grown steadily in recent years but such growth is often coupled with volatility and fluctuations in real estate transaction volume and prices. Fluctuations of supply and demand in China's real estate industry are caused by economic, social, political, environmental and other factors. The Chinese economy has shown slower growth compared to the previous decade and this trend is likely to continue. There is considerable uncertainty over the long-term effects of the expansionary monetary and fiscal policies adopted by the central banks and financial authorities of some of the world's leading economies, including China. Any severe or prolonged slowdown in China's economy may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Furthermore, there may be situations in which China's real estate industry is so active that real estate developers see a reduced need for collaborating with real estate agents and reduce their spending on such initiatives, which could potentially adversely affect our results of operations. To the extent fluctuations in China's real estate industry adversely affect spending on real estate sales and marketing, our financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.
The real estate industry in China is also affected by shifts in government regulations on primary and resale property transactions, often aimed at controlling real estate prices. In the past, PRC governmental authorities issued a series of restrictive rules to regulate the Chinese real estate market, such as limiting the number of properties a household can purchase, restricting access to mortgages, implementing taxes on property transactions, and restricting debt financing to real estate developers. However, starting from 2023, PRC governmental authorities began to ease restrictive rules and implement measures to stimulate the Chinese real estate market, such as facilitating greater access to credit and funding for real estate developers without discrimination, reducing mortgage interest rates, lowering down payments for home buyers, and relaxing restrictions on secondhand housing sales and purchases. Some local governments also introduced policies such as "determination based on property ownership in the region instead of overall mortgage record" for first-time home buyers, aiming at simplifying the criteria for obtaining first-home loans. Despite these encouraging policies, we cannot rule out the possibility of future restrictive measures by the PRC government, potentially leading to lower growth rates in the real estate industry. Frequent changes in government policies may also create uncertainty that could discourage investment in real estate. Our business may be materially and adversely affected as a result of decreased transaction volumes or real estate prices that may result from government policies.
Sales & Marketing2 | 2.3%
Sales & Marketing - Risk 1
We have entered into sales commitment arrangements with real estate developers and funding partners to sell new properties, which may expose us to financial and regulatory risks and may materially adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.Sales & Marketing - Risk 2
If our marketplace is unable to offer comprehensive, authentic, accurate and up-to-date property listings, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.One of the key reasons for real estate agents to come to our marketplace is our comprehensive and authenticated property listings. We believe having a large number of high-quality listings attracts agents, real estate sellers and real estate buyers to our marketplace and increases the volume of potential transactions. Although we have developed a comprehensive verification procedure to ensure the timeliness, reliability, authenticity and accuracy of listing information, we cannot assure you that all information listed in our marketplace is authentic, accurate and up to date. Despite our verification procedures, information posted by agents, real estate sellers and real estate buyers may not be accurate and up to date in all aspects. To the extent we are unable to continue to offer and expand the sources of listing information, or we fail to ensure the timeliness, authenticity and accuracy of our listings, our marketplace could become less attractive to users and transaction volumes may decrease. In such an event, our competitive position could be significantly weakened and our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.
Brand / Reputation1 | 1.1%
Brand / Reputation - Risk 1
We depend significantly on the strength of our brand and reputation. If we, our employees, real estate agents, real estate developers, or other business partners on our platform engage, or are perceived to engage, in misconduct, fraudulent acts or wrongdoing, our business or reputation could be harmed and we could be exposed to regulatory investigations, costs and liabilities.Changed
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.